Shloka 15

Viṣa-hara Yogas: Puṣya-Nakṣatra Remedies for Serpents, Stings, and Compounded Poisons

Devanagari script

कुसुभं कङ्कुमञ्चैव हरितालं मनः शिला / करञ्जं पिषितं चैव ह्यर्कमूलं च शङ्कर

Transliteration

kusubhaṃ kaṅkumañcaiva haritālaṃ manaḥ śilā / karañjaṃ piṣitaṃ caiva hyarkamūlaṃ ca śaṅkara

Translation

Kusubha (safflower), kankuma (saffron), haritāla (orpiment), manaḥ-śilā (realgar), the pulp of karañja, and the root of arka—O Śaṅkara—(these are to be used).

Word by Word

• कुसुभम्: safflower (kusumbha)
• कुसुभम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कुसुभ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• कङ्कुमम्: saffron
• कङ्कुमम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कङ्कुम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

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

• एव: also/indeed
• एव: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारणार्थक-अव्यय (emphasis)

• हरितालम्: orpiment (yellow arsenic)
• हरितालम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हरिताल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• मनःशिला: realgar
• मनःशिला: Karta (List item/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मनः-शिला (प्रातिपदिक; मनः + शिला)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समासः (मनसः शिला/मनःशिला = realgar)

• करञ्जम्: karañja (Pongamia)
• करञ्जम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: करञ्ज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• पिषितम्: pounded/ground
• पिषितम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पिष् (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (PPP) ‘पिषित’; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (करञ्जम्)

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

• एव: also/indeed
• एव: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारणार्थक-अव्यय (emphasis)

• हि: indeed/for
• हि: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: हेतौ/निश्चये प्रयुज्यमानम् अव्ययम् (particle: for/indeed)

• अर्कमूलम्: root of arka (Calotropis)
• अर्कमूलम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अर्क-मूल (प्रातिपदिक; अर्क + मूल)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समासः (अर्कस्य मूलम्)

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

• शङ्कर: O Shankara
• शङ्कर: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शङ्कर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th/Vocative), एकवचन

Speaker

Narrator (traditional Purana narration; speaker not explicit in this single verse)

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Systematic knowledge of substances (dravya-jñāna) enables effective treatment.

Vedantic Theme: Order and discernment (viveka) in means; knowledge applied for loka-saṅgraha (welfare).

Application: Use the listed substances (kusubha, kunkuma, haritāla, manaḥśilā, karañja pulp, arka root) as ingredients in the relevant formulation implied by the surrounding context.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: adbhuta

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana 1.191 (ingredient lists for antidotal/therapeutic preparations)

Characters & Entities

• Shankara (Śiva)

FAQs

What is the importance of listing substances like kusubha and kunkuma in the Garuda Purana?

This verse functions as a technical inventory of specific ritual/medicinal materials, preserving exact names so a prescribed preparation or rite can be performed without ambiguity.

Does this verse describe the soul’s journey after death?

Not directly. Unlike passages on Yama, preta states, or śrāddha outcomes, this line is a practical list of ingredients, likely part of a larger procedural instruction in the chapter.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

Use it as a textual reference for identifying traditional substances in Purāṇic procedures; for any real-world use—especially minerals like haritāla and manaḥśilā—follow qualified expert guidance due to toxicity concerns.