There is historical evidence also to show the influence of the pregnant mother on her future offspring. There are ample evidences in the history of our great country to show that mothers in the past started teaching their children while still in the womb, and also continued the same instruction for some time after they came into the world, time-honored examples for our modern mothers to follow. The following are more recent instances.
Our scriptures contain specific references to how seriously the women of yore took their maternal responsibilities during pregnancy and after childbirth. They were fully aware of the environmental and cultural influences on the unborn child and harnessed that knowledge for the benefit of the children and the community. The West had to wait until the invention of the ultrasound to realize this age-old phenomenon.
Let’s look at some examples from our epics of noble women who shaped the future of their children, and of the children who shaped the history of mankind. These women are the perfect representatives of Aaryan tradition in its best sense—noble, lofty, distinguished—with no temporal or geographical connotations.