R: I doubt that I may be able to clear my entrance exams. I really want to do it.
Swami Ram Swarup: Your views to clear exam in first attempt are highly appreciated, which is a moral duty of a student but whatever you have written about your problem is demoralizing you, which is not good. A brave student work hard with full concentration and never loses patience. So, be brave and go ahead. My blessings are with you.

Selvakumar: Swamiji namaskar. There is a general say that when wife is pregnant husband should not visit hill temples. My wife is pregnant (4th month). Can I visit hill temples like saturagiri and Sabari Mala Ayyapa. Please advise with your blessings.
Swami Ram Swarup: Namaskarji. No, please. This is wrong. Vedas tell that everybody including pregnant woman should worship God daily without any break because, it will give pious effect on baby. However, in the fourth month and onwards, journey uphill is strictly prohibited because it may cause abortion etc. I paste my article as under-

Tips for Pregnancy

It is said in four Vedas that “Mother is the creator of child’s future.” It is in her hands that how she builds her child’s future by adopting good spiritual preaches, which are all mentioned in four Vedas. Some of the aforesaid preach are written here.

Always be cheerful, wear pious ornaments, wear quite light coloured clothes and not dark, should keep peace in her mind, think welfare of others, should serve her Acharya/Guru (who knows Vedas), avoid such things which can cause anxiety to her.

She should not take stale food, dry food like fried vegetables etc. She should not go in haunted house, cremation ground, shouldn’t stand under the tree at night, shouldn’t get annoyed, or shout. Try to be in happy-pleasant mood all times because this all affects the baby.

When a baby is in womb then mother’s every action plays important role in building child’s physique. For child’s physical and mental growth, a mother should be careful about her eating habits and way of living so that it should not affect the child in anyway.

At this stage, simple living and high thinking counts. At this stage mother should recite Gayatri mantra and repeat the name of God both times and read spiritual books because it makes the future of baby bright. Good sceneries and spiritual photos must be seen and baseless photos, baseless talk must be avoided.

Precautions

Don’t sit on heels. Do not go up and down. Asan on which you sit should be soft. Don’t try to restrain the flow of bathroom, toilet, gas etc. Do not work hard. Do not take hot and heavy eatables, also do not starve yourself. Don’t see the shallow regions like trenches, gorges, pits anything which is deep like well etc.

Pregnant lady should not put her body to motion frequently. Her body should be kept at rest position as far as possible. Always look at good things and not ugly sights, listen to good preach etc. Do not lie on back, lie on body side.

Do not take non-vegetarian food. Food having addiction should be avoided. Such deeds which our perceptions and organs restrain to do, immediately leave that deed in all respect. Food should be simple, juicy and tasty.

When mother enters in 5th month the mind of child is more active, in 6th month intellect, in 7th organs are developed. So a mother should do pious deeds because every action of mother affects the unborn baby unknowingly.

In 8th month, a pregnant lady has two hearts. One heart is her own and the other is of the baby. In this month special attention is to be given so a mother should be very much careful about it.

For good growth of child and a mother following things can be adopted:
1. In 1st month plain, cold milk should be taken. Take beneficial and nutritive food.
2. In second month lady should take milk having medicinal qualities (in which you can put elayachi, chhuara etc.) after sieving you can have it.
3. In 3rd month take 2 small tablespoon of honey and 1 small tablespoon of ghee in milk. NOTE —-NEVER TAKE IN EQUAL PROPORTION BECAUSE IT IS FATAL.
4. In 4th month mix one tola (app. 10gms) of fresh butter in milk.
5. In 5th have milk with ghee in it.
6. In 6th and 7th month have milk with kishmish, elayachi, chhuara etc. (these all are applicable if digested, otherwise take advice from physician to take better food.)
7. In 7th month, the pregnant lady experiences itching in her skin specially on her womb’s skin. As far as possible she should tolerate it and should restrain from using her nails over the effected area. She should apply the extract of sandal wood and lotus over her breast and stomach. Other option is that she may apply the mustard oil prepared by boiling sirs’s peel, flower of guava, mustard seeds, mulathi, (these are all medicinal herbs mentioned in Atharvaveda.)

In case itching is not tolerated then she may casually apply her hand over the effected area. Restrain eating sour, bitter, fried food, use less of salt, have sweet food and lot of water (at least more than 15 glasses a day). Do not let yourself be suffered from constipation. So to avoid constipation have milk with Gulkand.

Please pay attention to these advices because these lead to formation of sanskars on the child, which have a great importance to make child’s future. There are 16 sanskars in human life which are mentioned in our eternal four Vedas.

Human body is blessed by God to attain the salvation during family life and while discharging all duties of family. We should do pious deeds such as Yajyen, yoga practice. In the past three yugas dignitaries like Vyas Muni, Shri Ram, Mata Sita, Shri Krishna, all did yajyen, yoga practice while living in their family life and doing their respective duties towards Acharya, family, nation etc., and at last they achieved their goal of salvation. So we too should adopt this eternal, Vedic and pious path to achieve the same. Again it is in the hands of a mother to build a good and shining future for her child.