CLONING & TEST TUBE BABY PRACTICES DURING MAHABHARATA TIMES

The science of cloning and test-tube baby was known to Mahabharata age (3000 BC), and the Kauravas "were products of a technology that modern science has not even developed yet".

The epic Mahabharata describes Gandhari as a mother of 100 sons who were called Kauravas, the eldest of them being Dhuryodhana.
"No woman can give birth to 100 children in her lifetime, that too all males and of the same age," B G Matapurkar, a surgeon with the Maulana Azad Medical College in New Delhi told the conference organised by the southern chapter of the All India Biotech Association.

 
Matapurkar, who holds a US patent on organ regeneration technique that he developed 10 years ago, said that he was thrilled when he stumbled on a verse in Mahabharata under the chapter Adiparva that actually describes how the Kauravas were created from a single embryo from Gandhari.
He said that according to the description in Mahabharata, the Kauravas were created by splitting the single embryo into 100 parts and growing each part in a separate kund or container.

 
"In other words," Matapurkar said, "they not only knew about test-tube babies and embryo spliting but also had the technology to grow human foetuses outside the body of a woman-someting that is not known to modern science," he added.

Parwati developed lord Ganesh with her ear wax remained a vidhya up-till recent past but we know now that ear wax contain epithelial cells and clones can be produced with epithelial cells though human clones are still to be developed.

Parasher was borne after eleven years of his fathers death was a vidhya those days and more over Parasher was borne to his grand mother[though the descriptions are not very clear in Mahabharat]. Now a days it is achieved as the Zygotes are kept in deep freezer and may be implanted in the uterus of surrogate mother . This surrogate mother may be a grand mother of the zygote implanted. So it is a reality now a days.

The story whether true or imaginary is of Puranic origin means about at-least two thousand years old. But imaginations of that time can not be so complex and so similar to the present day 'Scientific-truths'.

WONDERFUL MEDICINE PRACTICES IN ANCIENT INDIA

1. Transplantation of Organs:-Sage Gautama castrated the testicles of Indra. In place of that Ashwins transplanted the testicles of goat. He was therefore called Meshavrushana.

2. Toxicology:- Since Dasharatha rejected to fulfill the desires of queen Kaikayi she said that “If you install Rama as the king of Ayodhya, I am going to die by taking poison” which shows that the use of poisonous substances were existed.

3. Preservation of Dead Body:- The dead body of the king Dasharatha was preserved in “ Taila Droni” till the arrival of Bharat.

4. Amputation:- Sita sent message to Rama conveying her miseries that if Rama does not comesoon, Ravana will amputate my body with sharp instruments. This shows that the procedure of amputation exist like surgeon amputated the parts of a body situated in the womb.

5. King Dasharatha advised queen Kaikayi to take suggestion of Raajvaidyas (Royal Physician) for getting relief which shows medical professional ready existed in those days.

6. In Ramayana there is a description of Aushadhi parvata, Kanchanparvata and the peak of Kailasa. ThisAushadhi parvata to Lanka contains:

Mritasanjivani - which revives the dead

Visalyakarani - which frees trouble or anxiety

Savarnyakarani - which impart original colour

Sandhanakarani - which joins the fractured bones

7. Examination of the dead & alive:-When Lakshmana became unconscious in the war by an arrow, Rama declared him as dead. But vaidya Sushen explained him the signs & symptoms of the alive person:- 1.His face has not changed, 2.His face has not blackened, 3.His face has not become charm less but is full of light, 4.His palms are like lotus, 5.His eyes are clear. These are the signs of alive person.

8. Use of alcoholic preparations: - In the enumeration of ‘Madhushala’ of Ravana, different types of Asavas, wines,meat & their preparations according to the principles laid down in Ayurveda, several varieties of Sura, Sharkarasava, Madhvika,Pushpasava, Phalasava etc. & the vessels made up of gold, silver, quartz, etc. are also described.

9. Death of Ravana:- Ravana had died because of injury to his Naabhimarma due to arrow of Ram.This is the reference of 107 Marma which were known at that time.

10. Test tube baby:- ✶During her pregnancy, Gandhari beat herself on her abdomen which resulted in abortion. The pieces were kept separately,one in each earthen pot containing ghee for a period of ten months. As a result engendered one child from each piece.

✶The zygotes formed in the uterus of Kadruva & Vinata were kept in earthen pots containing ghee gave birth to children.By this, we can infer that the formation of test tube baby was already in practice.

11. Influence of mother’s feeling on the baby:-✶As Ambika closed her eyes out of fear at the time of intercourse, she gave birth to blind Dhrutarashtra.

✶Similarly, she gave birth to severe anemic child, Pandu raja, as she had sorrowful face at the time of intercourse & also during pregnancy.One can infer that the feelings of the mother reflect over the progeny.

12. Toxicology:- ✶Practice of divine therapy in toxicology was also seen in Mahabharata.

✶When Parikshit Maharaj was affected by snakebite, he called the physicians who were expert in toxicology.

✶Once Duryodhana gave poisonous food to Bhima who became unconscious & was thrown into the river. Due to the serpent bite he was revived. It suggests that Jangam Visha might have acted as antidote for Sthavara Visha.

✶In Mahabharata, various types of serpents have been described.

✶Lord Brahma taught the toxicology to Kashyapa.

13. Diseases, causative factors & treatment:- ✶Ashwins treated the blindness of Upamanyu, which was caused due to the consumption of Arka leaves.

✶Atriputra suffered from Rajyakshma (Pratiloma Kshaya) caused due to excessive copulation & was revived by getting treatment.

✶In Santiparva of Mahabharata, the psychosomatic disorders & their clinical picture were described along with the influence of Trigunas on the body & mind.