Aim – To have a healthy mother & healthy baby in terms of physical, mental, intellectual, spiritual growth.
It is a science by itself and also a beautiful, easy and inexpensive way to improve intelligent, emotional and spiritual quotient of an unborn child by various means. It also includes keeping expectant mother happy and making her nine months journey joyful.
It is not a new concept in India, Indian people knew that behavior of parents and environment affects the growing child in the womb. That’s why our old grandmothers insisted that expecting mother should be kept happy and at the same time she should live with discipline, think positive thoughts, read good books, listen to good music and see good movies.
Our mythology tells story about Abhimanyu. He learnt how to enter into chakraviyu in the womb while Lord Krishna narrated the art of entering in to chakravyu to expecting subhadra. Another example is of Shivaji, the great warrior, his mother use to read and think about life stories of deshbhaktas, Ramayan, Geeta and Mahabharat when she was pregnant. Recently also, if you look into the life of famous tabla player Zakkir Hussain, his father Rakkatulla use to play tabla by his fingers on the womb of his pregnant wife.
It includes:
- Pregnancy should be by choice and not by chance. The parent to be, couple must be prepared mentally, physically and economically to welcome an unborn child
- Every couple wants his would be born child with Intelligence (Buddhi), Valor (Shourya), Brilliance (Tejas), Strength (Shakti), good qualities (guna) like Love for Humanity and Nation, fearlessness, leadership, management skills, farsightedness, love for peace etc. Through garbha sanskar all this can be imparted to the unborn baby.
- Developing baby in the womb is in the most educable stage of life. One can use various techniques to make this period most conducive to learning.
- Baby starts listening from 4th month onwards.
- Baby recognizes mother from her heart beat, voice, touch and smell.
- Mother’s emotions affect the baby.
- It is proved that baby is very close to father’s voice. So stories, mantra chanting and songs told by father makes a definite impact. Also baby recognizes father’s touch.
How Garbha Sanskar can be imparted:
- Sat vichar– By inculcating positive thoughts and attitude towards life and pregnancy.
- Keeping mother happy and joyful by husband and other family members.
- Sat sahitya– reading good books about positive attitude in life, spiritual books like Ramayan, Bhagwad Geeta and Mahabharat and Puranas, and lives of deshbhaktas. Most important thing is to read thoughtfully and try to imbibe what is being read.
- Music—Chanting of mantras and shlokas, listening to classical music and bhajans has a v calming and elevating effect in the mind. It makes mother happy and joyful. Prayers for all beings and for the unborn child.
- Educating about the need of regular walk, yoga and exercise.
- Visual aids like seeing good movies related to values, deshbhakti and spiritual masters.
- Eating pure and nutritious food.
- Wearing loose and comfortable cloths.
- Thanks giving daily for giving the joy of becoming a mother.
Who can impart Garbha sanskar:
- Actually it should start when ‘Parents to be’ couples starts planning for pregnancy by living a disciplined life and preparing themselves physically, mentally and economically.
- Mother – As it is proved scientifically that mother and baby share experiences so whatever mother does has direct impact on the baby.
- Father – baby understands father’s voice and touch. Father can talk, chant mantras or sing songs sitting near to mother and while doing so keep his hand on mother’s womb.
- Grandparent – By story telling and giving advises that can be of great help.
- Teacher – By listening lectures and discourses on values, good conduct and on our spirituality.
- Society – Various functions and rituals performed in a community when mother is expecting