Test Tube Babies: Kauravas

I'm going to talk about the test tube baby birth technique adopted in India thousands of years ago during the Mahabharata period.



Most likely, scientific advancement then was greater than what it is today. It was an age which gives references of test tube babies (birth of Kauravas), surrogate motherhood (Kunti and Madri's children) Foetus transplant (Krishna's brother Balram was transferred from Devaki's to Rohini's womb). Modern scientists have time and again accepted this fact and this was mentioned in a conference on stem cell research that the Kauravas were products of a technology that modern science has not even developed as yet.


The Mahabharata describes Gandhari as a mother of 100 sons the Kauravas. Her story begins when Bhishma Pitamah, the Kuru elder took upon himself the task of finding a suitable match for his blind nephew Dhritrashtra. He visits the Kingdom of Kandhar with a marriage proposal for the beautiful princess Gandhari. The King hesitated in accepting the proposal considering the dark future of his daughter by marrying her to a visually impaired beau but later relented.


After her marriage to Dhritrashtra, she wrapped a bandage over her eyes and vowed to share the darkness that her husband lived in. Gandhari's brother Shakuni, who probably never forgave this injustice to his sister, came along to look after the interests of Gandhari.


Once Sage Vyasa came to visit Hastinapur. He came to her abode, exhausted with hunger and fatigue and was very warmly looked after by the queen. She took great care of the comforts of the great saint and ensured that he had a pleasant stay. And as the story progresses in great Indian epics, the saint was immensely pleased and gratified with the hospitality and granted her a boon. Predictably, Gandhari wished to bear children. But unprecedently, she asked for one hundred sons who would be as powerful as her husband in strength and accomplishments. Vyasa granted her the boon and eventually, the regal queen became an expectant mother.


Like any other mother to be, she was filled with an exuberant hopefulness. But her wait was an excruciating and relentless one. Two years passed and still the baby was not delivered and she was greatly vexed by this. Meanwhile, the younger Kunti gave birth to a son from god Yama whom she named Yudhishtra. When Gandhari heard about the eldest Pandava whose glory and splendour was like the morning sun, she was highly envious and enraged.


Impatient of the abnormally long gestation period, and blinded by grief and frustration at not being able to fulfil her husband's expectations of a rightful heir, she struck her womb with great strength. As a result of that assault, a hard mass of flesh like an iron ball fell out.


This hard piece of lifeless flesh that was not a baby at all devastated Gandhari. She had expected a hundred sons as per the blessing of the divine sage Vyas. She challenged Vyasa to fulfil his blessing of one hundred sons. Ved Vyas informed her that his blessings could not be vain and assured her that she would be the mother of a hundred sons. He asked for one hundred jars filled with Ghee to be arranged. He cut the piece of flesh into hundred pieces and placed them into the jars. They would then develop into children. At that time,Gandhari expressed her desire of also wanting a daughter. Vyas agreed and cut the piece of flesh into one hundred and one pieces and placed them each in pots. After two more years of patient waiting the jars were ready to be opened. . (Mahabharata, Aadhiparvam, chapter 114, sloka 17).

When the first baby was ready for birth, the pot cracked and from it emerged Duryodhana, 'the unconquerable one' who is difficult to defeat. Unfortunately, assoon as the infant cried, all the beasts of the jungle started wailing. This expressed an impending ill omen.


My narration about the test tube birth gets over here, but the rest of the tale is as follows--

As he was born at a very inauspicious hour, Vidhura and Bheeshma advised Dhritarashtra and Gandhari that the child be abandoned as the omens at his birth spelt doom for the Kuru clan. He would certainly bring about the death and destruction of the complete clan. But Dhritarashtra and Gandhari’s love was truly blind and they refused to part with Duryodhana. They were adamant that a baby could not cause any harm and kept him much against everyone's wishes. At the same time the second Pandava Bhima was born to Kunti in the forest.


As the other children of Gandhari were ready for birth, they were taken out of the jars and she now had one hundred sons and a daughter Dushila. All her children grew up to be strong and powerful as per the boon.