Shloka 30

Prameha-Nidāna-Lakṣaṇa-Bheda: Etiology, Signs, Varieties, and Complications of Meha

Devanagari script

रक्ता सिता स्फोटचिता दारुणा त्वलजी भवेत् / मसूराकृति संस्थाना विज्ञेया तु मसूरिका

Transliteration

raktā sitā sphoṭacitā dāruṇā tvalajī bhavet / masūrākṛti saṃsthānā vijñeyā tu masūrikā

Translation

ചർമ്മത്തിൽ ചുവപ്പോ വെളുപ്പോ നിറമുള്ള, പുഴു നിറഞ്ഞും അത്യന്തം ദാരുണവുമായ പൊട്ടലുകൾ ഉണ്ടെങ്കിൽ അതിനെ ‘ത്വലജീ’ എന്നു പറയുന്നു. മസൂർ വിത്തുപോലെയുള്ള ആകൃതിയിലുള്ള പാടുകൾ ‘മസൂരികാ’ എന്നു അറിയണം.

Word by Word

• रक्ता: red
• रक्ता: Visheshana (Adjectival qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: रक्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; विशेषण (fem. nom. sg.)

• सिता: white/pale
• सिता: Visheshana (Adjectival qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सित (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; विशेषण (fem. nom. sg.)

• स्फोटचिता: covered with blisters/eruptions
• स्फोटचिता: Visheshana (Adjectival qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्फोट (प्रातिपदिक) + चित (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (स्फोटैः चिता/चित्ता इव) विशेषण (fem. nom. sg.)

• दारुणा: severe/terrible
• दारुणा: Visheshana (Adjectival qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दारुण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; विशेषण (fem. nom. sg.)

• त्वलजी: tvalajī (a skin eruption/disease)
• त्वलजी: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्वलजी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन (fem. nom. sg.)

• भवेत्: may be/should be
• भवेत्: Kriya (Predicate verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदम् (may be/is)

• मसूराकृति: having the shape of a lentil
• मसूराकृति: Visheshana (Adjectival qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मसूर (प्रातिपदिक) + आकृति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (मसूरस्य आकृतिः) विशेषण (fem. nom. sg.)

• संस्थाना: having such a form/structure
• संस्थाना: Visheshana (Adjectival qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: संस्थान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; विशेषण (fem. nom. sg.)

• विज्ञेया: to be recognized/known as
• विज्ञेया: Kriya-visheshana / Vidheya (Predicative adjective)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वि + ज्ञा (धातु) → विज्ञेय (कृदन्त/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; भाव्य/अनियत-कर्मणि कृदन्तः (gerundive: ‘to be known/recognized’)

• तु: indeed/but
• तु: Sambandha-bodhaka (Discourse particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात (particle: emphasis/contrast)

• मसूरिका: masūrikā (smallpox-like eruption)
• मसूरिका: Karta (Subject) / Vidheya-nama (Predicate noun)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मसूरिका (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन (fem. nom. sg.)

Speaker

Lord Vishnu (in discourse to Garuda)

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Viveka (discriminative diagnosis) through observable lakṣaṇas (signs) and saṃsthāna (morphology).

Vedantic Theme: Pramāṇa-based knowledge (perception/inference) and clarity of naming as a tool to reduce confusion and suffering.

Application: Use color, pustulation, severity, and lesion-shape (lentil-like) to distinguish tvalajī from masūrikā before choosing management.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana 1.159 (Ayurveda/roga-lakṣaṇa section): pīḍikā/visphoṭa classifications and doṣa-medhas discussion in adjacent verses

Characters & Entities

• Vishnu
• Garuda

FAQs

What is the importance of masūrikā in the Garuda Purana?

This verse defines masūrikā by a clear diagnostic marker—lentil-shaped eruptions—showing the text’s practical emphasis on identifying specific diseases by visible symptoms.

How does this verse relate to Garuda Purana teachings beyond rituals?

Alongside afterlife and dharma themes, the Garuda Purana also preserves medical and observational knowledge; here it classifies skin disorders by color, severity, and lesion shape.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

Use it as a reminder to observe symptoms carefully and seek timely treatment—recognizing severity and distinctive signs is the first step toward responsible healthcare.