Shloka 12

Devanagari script

गुग्गुलूलूकपुच्छाभ्यां धूपो ग्रहहरो भवेत् / चातुर्थिकज्वरैर्मुक्तो कृष्णवस्त्रावगुण्ठितः

Transliteration

guggulūlūkapucchābhyāṃ dhūpo grahaharo bhavet / cāturthikajvarairmukto kṛṣṇavastrāvaguṇṭhitaḥ

Translation

Fumigation (dhūpa) made with guggulu and an owl’s tail is said to dispel afflictions of the grahas. When one is freed from quartan fever, one should remain veiled or covered with a black cloth.

Word by Word

• गुग्गुलू: guggulu resin
• गुग्गुलू: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गुग्गुलु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3) (समास/द्वन्द्व-समुच्चयार्थे), एकवचन (समुच्चयार्थे)

• उलूकपुच्छाभ्याम्: with two owl-tails (or: with owl-tail(s))
• उलूकपुच्छाभ्याम्: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: उलूक (प्रातिपदिक) + पुच्छ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (उलूकस्य पुच्छम्), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3), द्विवचन

• धूपः: fumigation/incense smoke
• धूपः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धूप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन

• ग्रहहरः: removing ग्रह-affliction
• ग्रहहरः: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ग्रह (प्रातिपदिक) + हर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (ग्रहान् हरति), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (धूपः)

• भवेत्: should become / would be
• भवेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• चातुर्थिकज्वरैः: by quartan fevers
• चातुर्थिकज्वरैः: Hetu/Apadana (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चातुर्थिक (प्रातिपदिक) + ज्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (चातुर्थिकः ज्वरः), पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3), बहुवचन

• मुक्तः: freed/released
• मुक्तः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मुच् (धातु) + मुक्त (कृदन्त, क्त)
• Form: कृदन्त (क्त-प्रत्यय), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; कर्तरि/कर्मणि प्रयोगे विशेषणम् (अन्तर्निहितः पुरुषः)

• कृष्णवस्त्रावगुण्ठितः: covered/veiled with a black cloth
• कृष्णवस्त्रावगुण्ठितः: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कृष्ण (प्रातिपदिक) + वस्त्र (प्रातिपदिक) + अवगुण्ठित (अव-गुण्ठ् धातु + क्त)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (कृष्णेन वस्त्रेण अवगुण्ठितः), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; कृदन्त-विशेषणम्

Speaker

Lord Vishnu (narrating to Garuda/Vinata-putra in the Garuda Purana dialogue frame)

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Afflictions are framed as graha-doṣa; remedial rites and disciplined post-illness conduct mitigate their effects.

Vedantic Theme: Karmic causality is addressed through upāya at the empirical level; restraint after recovery supports sattva and stability.

Application: Perform dhūpa with guggulu and (symbolically) ulūka-puccha; after quartan fever subsides, observe protective covering/avoid exposure as a convalescent rule.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: bhayanaka

Secondary Rasa: shanta

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana 1.188 (graha-śānti/auṣadha and dhūpa remedies); Garuda Purana 1.189 (further therapeutic instructions)

Characters & Entities

• Grahas

FAQs

What is the importance of dhūpa (fumigation) for graha-śānti in the Garuda Purana?

This verse presents dhūpa as a practical graha-śānti measure—using specific substances (like guggulu) to counteract ‘graha’ affliction, understood as harmful astral/occult influence or seizure.

How does this verse relate to Garuda Purana’s broader concern with suffering and its remedies?

Alongside afterlife teachings, the Garuda Purana also preserves ritual and protective practices for worldly distress; here it links illness (cāturthika jvara) and graha-affliction with prescribed remedial observances.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

As a takeaway, it emphasizes disciplined remedial practice: use purificatory measures (like incense/fumigation) and follow post-illness protective restraint; modern readers can interpret it as combining spiritual care with responsible health practices.