Shloka 83
Jvara-Nidāna-Lakṣaṇa: Causes, Doṣic Types, Āma/Nirāma Stages, and Prognosis of Fever
काये पित्तं यदा न्यस्तं श्लेष्मा चान्ते व्यवस्थितः / उष्णत्वं तेन देहस्य शीतत्वं करपादयोः
kāye pittaṃ yadā nyastaṃ śleṣmā cānte vyavasthitaḥ / uṣṇatvaṃ tena dehasya śītatvaṃ karapādayoḥ
When bile (pitta) has settled within the body and phlegm (kapha) has gathered at the end, the trunk becomes hot from that, while the hands and feet turn cold.
Lord Vishnu (in dialogue to Garuda/Vinata-putra)
Dosha: Mixed
Concept: Progression/placement of pitta and kapha yields characteristic thermal distribution: hot trunk, cold extremities.
Vedantic Theme: Discriminating awareness (viveka) between changing bodily states and the witnessing consciousness.
Application: Treat as a sign of systemic heat with peripheral cold: monitor circulation, hydration, and apply appropriate cooling/kapha-pacifying measures under guidance.
Primary Rasa: karuna
Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka
Related Themes: Garuda Purana 1.147.82 (heat/cold split); Garuda Purana 1.147.85-86 (acute fever signs and recovery signs)
FAQs
This verse treats changes in heat distribution (hot trunk, cold hands/feet) as a diagnostic sign of the final stage of life, helping identify the onset of the dying process described in the Preta Kanda.
Indirectly: it marks the physiological threshold of death—when the body’s humors shift and extremities cool—after which the text proceeds to describe post-death transitions relevant to the preta (departed being).
Use it as a traditional indicator of end-of-life transition: focus on calm presence, prayer/recitation, and timely performance of family duties and rites rather than panic when such signs appear.