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Abortion, a Dharmic Perspective- III: When does the Jiva enter fetus?
Nithin SridharJune 17, 2017
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In Part 1 of this series looking into the issue of abortion from a Dharmic perspective, we addressed the question of who a Jiva is. Then in Part 2, we enquired into the role allotted to giving birth by the Dharmic traditions. We saw how human life is treated as very rare and important and how giving birth is perceived as a noble and meritorious activity. Now, in this Part 3 of the series, we will briefly look into different stages in the birth of a child and try to answer a question, which is central to any discussion on abortion: When does the Jiva enter the fetus?
Stages in the birth of a child
Any discussion on abortion is not possible without understanding the stages in the birth of a child and in what stage does the Jiva enter the womb and enlivens the fetus. This is particularly important because, without determining at what stage of pregnancy will the fetus become endowed with the Jiva, i.e. at what stage will the fetus itself becomes a Jiva (i.e. a person), no analysis regarding the Dharmic implications of abortion can be made.
Let us then begin with a graphic account of how a child is born from Markandeya Purana [1]:
"As soon as the male seed is mixed with female blood, one, released from heaven or hell, enters into it. O father, the two kinds of seed being influenced by him he attains stability. He then grows into protoplasm, next into a bubble and then into a lump of flesh. The germ that grows up in the lumps of flesh called Ankura and then are gradually produced the five limbs. Then the minor limbs, fingers, eyes, nose, face, and ears are developed from (principal) limbs and from them the nails &c. Then hairs grow on the skin and then those on the head. Thus does the embryo grow up along with the uterus. As a cocoanut fruit grows along with its case so does this increase along with its case, with is face bent downwards. It grows keeping its hands downwards to its thighs and sides; the thumbs are placed on the thighs and the other fingers before them. The eyes are behind the thighs and the nose is within the thighs. The hips are between the two heels; the arms and legs remain outside. Thus a Creature, lying in the womb of a female, grows up gradually; the embryos of other creatures lie in the womb according to their forms. It gets hardened by fire and lives by what is eaten and drunk; the embryo exists in the womb depending upon virtue and vice. The entrail called Apyayani fixed to its navel is attached to the entrail of the female and it grows there. Having its body nourished while in the womb, by the food and drink a creature gradually grows up. It then gets the recollection of its many births and then pushed hither and thither it comes to entertain a distaste (for such a state).Having been released from the womb – "I shall never do it again – I shall so strive that I shall not have to enter into the womb any more" – thus does it think remembering a hundred miseries of births originating from destiny which he had experienced before. Then in the course of time, the creature, with its face bent downwards, turns itself and is then born in the ninth or the tenth month. And coming out it is assailed by the Prajapatya wind and tormented by the grief that is in its heart it bewails. Coming out of the womb it falls into an unbearable trance; it regains its consciousness when it feels the (surrounding) air. Then the enchanting illusion of Vishnu takes possession of it; having its soul possessed by it, it sustains a bewilderment of sense. With the loss of sense the creature comes of infancy, boyhood, youth and old age (Chapter 11, 1-20)."
A similar account, but one, which presents the correlation between the stage of pregnancy and the developments that happen in the fetus in respective stages, is provided in Garbha Upanishad, which belongs to Krishna Yajurveda and is listed among the 108 Upanishads given in Muktika cannon. It says [2]: "When ready, on the joining [of the male and female], [the embryo] after [a day] and night is in a mixed (semi-fluid) state; after seven days it becomes a bubble; after a fortnight, a solid mass, and in a month, it hardens. In two months, it develops the head; in three months, the feet grow. In the fourth month, belly and hip are formed; in the fifth month, the backbone is formed; in the sixth month, nose, eyes and ears are formed. In the seventh month, [the embryo] comes to have the jiva, and in the eighth month, it becomes complete in every sense. If the father's seed is more potent, it becomes male; if the mother's seed is stronger, it becomes female. If the seeds are equal, it becomes an intersexual. If [at the time of impregnation] the parents are agitated, the child will be blind, crippled, hunch-backed or stunted. If the vital air moves around, the seed enters in two parts, resulting in twins…..Whatever is consumed or drunk by the mother passes through the nerves and vessels to the child, becoming the source of his satisfaction. During the ninth month, all outer signs attain completeness. And he is reminded of his previous birth, and recounts the good and bad deeds committed. He thinks: I have seen thousands of wombs, eaten several kinds of food and sucked many breasts. Born and dead again and again, I am immersed in grief but see no remedy. Thinking of my good and bad deeds, I am suffering alone, although the bodies that enjoyed the fruits are gone. When I get out of this womb, I will take refuge in Sankhya-Yoga, which destroys misery and yields liberation; when I get out of this womb, I will take refuge in Maheśvara, who destroys misery and grants liberation….. When he reaches the birth canal and comes out of it with great difficulty, he is touched by an all-pervading movement [Māyā] that causes him to forget previous births and the good and the bad deeds performed therein (Verse 3-4)."
Similar accounts are also provided in various Smriti texts and Ayurvedic medical treatises. Yajnavalkya Smriti (Verse 3. 72-81), for example, says that during the sexual intercourse, the universal soul simultaneously grasps the five elements and mixing with them, the soul remains in the condition of a fluid in the first month, becomes a slightly hard lump in the second and develops limbs and organs of sense and in the third month and then begins to move. In the fourth month, the limbs become steady; in the fifth, the blood is produced; in sixth, strength, colour, nails, and hairs are produced; in seventh, the arteries, sinews and blood-vessels develop and the fetus becomes invested with mind and consciousness; and in the eighth month, skin, flesh and memory develops in the fetus.
Among the Ayurvedic texts, Sushruta Samhita says [3]: "In the first month of gestation a gelatinous substance is only formed (in the womb); the molecules of the primary elements (Mahabhuta—air, fire, earth, water, and ether) being acted upon by cold (Kapham\ heat (Pittam) and air (Vayu or nerve-force) are condensed in the second month. A lump-like appearance (of that confused matter) indicates the male-sex (of the embryo). An elongated-like shape of the matter denotes that the foetus belong to the opposite sex; whereas its tumour like shape (like a Salmali-bud) predicts the absence of any sex {i e, a hermaphrodite), In the third month, five lump-like protuberances appear at the places where the five organs —namely the two hands, two legs and the head—would be and the minor limbs and members of the body are formed in the shape of extremely small papillae. In the fourth month all the limbs and organs (of the body of the embryo) become more potent and the fetus is endowed with consciousness owing to the formation of viscus of the heart (Hrdaya). As heart is the seat of consciousness, so as the heart becomes potent, it is endowed with consciousness and hence it expresses its desire for things of taste, smell etc. (through the longings of its mother). The enciente is called double-hearted (Dauhrida) at the time, whose wishes and desires—not being honoured and gratified—lead to the birth of a paralysed, hump-backed, crooked -armed, lame, dwarfed, defect-eyed, and a blind child. Hence the desires of the enciente should be gratified, which would ensure the birth of a strong, vigorous and long lived son (Sharira Sthana, Chapter 3)." The Sanskrit word used for heart in the text is "Hrdaya" and is a reference to center of individuality and consciousness and not a reference to physical heart. Sushruta continues: "In the fifth month the foetus is endowed with mind (Manah) and wakes up from the sleep of its sub-conscious existence. In the sixth month cognition (Buddhi) comes in. In the seventh month all the limbs and members."
From the extensive quotations given above from a wide range of texts ranging from Upanishads to Ayurvedic medical treatises, it is clear that the Dharmic tradition had a very extensive and thorough knowledge of the process of childbirth. Moreover, the chronology of the fetal development presented in the texts more or less corresponds to the chronology attested by the modern gynecological research [4]. For example, modern medicine has discovered how during the first month, an amniotic sac filled with fluids cushion the embryo during the first month. This corresponds to descriptions given in Garbha Upanishad, Sushruta Samhita and other texts quoted above. Similarly, that the head of the embryo becomes prominent during the second month and it develops hands and feet during the third month attested by modern gynecology matches the descriptions given in the above quoted texts. That the fetus formed in third month is very small and it progressively grows further is also attested by both Ayurveda and modern medicine. Modern medicine says that genitalia becomes fully formed and distinguishable in the fourth month. This is clearly reflected in the Garbha Upanishad, which says that belly and hip are formed in the fourth month. Even other texts speak about how all limbs become more potent during the fourth month, presumably including genital region. Shamanthakamani Narendran rightly observes: "It is surprising to read in them and in the various medical texts (i.e. in Vedas, Upanishads and texts of Ayurveda), the ideas of the ancient Hindus regarding the biological evolution, reproduction, generation, performation and spontaneous regeneration, which at a first glance appear to be borrowed from a modern text on embryology [5]." Thus, we see that Hindu Dharmic and medical texts have more or less accurately captured the biological stages in childbirth.
When does the Jiva enter the fetus?
Now coming to the central question about when exactly does the Jiva enters the fetus i.e. when can we consider fetus as being a living person, we must have to make a deeper analysis. It should be noted at the very outset that this is a very complex question and there are no easy answers. While from a biological point of view, as seen above, conception to childbirth is a simple linear process with more or less identical stages, the non-biological subtle process of Jiva self-identifying with the fetus and taking the fetus as its physical body is a much more complicated process.
Regarding the time of entry of the Jiva into the fetus, highlighting that this depends on the state of individual Jiva and the parents, the Mother (Mirra Alfassa) had written: "It depends on the state of development of the soul which wants to reincarnate ― we take the word "soul" here in the sense of the psychic being, what we call the psychic being ― it depends on its state of development, on the milieu in which it is going to incarnate, on the mission it has to fulfil ― that makes many different conditions….It depends very largely on the state of consciousness of the parents. For it goes without saying that there is a stupendous difference between conceiving a child deliberately, with a conscious aspiration, a call to the invisible world and a spiritual ardour, and conceiving a child by accident and without intending to have it, and sometimes even without wanting it at all….. [6]" Thus, the exact time of entering of a Jiva into the fetus could be influenced by the Dharmic and Adhyatmic condition of the parents, as well as of the Jiva and hence there may be much variations regarding the time of entry. However, a careful study of various Shruti, Smriti, and Ayurvedic texts, does reveal that despite these variations, a general pattern in the process of entry of the Jiva into the fetus could be constructed and we would try to present the same in the next few paragraphs.
