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TILAKAMANJARĪ OF DHANAPĀLA
People believed that a woman in her pregnancy was subject to attacks of evil spirits and some rite should be performed to ward them off. The invocation of Srī required to be performed by the husband in order to keep away the evil demons lurking on to devour the foetus as ordained by the “Asvalāyana smrti' can find its counterpart in the entire ritual performed by Meghavāhana in order to propitiate Śrī with the secret charm afforded to him by the Vidyādhara sage. The ritual performed by Meghavāhana is preceding even the Garbhādhāna as a special case because all the issues born to Madirāvatī used to be devoured by the evil spirits as can be guessed to be the psychological aspect on the whole problem.
'उज्झितान्यकर्तव्येन वृद्धसंप्रदायागतानि विविधौषधानि प्रयुंजानेन महानरेन्द्रलिखितानि मन्त्रकरण्डकानि वनाता दृष्टप्रत्ययप्रतीतपरिव्राजकोपदिष्टनीत्या स्नपनमंगलानि प्रवर्तयता शुद्धान्तजरतीजनेन शश्वक्रियमाण गर्भग्रहणोपचाराभिः पुत्रकाम्यन्तीभिरन्त:पुरकामिनीभिर्विधीयमानविविधव्रतविशेषम्
referring to the old ladies of the harem performing typical rites foreboding the development of the foetus, the growth of the male child and security of the child against evil spirits gives a clue to the idea of the triplefold sacraments of Garbhādhāna, Pursavana and Sīmantonnayana.
Her ardent longings to bathe along with her female friends, in the water of the Mānasa lake, limpid like the autumn, when she felt malaised while bathing in the water founts established in the yards of the lounging chamber; to stroll about the gardens of the plateaus of the Kulaparvatas abounding in the creepers of the blown wish-granting trees when she felt ennuied during the heat of the mid-day; to witness the dance performances played in the open by the nymphs during the eventides, in the shrines of the Siddhas belonging to different islands engirt by oceans, surrounded by the gods; and her attending to the divine tales of the kathaka ladies- all these go to illustrate the point that the foetus in her womb gave her the sublime tendencies and attitudes of mind making her certain about its fructification without the obstruction of evil spirits etc.
The narrative, therefore, covers up the rite of Sīmantonnayana which entailed the parting of the hair of the woman in the fourth, fifth or up to the cighth month of pregnancy to keep her in good cheer and to avoid any physical shocks etc.
The Jātakarma Samskāra was actually the process of delivering the baby at the completion of the ninth month and advent of the tenth month of pregnancy. This Samskāra has been illustrated by Dhanapāla as under :
1. Hindu Samskāras p. 64. 2. TM Vol. II pp. 161-62. 3. TM Vol. II p. 181.
