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BIRTH CONTROL IN
ANCIENT AND
MEDIAEVAL INDIA

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ROBERT HEILIG
MD„ MCfC, FAMS.. FNI.
Em. Professor of Medicine, Jaipur
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There should not be a fourth issue, even under

adverse conditions; beyond a woman should
BIRTH CONTROL IN
this,

be considered immoral; in case of five, she

ANCIENT AND becomes a profligate,

know the rules of conduct.
oh, learned one
How
I

could you ask

You

MEDIAEVAL INDIA me for an issue, as if by ignorance.

MAHABHARAT,
Adiparva, canto 123, V. 76. 77
ROBERT HEILIG
MCP; FAMS.,
AfD., FNI.
So sternly Kunti reproved Pandu, her husband,
Em. Professor of Medicine, Jaipur father of the Pandavas, when he demanded a

fourth son of her. The attitude expressed In

this sloka is certainly worth of our attention

but not typical for ancient Indian society.

he claim that birth control was prac-

T tised in the hoary past by the institu-
tion of Brahmachari is true only by
coincidence not by intent. Our attempts
to find the faintest hint of contraception

in the classical writings of Charak and

Susruta were completely unsuccessful-no
trace of it anywhere. The Shankar-
acharya of Puri, interviewed on my behalf
by Pandit Devi Shankar Tiwari, stated that
the fact, that a Brahmachari, upto the age
of 24. had to live in celibacy was dictated
exclusivelyby the intention of keeping
him concentrated on his studies, not
diverting any part of his thinking to the
necessities of family life. Since Brahma-
charis had to belong to one of the three
high castes, and Sudras, the vast majority
of the population, were excluded, this
already would have prevented any effect

I
of the Brahmachari’s late marrying on up by fasting, which, when not absolute,
population control. Still more proof, at least strictly prohibited consumption
that there was no intention of birth of cereals and of salt from Sambhar on
control or population planning is the fact, fasting days. Only rock salt from Lahore
that in the earliest scriptures, Smritis etc. could be used, which was scarce and
the inviolable rule was laid down that a costly. Instead of cereals, water chestnut
girl must be married before puberty. On (Singhara), lotus seeds (Makhana), tapioca
attaining of puberty her natural urges (Sabudana) were permitted.
etc. In this
must be met by her own husband; an way the Ekadashi, every eleventh day,
unmarried girl at this stage would become Chaturthi, the 4th day and Pradosh, the
the victim of temptations far too powerful 13th day of every Hindu month, Nauratri,
to be resisted, says the Shankaracharya. the 9 days of fast before Dassehra and
The explanation, that the marriage of girls Chaitra, helped in conserving provisions
before puberty developed after the Muslim that were in short supply. In the same
conquest with a view to protect the girl
sense worked the injunction that Brahmins
children, is absolutely untenable since and Brahmacharis should eat once a day
from times immemorial a most sacred only. Many people, even to-day, are
duty of the householder was to secure fasting once a week according to an astro-
marriages for all his daughters before they loger’s advice to placate a particular plan-
became mature. et or,in the case of wives, to protect the

Just as Brahmacharihood might have husband’s life. Thus, by various customs

somewhat reduced the size of families by and rituals, India, always aware of her
raising the marriage age of men to 24, limited means of livelihood, worked out
the prohibition of widow remarriage had methods, anchoreds in religion, to make
a similar effect, especially in the case of both ends meet without resorting to inten-
child-widows. tional birth control by contraceptives,
abstinence in married life etc.
Population was controlled effectively
by “natural means” or “acts of God” Since population remained more or
only. Incessant warfare, periodically, less living space
constant, was freely
almost every ten years recurring famines, available and unemployment no problem
floods and, especially, epidemics took in a rural society based on the joint
such a heavy toll, that, as far as we can family system, population planning by
guess, the population remained constant birth control was not a vital social pro-
for centuries; about 200 years ago the blem as it is today ;
therefore, no provi-
population was estimated at 60 million, sion was made for it in Vedic times while
roughly one tenth of today’s figure. And food scarcity was tackled on an all-

yet, according to the Shankaracharya, Hinduistic basis, as discussed before. It

India always was a country of scarcity, should also be remembered that children,
deficient, especially, in cereals and salt. especially sons, were an asset in a joint
These chronic deficiencies had to be made family, particularly as an old age insu-