To understand the journey of a Jiva into the womb, one must first have an understanding about what happens to a Jiva after the death of its physical body and what course of journey does a Jiva take after discarding the present body and before taking birth in a new body. In the present discussion, we would limit ourselves to the course of journey taken by the Jivas, who were humans before discarding their bodies.
We have already seen how those Jivas, who are predominantly Sattvik and who had predominantly performed Dharmic actions when alive, will attain godhood and reach "Swarga" or heaven (Manu Smriti 12.20 & 40), while those who were predominantly Rajasic and whose actions were more or less equally directed towards Dharma and Adharma would attain a human birth (Manu Smriti 12.40) after staying in the realm of forefathers i.e. Pitrloka for a period of time. And then those who were predominantly Tamasik and performed mostly Adharmic actions would face enormous sufferings in their subtle body (Manu Smriti 12.21) by entering various realms of hell called "Naraka"[7] (Manu Smriti 12.54, Bhagavata Purana 5.26.3) and return back to take birth as various non-human creatures (Manu Smriti 12.40). Regarding the attainment of Narakas, Bhagavata Purana adds that the Jivas who go there are punished according to the kind of Adharmas they have performed (5.26.6) and then lists twenty-eight different kinds of Narakas to impart different kinds of punishments to Jivas. Regarding the kind of birth the Jiva who has performed Adharma takes after returning from Narakas, Manu Smriti (12.9) adds that those humans who perform Adharma through physical actions, such as stealing, violence, adultery, etc. will take birth as plants and trees which has limitations with respect to their physical movement and suffer; those who perform Adharma through speech like speaking falsehood etc. will take birth as various animals and birds, which can move, but cannot speak and hence suffers due to limitations with respect to speech; and those who commit Adharma through thoughts like wishing harm for others, desiring other's wealth etc. will take birth as humans in lower classes of society and suffer mental suffering.
Thus, the Hindu scriptures speak about three possible course of journey termed as "Devayana", "Pitryana" and the "third path" for the Jivas after the death of their physical human body. The path of Devayana is taken by those Jivas, who as we saw above are Sattivika by nature and who have performed Upasana i.e. worship and meditation (Brhadaranyaka Upanishad 1.5.16). The journey involves travelling to the region of light rays, from light to day, from day to bright half of the month (shukla-paksha), from there to the six months when the sun rises northwards (uttarayana), from there to the Year or to the world of devas (devaloka or swarga), from there to the Sun, from there to the Moon, from there to lightning and finally to Hiranyagarbha (Chanddogya Upanishad 5.10.1-2, Brhadaranyaka Upanishad 6.2.15). Those who have perfected their Upasana and fulfilled their obligations to performance of Karma (i.e. Svadharma), they attain Hiranyagarbha permanently, without having to return to the physical earthly realm (Isha Upanishad verse 11). While, those who are yet to perfect Upasana and who have practiced Upasana alone while ignoring performing sva-dharma-karma anushtana, they may not go beyond Devaloka and will return back to physical realm and take birth as humans after the fruits of Upasana becomes exhaust (Isha Upanisad verse 9). It is important to note here that terms like Sun or Moon does not refer to physical sun or moon, but to subtle realms. Each of the terms related to time duration have a specific context with reference the duration of time in different realms and their relation to the sense of time on earthly plane. Thus, the Jiva travels through the Devayana in its subtle body and merges with the Hiranyagarbha to never return or reaches perhaps up to Swarga and returns back to earthly plane after exhaustion of the fruits of its Upasana.
The path of Pitryana is taken by those Jivas, who as we saw are Rajasic in nature and who have performed Karma Anushtana like sacrifices, charity and other Dharmic actions (Brhadaranyaka Upanishad 1.5.16, Chanddogya Upanishad 5.10.3). In this journey, the Jiva first passes into smoke, from smoke into night, from night into dark half of the moon (krishna-paksha), from there into six months during which the sun rises southwards (i.e. dakshinayana), from there to the region of the forefathers i.e. Pitrloka, and from there to Akasha and finally into the Moon (Chanddogya Upanishad 5.10.3-4, Brhadaranyaka Upanishad 6.2.16). After exhausting the fruits of the good Karma, that took the Jiva into the Pitrloka and the Moon, they return back and take a human birth. The third path refers to the journey of Jivas into various narakas and birth as various creatures, animals and birds due to Tamasic nature and performance of predominantly adharmic actions. It may take such Jivas a very long time and hundreds or thousands of births and deaths as various creatures before they attain a human life again. Thus, all the Jivas, whether they have journeyed through Devayana, Pitryana or the third path into Narakas, ultimately return back to take human birth, except those Jivas, who become blissfully merged into Hiranyagarbha by travelling through Devayana.
So, the next question is, what is the path of their return journey into human condition? Describing the path of return journey of those who have attained Pitrloka and the moon, the Upanishads says that after the exhaustion of fruits of good karmas, they return by the same path as they came (Chanddogya Upanishad 5.10. 5), i.e. from Akasha to air, from air to smoke, from smoke to mist, from there to cloud and rain, from rain, they are born as various food items like rice, barley, herbs, trees, etc., from there they enter the human male as food and then in the form of semen, they enter the human female, to finally take birth as human (Chanddogya Upanishad 5.10. 5, Brhadaranyaka Upanishad 6.2.16). Though, this return journey of the Jiva into the human womb is described for those who had gone into pitr-loka, it is safe to assume that the return journey of the Jivas who had attained the Devaloka, but who have to return owing to non-performance of svadharma, would also follow a similar trajectory. After all, the Chhandogya Upanishad (5.10. 5) clearly says, "they return by the same path" with respect to Pitryana, which can easily apply to Devayana as well. But, then it is also possible that the Jiva from the Devaloka, being Sattvika and spiritually evolved as it is, can directly enter the womb at the time of conception, when the male sperm unites with the female egg as suggested by the Markandeya Purana (11, 1). Similarly, in the case of the third path, Jivas who have attained Narakas and have subsequently taken births as different creatures, enter the womb directly at the time of conception (Markandeya Purana 11, 1). So, whether it is through the route of rain, food and semen, or through direct attachment to semen during conception, the Jivas are present at the moment of conception itself being impelled by their prarabdha karmas and rina bandhas with the parents. But, there is a difference with respect to the state of consciousness of the Jivas in relation to their mode of return. Adi Shankaracharya in his commentary on the Chanddogya Upanishad verse 5.10.6, states that Jivas who are returning from Pitrloka pass through various states of Akasha, air, mist, cloud, rain, food and semen in an unconscious state and they have "no consciousness of their connection with the procreating agents (i.e. the to be parents)" as well. This is so because, after the exhaustion of the fruits of good actions in Pitrloka, their subtle body generated in the Pitrloka becomes destroyed and they enter into a state of unconsciousness throughout their journey from Pitrloka into the womb and regain their consciousness only later while developing as fetus. On the other hand, Adi Shankaracharya says that the Jivas in the third path, attain different births as plants, trees, animals and birds owing to their past adharmic actions and hence consciously suffer through various births as plants, animals etc. As a result, they would have limited consciousness even when they eventually manage to enter the semen and become attached to the womb as a result of their prarabdha karmas, which makes them to suffer extreme pain in such limited condition, but without having much power to influence the development of the fetus. The point to note here is that such Jivas are not conscious in the full sense of the word. They are only conscious in limited way in the sense that they can experience suffering. Thus, the Jivas returning from Pitrlokas remain unconscious on their return journey to earthly realm and pass through various conditions like rain, crops, etc. without experiencing any pain and remain unconscious even during conception and the union of sperm and egg, while the Jivas returning from Naraka pass through various lower tamasic births in a semi-conscious state and enter the human womb in a semi-conscious state as well wherein they experience enormous suffering due to limitations of those conditions. Those returning from Devaloka, on the other hand, will mostly remain unconscious like their counterparts returning from Pitrloka and enter the womb through the path of food and semen in unconscious state, or in rare cases some may remain fully conscious, but without any suffering and attach themselves directly to the womb, guiding and influencing the entire process of fetal development. Describing such rare cases, the Mother (Mirra Alfassa) states: "If the incarnation takes place at the conception, the whole formation of the child to be born is directed and governed by the consciousness which is going to incarnate: the choice of the elements, the attraction of the substance ― a choice of the forces and even the substance of the matter which is assimilated. There is already a selection. And this naturally creates altogether special conditions for the formation of the body, which may already be fairly developed, evolved, harmonised before its birth. I must say that this is quite, quite exceptional; but still it does happen [8]." Except such rare cases, the Jivas about to enter the womb would be either unconscious or in partly-conscious state and hence are rightly called as "antaraabhava" or intermediate being in one of the Buddhist texts [9].
This journey of the Jiva from the different realms like Pitrloka etc. to its entry into the womb of the mother and it's attaching itself to the zygote first and then to embryo that forms in the womb constitutes the first and the longest stage in the Jiva's quest of taking a human birth. But, in none of the cases, this entering of the Jiva into the womb and later into the embryo can be considered as Jiva enlivening the embryo i.e. though the Jiva becomes attached to the embryo, it does not make the embryo alive as yet. At this stage, the embryo is still a physical matter and not a Jiva. This entry of the Jiva into the embryo just after conception can be compared to the possession of a body by a spirit, which despite possessing the body does not enliven it, does not make the body alive in the true sense. One may object to this comparison saying that spirit possessions are mostly forceful possessions of a human person and this is not the case here and they are right. The purpose of the example is to enunciate only a single point that: the presence of Jiva within the embryo right at the beginning does not endow the embryo with consciousness and life at that stage of pregnancy. The embryo is still only a physical matter until a later stage when it becomes fit to manifest the seat of consciousness. Thus, at the beginning of the pregnancy, the embryo is not a person, not a human as yet. The Yajnavalkya Smriti rightly comments "mixed up with the (five) elements, the soul remains in the condition of fluid during the first month" i.e. the soul remains distinct though in union with other elements after conception.
