RSS Garbh Sanskar Abhiyan: Some analysts are linking Garbh Sanskar with the propaganda of ideology. From the point of view of science, some experts are terming Garbh Sanskar as a pseudoscience, while many experts say that it cannot be considered baseless.
The story of devotee Prahlad is remembered every year on Holika Dahan, which takes place on the eve of Holi. When the demon Hiranyakashyap went for penance, the deities made his pregnant wife Kayadhu a prisoner. Devraj Indra wanted to destroy even the part of the demon king growing in the womb. Naradji met on the way. Refused and brought Kayadhu to his ashram. Kayadhu kept listening to the beautiful discourses of Naradji and it had a deep impact on the child growing in the womb. The same child Prahlad became a great devotee of Lord Vishnu.
You must have heard another story from the Mahabharata period! Arjun’s son Abhimanyu, who had learned the art of piercing the Chakravyuh in his mother’s womb itself. Even today elders, religious leaders and preachers advise pregnant women to do Bhagwat bhajans and listen to satsangs, so that it has an effect on the unborn child. Such beliefs are common in a country with eternal religion, culture and tradition. But why are we discussing this all of a sudden?
Why is knowledge or culture relevant in the womb?
Actually, there is an organization associated with the women of RSS i.e. Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh – Rashtra Sevika Samiti. Its short form also became RSS. Well… Sanvardhini Nyas, an organization related to Rashtra Sevika Samiti, has started the ‘Garbh Sanskar’ campaign for pregnant women.
A few years ago there were reports of starting Garbh Vigyan Sanskar by Arogya Bharti, the health wing of the Sangh. In 2015, there were reports of running this campaign at the national level, which started from Gujarat. Then through Vidya Bharti, the matter of making its reach in other states came to the fore and now the Sanstha Samvardhini Nyas’s Garbh Sanskar Abhiyan.
Why Garbh Sanskar Abhiyan?
Madhuri Marathe, National Organizing Secretary of Sanvardhini Nyas, says that a campaign named Garbh Sanskar has been started for pregnant women so that the child can be taught values and values of life in the womb itself.
According to him, this organization is preparing such a program through a team of doctors, doctors and yoga trainers, so that children born in the womb can be imparted rites. A workshop was organized at Jawahar Lal University by Rashtra Sevika Samiti, a women’s organization associated with the Sangh, in which 80 gynecologists from 12 states of the country participated.
What will happen under the campaign?
According to the organization, a team of gynecologists, Ayurvedic doctors and yoga teachers is preparing a program for Garbh Sanskar. This program includes lessons from Gita, Ramayana etc. and yoga-meditation etc. during pregnancy. According to Secretary Madhuri Marathe, this program will run till the pregnant woman and the child are two years old. In this program, there will be recitation of verses from Gita and verses from Ramayana.
They claim that a child growing in the womb can learn up to 500 words. Such an effort is being made through this Sanskar Abhiyan. But is it really possible? After a period of time after birth, the child is introduced to words and language. In such a situation, why such an expectation from the child growing in the womb?
What does science say about this?
We asked Chat GPT what the experts think about it. The answer came – the child’s chances of learning values or practicality in the womb are equal to none. Sanskar or manners come under the purview of social behavior in a way that can be learned through observation and experience in a social structure. Such as family gathering, behavior in the family, in schools or through community activities.
However, the behavior of a pregnant woman and her emotions can affect the development of the unborn child. Studies have proved that the stress and anxiety of the mother during pregnancy can affect the behavior and emotional development of the child after birth. In such a situation, it is important for pregnant women to take care of their physical and emotional health for the healthy development of their baby.
expert opinion
According to gynaecologists, a child growing in the womb can hear sounds but does not understand language. According to research, during the development of the fetus in the womb, its ears also develop. In this case, the sound waves will reach him. But he does not understand their meaning. In such a situation, it is very difficult to say what effect the recitation of Gita and Ramayana will have on them. There is no scientific basis for this.
Are you listening?
According to a fetal psychology study published in the journal Psychology Today, a fetus in the womb can dream, feel, hiccup and react to loud noises. In the 13th week, the ability to hear develops in it. The study says that after this he also differentiates between his mother’s and other’s voice.
According to research, along with the ability to feel, see and hear, the fetus also develops the ability to learn and remember. If the same story is told repeatedly to the fetus growing in the womb, it reacts. He also gets startled when there is noise. According to some experts, if the mother does positive things during the development of the fetus in the womb, then it also affects the child.
Now a little discussion on designer baby
The concept of designer baby has also come to the fore in the world which is becoming modern and sophisticated. In a survey conducted in America, it has been revealed that many parents want their child to progress a lot in life and they start wishing for this even before the child is born. One in three American parents want to increase their child’s chances of getting into the best college.
Parents are worried that their child should not have a DNA defect, so that they do not have to face problems later. There is a solution to these worries – Designer Baby. For this, many American private companies are working on IVF and polygenic embryo screening. Parents want to take advantage of gene editing and polygenic screening through prime child-bearing age and in vitro fertilization to achieve their ambitions for a child.
some in favor and some against
Regarding Garbh Sanskar, some analysts believe that it is an attempt to propagate and spread an ideology. Well, if we talk about it from the point of view of science, then some experts connect Garbh Sanskar with pseudo science. But many experts say that this cannot be considered baseless. The Superstition Nirmulan Samiti called it pseudoscience. However, activist Mukta Dabholkar seems to agree on a balanced diet, good thoughts and activities to keep the mind calm for a pregnant woman.
Research is on…
According to research studies, it is natural for the child to be affected when a pregnant woman is under stress. If a stressed pregnant woman gets peace by reciting Ramayana or Gita or gets happiness by humming bhajans or singing/listening to songs, then the hormones produced in her body also affect the foetus. There is scientific evidence that happy hormones have the same effect on the unborn child as the mother’s stress hormones.
A research is being done in Banaras Hindu University regarding the effect of music or noise on the child growing in the womb. There is also a point in research that what will be the effect of therapy like activities involved in Garbh Sanskar if the mother is under stress. Although this research has just started and it will take time to get the results.