2
 The oldest source of contraceptive
ranee; they, as a matter of course, main-
members of advice, that we could trace, is some
dating
tained their parents and other
1200 years back to the VIII century A.D.
the family who were past the age of provi-
They were both, The time is that of the Rashtrakutas,ruling
ding for themselves.
Central India including the Bombay area,
working capital during the active phase
the time also when the Kailash temple
of their parents’ life and guarantee of a
was cut out of the rock in Ellora. The
carefree existence after retirement, none of
source, to which we refer, is the Bridhad-
which family planning could have provided.
yogtarangini, a collection of extracts
Such considerations are even today power-
and from older works. The following means
ful obstacles to family planning will
of contraception are there to be found :
remain so until old age pensions will be
granted to everybody as a matter of right 1. One tola of powdered palm leaf
as is the case in most- developed countries. and ochre taken with cold water on the
4th day af menstruation causes sterility.
Later on, in mediaeval times India
Acharya Dr. Shriniwas Shastri, on
manifested a vivid interest in sexual acti-
checking these recipes with the original
vities in all their varied forms, laid down
Sanskrit text, found instead of “palm
in the Kama Sutra (IV cent. A.D.) and
leaf”, “Taleespatra tree” which R. N.
depicted to perfection on many mediaeval
Chopra (1933) identifies with Abies
temples, of which the best known are
webbiana, a kind of fir tree, growing in
Khajuraho (X-XI cent. A.D.) and
the Himalayas. The needles contain
Konarak (XllI cent. A.D.) These immor-
essential oils; a decoction of them is used
tal creations of literature and sculpture 3.
in chronic bronchitis, asthma and phthisis.
prove beyond doubt that sex culture or
the art of loving had developed such The seed of the Palasha tree mixed
2.

with honey and ghee and smeared inside

complicated rites as are not suitable or
even applicable to the relatively simple the vagina during the menses causes

relationship of one man and one wife

permanent sterility. — Palasha or Palas is

united by marriage. Mistresses or prosti-

Butea frondosa or Flame of the Forest.

tutes are required for such love feasts or

The J. Ind. Med. Assoc. 55 : 60, 1970

orgies, and, where unstable relations are published a paper by K. Kapila a.6.

involved, creation of children is undesir- who showed that Butea has actually some
antifertility effect; the crystalline as well
able. Thus, we find contraceptive lore
not in Susruta and Charak, these sages as the alcoholic fractions were found
of highest ethical and moral standards, fairly effective in reducing fertility in rats,

but in the rich mediaeval literature on although less so than the “pill”.

sexology, produced for those living at A woman who has intercourse

courts or near them or those attempting after menstruation, after treating the
to live in courtly style with concubines vagina with the smoke of Neem wood,
or courtesans; the latter polite designa- does not conceive. —This, of course, fits

tion points to their professional origin. well our knowledge of the “safe period”.

3
which comprises the days following within three centuries, the period reaching
menstruation. from the finishing of the temples of
4. A prostitute, who has inserted Khajuraho (1050 A.D.) to the construction
into the vagina a piece of rock salt dipped of the Sun temple at Konarak (1250 A.D.).
into oil, never conceives. —This again is Jyotirishvara Kavishekhara gives the
a rational method, since sodium chloride following advices. "The woman who
is a good spermicide, an 8% solution kills
drinks, on an auspicious day, palas, and
spermatozoa rapidly, while oil fixes them, fruits as well as flowers of the Salmali
preventing their further penetration, a tree, together with ghee** will certainly
method still popular in Poona. become sterile.” — Palas, we have encoun-
tered before; it is Butea frondosa
5. The root of the Tanduliyaka tree,
(Kapila et al.; 1. c.). Salmali is Salmalia
ground with rice water and taken for three
days at the end of menstruation, causes malabarica and might be worth-while