The second stage in the journey of the Jiva comes in the fourth month of pregnancy. During the fourth month, after the belly and the hips (and hence the genitals) of the fetus are formed [10] and all other limbs are made steady and potent [11], the Hrdaya (heart) manifests in the fetus endowing the fetus with consciousness. This is so because, as the Sushruta Samhita (Sharira Sthana, Chapter 3) says, the Hrdaya is the seat of consciousness and as the Hrdaya manifests, the fetus becomes endowed with consciousness. This manifestation of Hrdaya in the fetus is nothing but the process by which the Jiva truly enters the fetus, enlivens it and makes the fetus its own Sthula-Sharira i.e. physical body. It is important to note that the term "Hrdaya" here does not refer to the physical heart, as it often understood. It is a specific reference to the seat of consciousness, the very center of individuality in a person. It is "center of individuality" which is referred in Bhagavad Gita, when Sri Krishna says that he is seated in the Hrdaya of all creatures or when the Upanishads speak about the Angushtamatra-Purusha staying in the Hrdaya. Thus, in the fourth month, the Jiva manifests as the Hrdaya of the fetus and enlivens it. As a result, the desires of the Jiva for things of taste, smell etc. becomes manifest as longings of the mother [12] and Sushruta Samhita (Sharira Sthana, Chapter 3) rightly describes the pregnant mother in such a condition as "Dauhridi"- the two hearted. It further adds that desires and hankerings of such pregnant mothers must be fulfilled, since non-fulfilment of such desires, which actually are the desires of the fetus endowed with Hrdaya, may result in the birth of handicapped child. But, it is important to note that, at this stage, the fetus, though endowed with consciousness, is still in unconscious state owing to non-development of faculties like manas (mind) and buddhi (intellect). In other words, the process of fetus transforming from a mere material into a Jiva itself endowed with Hrdaya, Manas, and Buddhi has only begun and is still incomplete by the end of fourth month. It should also be noted in the passing that the Charaka Samhita places this condition of "Dauhridi" in the third month [13] of pregnancy, indicating how the exact time of development may differ by a few days from a child to child. But, for our purpose, we can take the fourth month as the average time period, since even modern gynecology attests that the external genitalia becomes fully developed and distinguishable in the fourth month [14] and as we saw above, only after the genitalia and other limbs become well formed, the fetus is endowed with the Hrdaya. Thus, the formation of the Hrdaya in the fetus during the fourth month of pregnancy constitutes the second stage in the journey of Jiva into human birth and marks the beginning of the process of fetus transforming from a mere physical object into a full-fledged individual (jiva). Another evidence towards this comes from the Samskara of Pumsavana. It literally means "a ceremony for quickening a being" or "bringing forth a child" and refers to the process of Jiva entering and seating itself in the Hradaya of the fetus and subsequent development of the Manas resulting in the quickening of the fetus. For this reason it is performed usually in second or third month of pregnancy (Paraskara Grihya Sutra 1.14.1-2, Vishnu Smriti 27.2), just after the pregnancy becomes visible and before the quickening of the child.
After this, in the fifth month, the fetus which has become endowed with consciousness, will develop the mind (manas) and becomes conscious for the first time, as the Sushruta Samhita (Sharira Sthana, Chapter 3) observes: "In the fifth month, the fetus is endowed with mind (Manah) and wakes up from the sleep of its sub-conscious existence." This results in the first movement of the fetus inside the womb, which is termed in modern gynecology as "quickening". Thus, we can see that the internal development within the fetus at a subtle level, though invisible to eyes and modern technology, can be gauged by the external symptoms they manifest. Just as the manifestation of Hrdaya in the fetus can be gauged from the development of specific longings in the mother, the manifestation of Manas can be gauged from the process of quickening. This formation of Manas in the fifth month constitutes the third stage in the journey of the Jiva. After this, in the sixth month, the fetus develops Buddhi-the faculty of intelligence [15], which forms the fourth stage in its journey and in the seventh month, the fetus becomes fully endowed with the Jiva [16] and then this Jiva takes birth in the ninth or tenth month. According to some accounts, the fetus becomes fully endowed with the Jiva by sixth month itself [17].
To summarize, the Jiva's journey into birth involves following stages:
Stage 1: A Jiva who is either in Pitrloka or Devaloka, after exhausting the fruits of Karmas that took him there returns to take birth as a human again. During the return journey it passes through different stages like Akasha, air, mist, cloud, crop, etc. and finally enters the father, with which it has rina-bandha, when the time for the new birth arrives. Throughout this return journey, the Jivas would remain unconscious and hence will not suffer while passing through stages of cloud, crop etc. On the other hand, Jivas who had gone to Narakas due to their Adharmic actions and had subsequently taken repeated births as plants, animals and other small organisms for a very long period, pass through all these various stages in a semi-conscious or a limited-conscious stage, wherein they can only experience the fruits of their Adharmic actions in the form of suffering without the freedom to think or act, and when they are spiritually evolved enough to take human birth, they enter the to be fathers in a partly-conscious state experiencing huge suffering throughout the birth process. This stage constitutes the longest stage in the journey and depending on the prarabdha of the Jivas, it can last from a few days or weeks to many many years. But, of course, since, most Jivas go through it in unconscious or partially conscious state, they don't retain any recollection of it.
Stage 2: After entering the mother's womb during conception, the Jiva attaches itself to the zygote and then to the embryo without enlivening it. While the embryo slowly develops biologically, the Jiva waits until all the limbs and genitals are sufficiently formed and steady. Then in the fourth month, the Jiva enters the fetus and manifests as the seat of consciousness called as "Hrdaya". This marks the beginning of the process of the Jiva enlivening the fetus and embracing and accepting it as its Sthula-Sharira (physical body) and thus transforming the fetus from a mere physical material to a Jiva itself.
Though the Hrdaya manifests in the fetus in the fourth month, causing the feelings and desires of the Jiva to manifest as desires and moods of the mother, the fetus or the Jiva is still unconscious owing to non-formation of faculties of Manas and Buddhi.
Stage 3: The first signs of Jiva/fetus being conscious happens in the fifth month after the Manas is formed. This also results in the fetus moving within the womb for the first time called "quickening", which is felt by the mother as well.
Stage 4: The faculty of Buddhi (intelligence) develops during the sixth month, and the fetus becomes completely endowed with the Jiva by the end of the sixth month or in the seventh month.
Therefore, the process of fetus becoming endowed with the Jiva, which began in the fourth month becomes complete only by sixth or seventh month. Though, the fetus can truly be called a person or as a Jiva in a complete sense, only in the seventh month, the first sign of life in the fetus appears in the fourth month itself owing to the manifestation of Jiva as the Hrdaya of the fetus. As a result, the fourth month of pregnancy has been considered very vital in the Hindu tradition, be it for determining when to perform Samskaras like Pumsavana or for analyzing the propriety or impropriety of abortion, which we shall see in detail in the next and concluding article.
Manmatha Nath Dutt, "A Prose English Translation of Markandeya Puranam"
Subhash Kak (tr.), Garbha Upanishad [http://www.ece.lsu.edu/kak/GarbhaUpanishad.pdf]
Kaviraj Kunjlal Bhishagratna (Editor), "An English Translation of the Sushruta Samhita"
For Fetal development according to modern gynecology, read "Fetal Development: Stages of Growth", Cleveland Clinic [http://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/fetal-development-stages-of-growth]. Also read "Fetal development", Mayo Clinic [http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/pregnancy-week-by-week/in-depth/art-20045302] and [http://www.acog.org/Patients/FAQs/Prenatal-Development-How-Your-Baby-Grows-During-Pregnancy]
Shamanthakamani Narendran "Care of the Unborn Child with Yoga", Page 96
Collected Works of the Mother, vol. 8, p 335-338
Swarga and Naraka should not be confused with Abrahamic concept of heaven and hell. In Hindu Dharma, these refer to subtle realms, which a Jiva enters temporarily to face the results of his/her actions and later returns back to physical or earthly realm.
The term appears in a Buddhist text called "Garbhāvakrāntisūtra". Cited from Robert Kritzer, "Life in the Womb: Conception and Gestation in Buddhist Scripture and Classical Indian Medical Literature", Page 79
Subhash Kak (tr.), Garbha Upanishad Verse 3
Sushruta Samhita Sharira Sthana, Chapter 3, Yajnavalkya Smriti, Verse 3. 80
Sushruta Samhita Sharira Sthana, Chapter 3
Cited from Robert Kritzer, "Life in the Womb: Conception and Gestation in Buddhist Scripture and Classical Indian Medical Literature", Page 84
Fetal Development: Stages of Growth [https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/fetal-development-stages-of-growth]
Subhash Kak (tr.), Garbha Upanishad Verse 3, Yajnavalkya Smriti Verse 3. 81
Agni Purana, Cited from Robert Kritzer, "Life in the Womb: Conception and Gestation in Buddhist Scripture and Classical Indian Medical Literature", Page 76
Disclaimer: The facts and opinions expressed within this article are the personal opinions of the author. IndiaFacts does not assume any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, completeness, suitability, or validity of any information in this article.
Nithin Sridhar
Nithin Sridhar has a degree in Civil Engineering, and having worked in the construction field, he passionately writes about various issues from development, politics, and social issues, to religion, spirituality, and ecology. He was the former editor of IndiaFacts (2016-2020)- a portal on Indian history and culture; He is editor of Advaita Academy dedicated to the dissemination of Advaita Vedanta. He is a Consulting Editor to Indic Today Magazine. He is based in Mysuru, Karnataka. His first book "Musings On Hinduism" provided an overview of various aspects of Hindu philosophy and society. His latest book 'Samanya Dharma' enunciates upon general tenets of ethics as available in Hindu texts. However, his most widely read book is "Menstruation Across Cultures: A Historical Perspective" that examines menstruation notions and practices prevalent in different cultures & religions from across the world. He tweets at @nkgrock.
Are sex-selective abortions skewing population: Myth Versus Truth
S. Subrahmanya- October 18, 2019
गर्भपात, एक धार्मिक परिप्रेक्ष्य – IV
Nithin Sridhar- February 14, 2019
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Nithin Sridhar- July 3, 2017

