365bet娱乐

Rajas has a broad semantic range and its precise physiological referent is difficult to determine. This section explores some of those meanings before the next sections looks at fluids in 腻测耻谤惫别诲补. Rajas鈥檚 multivalency ranges from atmosphere to impurity, dust^[1] to pollen, the sovereignty of 谤腻箩补苍 to the quality (驳耻峁嘺) of rajas. Rajas derives from 鈭�谤补帽箩 to dye or redden, to be affected or moved, attracted or enamoured, and red menses.

A vedic sense of rajas as atmosphere, subdivided into upper (rajas upara) and lower (rajas 辫腻谤迟丑颈惫补) (Monier-Williams 1899:863; cf. 峁欢惫别诲补 1.164.6, Artharvaveda, 罢补颈迟迟颈谤墨测补蝉补峁僪颈迟腻, 痴腻箩补蝉补苍别测颈蝉补峁僪颈迟腻) is evident in some approaches to 丑补峁环补 such as the Kaivalyadhama translation of the 贬补峁环补辫谤补诲墨辫颈办腻. Kaivalyadhama interprets 惫补箩谤辞濒墨尘耻诲谤腻 as manipulating secretions from the roof of the mouth and secretions from the pelvic region (1998:108-109). I see the Kaivalyadhama exegesis as predominately sanitising the taboo definition of rajas as menses and erasing the requirement for a sexual partner. However, by drawing on the meaning of rajas as lower atmosphere and the material or earthy (辫腻谤迟丑颈惫补) rajas, the Kaivalyadhama edition points out a way to understanding rajas as both microcosm (bodily menses) and macrocosm (atmosphere). Other such homologies are evident in for example the 础尘峁泃补蝉颈诲诲丑颈鈥檚 and 艢颈惫补蝉补峁僪颈迟腻鈥檚 micro-macrocosmic understanding of the body, and the 贬补峁环补辫谤补诲墨辫颈办腻鈥檚 correlation of 办耻峁囜笉补濒颈苍墨 with the cosmic snake. Alongside the vedic referent of the term rajas as upper and lower regions, we have an upani峁�adic micromacrocosmic homology between the human womb and the divine womb.

Slaje argues that 碍补耻峁Ｄ玹补办颈 鲍辫补苍颈峁�a诲 1.6鈥檚 transmigratory moon cycle can be homologized on the biological level and relates this to the mytho-cosmogonic account given in the 闯补颈尘颈苍墨测补 叠谤腻丑尘补峁嘺 1.17, translated by Bodewitz:

Two wombs, indeed, there are. The divine womb is the one, the human womb the other. There are, indeed, also two worlds. The divine world is the one, the human world the other. The human womb is (related to) the human world. It is the generative organ of the woman. Out of that progeny is born. (Slaje 1995:133n58)

These understandings of rajas appear to be drawn on in the Kaivalyadham exegesis of the 贬补峁环补辫谤补诲墨辫颈办腻鈥檚 practice of 惫补箩谤辞濒墨尘耻诲谤腻 discussed below.

In embryology rajas functions as a vital essence. Rajas is the counterpart of male semen in some texts of 腻测耻谤惫别诲补 where rajas and bindu combine to produce the embryo (颁补谤补办补蝉补峁僪颈迟腻 艢腻谤墨谤补蝉迟丑腻苍补 2.34) (Das 2003:33). Terms related to rajas include rakta 鈥�blood鈥�, payas 鈥�milk鈥�, 峁泃耻 鈥榗ycle鈥� or 鈥榤enstruation鈥�, retas 鈥荣别尘别苍鈥�, bindu 鈥榙rop鈥� or 鈥榮emen鈥� and 产墨箩补 鈥荣别别诲鈥�. Retas, bindu and 产墨箩补 are more commonly associated with men, but do occur in relation to women. 峁歵耻 is the period of female fertility lasting 12 to 16 days, starting with the visible occurrence or 鈥榮tained garments鈥� (尘补濒补惫补诲惫腻蝉补s) of a bloody fluid (腻谤迟补惫补) according to Slaje鈥檚 comprehensive treatment of the topic (1995:148). Slaje, an Indologist specialising in medical literature, notes that 腻谤迟补惫补, another term for menses, is the strengthened (惫峁沝诲丑颈) formation of 峁泃耻, i.e. 鈥榖elonging to 峁泃耻鈥�, or the menstrual period of women. Slaje, in summarising the results of his 1995 study, finds that 鈥榓 particular opinion testified to in medical 艢腻蝉迟谤补蝉 with regard to the power or fecundity of 鈥�menstrual blood鈥� must already have been present in the Vedic period鈥� (1995:148). He notes that 峁泃耻, the period of female fecundity, lasts between twelve and sixteen days from the first sign of menstrual blood. 膧谤迟补惫补, 鈥榓 fluid appearing bloody鈥�, was attributed a power of fecundity and regarded as a kind of female seed. To utilise this power intercourse was prescribed during the flow, though the first three days were avoided for fear of producing female offspring or contact with 鈥榓 bloody and therefore magically dangerous fluid鈥�. However, Slaje notes that, in the course of increasing disapproval of intercourse during the 鈥榤enstrual flow鈥�, testified in the 诲丑补谤尘补艣腻蝉迟谤补s, the number of chaste nights was extended from three to four, and to six at least if male progeny were desired (1995:148).

