Shloka 38

Cikitsā-sāra: Doṣa Nidāna–Lakṣaṇa, Agni, Ajīrṇa/Āma Cikitsā, Daśamūla, and Prognostic Signs

Devanagari script

प्रभवः सर्वरोगाणामजीर्णं चाग्निनाशनम् / आमाम्लरसविष्टम्भ लक्षणन्तच्चतुर्विधम्

Transliteration

prabhavaḥ sarvarogāṇāmajīrṇaṃ cāgnināśanam / āmāmlarasaviṣṭambha lakṣaṇantaccaturvidham

Translation

Ajīrṇa (Unverdautheit/Indigestion) ist der Ursprung aller Krankheiten, denn es zerstört agni, das Verdauungsfeuer. Seine Kennzeichen sind vierfach: āma (giftige unverdaut gebliebene Stoffe), saurer Geschmack des rasa, und viṣṭambha (Verstopfung/Blähung durch Blockade).

Word by Word

• प्रभवः: origin, cause
• प्रभवः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रभव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• सर्वरोगाणाम्: of all diseases
• सर्वरोगाणाम्: Shashthi-Sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठी-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक) + रोग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), बहुवचन; समासः (कर्मधारय: सर्वे रोगाः)

• अजीर्णम्: indigestion
• अजीर्णम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अ + जीर्ण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय (conjunction)

• अग्निनाशनम्: destruction of digestive fire
• अग्निनाशनम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अग्नि (प्रातिपदिक) + नाशन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; समासः (तत्पुरुष: अग्नेः नाशनम्)

• आमाम्लरसविष्टम्भ: āma, sourness, rasa-disorder, and obstruction (as features)
• आमाम्लरसविष्टम्भ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आम (प्रातिपदिक) + अम्ल (प्रातिपदिक) + रस (प्रातिपदिक) + विष्टम्भ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; समाहार-द्वन्द्व (collective dvandva: āma, sourness, rasa, obstruction)

• लक्षणम्: symptom, characteristic
• लक्षणम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लक्षण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• तत्: that
• तत्: Anuvritti (Referential/अनुवृत्ति)
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• चतुर्विधम्: fourfold
• चतुर्विधम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: चतुर् + विध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; विशेषण; समासः (तत्पुरुष: चतुर्णां विधम्)

Speaker

Lord Vishnu (in discourse to Garuda)

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Ajīrṇa undermines agni and becomes the seed of many diseases; recognize its characteristic signs.

Vedantic Theme: Cause-and-effect in the body mirrors karmic causality; negligence (pramāda) leads to suffering, vigilance supports clarity.

Application: At early signs of āma, amla-rasa disturbance, or viṣṭambha, reduce heavy foods, rest digestion, and seek appropriate measures before disease proliferates.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: karuna

Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana 1.168.39-40 (complications and treatments)

Characters & Entities

• Agni

FAQs

What is the importance of ajīrṇa (indigestion) in the Garuda Purana?

This verse frames ajīrṇa as the root of many diseases because it weakens or destroys agni, the digestive power that maintains bodily balance.

Does this verse describe afterlife doctrine or practical living guidance?

Here the focus is practical: it gives a diagnostic framework—four key signs—used to recognize indigestion-related pathology.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

Treat digestion as foundational: notice early signs like heaviness/āma, acidity, and obstruction, and correct diet and habits before illness spreads.