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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text:
Q: Trouble with Scala currying and type parameters Say I have something looking like this:
def curriedHelper[T](foo: String)(f: String => T) = f(foo)

This is just something simplified. Point being that I have some work to be done and later apply another transformation where the resulting type is yet to be determined. Maybe foo here is a db-collection name and f is a function from a DB-cursor to different record types.
Here Scala's currying falls short for me since T needs to be fixed already on partial application. Its simply not useful since Scala fixes T to Nothing:
scala> val partiallyAppliedToNothing = curriedHelper("bar") _
partiallyAppliedToNothing: (String => Nothing) => Nothing = <function1>

So then I have typically done something like
def curriedHelper2(foo: String) = new {
  def apply[T](f: String => T) = f(foo)
}

val better = curriedHelper2("bar")

However, this I just noticed uses reflection
val usesReflection = better{ x =>
    try {
    throw new NullPointerException
  } catch {
    case e => e.printStackTrace
  }
  x
}

Stacktrace show reflection being used to invoke apply. I can't understand why this needs to be reflection like structural typing in general. Could just be an inner class, right?
So I guess the only thing remaining is to name this to avoid reflection:
trait WhatDoICallThis[F] {
  def apply[T](f: (F => T)): T
}

def curriedHelper3(foo: String) = new WhatDoICallThis[String] {
  def apply[T](f: String => T) = f(foo)
}

Are there any standard classes for this?

