Garuda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 65

Oṣadhi-nāma-nirdeśa: Paryāya (Synonyms) of Herbs, Minerals, and Classical Measures

Devanagari script

गन्धको गन्धपाषाणो रसः पारद उच्यते / ताम्रमौदुम्बरं शुल्बं विद्यान्म्लेच्छमुखं तथा

Transliteration

gandhako gandhapāṣāṇo rasaḥ pārada ucyate / tāmramaudumbaraṃ śulbaṃ vidyānmlecchamukhaṃ tathā

Translation

ស្ពាន់ធ័រ ហៅថា «គន្ធក» ហើយក៏ហៅថា «គន្ធ-បាសាណ» (ថ្មក្រអូប) ផង; រសៈ ឬ បារទ (បារទៈ) គឺបារត។ ទង់ដែង ហៅថា «តាម្រ»; «អោទុម្ពរ» ក៏ជានាមមួយ; និង «សុល្ប» (លោហៈ/ទង់ដែង) ក៏គួរយល់ដែរ—ដូចគ្នានេះ «ម្លេច្ឆ-មុខ» ក៏ជាពាក្យសមន័យបច្ចេកទេសផង។

Word by Word

• गन्धकः: gandhaka (sulphur)
• गन्धकः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गन्धक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• गन्धपाषाणः: gandha-stone (name for sulphur)
• गन्धपाषाणः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गन्ध + पाषाण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (गन्धस्य पाषाणः)

• रसः: rasa (essence; here mercury)
• रसः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रस (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• पारदः: pārada (mercury)
• पारदः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पारद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• उच्यते: is called
• उच्यते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (present), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; कर्मणि प्रयोग (passive)

• ताम्रमौदुम्बरम्: audumbara copper (a kind of copper)
• ताम्रमौदुम्बरम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ताम्र + औदुम्बर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्मधारय (औदुम्बरं ताम्रम्)

• शुल्बम्: śulba (copper)
• शुल्बम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शुल्ब (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• विद्यात्: one should know/identify
• विद्यात्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: विद् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• म्लेच्छमुखम्: mleccha-mukha (name)
• म्लेच्छमुखम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: म्लेच्छ + मुख (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (म्लेच्छस्य मुखम्)

• तथा: likewise/also
• तथा: Adverbial (Prakāra/प्रकार)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रकारार्थक-अव्यय (adverb)

Speaker

Lord Vishnu (in instruction to Garuda)

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Powerful substances require unambiguous terminology; multiple names point to properties, origins, or technical lineages.

Vedantic Theme: Right knowledge as a prerequisite for right action (jñāna leading to karma-yoga in applied domains).

Application: When texts say gandhaka/gandha-pāṣāṇa or rasa/pārada, treat them as the same standardized substances; recognize copper synonyms (tāmra/audumbara/śulba/mleccha-mukha) to avoid procurement mistakes.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: adbhuta

Secondary Rasa: shanta

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana 1.204 (pārada, gandhaka, tāmra synonymy within rasadravya lists)

Characters & Entities

• Lord Vishnu
• Garuda

FAQs

What is the importance of naming mercury (pārada/rasa) and sulphur (gandhaka) in the Garuda Purana?

This verse preserves technical vocabulary used in traditional rasashastra/metallurgy, clarifying that ‘rasa’ and ‘pārada’ denote mercury and that ‘gandhaka/gandha-pāṣāṇa’ denote sulphur—helpful for correctly reading ritual-medical or alchemical passages.

How does this verse relate to Garuda Purana teachings beyond afterlife topics?

It shows the text also functions as a compendium of practical knowledge, including technical nomenclature for substances (metals/minerals) that appear in traditional disciplines like Ayurveda and alchemical processing.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

Use it as a glossary: when studying classical Hindu texts on medicines or metallurgy, recognize these synonyms to avoid misidentifying substances—especially mercury and sulphur, which require careful, expert handling.