Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 3.31.4
Visarga· Brahmā's creationBodily Ingredients, Needs and Movement Appear
“Within four months from the date of conception, the seven essential ingredients of the body, namely chyle, blood, flesh, fat, bone, marrow and semen, come into existence. At the end of five months, hunger and thirst make themselves felt, and at the end of six months, the fetus, enclosed by the amnion, begins to move on the right side of the abdomen.”
What the purport teaches
- The translation lists seven bodily ingredients appearing within four months: chyle, blood, flesh, fat, bone, marrow and semen.
- Hunger and thirst are felt at the end of five months. At six months, the fetus is described as enclosed by the amnion and beginning to move.
- The purport describes the body as completely formed at six months. It states that a male child moves on the right side and a female child on the left.
Try this today
When you feel hunger or thirst today, briefly reflect on how early bodily needs begin.
Ask yourself
What does the appearance of hunger and thirst before birth suggest about bodily dependence?
Carry the question through the day, then answer it in your own words before sleep.
The study points, practice and question are short summaries drawn from Śrīla Prabhupāda's translation and purport. Read the full purport to go deeper.