Shloka 18

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

Devanagari script

शतपुष्पा सैन्धवञ्च साज्यं वा तेन लेपयेत् / शिरीषस्य तु बीजंवै सिद्ध क्षीरेण घर्षितम्

Transliteration

śatapuṣpā saindhavañca sājyaṃ vā tena lepayet / śirīṣasya tu bījaṃvai siddha kṣīreṇa gharṣitam

Translation

One should apply as a paste either śatapuṣpā along with rock-salt (saindhava), or mixed with ghee. Alternatively, the seed of the śirīṣa tree, ground with well-boiled (medicated) milk, should be applied.

Word by Word

• śatapuṣpā: śatapuṣpā (dill/anise)
• śatapuṣpā: Karta (Subject/ingredient)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śatapuṣpā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Prathamā (1st/प्रथमा), Ekavacana (singular)

• saindhavam: rock-salt
• saindhavam: Karta (Subject/ingredient)
• Type: Noun
• Root: saindhava (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napumsaka (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Prathamā (1st/प्रथमा), Ekavacana (singular)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Samuccaya (conjunction)

• sājyam: with ghee (ghee-mixture)
• sājyam: Karta (Subject/ingredient)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sa+ājya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napumsaka (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Prathamā (1st/प्रथमा), Ekavacana (singular); उपसर्गसदृश-पूर्वपद ‘sa-’ = ‘with’

• vā: or
• vā: Sambandha (Alternative)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vā (अव्यय)
• Form: Vikalpa (disjunctive particle)

• tena: with that/therewith
• tena: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Sarvanāma (pronoun), Napuṃsaka/Puṃ, Tṛtīyā (3rd/तृतीया), Ekavacana (singular)

• lepayet: should smear/apply
• lepayet: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √lip (धातु)
• Form: Vidhi-liṅ (विधिलिङ्/optative), Prathama-puruṣa (3rd person), Ekavacana (singular); causative sense in usage ‘to apply/smear’

• śirīṣasya: of śirīṣa (tree)
• śirīṣasya: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śirīṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Pumliṅga (पुंलिङ्ग), Ṣaṣṭhī (6th/षष्ठī), Ekavacana (singular)

• tu: but/and
• tu: Sambandha (Discourse particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: Nipāta (particle)

• bījam: seed
• bījam: Karta (Subject/ingredient)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bīja (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napumsaka (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Prathamā (1st/प्रथमा), Ekavacana (singular)

• vai: indeed
• vai: Sambandha (Emphasis)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vai (अव्यय)
• Form: Nipāta (emphatic particle)

• siddham: prepared/processed
• siddham: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: √sidh (धातु) + ta (कृत् प्रत्यय)
• Form: Kṛdanta (past passive participle/क्त), Napumsaka (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Prathamā (1st/प्रथमा), Ekavacana (singular); agreeing with bījam

• kṣīreṇa: with milk
• kṣīreṇa: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kṣīra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napumsaka (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Tṛtīyā (3rd/तृतीया), Ekavacana (singular)

• gharṣitam: rubbed/ground
• gharṣitam: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: √gharṣ (धातु) + ta (कृत् प्रत्यय)
• Form: Kṛdanta (past passive participle/क्त), Napumsaka (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Prathamā (1st/प्रथमा), Ekavacana (singular); agreeing with bījam

Speaker

Lord Vishnu (in instruction to Garuda/Vinata-putra)

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Proper combinations (yoga) and processing (siddhi/samskāra) enhance efficacy; multiple pathways to the same therapeutic end.

Vedantic Theme: Skill in action (kauśala) within vyavahāra; disciplined preparation reduces duḥkha.

Application: Apply paste of śatapuṣpā with saindhava (rock-salt) or with ghee; alternatively apply śirīṣa seed ground with well-boiled/processed milk.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: adbhuta

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana 1.191.16-17, 1.191.19-20 (continuation)

Characters & Entities

• Vishnu
• Garuda

FAQs

What is the importance of herbal pastes (lepa) in the Garuda Purana?

This verse shows the text also preserves practical remedial instructions—using herbs, salt, ghee, and prepared milk—alongside its broader teachings, indicating a tradition of applied, body-oriented care.

How does this verse relate to Garuda Purana themes like death rituals or the soul’s journey?

While not directly describing afterlife rites, it reflects the Purana’s wider scope: guidance for embodied life (health and treatment) that supports dharmic living, which is foundational to the karmic trajectory discussed elsewhere in the text.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

As a takeaway, it points to using simple, traditional formulations thoughtfully; in modern practice, such remedies should be approached with proper identification of herbs and guidance from qualified Ayurvedic practitioners.