Shloka 34
Oṣadhi-nāma-nirdeśa: Paryāya (Synonyms) of Herbs, Minerals, and Classical Measures
पाषाणभेदको ऽरिष्टो ह्यस्मभित्कुट्टभेदकः / घण्टाकः शुष्कको ज्ञेयो वचो ऽथ सूचको मतः
pāṣāṇabhedako 'riṣṭo hyasmabhitkuṭṭabhedakaḥ / ghaṇṭākaḥ śuṣkako jñeyo vaco 'tha sūcako mataḥ
‘Ariṣṭa’ is known as the breaker of stone; likewise Asmabhit–Kuṭṭabhedaka is the splitter and crusher of rocks. ‘Ghaṇṭāka’ is to be understood as the bell-shaped one; ‘Śuṣkaka’ as the dry and withered one; and ‘Vaca’ is regarded as ‘Sūcaka’, the one that indicates.
Lord Vishnu (speaking to Garuda/Vainateya)
Concept: Names often encode function (karma) and form (ākṛti); understanding both supports correct therapeutic reasoning.
Vedantic Theme: Nāma-rūpa as pointers: words indicate observable effects; discernment links name to efficacy without confusion.
Application: Use functional epithets (pāṣāṇabhedaka, aśmabhit, kuṭṭabhedaka) to cross-check the intended dravya, especially in contexts like urinary ‘stone’ conditions.
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shanta
Related Themes: Garuda Purana 1.204 (auṣadhi-paryāya continuation)
FAQs
This verse preserves a technical catalog of beings/titles associated with death and the after-death administration, helping practitioners understand the Purāṇic taxonomy of Yama’s agents and omens.
By naming figures described through functions (stone-splitting, informing/indicating), it fits the Garuda Purana’s broader narrative in which the departed encounters specific agents and mechanisms that enforce karmic order on the journey after death.
Use it as a reminder of accountability: actions have consequences administered by an impersonal moral order; therefore, cultivate dharma, truthfulness, and restraint, and perform prescribed śrāddha/antyeṣṭi duties with care.