So I have heard. Evaṁ me sutaṁ—At one time the Buddha was staying near Rājagaha on Mount Indra’s Peak, the haunt of the native spirit Indaka. ekaṁ samayaṁ bhagavā rājagahe viharati indakūṭe pabbate, indakassa yakkhassa bhavane.

Then the native spirit Indaka went up to the Buddha, and addressed him in verse: Atha kho indako yakkho yena bhagavā tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā bhagavantaṁ gāthāya ajjhabhāsi:

“The Buddhas say that form is not the soul. “Rūpaṁ na jīvanti vadanti buddhā, Then how does this one obtain this body? Kathaṁ nvayaṁ vindatimaṁ sarīraṁ; From where do his bones and organs come? Kutassa aṭṭhīyakapiṇḍameti, How does this one coalesce in the womb?” Kathaṁ nvayaṁ sajjati gabbharasmin”ti.

“First there’s the zygote; “Paṭhamaṁ kalalaṁ hoti, then there’s the blastocyst; kalalā hoti abbudaṁ; from there arises the gastrula; Abbudā jāyate pesi, which produces the embryonic mass. pesi nibbattatī ghano; From that the limb buds appear, Ghanā pasākhā jāyanti, the head hair, body hair, and nails. kesā lomā nakhāpi ca.

And whatever the mother eats—Yañcassa bhuñjatī mātā, the food and drink that she consumes—annaṁ pānañca bhojanaṁ; nourishes them there, Tena so tattha yāpeti, the person in the mother’s womb.” mātukucchigato naro”ti.