 |
THE PEOPLE AND THEIR CULTURE
|
 |
ADVENT OF OFFSPRING
Continuity of race is a natural aspiration in the human breast
and whether in the joint families now fast becoming extinct or
small family units, the prospect of a baby being born to a young wife is an occasion for rejoicing. It is watched as much with eagerness as with anxiety. The pregnant wife is treated with care and tenderness whether the event is to take place at her parental home or her own. Her wishes are anticipated and provided for. They are supposed to be the precursors of the future physical and mental make-up of the baby. She is made to observe certain 'do's and 'don'ts'. Birth marks and congenital characteristics are traditionally attributed to the observance or otherwise of these 'do's and 'don'ts'. Because of her delicate condition, she is regarded as particularly prone to attacks of evil spirits against which the grhyasutras have prescribed preventives and curatives. Whether people now abide by them or not, the fact remains that a pregnant woman in a household is showed special consideration.
|
