Shloka 1

Devanagari script

धन्वन्तरिरुवाच / अथातः श्वासरोगस्य निदानं प्रवदाम्यहम् / कासवृद्ध्या भवेच्छ्वासः पूर्वैर्वा दोषकोपनैः

Transliteration

dhanvantariruvāca / athātaḥ śvāsarogasya nidānaṃ pravadāmyaham / kāsavṛddhyā bhavecchvāsaḥ pūrvairvā doṣakopanaiḥ

Translation

Dhanvantari said: Now I shall declare the causes (nidāna) of the disease of dyspnea (śvāsa). Dyspnea may arise from the worsening of cough, or from earlier aggravations of the bodily doṣas.

Word by Word

• dhanvantariḥ: Dhanvantari
• dhanvantariḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dhanvantari (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; वक्तृ-नाम

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √vac (वच् धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect/परोक्ष), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• atha: now/then
• atha: Sambandha (Discourse marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atha (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; आरम्भार्थक (then/now)

• ataḥ: thereupon/therefore
• ataḥ: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ataḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; हेत्वर्थ/तस्मात्-अर्थ (therefore/thereupon)

• śvāsa-rogasya: of the disease ‘dyspnea/asthma’
• śvāsa-rogasya: Shashthi-sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठीसम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śvāsa (प्रातिपदिक) + roga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (śvāsasya rogaḥ = disease of dyspnea)

• nidānam: cause/etiology
• nidānam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nidāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• pravadāmi: I explain/tell
• pravadāmi: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra + √vad (वद् धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present/वर्तमान), उत्तमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• aham: I
• aham: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; अस्मद्-सर्वनाम

• kāsa-vṛddhyā: by increase of cough
• kāsa-vṛddhyā: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kāsa (प्रातिपदिक) + vṛddhi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (kāsasya vṛddhiḥ = increase of cough); हेत्वर्थे तृतीया

• bhavet: may arise/occurs
• bhavet: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √bhū (भू धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative/विधि), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• śvāsaḥ: dyspnea/asthma
• śvāsaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śvāsa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• pūrvaiḥ: by earlier (factors)
• pūrvaiḥ: Karana/Hetu (Instrument/Cause/करण-हेतु)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pūrva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), बहुवचन; ‘पूर्व’ = earlier/preceding

• vā: or
• vā: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; विकल्पार्थक (or)

• doṣa-kopanaiḥ: by factors that aggravate the doṣas
• doṣa-kopanaiḥ: Karana/Hetu (Instrument/Cause/करण-हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: doṣa (प्रातिपदिक) + kopana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), बहुवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (doṣāṇāṃ kopanāni = aggravators of humors)

Speaker

Dhanvantari

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Nidāna (etiology) of śvāsa: secondary to kāsa-vṛddhi or primary doṣa-kopa (vitiation).

Vedantic Theme: Understanding causality (kāraṇa-kārya) reduces suffering; knowledge guides right action in the embodied domain.

Application: In dyspnea, evaluate whether cough is the driver or whether underlying doṣic imbalance precedes; treat root cause rather than symptoms alone.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: adbhuta

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana 1.149.21 (kāsa-śvāsa urgency); Garuda Purana 1.150.2 (specific triggers of śvāsa)

Characters & Entities

• Dhanvantari
• Doshas (Vata, Pitta, Kapha)
• Kasa (cough)
• Svasa (dyspnea)

FAQs

What is the importance of śvāsa-roga nidāna (causation of breathlessness) in the Garuda Purana?

This verse opens a medical teaching attributed to Dhanvantari, framing breathlessness as a definable disease with identifiable causes—especially cough aggravation and doṣic disturbance—so that treatment can be properly directed.

How does this verse connect cough (kāsa) and breathlessness (śvāsa)?

It states that śvāsa can develop when cough increases, implying a progression where persistent or aggravated kāsa contributes to disordered respiration.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

Treat worsening cough and doṣa-imbalance early—through appropriate diet, rest, and timely medical care—rather than ignoring symptoms until they progress into chronic breathlessness.