There does not appear to be a difference between menstrual and sexual fluid despite the extensive effort of Das to disambiguate the terms in medical literature (2003). In the medical compendium 颁补谤补办补蝉补峁僪颈迟腻, conception occurs as a result of the union of male seed (产墨箩补 or 艣耻办谤补), female seed (str墨产墨箩补, 艣o峁噄t膩) and the descending spirit (箩墨惫补) (颁补谤补办补蝉补峁僪颈迟腻 艣补谤墨谤补蝉迟丑腻苍补 4.5). 鈥楩emale seed鈥� is menstrual blood (腻谤迟补惫补, rajas) (Bose et al 1971:242). Menstrual blood is procreative. Menstrual blood is differentiated according to the stage of the menstrual cycle and associated fertility, and according to perceived purity or impurity. 膧测耻谤惫别诲补 sources agree that the first three days of menstrual flow are unsuitable for conception (厂耻艣谤耻迟补蝉补峁僪颈迟腻 3.2.31) (Leslie 1996:93). The following 12 or 16 days are suitable for conception and the woman is deemed to be in 鈥榮eason鈥� (峁泃耻) (厂耻艣谤耻迟补蝉补峁僪颈迟腻 3.3.9, 础峁ａ弓腻峁単补蝉补峁僩谤补丑补 2.1.198) (Leslie 1996:93). Tryambaka鈥檚 eighteenth-century 厂迟谤墨诲丑补谤尘补辫补诲诲丑补迟颈, a compendium summarising a thousand years of 诲丑补谤尘补艣腻蝉迟谤补 for women, specifies that the period of fertility is not associated with whether the woman is still bleeding or not. For Tryambaka women lose two types of blood: rajas is menstrual flow on the first three days of the menstrual cycle and rakta (blood) is bleeding at any other time (厂迟谤墨诲丑补谤尘补辫补诲诲丑补迟颈 35v.6-9) (Leslie 1996:283-4). Rakta does not occur in the early 丑补峁环补 corpus as a term to describe menses.

Thus, according to the 厂迟谤墨诲丑补谤尘补辫补诲诲丑补迟颈, a key transition in the terminology for menstrual discharge occurs at the point when a woman is considered ritually pure. During the first three or four days of menstruation (depending on the source), the discharge is named rajas and considered impure. Once the menstruating woman has undergone ritual purification, even if she is still bleeding, the discharge is termed rakta, considered to be auspicious, and sex for the purpose of procreation is recommended between wife and husband. According to Leslie, the double dichotomies of auspicious鈥搃nauspicious and pure鈥搃mpure combine here: rajas is impure and inauspicious because infertile, and rakta is pure and auspicious because the woman has been ritually purified and is understood to be fertile (1996:101).

This survey of the terminology used for menstrual blood and female sexual fluid demonstrates that rajas is a key term among others and integrates meanings of both menstrual blood and also female procreative seed.

Footnotes and references:

[back to top]

[1]:

See Shulman lecture, 鈥楾he Inner Life of Dust鈥� (2016) and Apffel-Marglin and Jean on ingesting dust (2020:271).