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From this question Does a soul have any gender? it is known that soul doesn't have any gender. But when a child is born from mother's womb it does have a gender (male, female, or neuter). So, why is a gender-less soul converted to a specific gender? I think it is based on Karma, but does any scripture explain this?

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Triyugi Narayan Mani
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We can get an answer from the embryological point of view as found in an Upanishad called the Garbha Upanishad (which is linked to the Krishna Yajur Veda).

In the fourth month, belly and hip are formed; in the fifth month, the backbone is formed; in the sixth month, nose, eyes and ears are formed.

In the seventh month, [the embryo] comes to have the jīva (conscious self), and in the eighth month, it becomes complete in every sense.

If the father’s seed is more potent, it becomes male; if the mother’s seed is stronger, it becomes female. If the seeds are equal, it becomes an intersexual (napu÷saka, neither male, nor female).

If [at the time of impregnation] the parents are agitated, the child will be blind, crippled, hunch-backed or stunted. If the vital air moves around, the seed enters in two parts, resulting

Additionally this Upanishad also states that a child can remember his past life in the 9th month.

Whatever is consumed or drunk by the mother passes through the nerves and vessels to the child, becoming the source of his satisfaction. During the ninth month, all outer signs attain completeness. And he is reminded of his previous birth, and recounts the good and bad deeds committed.

He thinks: I have seen thousands of wombs, eaten several kinds of food and sucked many breasts. Born and dead again and again, I am immersed in grief but see no remedy. Thinking of my good and bad deeds, I am suffering alone, although the bodies that enjoyed the fruits are gone.

But, it forgets everything, as soon as it comes out of the mother's womb, due to the influence of the Sutika Vayu and that of Mahamaya.

I have similar verses from Tantras as well, but right now can not post them, because the books are not with me right now.

Source- The Garbhopanishad.. You can get the Sanskrit verses from this PDF but i am not able to paste them here (getting some weird characters).

Rickross
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    Very sad story of a newborn baby. – ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ Jan 25 '18 at 06:56
  • If the father’s seed is more potent, it becomes male; if the mother’s seed is stronger, it becomes female. If the seeds are equal, it becomes an intersexual (napu÷saka, neither male, nor female). Shocking if true. – ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ Jan 25 '18 at 06:57
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    Yes the baby is quite smart when it's in the womb.. but when it comes out, due to the effect of Mahamaya, it becomes like u and me.. :D @Rajas. – Rickross Jan 25 '18 at 06:58
  • @Rajas. You read in the PDf what are all the good things the baby plans to do when it comes out.. but alas it usually does none of those.... I have read similar verses in Tantras too.. – Rickross Jan 25 '18 at 07:01
  • but the problem is with mahamAyA. – ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ Jan 25 '18 at 07:02
  • @rajas. Problem is not with MahaaMaya. She is just doing her work for which she was created. – Vishvam Jan 25 '18 at 11:33
  • @Rajas."Shocking if true" - but of course, it isn't true. Men determine the sex of a baby depending on whether their sperm is carrying an X or Y chromosome. An X chromosome combines with the mother's X chromosome to make a baby girl (XX) and a Y chromosome will combine with the mother's to make a boy (XY). – Neil Jan 25 '18 at 16:04
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    @Neil We all know basic science here. See the case, if father's seed is potent, Y chromosome will combine with the X of female. X will combine with X of female in case of less potency. What if the selection of chromosome is the function of Male potentcy?. I'm not saying this must be the case but I keep the doors open for science, religion, philosophy etc all without any prejudices. What I mean is I'm not easily of course in every matter. ;-) – ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ Jan 25 '18 at 16:26
  • @Rajas The mother has no say in the sex of the baby. The only random thing is if the sperm has which combination of X & Y. – Neil Jan 26 '18 at 09:22
  • @Neil that is what Rajas said, if you understand it properly. –  Jan 26 '18 at 18:21
  • If male carries sperm with Y chromosome, the potency will be higher that of female, but if male sperm carries X chromosome, the potency will be lesser than female. Is this what you want to say? @Rajas. –  Jan 26 '18 at 18:24
  • In that too, what about intersexual? @Rajas. –  Jan 26 '18 at 18:51
  • And I think whatever said here is from the point of view of Ayurveda, which there is no need to match with present day medical science. –  Jan 26 '18 at 18:52
  • @Parikshitha The original answer talks about potency of the father's and mother's 'seed', but the reality is that mother has nothing to do with it. TBH I'm amazed an old text like this gets so much correct, but then they had no way of knowing at the time about things that were too small for the human eye, so had to fill in the gaps with conjecture rather than proof. – Neil Jan 26 '18 at 22:03
  • @Parikshitha That too applicable here. Figure it out how by yourself. – ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ Jan 27 '18 at 01:16
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    @Neil Yes, In Hinduism, from the science POV every statement will be a conjecture. But within Hinduism, scriptural references are called Sabda PramAna, which are themselves known as proof after direct testimony. And there are many such statements. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pramana – ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ Jan 27 '18 at 01:20
  • @Neil You might find this question interesting. https://hinduism.stackexchange.com/questions/17442/what-are-some-scientific-facts-described-in-hindu-scriptures – ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ Jan 27 '18 at 01:23
  • @Neil you are confused here. Rajas actually means female seed has the same potency everytime. Only male seed can have either higher potency than that of female seed(Y chromosome) or lesser potency than that of female (X chromosome of male) –  Jan 27 '18 at 04:35
  • @Rajas. How? Please enlighten –  Jan 27 '18 at 04:36
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पुमान् पुंसोऽधिके शुक्रे स्त्री भवत्यधिके स्त्रियाः ।
समेऽपुमान् पुं।स्त्रियौ वा क्षीणेऽल्पे च विपर्ययः ॥ ४९ ॥

pumān puṃso'dhike śukre strī bhavatyadhike striyāḥ |
same'pumān puṃ|striyau vā kṣīṇe'lpe ca viparyayaḥ || 49 ||

A male child is born when the man’s seed is in excess, and a female child when the woman's seed is in excess; when the two are equal, there is born either a non-male or a boy and a girl; when it is weak and small in quantity, there is failure.—(49)

The ‘excess’ meant here is not that in quantity, but that in virility.

The verse is from Manusmriti, Chapter 3.

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Gita gives more generalised perspective. A "soul" (viz. Purusha) takes birth in certain womb due to the 3 modes.

BG 13.22 - Purusha being situated in Prakruti, experiences the [sattva, rajas, tamas] modes born of Prakruti. Contact with the these modes, is the cause of its births in good and evil wombs.

Good/Evil womb can be further classified to genders, animals, deities, ancestors etc. types of wombs. Chapter-14 discusses, how these 3 modes affect person's next birth during death time.
Usually it's the mind with senses which gets attracted towards certain body:

BG 15.7 -- Among the living world, the living being (bhuta = body) is my eternal fragment only; It (fragment or body) keeps attracting 5 senses & mind as the 6th towards the material nature.

iammilind
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