Shloka 50

Anupāna and the Doṣa-Effects of Foods, Waters, Dairy, Oils, and Preparations

Devanagari script

हिक्काश्वासकृमिच्छर्दिमेहतृष्णाविषामहम् / इक्षवोरक्तपित्तघ्नो बल्या वृष्याः कफप्रदाः

Transliteration

hikkāśvāsakṛmicchardimehatṛṣṇāviṣāmaham / ikṣavoraktapittaghno balyā vṛṣyāḥ kaphapradāḥ

Translation

શેરડી હિક્કા, શ્વાસ, કૃમિ, ઊલટી, મેહ, તૃષ્ણા અને વિષપ્રભાવને શમાવે છે. તે રક્તપિત્ત તથા વધેલા પિત્તને પણ શાંત કરે છે; બલવર્ધક અને વૃષ્ય છે, પરંતુ કફ વધારતી છે।

Word by Word

• हिक्का-श्वास-कृमि-च्छर्दि-मेह-तृष्णा-विष-आम-हम्: removing hiccup, asthma, worms, vomiting, diabetes, thirst, poison, and āma
• हिक्का-श्वास-कृमि-च्छर्दि-मेह-तृष्णा-विष-आम-हम्: Visheshana (Adjectival predicate/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: हिक्का (प्रातिपदिक) + श्वास (प्रातिपदिक) + कृमि (प्रातिपदिक) + छर्दि (प्रातिपदिक) + मेह (प्रातिपदिक) + तृष्णा (प्रातिपदिक) + विष (प्रातिपदिक) + आम (प्रातिपदिक) + ह (प्रातिपदिक; √हन्/√हृ धातु-सम्भव ‘नाशक’)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; बहुपद-तत्पुरुषः — neuter nominative/accusative singular; ‘हम्’ = हन्तृ/अपहर्तृ

• इक्षवः: sugarcanes
• इक्षवः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इक्षु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन — masculine nominative plural

• रक्त-पित्त-घ्नः: destroyer of bleeding (raktapitta)
• रक्त-पित्त-घ्नः: Visheshana (Adjectival predicate/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: रक्त (प्रातिपदिक) + पित्त (प्रातिपदिक) + घ्न (प्रातिपदिक; √हन् धातु-सम्भव)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन — masculine nominative singular; उपपद-तत्पुरुषः

• बल्याः: strength-giving
• बल्याः: Visheshana (Adjectival predicate/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: बल्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन — feminine nominative plural (agreeing with इक्षवः by sense: ‘strength-giving’)

• वृष्याः: aphrodisiac
• वृष्याः: Visheshana (Adjectival predicate/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वृष्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन — feminine nominative plural

• कफ-प्रदाः: producing/increasing phlegm
• कफ-प्रदाः: Visheshana (Adjectival predicate/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कफ (प्रातिपदिक) + प्रद (प्रातिपदिक; √दा धातु-सम्भव)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; उपपद-तत्पुरुषः — feminine nominative plural

Speaker

Lord Vishnu (in dialogue with Garuda/Vinatā-putra)

Medical Ayurveda

Dosha: Pitta

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Moderation: even strengthening, vṛṣya substances have trade-offs (kapha-prada).

Vedantic Theme: Madhyama-mārga in embodied life; use without bondage to taste (rasa).

Application: Employ ikṣu preparations for pitta/bleeding, thirst, poisoning effects, and debility; monitor kapha increase (heaviness, congestion) and adjust diet/activity.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana 1.169 (ikṣu and sugar derivatives sequence)

Characters & Entities

• Vishnu
• Garuda

FAQs

What is the importance of sugarcane (ikṣu) in the Garuda Purana?

This verse presents sugarcane as a therapeutic food: it reduces pitta-related bleeding and helps conditions like thirst, vomiting, worms, and toxin effects, while cautioning that it increases kapha.

How does this verse explain the path of the soul?

It does not describe the afterlife here; instead, it offers bodily-health guidance (āhāra-guṇa) aimed at maintaining balance of doṣas, which supports dharmic living and ritual readiness.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

Use sweet, cooling foods like sugarcane judiciously for heat/pitta symptoms, but moderate intake if you are kapha-prone (heaviness, congestion), aligning diet with constitution.