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
function [ pos, neg, test ] = FOREARM_data( name, suffix, mix )
% this function is very dataset specific, you need to modify the code if
% you want to apply the pose algorithm on some other dataset

% it converts the various data format of different dataset into unique
% format for pose detection
% the unique format for pose detection contains below data structure
%   pos:
%     pos(i).im: filename for the image containing i-th human
%     pos(i).point: pose keypoints for the i-th human
%   neg:
%     neg(i).im: filename for the image contraining no human
%   test:
%     test(i).im: filename for i-th testing image
% This function also prepares flipped images and slightly rotated images for training.

globals;
cls = [name '_data_' suffix];
try
    load([cachedir cls]);
catch

    if strcmp(name, 'FOREARM')
        [pos, test] = load_original();
    elseif strcmp(name, 'FOREARM_ROT')
        if (mix == 1)
            [pos, test] = load_1_mix();
        else
            [pos, test] = load_mult_mix(mix);
        end
    end

    % -------------------
    % grab neagtive image information
    trainfrs_neg = 615:1832;  % training frames for negative
    negims = 'INRIA/%.5d.jpg';
    neg = [];
    numneg = 0;
    for fr = trainfrs_neg
        numneg = numneg + 1;
        neg(numneg).im = sprintf(negims,fr);
    end

    save([cachedir cls],'pos','neg','test')
end

end

% ORIGINAL FOREARM SET
function [pos, test] = load_original()
reorder = 1;
halve = 1;
grab positive annotation and image information
posims = 'FOREARM/training_cropped/%.4d.png';
pospoints = 'FOREARM/training_cropped/%.4d.pts';
numpos = 0;
for fr = 1:size(posims)
    numpos = numpos + 1;
    pos(numpos).im = sprintf(posims,fr);
    pos(numpos).point = read_points(sprintf(pospoints,fr), reorder, halve);
end

testims = 'FOREARM/testing_rotated/%.4d.png';
testpoints = 'FOREARM/testing_rotated/%.4d.pts';
test = [];
numtest = 0;
for fr = 1:size(testims)
    numtest = numtest + 1;
    test(numtest).im = sprintf(testims,fr);
    test(numtest).point = read_points(sprintf(testpoints,fr), reorder, halve);
end
test = pos(1:500);
end

% ROTATED TO SAME ORIENTATION
function [pos, test] = load_1_mix()
reorder = 1;
halve = 1;
train_dir = 'FOREARM/Rotated/training/';
pos = [];
fr = 1;
dirData = dir(train_dir);      %# Get the data for the current directory
dirIndex = [dirData.isdir];  %# Find the index for directories
d = {dirData(~dirIndex).name}';  %'# Get a list of the files
for i = 1:2:length(d)
    pos(fr).im = strcat(train_dir, d{i});
    pos(fr).point = read_points(strcat(train_dir, d{i+1}), reorder, halve);
    fr = fr + 1;
end

test_dir = 'FOREARM/Rotated/testing/';
test = [];
fr = 1;
dirData = dir(test_dir);
dirIndex = [dirData.isdir];
d = {dirData(~dirIndex).name}';
for i = 1:2:length(d)
    test(fr).im = strcat(test_dir, d{i});
    test(fr).point = read_points(strcat(test_dir, d{i+1}), reorder, halve);
    fr = fr + 1;
end
end

% CLUSTERS OF ORIENTATIONS
function [pos, test] = load_mult_mix(mix)
reorder = 1
halve = 1
mirror = 1

deg = 360/mix;
train_dir = 'FOREARM/Rotated/training/';
mirror_dir = 'FOREARM/Mirrored/training/';
pos = [];
fr = 1;
cluster = 1;
for theta = 0:deg:330
%     angle_dir = [train_dir num2str(theta) '/'];
%     d = dir(angle_dir);
%     for i = 3:2:length(d)
%         pos(fr).im = strcat(angle_dir, d(i).name);
%         pos(fr).point = read_points(strcat(angle_dir, d(i+1).name), reorder, halve);
%         pos(fr).mix = cluster;
%         fr = fr + 1;
%     end
    if mirror
        angle_dir = [mirror_dir num2str(theta) '/'];
        d = dir(angle_dir);
        for i = 3:2:length(d)
            pos(fr).im = strcat(angle_dir, d(i).name);
            pos(fr).point = read_points(strcat(angle_dir, d(i+1).name), reorder, halve);
            pos(fr).mix = cluster;
            fr = fr + 1;
        end
    end
    cluster = cluster + 1;
end

% test = load_rotated_testing(reorder, halve);
% test = load_unrotated_testing(reorder, halve);
% test = load_multi_arm(reorder, halve);
% test = load_multi_arm_cropped();
 test = load_bbc_pose();

end

function test = load_rotated_testing(reorder, halve)
test_dir = 'FOREARM/Rotated/testing/';
test = [];
fr = 1;
for theta = 0:deg:330
    angle_dir = [test_dir num2str(theta) '/'];
    d = dir(angle_dir);
    for i = 3:2:length(d)
        test(fr).im = strcat(angle_dir, d(i).name);
        test(fr).point = read_points(strcat(angle_dir, d(i+1).name), reorder, halve);
        fr = fr + 1;
    end
end
end

function test = load_unrotated_testing(reorder, halve)
test_dir = 'FOREARM/Rotated/unrotated_testing/';
test = [];
d = dir(test_dir);
fr = 1;
for i = 3:2:length(d)
    test(fr).im = [test_dir d(i).name];
    test(fr).point = read_points([test_dir d(i+1).name], reorder, halve);
    fr = fr + 1;
end
end

function test = load_multi_arm(reorder, halve)
testdir = 'MultiArm/';
testims = [testdir '%.3d.jpg'];
test = [];
numtest = 0;
testrange = 0:74;
for fr = testrange
    numtest = numtest + 1;
    test(numtest).im = sprintf(testims,fr);
    [~,n,~] = fileparts(test(numtest).im);
    testpoints = [testdir n '_*.jpg_simple37.ljson'];
    d = dir(testpoints);
    for j=1:length(d)
        test(numtest).point(:,:,j) = read_points(d(j).name, reorder, halve);
    end
    test(numtest).numgt = length(d);
end
end

function test = load_multi_arm_cropped()
test_dir = 'MultiArm/cropped_copies/';
dirData = dir(test_dir);      %# Get the data for the current directory
dirIndex = [dirData.isdir];  %# Find the index for directories
d = {dirData(~dirIndex).name}';  %'# Get a list of the files
test = [];
fr = 1;
for i = 1:2:length(d)
    [~,n,~] = fileparts(d{i});
    test(fr).im = [test_dir n '.jpg'];
    test(fr).point = read_points([test_dir n '.pts']);
    fr = fr + 1;
end
end

function test = load_bbc_pose()
test_dir = 'BBC_POSE/4/';
dirData = dir(test_dir);      %# Get the data for the current directory
dirIndex = [dirData.isdir];  %# Find the index for directories
d = {dirData(~dirIndex).name}';  %'# Get a list of the files
test = [];
fr = 1;
for i = 1:3:length(d)
    [~,n,~] = fileparts(d{i});
    test(fr).im = [test_dir n '.jpg'];
    test(fr).point = read_points([test_dir n '.pts']);
    fr = fr + 1;
end
end

function test = load_bbc_pose_full()
test_dir = '/vol/atlas/databases/bbc_pose/bbc_pose/1/';
test = [];
fr = 1;
for i=200:39070
    test(fr).im = [test_dir num2str(i) '.jpg'];
    test(fr).point = read_points([test_dir num2str(i) '.pts']);
    fr = fr + 1;
end
end

