Five stages of prenatal development

Five stages of prenatal development (Wyl. mngal gyi gnas skabs lnga) — there are two principal ways of counting the five stages of prenatal development, following lists given in two different sutras, The Sutra Requested by Yakshendra and The Sutra of Entering the Womb.

• According to the The Sutra Requested by Yakshendra, the five stages are:

1. ‘creamy mass’ (nur nur po),
2. ‘quivering mass’ (mer mer po),
3. oval mass (nar narpo),
4. ‘solidifying’ (trang gyur), and
5. ‘with emerging limbs’ (kanglak gyüpa).

• According to the The Sutra of Entering the Womb, they are:

1. ‘creamy mass’ (nur nurpo),
2. ‘quivering mass’ (mer mer po),
3. oval mass (nar narpo),
4. rounded (gor gor po), and
5. ‘with emerging limbs’ (kanglak gyüpa).

• A slightly different list, beginning with mer mer po, is given in Gampopa’s Jewel Ornament of Liberation.

• The Padmakara Translation Group, in their translation of Words of My Perfect Teacher, give the five as:

1. round jelly,
2. viscous ellipse,
3. thick oblong,
4. firm oval, and
5. hard round lump.