Shloka 51

Vāta-vyādhi Nidāna and Lakṣaṇa: Obstruction, Dhātu-Seating, and Major Neuromuscular Entities

Devanagari script

पार्ष्णिप्रत्यङ्गुलीनाभौ कण्ठे वा मारुतार्दिते / सतिक्षेपं निगृह्णाति गृध्रसीं तां प्रचक्षते

Transliteration

pārṣṇipratyaṅgulīnābhau kaṇṭhe vā mārutārdite / satikṣepaṃ nigṛhṇāti gṛdhrasīṃ tāṃ pracakṣate

Translation

Apabila vāta (angin) menjadi ganas, ia mencengkam tumit, bahagian belakang jari kaki, kawasan pusat, bahkan tekak, lalu menimbulkan sentakan berulang dan kekejangan—keadaan ini disebut gṛdhrasī (sciatica).

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.