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
« Carmen
"SEDUCTION, OBSESSION, BETRAYAL…what could possibly go wrong?"
No one can resist the fiery seductress, Carmen, who knows what she wants and knows how to get it. To live free and to die free is her credo. But be careful what you wish for when fate deals its final hand. Don José, obsessed with and possessed by Carmen, sacrifices everything to follow her into a life of crime, only to have her leave him for the dashing matador, Escamillo. But in a realm where desire and hot-blooded passion reign supreme, blind love can turn to blind rage and love triangles can be deadly! One of the most popular operas of all time, Bizet's flamenco-infused music overflows with famous melodies including the 'Habanera' and Toreador Song. If you're new to opera, this one is for you! If you're an opera-lover, you'll be OBSESSED with Carmen!
In Italian with English supertitles
Starring Internationally acclaimed artists, wonderful local talent including the Anchorage Opera Orchestra conducted by Brian DeMaris, AO Principal Conductor.
https://centertix.com/events/carmen
Anchorage Opera
Alaska Center for the Performing Arts
Anchorage, AK 99501 United States + Google Map
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Flash MOBpera
Opera when & where you LEAST expect it!
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So it's your birthday (or someone's close to you) and you want to plan a picnic. But you aren't quite sure where to begin. Well, look no further because here we have some of the best birthday picnic ideas around.
The first thing to consider is how many people will be attending. If it's just going to be you and one person then consider having a Romantic Picnic Ideas. Otherwise, let's assume you are having a birthday picnic with several people attending. Granted, some of the ideas found here aren't really dependant on a specific number of people attending.
For more formal picnic events I usually recommend having a picnic in the park and renting one their picnic pavilions. These things are usually dirt cheap to rent, if you have to pay anything at all. You will need to book it in advance though. In any case, you shouldn't discount the use of decorations, even though you are outdoors.
One of my all-time favorite picnic ideas for kids is the treasure/scavenger hunt. Bring a few items with you that you can hide and make up a list of things the kids must find. Alternately, you can make up a list of things that they should be able to find anyway (without having to bring anything along); a round stone, a y-shaped twig, a white flower, etc. One thing I like to do is take along a $10 roll of quarter and hide them in various places. The kids will go crazy for it!!
You could also do a balloon pop relay game. Give a balloon to each kid and divide them into two teams. Put two chairs at one end of a field and have the two teams stand on the other end. The players have to hold the balloon and run with it to a chair (one at a time). When they get to the chair, they have to sit on the balloon and try to pop it. When they pop the balloon, they run back to their team and the next person goes. The first team to pop all of their balloons wins.
Want more Kids Picnic Games?
Ok, so the kids (if any) are taken care of but now you need something for the adults to do. Activities for adults are harder to give advice for because adults tend to be more reserved. Having said that, here are a couple of ideas which are usually pretty popular.
I call this one "Dizzy Batters".
A good idea for active adults is Frisbee golf. Of course, now-a-days they have actual Frisbee golf courses but you don't really need anything more than a couple of Frisbees and something to throw at to play. All you do is mark off each hole as you play (pick something like a tree or a fire hydrant as the "hole") and see who can hit in it the fewest number of tosses.
In the end, you know you guests better than I do so consider whether they are a fun loving playful group, a more reserved (older) group or something of a mix. I actually tend to shy away from planned picnic games for adults, unless it's a Company Picnic or something similar.
I think a better idea in most cases is a themed picnic birthday party. An 'over the hill' party for someone who is middle aged is a fun idea. You can take it a step further and make fake tombstones: "Here lies [NAME]'s youth. Dead and buried but not forgotten." Other possible themes include, the 70's, the 80's, black and white, Hawaiian luau, etc.
If you are looking for food ideas, check out our Picnic Recipes section.


text:
//
//  AGFrameworkInclude.h
//  AGFramework
//
//  Created by Anoop Gunaga on 30/11/16.
//  Copyright © 2016 Robosoft. All rights reserved.
//

#ifndef AGFrameworkInclude_h
#define AGFrameworkInclude_h

#endif /* AGFrameworkInclude_h */


Great service from start to finish, Sharon was very helpful and kept me updated, my husband said the driver was a friendly bloke. Will highly recommend Swindon Metal Recycling. Good price for my car, paid straight into my account.
Staff friendly and you are not kept waiting.


Hi Antonio, welcome on board!
1. Let'start talking a little about yourself, who are you and what do you do?
My name is Antonio, I was born in Milan and I've always lived here. I deal with 3D graphics ranging from architecture, product design and automotive.
I discovered this world more or less in 2010, before then I had a bar and I had a totally different life, but above all I had never turned on a PC, not even by mistake.
I approached 3D in a rather unhappy moment of my life, when I had a strong depression caused by situations I would rather not talk about here ?
Actually, the first program I opened was " paint ", it may seem like a joke but instead it is just like that.
Until my brother, who deals with graphics for TV advertising, showed up, and told me: " now try this! ", it was "cinema4D" and it was love at first " render " ? I did not know any tutorials, nothing at all. Zero. I started to hack learning in my own way.
This passion, in a certain way, saved my life. Until 2014 I was still working at the bar and in my spare time I worked with 3D software, but never for work, just for passion, a huge passion. In this world I was able express myself.
It must be said that as a child I always loved to draw, I used to do it when I had time (after homework) while listening to music and of course my pencil… and yes, always cars, but also scenarios.
2. The evolution of 3D is constantly expanding. What are the skills that a 3D artist must have to remain among the best in the industry?
In my opinion the desire to go more and more in detail, remaining in theme, not only metaphorically. ? Personally I always tend to be very critical with myself, often questioning myself and always trying to document myself on some topic concerning the visualization. First of all photography.
For example, even when I watch a film, I am always careful to observe the shots, the use of colors; the " stamp " to the monitor during the scenes are not spared.
Even when I'm around sometimes I start to observe a certain behavior of light on a surface. Whenever I model my subjects I always try to go as far down in detail as possible, never thinking like "that thing will not be seen in the rendering", because what the eye does not see the mind perceives it.
All this however using the head and emphasizing the detail where needed. The importance of knowing how to use at least the main software is the basis.
In particular I refer to the 3D one and the post-production one. Then learn other secondary ones, that is, those from " reinforcement ", on certain things it does not hurt. For example there are software dedicated only to texture, fluids etc. and have a good smattering on these, it's not bad.
Going into more detail (since I like it) we should understand what we are more prepared to do. And understanding it is easy, because doing that specific thing will make you feel good.
But be careful, this does not mean that you have to focus only on that and neglect the rest (work with subjects that are not very interesting for you).
3. You are member of the Visaual Wander Art Club. What does this mean on a professional level and how important it is to be part of a community of this kind?
I am absolutely happy to be part of it, it makes me proud, since it is always nice that someone recognizes your worth.
Surely it is very useful to compare my works with others.
4. The absolute protagonists of your works are cars. What is your specialization in this specific category?
I've always been passionate about cars since I was a child. I've always been designing it and to be honest I started with 3D just for this reason. In this regard, thanks to my partner, I have a really huge project at stake, but I can not reveal anything yet, being under NDA. It's a project I've been curating for two years now and I'll be able to talk about it in public soon.
5. Creativity, technique and technology … to be a high level artist you have to master them. If it was possible to make a ranking based on the importance of each, what would be yours and why?
Obviously one can not disregard the others and it is necessary to know them and be familiar with them, mixing them in the right proportions.
Personally I give more value to the artistic approach, even in the use of software. For example, I do not care how to do something, rather I'm careful to achieve the goal set.
I'm just trying to say that I often use a totally personal approach and apparently, according to my workflow, winning.
I have no habit of following a value imposed by a table, which tells me how to do it.
If the final result does not convince me, the indication does not make sense to me. But be careful, the technique is fundamental to be clear, only that I see many people give a maniacal importance to technicality, omitting the artistic side, unfortunately, in my opinion, is infinitely serious.
I do not mean that we all have to be " Picasso ", but if the only technique was sufficient, probably more than artists we would be accountants ?.
We should stay focused on the purpose of our goal, which for me is the beauty, each then has the its own sensibility and it is precisely the latter that should be visible on the " pixels ".
So the technique must be respected, but we should remember that our work is essentially the expression of the product in shapes and colors.
Technology certainly plays a fundamental role in our profession; if I try to improve the tools and / or the visualization tools I would say that it is indispensable. However, provided that art is produced by us being human!
I personally dedicate infinitely more time to the artistic side because, in the end, it is the emotion that captures.
6. The relationship between 3D and our country … how much is sufficient to be able to emerge in this industry in Italy? Or are there other factors that should not be underestimated?
" The relationship between the 3D and our country … " The three suspension dots say everything and I firmly believe that it should change, and a lot, the way our country sees our work.
Sometimes unfortunately it is not taken too seriously and it is a shame because behind all our work there is study, passion, commitment and dedication, and it is not pleasant that all this is diminished. And I stop here.
Regarding how much you need to be good, I say: " more and more ".
I do not think there is a border to improvement but if there is it, because we have set limits.
Surely having excellent skills is essential to be known and it is also useful to create your own style. Clearly respecting the parameters imposed by the project when this is commissioned, therefore respecting those dictated by the customer.
The beauty of having your own style is that there is the possibility that they contact you because it is what they want in their project, which is certainly pleasant.
In any case, style or not, you must still remain focused on the purpose and on the message to be communicated. These yes, they are essential factors.
7. Can you give at least a couple of basic tips to young artists presenting their portfolio / showreel?
Absolutely! Before sending it, have the courage to put it into question.
I would say never to be lazy and be happy with the first result but, as mentioned before, always keep improving.
Then ask yourself: "does it transmits some feelings? Is this exciting? ".
These are the first questions I would ask myself. Obviously I would make sure that it has a personal style and recognizable.
Another thing, in my opinion very important, is not to give up when you fail, but rather insist and trying to understand the mistakes and improve more and more.
One thing is certain, if you love your work and you are constant, the results will come, it can not be otherwise.
Thank you so much for giving us some of your time and good luck for the future! ?
Thanks to you for interviewing me guys!


