[755] **"And one devoted should not pursue the interpretation of animal cries, the causing of conception, or medical treatment" (virudañca gabbhakaraṇaṃ tikicchaṃ māmako na seveyya):** "animal cries" (viruda) is called the science of animal cries (migacakka). Those versed in the science of animal cries interpret the animal cries: they know the cry, the call, of birds or of four-footed creatures. Thus do those versed in the science of animal cries interpret the animal cries.
Those who practice the causing of conception make the embryo become established. For two reasons an embryo does not become established: because of worms or because of disturbances of the wind. They give medicine to counteract the worms or the disturbances of the wind. Thus do those who practice the causing of conception make the embryo become established.
**"Medical treatment" (tikicchā):** there are five kinds of medical treatment: treatment of the eye (sālākiya), surgery (sallakattiya), treatment of the body (kāyatikicchā), treatment of spirit-affliction (bhūtiya), and the medicine of children (komārakavejja).
**"One devoted" (māmaka):** one devoted to the Buddha, devoted to the Dhamma, devoted to the Saṅgha; either he cherishes the Blessed One, or the Blessed One accepts that person. For this was said by the Blessed One: "Bhikkhus, those bhikkhus who are deceitful, stubborn, flatterers, frauds, haughty, and unconcentrated — those bhikkhus, bhikkhus, are not devoted to me; those bhikkhus have fallen away from this Dhamma and Discipline, and they do not attain growth, increase, and abundance in this Dhamma and Discipline. But, bhikkhus, those bhikkhus who are not deceitful, not flatterers, wise, not stubborn, and well concentrated — those bhikkhus, bhikkhus, are devoted to me; those bhikkhus have not fallen away from this Dhamma and Discipline, and they attain growth, increase, and abundance in this Dhamma and Discipline."
The deceitful, the stubborn, the flatterers, the frauds,
the haughty, and the unconcentrated —
they do not grow in the Dhamma
taught by the Fully Self-Enlightened One.
The undeceitful, the non-flatterers, the wise,
the unstubborn, and the well concentrated —
they indeed grow in the Dhamma
taught by the Fully Self-Enlightened One.
**"And one devoted should not pursue the interpretation of animal cries, the causing of conception, or medical treatment":** the interpretation of animal cries, the causing of conception, and medical treatment — one devoted should not pursue them, should not cultivate them, should not resort to them, should not practice them, should not conduct himself by them, should not undertake them and proceed accordingly; or else, he should not grasp them, should not learn them, should not bear them in mind, should not retain them, should not take note of them, should not apply himself to them. Therefore it is said: "And one devoted should not pursue the interpretation of animal cries, the causing of conception, or medical treatment." Hence the Blessed One said:
One should not practice Atharvan spells,
dream-interpretation, or sign-reading,
nor indeed astrology;
and one devoted should not pursue
the interpretation of animal cries,
the causing of conception, or medical treatment.
English translation from the Pali (Siam Raṭṭha edition) — under review, not for citation.