BPHS Ch.96 — Prasava Vikara Shanti: Unusual Deliveries, Animal Vikara & Parashara's Closing Philosophy
Prasava Vikara = unusual/abnormal deliveries; all forebode inauspiciousness for the whole household (both father's AND mother's family). Types: very short pregnancy (4-6 months); very long pregnancy (11-12 months); Hinango (missing body part — even extra or missing fingers/toes qualifies); Adhikango (extra body part); Vishira (born without head); Dvishira (two-headed, includes Siamese twins); baby resembling an animal; animal born with human form. Applies to both humans AND cattle (cows, buffaloes, horses). Animal vikara: cow delivering when Sun is in Leo = inauspicious for calf and owner; buffalo delivering when Sun is in Capricorn = same. Dosha for very young mother: conception or delivery at age 14 (running 15th year) or 15 (running 16th year) = not auspicious. Remedy: same procedure as Tritiya Janma Shanti (Ch.95) — puja to Brahma/Vishnu/Shiva/Grahas + homa + abhisheka; additionally give the problematic calf/animal to a brahmin. Parashara's closing philosophy for entire remedial section: "Like this, when inauspicious results are foretold by birth in certain combinations, if a human being performs the remedial measures, all desires will be fulfilled and the human being will be happy, prosperous, and will live for a long time." After Ch.96: PVNR announces restart of BPHS from Chapter 1 — systematic revision starting with cosmology, then proceeding through all chapters.
"When inauspicious results are foretold by the birth of a child, if a human being performs the remedial measures, all desires will be fulfilled and the human being will be happy, prosperous, and live long. That is Parashara's promise at the close of the remedial section."
— P.V.R. Narasimha Rao
BPHS Chapter 96 — Prasava Vikara Shanti (Unusual Deliveries)
Types of Unusual Deliveries
All of these are considered to forebode inauspiciousness for the family and community:
| Type | Description |
|---|---|
| Very short pregnancy | Born at 4-6 months (significantly earlier than 9 months) |
| Very long pregnancy | Born at 11-12 months (Santhanam: 2-3-4 months deviation from due date) |
| Hinango | Missing body part (no hand, no leg, no kidney; possibly even fewer fingers/toes) |
| Adhikango | Extra body part (3 hands, 3 legs, 6th finger/thumb, extra toe) |
| Vishira | Born without a head |
| Dvishira | Born with two heads (includes Siamese twins effectively) |
| Baby shaped like an animal | Human baby resembling a monkey, cow (extremely rare, appears in newspaper occasionally) |
| Animal born like a human | Cow/calf that appears human-shaped (extremely rare) |
PVNR note: Even extra thumb or 3 toes on a foot would fall under this category since these are unusual. Not limited to major limbs.
Applies to: Both human deliveries AND cattle (cows, buffaloes, horses)
Effect
"These unusual deliveries foretell big inauspicious events for the whole household and extended family — both father's side AND mother's side of the family."
Special Cases for Animals
- Cow delivering when Sun is in Leo (Simha): Inauspicious for the calf and its owner
- Buffalo delivering when Sun is in Capricorn (Makara): Inauspicious for the calf and its owner
- The calf born at such times "will cause problems to the owner and also to itself"
Remedy
Two components:
- Give the problematic calf/animal to a brahmin (verse suggests this, though PVNR is not 100% certain this is original Parashara)
- Same procedure as Tritiya Janma Shanti (Chapter 95) for homa/puja:
- Puja to Brahma, Vishnu, Maheshwara (Shiva), and Grahas
- All homa procedures same as Tritiya Janma
Special verse for lady who delivers unusual baby: The text seems to suggest giving/leaving the child, but PVNR is uncertain if this is Parashara's actual directive and leaves it open.
Dosha for Very Young Mother
- If conception OR delivery happens when the mother is 14 years old (running 15th year) or 15 years old (running 16th year) — not auspicious
Parashara's Closing Philosophy (Ch. 96)
— PVNR"Like this, when inauspicious results are foretold by the birth of a child in certain combinations, if a human being performs the remedial measures, all desires will be fulfilled and the human being will be happy, prosperous, and will live for a long time."
This is Parashara's general closure for the entire remedial section.
End of BPHS Remedial Section — PVNR Announcement
— PVNR"We have now finished the remedial section of BPHS. We have also finished astrology once. Now we are going to revise astrology. We will go back to the beginning and do a systematic reading of BPHS from Chapter 1."
Plan: Read ~1 hour of BPHS per class; go through slowly when worthwhile topics arise, browse quickly through familiar material; use the first Santhanam volume (Part 1).
"We may not be able to do one chapter per class because these chapters will be longer. But we will cover around an hour of BPHS per class."