What role did Dan Marino play in the telemovie The Magic School Bus ?
Which of the following colleges did Dan Marino attend?
When is Dan Marino's birthday?
Who has Dan Marino played for in the past?
In which year did Dan Marino make his debut?


text:
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Review: BARBALIEN: RED PLANET #3 Begins Finding Its Balance
There's so much to love about Dark Horse's Barbalien: Red Planet #3. That might be why it gets a little frustrating when it feels it's...
Review: When New Players Enter the Field in ONCE & FUTURE #15
Once & Future #15 brings more concern with it, as the two divided factions of the McGuire family begin to make their moves.
Folklore & Personal Tales Combine in CRIMSON FLOWER #1
Crimson Flower #1 blends the lines between fiction and fantasy, as one woman seeks to right the wrongs of her past
Old Allies and Loves in STAR WARS: DOCTOR APHRA #7
Doctor Aphra #7 throws Aphra into heist mode once again, as she plots her way through a new series of chaotic events.
This is a fun coming of age story that really allows Supergirl to shine! It could also be a great entry point for new young adult comic readers.
Review: SUPERGIRL – BEING SUPER – Supergirl Done Right!
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By Matthew Brake
On July 7, 2020, DC Comics releases an updated edition of Mariko Tamaki and Joëlle Jones's limited series Supergirl – Being Super. With Sandu Florea assisting Jones, Jeremy Lawson on colors, and lettering by Saida Temofonte, this story reimagines the origins of Supergirl as she struggles to find her place to belong while trapped between two worlds.
Supergirl can be a hard character to get right and keep right. Sometimes, she's a pale shadow of her well-known cousin. Other times, her alien nature is emphasized over-against any human connections or attachments to Earth. Still other times, she begins with an already convoluted status quo that degenerates into the worst kind of comic book silliness. One thing all of these stories have in common, however, is that eventually Supergirl comes face to face with Superman. Which she does. Eventually. The Man of Steel is quite de-centered in this story (at one point I wondered if he even existed in this tale), which allows Kara to shine!
Tamaki's strategy is to copy part of Clark's upbringing while making it unique to Kara. She was discovered in a spaceship by two farmers in the town of Midvale, Kansas, but these are not the Kents. Her father is a gruff but compassionate country man, slightly wary of his daughter's powers, who may ask for her help around the farm, but Kara is her own person. She is an athlete (who carefully controls how fast she runs track). She is Gen-Z, constantly on her phone with her friends. And she is given her own unique inner world. While some of the elements of her life rhyme with Clark Kent's, they are not the same, and Kara is given a chance to shine as a fully realized character.
Tamaki also explores Kara's relationship with Krypton. She is still an older child when she is sent away in a spacecraft by her parents, but she blocks the memories from her mind, which allows her to embrace humanity more than, say, the New 52 version of Supergirl. With her powers fluctuating throughout the series, readers eventually learn that LexCorp is performing experiments on her and another Kryptonian, Tan-On (who I thought might be Clark at first, in some sort of role reversal), who having suffered at the hands of humanity seeks revenge against them. This puts Kara at odds with her homeworld the person who symbolizes her homeworld. After establishing that, yes, Superman does indeed exist in this world, Kara seeks advice from this other strange visitor from another planet. The Supergirl origin arc is complete, although in a way that builds on Kara as a unique character and gives her agency.
One of the joys of this collected series is seeing teenage Kara navigate high school life as someone with superpowers. And these moments are illustrated beautifully by Jones and Florea. Now, some of you may have always wondered, "Do Kryptonians get acne?" and even more importantly, "If they get acne, is it 'super acne' since they're on Earth?" Well, wonder no more friends.
I am equal parts hilariously amused and grossed out by this panel. But it is representative of the humor and heart in this book.
This is the face of horrified teenage self-consciousness.
This is very much a coming of age tale that these panels capture, albeit in the most excessive of ways.
There are some more subtle moments that capture the coming of age angle of the story, like when Kara rescues Tan-On.
From the eye contact, to the bashful looking away, to the slightly curved up smile on Tan-On's face, this scene made me think of a season one Buffy/Angel interaction on Buffy the Vampire Slayer (complete with the heel-turn from the older Kryptonian possible/forbidden love interest). Two lonely hearts, connecting with someone like themselves. As Kara says, "This feels like a dream," but the dream soon becomes a nightmare.
Lawson's colors really play on the red, blue, and yellow of the Supergirl costume. As readers can tell in the images above, each page is saturated in either yellow or blue, with the red popping on page and providing an accent. It's a credit to Lawson, Jones, and Florea that despite each page essentially being one color, that the shading of the blues and yellows creates enough nuance and differentiation to never be distracting. In fact, it looks quite good!
I guess Kara is technically Gen-Z in this story (remember, Millennials are 40 now), and Temofonte's lettering does a good job depicting the one-fourth of all social interactions that happen on Kara's phone, complete with emojis and ellipses (for when you can tell the other person is typing). As the way we communicate changes, so should the way we depict communication (like texting), and this story works in those conversations seamlessly and makes them nuanced and meaningful.
Kara is a cool person in this story and a fully realized and compelling character. Tamaki and Jones give her a little bit of a Buffy vibe, and it works. I would love to see a follow-up that addresses the loose threads of this story, like Kara's conversation with Superman and the dual threats of Tan-On and Lex Luthor. I do think there were a few pacing issues here and there, with the Tan-On story in some ways feeling like it might've taken a little long to get to and then accelerated a little too quickly, but overall, this was a very enjoyable tale, and could serve as a fresh entry point for new young adult comic readers.
What did you think of Supergirl – Being Super? Tell us in the comments below.
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Matthew Brake is the series editor for the book series Theology and Pop Culture from Lexington Books. He is also the co-editor of the forthcoming Religion and Comics series from Claremont Press. He holds degrees in Interdisciplinary Studies and Philosophy from George Mason University. He also writes for Sequart and the Blackwell Popular Culture and Philosophy blog.
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Iman Shumpert (rest) has been ruled out of Sunday's matchup vs. the Jazz.
Shumpert has become a key piece of the Kings' rotation and is averaging 27.6 minutes over the past two weeks. In those same two weeks he's actually the Kings' best fantasy player and the 45th ranked player overall. It's the second night of a back-to-back for the Kings so resting the 28-year old guard makes sense.


