Shloka 51

Devanagari script

पार्ष्णिप्रत्यङ्गुलीनाभौ कण्ठे वा मारुतार्दिते / सतिक्षेपं निगृह्णाति गृध्रसीं तां प्रचक्षते

Transliteration

pārṣṇipratyaṅgulīnābhau kaṇṭhe vā mārutārdite / satikṣepaṃ nigṛhṇāti gṛdhrasīṃ tāṃ pracakṣate

Translation

Cuando el vāta (viento) se agrava, se apodera del talón, del dorso de los dedos del pie, de la región del ombligo o incluso de la garganta, causando espasmos repetidos y constricción; a esta afección se la llama gṛdhrasī (ciática).

Word by Word

• पार्ष्णि-प्रत्यङ्गुली-नाभौ: in the heel, toes, and navel (region)
• पार्ष्णि-प्रत्यङ्गुली-नाभौ: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पार्ष्णि (प्रातिपदिक) + प्रत्यङ्गुली (प्रातिपदिक) + नाभि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; समासः—द्वन्द्व (समाहार-द्वन्द्व)

• कण्ठे: in the throat
• कण्ठे: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कण्ठ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन

• वा: or
• वा: Sambandha/Discourse (connective)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वा (अव्यय)
• Form: विकल्पार्थक-निपात (particle of alternative)

• मारुत-आर्दिते: in (a condition) afflicted by wind (vāta)
• मारुत-आर्दिते: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मारुत (प्रातिपदिक) + आर्दित (कृदन्त; √अर्द्/अर्दन ‘पीडने’)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (तृतीया-तत्पुरुष: मारुतेन आर्दिते)

• स-तिक्षेपम्: with twitching/jerking
• स-तिक्षेपम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स (अव्यय/उपसर्गार्थ ‘सहित’) + तिक्षेप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; समासः—अव्ययीभाव (सह तिक्षेपम्)

• निगृह्णाति: restrains/holds back
• निगृह्णाति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √ग्रह् (धातु) + नि (उपसर्ग)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन

• गृध्रसीम्: sciatica (gṛdhrasī)
• गृध्रसीम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गृध्रसी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन

• ताम्: that (condition)
• ताम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• प्रचक्षते: they call/declare
• प्रचक्षते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √चक्ष् (धातु ‘कथने/आख्याने’) + प्र (उपसर्ग)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), बहुवचन

Speaker

Lord Vishnu (speaking to Garuda/Vinata-putra)

Medical Ayurveda

Dosha: Vata

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Roga-nidāna: recognizing vāta’s pathological movement and its locus to correctly name the disease (gṛdhrasī).

Vedantic Theme: Viveka (discernment) applied to embodied experience; the body as a field of cause-and-effect (kārya-kāraṇa).

Application: Use symptom-location (heel/toe-backs/navel/throat) plus recurrent spasm/constriction to differentiate gṛdhrasī from other vāta disorders and guide treatment planning.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: karuna

Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana 1.166 (vāta-vyādhi section context); Garuda Purana 1.167 (transition to vātarakta nidāna)

FAQs

What is the importance of gṛdhrasī in the Garuda Purana?

This verse preserves an Ayurvedic diagnostic definition: gṛdhrasī is identified as a vāta-born condition marked by seizing pain/constriction with twitching, helping readers recognize the disorder by symptoms.

How does this verse explain the path of the soul?

This verse is not about the soul’s post-death journey; it belongs to a health/diagnostic section where Vishnu teaches Garuda bodily signs of vāta disorders.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

Use it as a traditional symptom-check: recurring twitching with radiating constriction/pain around heel/toes/central trunk suggests a vāta-type pattern—prompting vāta-pacifying lifestyle and seeking qualified care.