Reproduction and heredity beliefs of the Hindus based on their sacred books

Hindus see their children as the reincarnation of the husband. The mother is only a field where the father lays his seed. That the reincarnated husband might be a girl is explained by a more abundant female "semen." Differences among children are explained by the influence of the mother, the same way as a seedling is affected by the soil in which it grows. Because a son is generally desired, one can find in the sacred books of India rules that might increase the chances not only to have a son, but a healthy and gifted one.