Shloka 39

Devanagari script

कर्षणात्कफविड्घातैर्मार्गस्यावरणेन वा / वायुः कृताश्रयः कोष्ठे रौक्ष्यात्काठिन्यमागतः

Transliteration

karṣaṇātkaphaviḍghātairmārgasyāvaraṇena vā / vāyuḥ kṛtāśrayaḥ koṣṭhe raukṣyātkāṭhinyamāgataḥ

Translation

Durch Auszehrung (Depletion) oder weil Kapha und Stuhl den Trakt verlegen, oder durch Blockierung der Bahnen, nimmt vāyu Aufenthalt im koṣṭha (Bauchraum); aus der Trockenheit entstehen Härte und Starrheit.

Word by Word

• कर्षणात्: from strain/traction
• कर्षणात्: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कर्षण (प्रातिपदिक; √कृष् ‘to draw/strain’ इत्यस्य भावनाम)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/Ablative), एकवचन

• कफविड्घातैः: by blockages of phlegm and feces
• कफविड्घातैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कफ (प्रातिपदिक) + विड् (प्रातिपदिक) + घात (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन; तत्पुरुषः (कफ-विड्-घातैः = obstructions by phlegm and feces)

• मार्गस्य: of the channel/pathway
• मार्गस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मार्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• आवरणेन: by obstruction/covering
• आवरणेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आवरण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन

• वा: or
• वा: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वा (अव्यय)
• Form: विकल्पार्थक-अव्यय

• वायुः: vāyu
• वायुः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वायु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• कृताश्रयः: having lodged/settled
• कृताश्रयः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कृत (प्रातिपदिक; √कृ-धातोः क्त) + आश्रय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; विशेषणम्; तत्पुरुषः (कृतः आश्रयः यस्य = having taken residence)

• कोष्ठे: in the abdomen/bowel
• कोष्ठे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कोष्ठ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• रौक्ष्यात्: from dryness
• रौक्ष्यात्: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रौक्ष्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/Ablative), एकवचन

• काठिन्यम्: hardness/rigidity
• काठिन्यम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काठिन्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• आगतः: has become/has come to
• आगतः: Kriya (Result state/क्रिया-फल)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ + गम् (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past participle) ‘आगत’; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; वायुः इति कर्तरि विशेषणम्

Speaker

Lord Vishnu (continuing the explanatory discourse to Garuda)

Medical Ayurveda

Dosha: Vata

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Avoid extremes that cause depletion; maintain balance so that vāyu does not become lodged and harden the system.

Vedantic Theme: Moderation (madhyama-mārga) in embodied life; sustaining the instrument (śarīra) supports higher pursuits.

Application: Prevent excessive fasting/overexertion; manage constipation and kapha accumulation; keep channels clear with appropriate diet, hydration, and movement.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: karuna

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana 1.160.37–38: vāta excess and obstruction leading to pain/mass; 1.160.40: gulma description and symptom complex

Characters & Entities

• Vāyu/Vāta
• Kapha
• Viḍ (feces)
• Koṣṭha (abdomen/bowel)

FAQs

What is the importance of kapha–viḍ obstruction in Garuda Purana?

The verse identifies kapha and fecal impaction as key causes that trap vāta in the abdomen, producing dryness-driven hardness—an explanatory model for severe bowel/abdominal disorders.

How does this verse explain the path of the soul?

It focuses on bodily causation rather than post-death travel; its value in the larger Purāṇic frame is to show how suffering can arise from internal imbalance, supporting the text’s broader ethic of disciplined living.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

Avoid depletion and irregular habits that dry the system; address constipation/impaction early with appropriate hydration, diet, and professional care, especially when rigidity and abdominal fixation appear.