Shloka 49

Devanagari script

वातशोणितसंशोथो जानुमध्ये महारुजः / ज्ञेयः क्रोष्टुकशीर्षस्तु स्थूलक्रोष्टुकशीर्षवत्

Transliteration

vātaśoṇitasaṃśotho jānumadhye mahārujaḥ / jñeyaḥ kroṣṭukaśīrṣastu sthūlakroṣṭukaśīrṣavat

Translation

വാതവും രക്തവും മൂലമുള്ള വീക്കം, മുട്ടിന്റെ നടുവിൽ അത്യന്തം വേദന—ഇത് ‘ക്രോഷ്ടുക-ശീർഷം’ എന്നു തിരിച്ചറിയണം; വലിയ കുറുക്കന്റെ തലപോലെ തോന്നും.

Word by Word

• वात: vāta (wind-humor)
• वात: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वात (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; समासपूर्वपद

• शोणित: blood
• शोणित: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शोणित (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; समासपूर्वपद

• संशोथः: swelling/inflammation
• संशोथः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सम् + शोथ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; पूर्वपदद्वयेन सह समाससम्बन्धः

• जानु: knee
• जानु: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जानु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; समासपूर्वपद

• मध्ये: in the middle
• मध्ये: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मध्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; समासान्तपद (जानुमध्ये)

• महा: great/severe
• महा: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग/अव्ययवत् पूर्वपद; समासपूर्वपद, विशेषणम् (रुजः)

• रुजः: pain
• रुजः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रुज्/रुजा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; समासान्तपद (महारुजः)

• ज्ञेयः: is to be known/should be recognized
• ज्ञेयः: Vidheyavisheshana (विधेयविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ज्ञा (धातु)
• Form: भविष्यत्कृदन्त (तव्यत्/gerundive), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• क्रोष्टुकशीर्षः: "jackal-head" (name of a condition)
• क्रोष्टुकशीर्षः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्रोष्टुक (प्रातिपदिक) + शीर्ष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (क्रोष्टुकस्य शीर्षम्)

• तु: but/indeed
• तु: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात (contrast/emphasis)

• स्थूल: thick/bulky
• स्थूल: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्थूल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; समासपूर्वपद, विशेषणम् (क्रोष्टुकशीर्षवत्)

• क्रोष्टुकशीर्षवत्: like a (bulky) jackal-head
• क्रोष्टुकशीर्षवत्: Upamana (उपमान)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: क्रोष्टुक (प्रातिपदिक) + शीर्ष (प्रातिपदिक) + वत् (तद्धित)
• Form: अव्ययवत् तद्धितान्त (वत्=like), नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग, अव्ययप्रायः; उपमानवाचक

Speaker

Lord Vishnu (instructional narration to Garuda)

Medical Ayurveda

Dosha: Vata

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Vāta-śoṇita (vāta with blood involvement) can cause knee-centered swelling and intense pain; morphology guides diagnosis (kroṣṭuka-śīrṣa).

Vedantic Theme: Duḥkha as bodily modification: suffering arises in the changing body-mind complex; cultivate witness-consciousness alongside treatment.

Application: Recognize inflammatory joint presentations with severe localized pain and swelling; reduce aggravating factors (overexertion, dryness, irregularity) and seek therapies addressing vāta and rakta.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: karuna

Secondary Rasa: bibhatsa

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana 1.166: vāta-śoṇita/joint disorders and named conditions

Characters & Entities

• Vata (vāyu)

FAQs

What is the importance of kroṣṭuka-śīrṣa in Garuda Purana?

It names and characterizes a specific knee disorder: vāta-blood swelling with intense pain, described by a distinctive rounded shape metaphor (“jackal’s head”).

How does this verse explain the path of the soul?

This verse is medical/diagnostic rather than eschatological; it shows that Garuda Purana also transmits embodied-life knowledge, not only afterlife doctrines.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

Severe localized knee pain with swelling suggests inflammatory pathology; the verse encourages recognizing patterns early and seeking appropriate care rather than self-neglect.