Shloka 6

Devanagari script

करोति शुष्ककासञ्च महावेगरुजास्वनम् / सोंगहर्षो कफं शुष्कं कृछ्रान्मुक्त्वाल्पतां व्रजेत्

Transliteration

karoti śuṣkakāsañca mahāvegarujāsvanam / soṃgaharṣo kaphaṃ śuṣkaṃ kṛchrānmuktvālpatāṃ vrajet

Translation

It produces a dry cough and a voice—or breath—strained by intense pain and force; the hairs of the body stand on end. The phlegm dries up, and though expelled with great difficulty, it is discharged only in a scanty amount.

Word by Word

• karoti: causes / produces
• karoti: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √kṛ (धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• śuṣka-kāsam: dry cough
• śuṣka-kāsam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śuṣka (प्रातिपदिक) + kāsa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन; कर्मधारयः (शुष्कः कासः)

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

• mahā-vega-rujā-svanam: a sound of pain with great force
• mahā-vega-rujā-svanam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā (प्रातिपदिक) + vega (प्रातिपदिक) + rujā (प्रातिपदिक) + svana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (महावेगस्य रुजायाः स्वनः)

• soṃga-harṣaḥ: soṃga-excitation (a specific symptom/condition)
• soṃga-harṣaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: soṃga (प्रातिपदिक; पाठभेद/दुर्लभ) + harṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (soṃgasya harṣaḥ)

• kapham: phlegm
• kapham: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kapha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन

• śuṣkam: dry
• śuṣkam: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śuṣka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (kaphaṃ)

• kṛcchrāt: with difficulty
• kṛcchrāt: Apādāna (Ablative/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kṛcchra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5), एकवचन; अपादानार्थ (with difficulty/from hardship)

• muktvā: having released / having expelled
• muktvā: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √muc (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund), पूर्वकालिक क्रिया

• alpatām: smallness / emaciation
• alpatām: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: alpatā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन

• vrajet: would go / would become
• vrajet: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √vraj (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

Speaker

Lord Vishnu (narrating to Garuda/Vinata-putra)

Medical Ayurveda

Dosha: Vata

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Dryness and difficulty of expectoration indicate deranged bodily fluids and impaired clearance; observation guides understanding of disease nature.

Vedantic Theme: Kleśa (affliction) as a reminder to cultivate steadiness and non-identification with bodily states.

Application: Note dry cough with painful strained voice/breath and scant, difficult sputum as a sign of dryness/obstruction; prioritize hydration, soothing measures, and medical evaluation.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: karuna

Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana 1.149.7–8 (pitta/kapha features contrasted with dryness)

FAQs

What is the importance of describing disease symptoms in the Garuda Purana?

This verse uses precise symptom-language (dry cough, painful strained sound, scant phlegm) to map suffering in the body, reinforcing the Purana’s teaching that embodied distress is a serious consequence requiring dharmic correction and care.

How does this verse explain the path of the soul?

Indirectly: by emphasizing how intense physical suffering manifests through the body’s functions (breath/voice, phlegm), it supports the Garuda Purana’s broader framework that the jīva experiences results of actions through embodied conditions before and beyond death.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

Treat severe, painful dry-cough conditions as urgent—seek proper care, reduce harmful habits, and pair treatment with disciplined living (āhāra-vihāra and dharma) to minimize causes of preventable suffering.