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After House passage, the Senate is likely to start over on the health care bill
Published by Elizabeth Argue at May 5, 2017
The GOP-led House passed a partial repeal of the Affordable Care Act by a 217-to-213 vote. But the Senate seems likely to start from scratch and write their own health care bill. We'll have to wait and see what reconciliation might bring.
The health care bill that Republican leaders pushed quickly through the House on Thursday is expected to undergo major changes in the Senate, where some moderate GOP senators have already come out against the legislation.
The Senate will review the House bill but will write its own version over the next few weeks, said Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., chairman of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee.
"We want to get it right," Alexander said Thursday on the Senate floor. "There will be no artificial deadlines."
If the Senate passes its own bill, the House will either have to approve the Senate version or negotiate a compromise with senators, Alexander said. Any compromise bill would need to be approved by both the House and Senate before being sent to President Trump to sign.
Photo credit: Kent Weakley/Shutterstock.com


Bosch has been given the green light to test its self-driving cars on rural roads in Victoria, Australia, as it looks to refine its autonomous vehicle technology.
The German multinational has received a AUD$2.3mn state government grant to test the technology on high-speed rural roads.
At present, drivers have become five times more likely to be killed in a crash on Victoria's rural roads than its city routes, according to the The Guardian.
The trial will expose the vehicle to a range of different traffic, weather and infrastructure conditions and in doing so it aims to improve road safety.
To conduct the test, Bosch has been granted the state's first permit to allow automated vehicles for on-road testing, with other successful applicants expected to be announced shortly.
The test is expected to begin in high-speed rural areas of the state later this year.
Commenting of the trial, President of Bosch Australia, Gavin Smith said: "Bosch is a proud leader in vehicle safety systems and is eager to commence this trial with technologies that will show how we can improve road safety and reduce road trauma on rural roads."
Through it's latest project, Bosch will take the new Bosch TAC model to the roads.
Similar to a Tesla Model S, the vehicle has been designed by more than 50 engineers and features world-class technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), a multitude of sensors, as well as high definition GPS.
Two drivers will also be on board to ensure the safe operation of the vehicle.
"The trials will support Victoria's readiness for CAV technologies and the knowledge gained will provide a better understanding of the infrastructure required to get these vehicles on the road, maximising their safety benefits," Acting Victorian Premier," Jacinta Allan said in a recent statement.
The deal builds on the AUD$1.2mn joint investment made by Bosch and the Victorian government in 2016 – in conjunction with the Transport Accident Commission and Vic Roads – to develop the first self-driving vehicle in Australia.


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GORDON: Hawking irrational arguments
Theoretical physicist takes leave of his senses
By Bruce L. Gordon - The Washington Times - Friday, October 1, 2010
Stephen Hawking's new book, "The Grand Design," co-authored with Leonard Mlodinow, contends that God is not necessary to create the universe because the laws of physics can do it alone. The "new atheist" crowd will cheer this message, but their credulity is a matter more of fiery sentiment than of coolheaded logic.
Mr. Hawking asserts that "as recent advances in cosmology suggest, the laws of gravity and quantum theory allow universes to appear spontaneously from nothing. Spontaneous creation is the reason there is something rather than nothing, why the universe exists, why we exist. It is not necessary to invoke God to light the blue touch paper and set the universe going." But "spontaneous creation" minus any cause illustrates the lack of an explanation rather than scientific comprehension. It also runs counter to a question Mr. Hawking voiced years ago: "What is it that breathes fire into the equations and makes a universe for them to describe?"
Mr. Hawking should take a cue from his earlier self. His question notes the difference between mere mathematical descriptions and genuine explanations. Mathematical descriptions tell us what mathematical relationships hold among phenomena but not why they hold. Genuine explanations tell us how things actually work - that is, why such descriptions apply and are effective. Quantum theory applied to gravitation and cosmology allows mathematical descriptions of highly speculative conjectures that, even if taken seriously, provide no explanation of the events they conjure. Aside from the dearth of evidence lending credence to these speculations, their explanatory impotence is inherited from ordinary quantum mechanics, which describes measurable phenomena with great accuracy but provides no understanding of why particular quantum outcomes are observed. As Richard Feyman said, "The more you see how strangely nature behaves, the harder it is to make a model that explains how even the simplest phenomena actually work, so theoretical physics has given up on that." Quantum physics forsakes genuine explanations for amazingly accurate mathematical descriptions in which efficient material causality is nowhere to be found.
This state of affairs led Albert Einstein in the 1930s to argue that quantum theory was an incomplete description of the world. What we have learned since then is that quantum theory cannot be supplemented to remedy this deficiency. When we try, we end up either with a theory that yields false predictions or with irremediably deficient modern versions of Louis de Broglie's and David Bohm's proposals. So quantum theory is not an incomplete description of reality, as Einstein supposed. Instead, we find that material reality itself lacks a principle of sufficient causation: The physical universe is causally incomplete and therefore neither self-originating nor self-sustaining. The world of space, time, matter and energy is dependent on a reality that transcends space, time, matter and energy.
This transcendent reality cannot merely be a Platonic realm of mathematical descriptions, for such things are causally inert abstract entities that do not affect the material world. Neither is it the case that "nothing" is unstable, as Mr. Hawking and others maintain. Absolute nothing cannot have mathematical relationships predicated on it, not even quantum gravitational ones. Rather, the transcendent reality on which our universe depends must be something that can exhibit agency - a mind that can choose among the infinite variety of mathematical descriptions and bring into existence a reality that corresponds to a consistent subset of them. This is what "breathes fire into the equations and makes a universe for them to describe." Anything else invokes random miracles as an explanatory principle and spells the end of scientific rationality.
Nowhere is this destructive consequence more evident than in the machinations of multiverse cosmology to "explain" cosmological fine-tuning. Cosmic inflation is invoked to "explain" why our universe is so flat and its background radiation so uniform. All possible solutions of string theory are invoked to "explain" the incredible fine-tuning of the cosmological constant. But the evidence for cosmic inflation is both thin and equivocal; the evidence for string theory and its extension, M-theory, is nonexistent; and the idea that conjoining them demonstrates that we live in a multiverse of bubble universes with different laws and constants is a mathematical fantasy. What is worse, multiplying without limit the opportunities for any event to happen in the context of a multiverse - where it is alleged that anything can spontaneously jump into existence without cause - produces a situation in which no absurdity is beyond the pale.
For instance, we find multiverse cosmologists debating the "Boltzmann Brain" problem: In the most "reasonable" models for a multiverse, it is immeasurably more likely that our consciousness is associated with a brain that has spontaneously fluctuated into existence in the quantum vacuum than it is that we have parents and exist in an orderly universe with a 13.7 billion-year history. This is absurd. The multiverse hypothesis is therefore falsified because it renders false what we know to be true about ourselves. Clearly, embracing the multiverse idea entails a nihilistic irrationality that destroys the very possibility of science.
Universes do not "spontaneously create" on the basis of abstract mathematical descriptions, nor does the fantasy of a limitless multiverse trump the explanatory power of transcendent intelligent design. What Mr. Hawking's contrary assertions show is that mathematical savants can sometimes be metaphysical simpletons. Caveat emptor.
Bruce L. Gordon is an associate professor of science and mathematics at the King's College and editor of the forthcoming collection "The Nature of Nature: Examining the Role of Naturalism in Science" (ISI Books, 2010).
The importance of applying economic rules equally
Let's define human rights for the ages