《太上说六甲直符保胎护命妙经》

At that time, the Primordial Heavenly Worthy (Yuanshi Tianzun, a revered deity of Daoism) was in the Palace of Jade Clarity, expounding the precious scriptures of the Three Caverns (Sandong) to countless holy assemblies. The Perfected Person Yin Xi (a cultivator within Daoism) rose from among the crowd, bowed in reverence, and addressed the Heavenly Worthy:

“I have observed that when women in the world conceive and give birth, they are often assailed at the time of labor and delivery by evil influences, wangliang, demonic sprites, and ghosts and spirits. Some of these harm the mother and the fetus, causing the mother to rave incoherently, to grow dazed in consciousness, and confused in mind. How can we rescue them and spare them these calamities? I earnestly beg the Heavenly Worthy to show compassion and transmit to us a method we have never heard. If we may thereby gain insight, it will be through the Heavenly Worthy’s grace.”

The Celestial Worthy (Tianzun) told the Perfected Person (Zhenren, one who has attained the Dao): When Heaven and Earth join through Yin-Yang, they transform and nurture the myriad things; when father and mother unite in harmony, a human being can be conceived. In the first month of pregnancy, the fetus’s Jing (essence) and blood begin to coalesce; in the second month, the embryonic form first appears; in the third month, yang Shen (spirit) becomes the hun (celestial soul); in the fourth month, the yin numen settles as the po (earthly soul); in the fifth month, the five viscera differentiate and Jing and Shen grow calm; in the sixth month, the six bowels take form and numinous Qi (vital energy) provides nourishment; in the seventh month, the fetus’s orifices open and begin to communicate with light; in the eighth month, Shen and Qi are fully prepared and spiritual nature descends; in the ninth month, the palace chamber in which the fetus dwells is completely arranged; in the tenth month, primordial Qi is sufficient and the bodily form is fully developed. Only after the hundred spirits have each taken their stations is the fetus born.

What you asked before is precisely the situation that men and women of the world encounter in giving birth. Some people do not believe in the orthodox Dao and do not revere the Jing (scriptures). Others, whether because of karmic conditions from former lives or because of willful actions in this life, do not understand their own destiny and do not honor the orthodox teaching, but instead trust in evil spirits and demonic anomalies, so that mind and Shen become confused. They receive primordial Qi and hold Yin-Yang within them, yet when the time of delivery arrives the true spirits do not come to protect them, and evil sprites, wangliang, and other ghosts and spirits may seize the chance to intrude and harass them.

If one wishes to relieve a difficult birth, one should trust and follow my words. As soon as a woman is pregnant, and before the ten months are complete, she should in advance cultivate and accumulate merit, establish a ritual arena (a place for performing Daoist rites of prayer and blessing), print and produce this Jing, and offer it up with a single mind. As the time of birth draws near, invite three, five, seven, or ten Daoist priests. In a Daoist abbey or at home, hang colored banners and precious canopies, keep the lamps burning so that the light continues, burn incense and perform worship, and recite the True Scripture of the Six Jia Directive Talismans for Protecting the Fetus and Guarding Life (a Daoist Jing that prays for protection of the fetus and safeguarding of life) seven times seven, forty-nine times, or one hundred times, and even as many as one thousand or ten thousand times.

I will dispatch the divine generals of the Six Jia Directive Talismans (divine generals in Daoism commanded to protect and to expel evil), leading the troops of Heaven, immortal deities and jade maidens, and countless holy hosts. Bearing Fulu (talismans and registers) and ceremonial regalia, they will descend upon the ritual arena, protect the pregnant woman, and free her from suffering and affliction, so that mother and child may be delivered smoothly, life preserved and the body guarded, the dwelling made pure and the whole household kept at peace, and every kind of demon and evil will of itself withdraw and submit.

The Perfected Person Yin Xi received the Celestial Worthy’s instruction, bowed in reverent prostration, and exhorted the people of the world: if anyone suffers difficulty in childbirth, that person should broadly cultivate merit, reverently produce and print this Jing, and offer it up with a sincere heart, so as to seek the preservation of life and the protection of the body and to obtain blessings without measure.

This kind of talisman (fu) is written in cinnabar and worn by a pregnant woman on the crown of the head, in prayer to avoid all manner of evil influences, demonic spirits, nightmares, and gu poison.

The scripture then lists in sequence, for each day of the sixty Jiazi, the “zhifu” (the divine general on rotating protective duty) and the number of attendants, and explains that they descend in response to the talisman to settle a person’s three hun and seven po (sanhun qipo), so as to keep the fetus safe and protect the lives of mother and child. For example, on the jiazi day Wang Wenqing serves as zhifu and leads eighteen attendants; on the yichou day Long Jiqing serves as zhifu and leads sixteen attendants. The remaining days are listed in the same format.

The “three hun and seven po” is the traditional Daoist account of the inner vital spirit of the human body. What is meant here by “settling the three hun and calming the seven po” is an entreaty that the divine generals uphold a person’s spirit and life, so that pregnancy and childbirth may proceed safely. The original text contains many repetitions, errors and omissions, and damaged passages; the above is a summarized reading according to the sense that recurs throughout.

The Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning (one of the supreme deities revered in Daoism) commanded the Divine Lords of the Six Jia Direct Talismans and their subordinate officials, saying: If a woman in the world gives birth on one of the particular days and hours mentioned above, whether the child is a boy or a girl, you are all to lead the deities of the Six Jia Direct Talismans and their subordinate officials in protecting the lives of the fetus and the mother, so that the birth proceeds smoothly, sitting and lying are calm and secure, mind and spirit (Shen) remain settled, and they are spared every kind of pain and distress.

If a good woman is able to copy this scripture (Jing), reverently place it in a purified setting, burn incense and light lamps, hang banners and canopies (the flags and umbrellas used to adorn and solemnize a place of offering), and make offerings and pay homage, I will let her behold the true Dao (the Way), lengthen her years and increase her lifespan, keep her whole household safe, and make all affairs harmonious and favorable, with fathers compassionate and children filial, and clothing and food naturally abundant.

If the birth is difficult, one should single-mindedly take refuge and recite and uphold this incantation forty-nine times (“seven times seven,” that is, seven multiplied by seven), and all divine spirits will constantly come to stand guard. Thereupon the Celestial Worthy spoke the incantation:

In the worlds above are eight thousand hosts of deities; below are four generals who govern the land.

The officers and soldiers of the Three and Five drive out evil ghosts; the youths of the Four and Six guard my spirit.

The Six Jia Direct Talismans expel nightmare specters (malevolent beings that cause nightmares), and the Jade Maidens of the Six Ding protect my body.

On my left is the Azure Dragon, on my right the White Tiger; above my head is the Vermilion Bird, and beneath my feet the Dark Warrior.

In front are the Merit Officers, and behind are the Registrars; they drive away demonic specters and nightmare-gu (witchcraft that harms people by evil arts).

If any malevolent being does harm by nightmare arts, prayer, or the like, let it return to the one who worked the spell; no demonic specter may remain.

If it has not departed in a moment, let it be punished with the celestial axe. Quickly, quickly, in accordance with the statutes and ordinances!

When the Celestial Worthy had finished this divine incantation, all the celestial beings, the immeasurable hosts of sages, and the subordinate officials of the Six Jia Direct Talismans, having heard the scripture, joyfully paid homage and carried it out.

The Wondrous Scripture of the Most High Expounding the Six Jia Direct Talismans for Protecting the Fetus and Guarding Life. The end.

Note: Beside the original reading “eight thousand persons” there is a collation note suggesting that “thousand” (qian) may be a corruption of gan.