Series title: Science fiction or
science ? Serial No: 2
Source reference : Mahabharata Book
1;section 63
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Brief description of event
Sathyavathi, the mother of Vyasa (later the Queen Mother) is born with a strong odour of fish emanating from her. At one time Sage
Kashyapa grants her a boon which cures her of this condition.
Under modern medicine the cause of the fish odour
has been identified to a mutation of a specific gene. And treated
accordingly.
Description of event as given in source::
…..the king became possessed with desire and he missed
Girika's presence very much. Maddened by
desire he was roaming about…………. And noticing that a swift hawk was resting
very near to him, the king, acquainted with the subtle truths of Dharma and
Artha, went unto him and said, 'Amiable one, Please carry this semen for my
wife Girika and give it to her. Her season has arrived…….., the seed fell into
the waters of the Yamuna. In those waters dwelt an Apsara of the higher rank,
known by the name of Adrika, transformed by a Brahmana's curse into a fish. As
soon as Vasu's seed fell into the water from the claws of the hawk, Adrika
rapidly approached and swallowed it at once. Some time later that fish was
caught by the fishermen. Ten months
later,from the stomach of that fish came out a male and a female child of human
form. The fishermen wondered much, and went to king Uparichara and told him 'O king, these two beings of
human shape have been found in the body of a fish!'………... The fish-smelling
daughter of the Apsara in her fish form was then given by the king to the fishermen,
saying, 'Let this one be your daughter.' That girl was known by the name of
Satyavati.
.………That best of Rishis,
gratified with all she ( Sathyavathi) said, replied "You shall remain a
virgin even if you grant my wish. Ask for a boon that you desire. My grace has
never before proved fruitless." Thus addressed, the maiden asked for the
boon that her body might emit a sweet scent
instead of the fish odour that it had. The Rishi granted that wish and she became highly
pleased, and her season immediately came. She accepted the embraces of that
Rishi. She henceforth became known among men by the name of Gandhavati (the
sweet-scented one). Men could perceive her scent from the distance of a yojana
and for this she was known by another name which was Yojanagandha ..
Brief scientific information on this subject
·
This is a condition called
‘Trimethylaminuria; also called ‘fish odor syndrome’
·
Wikipedia describes this condition as
follows: “Fish odor syndrome (trimethylaminuria) is a
genetic disease; symptoms are often present from birth. Fish
odor syndrome is characterized by an offensive body odor and
the smell of rotting fish due to the excessive
excretion of trimethylaminuria (TMA) in the urine, sweat, and breath of
affected individuals.
·
Caused by a metabolic disorder that
causes a defect in the normal production of the
enzyme..FMO3
·
If FMO3 is not working correctly or is
not produced in enough quantity, body does not convert Trimethylamine
(TMA) in food digestion process into
trimethylamine oxide. The TMS builds up and is released in the person’s sweat, breath, urine , giving
off a strong fishy odor
Sources & Details of technical
information
Trimethylaminuria (TMAU; primary trimethylaminuria),
also known as fish odor syndrome or fish malodor
syndrome,[1] is a rare metabolic
disorder that causes a defect
in the normal production of an enzyme named flavin-containing monooxygenase 3 (FMO3).When FMO3 is not working correctly
or if not enough enzyme is produced, the body loses the ability to properly
convert trimethylamine(TMA) from precursor compounds in food
digestion into trimethylamine
oxide (TMAO), through a
process called N-oxidation. Trimethylamine then builds up and is released in the
person's sweat, urine, and breath, giving off a strong fishy odor or strong body odor. A variant of TMAU (secondary trimethylaminuria or
TMAU2) exists where there is no genetic cause, yet excessive TMA is secreted,
possibly due to intestinal dysbiosis, altered metabolism, or hormonal causes.
o
Mutations in the FMO3 gene, which
is found on the long arm of chromosome 1, cause trimethylaminuria. The FMO3 gene
makes an enzyme that breaks down nitrogen-containing compounds from the diet, including trimethylamine. …
Normally, the FMO3 enzyme converts fishy-smelling
trimethylamine into trimethylamine N-oxide which has no odor. If the enzyme is
missing or its activity is reduced because of a mutation in the FMO3 gene,
trimethylamine is not broken down and instead builds up in the body. As the
compound is released in a person's sweat, urine, and breath, it causes the
strong odor
o
There is no
known cure or treatment for the disorder.
Abstract
Trimethylaminuria
(TMAuria) (McKusick 602079) first described in 1970 is an autosomal recessive
condition caused by a partial or total incapacity to catalyze the N-oxygenation
of the odorous compound trimethylamine (TMA). The result is a severe body odor
and associated psychosocial conditions. This inborn error of metabolism,
previously thought to be rare, is now being increasingly detected in severe and
milder presentations. Mutations of a phase 1 detoxicating gene,
flavin-containing monooxygenase 3 (FMO3), have been shown to cause TMAuria.
Herein we describe a cohort of individuals ascertained in North America with
severe TMAuria, defined by a reduction of TMA oxidation below 50% of normal
with genotype-phenotype correlations. We detected four new FMO3 mutations; two
were missense (A52T and R387L), one was nonsense (E314X). The fourth allele is
apparently composed of two relatively common polymorphisms (K158-G308) found in
the general population. On the basis of this study we conclude that one common
mutation and an increasing number of private mutations in individuals of
different ethnic origins cause TMAuria in this cohort.
Comments:
This event indicates a likely knowledge of the genetic
root cause of this syndrome and consequent knowledge of the treatment
methodology for the same.
The fact that a boon given by Sage Parasara is said to cure the fish odor and replaces it with a fragrance
indicates the likelihood that it is not thru some oral medication but a
surgical or genetic intervention
Taking a more literal meaning, it could indicate a
spiritual process involving knowledge of the genetic cause and resetting of the genetic material
Questions that arise:
·
it is
stated that Kasyapa rishi gives a boon
to Satyavathi ridding her of the odour
and she is cured. She is not only cured
of the odur but it is replaced by a sweet smell which pervades over a
yojana.
·
A valid explanation for the cure would be a process of correcting
the mutation in the FMO3 gene.
·
Did Rishi Kashyapa have
knowledge of the source of the
problem and the technological means to make the necessary correction?
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