sterility. —Tanduliya (amarantus spinosa) investigating. —Other recipes found in

is recommended for menorrhagia, gonor- the “Five Arrows” are a decoction of

rhoea and snake bite (Chopra, 1933.) the root of the pavaka tree and sour rice

water; taken for 3 days after the end of

An interesting light at the social indi-
menstruation, this will make unfruitful
cation of contraception in those days
until death. Pavaka tree has been tenta-
throws the following quotation: “A tively taken as Semecarpus anacardium,
woman who has lost her husband or
the “marking nut” tree which contains
whose husband has abandoned her, may
3 different powerful irritants in the black
at her ease have intercourse with anyone,
juice of the pericarp, causing blisters
provided she inserts into her vagina a
within 12 hours of contact. Dhobis use
contraceptive tampon of Ajowan seeds
the juice for indelible marking of laundry
and rock salt, ground in oil.* —What- and so cause in allergic people the “Dhobi
ever the effect of Ajowan seeds, topically
— An
mark dermatitis”. alternate possibi-
applied, might be, rock salt and oil have
lity is that Pavaka stands for Pavak-
their merits. Ajowan (Carum copticum),
kashedi, the Madrasi name of Momordica
an anthelminthic and carminative, con-
charantia (cucurbitaceae), used, according
tains thymol (Chopra, l.c.). Ajowan to Chopra (l.c.), as emetic, purgative and
water is used even today as abortifaciens. in snake-bite. — Another contraceptive
A few centuries we find
later, the recommended here is Kadamba fruit of
Panchsayaka or “the Five Arrows” (of Nauclea cadamba. —Chopra (l.c.) men-
the God of Love) by Kavishekhar, dating tions Kadamba bark as a source of a
from XI-XIII centuries; although the tonic, a febrifuge and an astringent in

author is known, the date of compilation snake-bite; the active principle is similar
cannot be fixed more precisely than to cinchotannic acid. —Yet another recipe.
* Bridhadyogatarangini. Adhyaya, ch. 143 verses 53-61, Anandashram Sanskrit series.

*• Dr. Shastri found in the original text “wine” instead of "ghee”.

4
which we mention because it remained sour rice water will be barren.” — The
popular for centuries, is molasses. usual guesses what is meant by agni tree

“If a woman eats or drinks continuously vary between Semecarpus, Plumbago and
for half a month a large pala of three Citrus acida. To me it seems much more
years old molasses, the greatest of probable that meant here is Ammania
the poets (Kavishekhar) says that she baccifera, since among its vernacular

surely will be unfruitful to the end of names we find agnigarva, agnivednapaku

her life.” and aginbuti. Similar to Semecarpus,
the juice from the bruised leaves is a
Quite different from all preceding
strong irritant used in indigenous
ones are methods of contraception advi-
medicine to raise blisters, though in-
Koka Ratirahasya or “The
sed by
secret
in the

of Sexual Desire” antedating the

tensely painful ones. — Against my read-
ing of agni tree should be mentioned that
XIV century. This author described
Ammania is not a tree but a herb, that
several ways how to prevent seminal
grows upto a height of 24 inches; but
emission; the most rational is given here.
then, plumbago is also not a tree but a
“If one, at the time of sexual enjoyment,
shrub. With the Anangaranga we have
presses firmly with the finger on the
reached Moghul times and so left what
forepart of the testicle, turns his mind
could be called mediaeval India.
to other things and holds his breath while

doing so, a too rapid ejaculation of the Clearly superstitious or magic prac-
semen will be prevented”. — It seems that tices have been omitted, such as tying
such a method was meant when Rhazes, Datura root round the waist or drinking
the great Persian physician (died 924 A.D.) the flowers of the Japa tree at the time of
enumerates among the ways of preventing delivery, so as to cause future fetuses to
the semen from entering the uterus, coitus disappear.
obstructus in addition to coitus interrup-
tus, which he mentions first.
Most of the contraceptive methods
quoted here have been taken from
Finally, we find contraceptive advice
N. E. Himes, Ph.D., “Medical History
in the Anangaranga or the “Stage of the
of Contraception”, first published in
God of Love,” a collection of erotic
(Gamut
1936 and reprinted in 1963
poetry by Kalyanamalla, dating probably
Press, N.Y.)
from the XVI century. Here we encounter
again the 3 year old molasses, prescribed The plants mentioned in those recipes
exactly in the same way as in the “Five have been identified as far as possible,

Arrows”; here also the fruit of Kadamba, by consulting R. N. Chopra, “Indigenous

but enriched by the feet of flies, drunk with Drugs of India” (Calcutta, 1933), the
hot water for 3 days. New is the following unmatched and inexhaustible mine of
recommendation. “The woman, who, at information on Indian Medicinal plants;
the end of her period, drinks daily for they are amenable to pharmacological
3 days the root of agni tree cooked in and clinical investigation. Whether any

5
useful results could be obtained remains acharya of Puri, to Pandit Devi Shanker
to be seen. Tiwari as well as to Acharya Shriniwas
Sincerest thanks are offered to Shri Shastri, M.A. (Sanskrit), who
S.L. Kakar, to whom I owe the quotation confirmed most of the recipes by checking
from the Mahabharat, to the Shankar- with the original Sanskrit texts.