Shloka 27
Bhāiṣajya-yoga
Remedial Formulas), Rakṣā-prayoga (Protections), and Adbhuta-kriyā (Wonder-Working Procedures
कुम्भीरनेत्रदंष्ट्राश्च अस्थीनि रुधिरं तथा / वसातैलसमायुक्तमेकत्र तन्नियोजयेत् / आत्मानं म्लक्षयेत्तेन जले तिष्ठेद्दिनत्रयम्
kumbhīranetradaṃṣṭrāśca asthīni rudhiraṃ tathā / vasātailasamāyuktamekatra tanniyojayet / ātmānaṃ mlakṣayettena jale tiṣṭheddinatrayam
Hendaklah dihimpunkan bahan-bahan seperti mata dan taring seperti buaya, tulang serta darah, lalu dicampur dengan lemak dan minyak menjadi satu adunan. Dengan adunan itu, sapukan pada tubuh dan berdirilah di dalam air selama tiga hari.
Lord Vishnu (speaking to Garuda/Vainateya)
Concept: Specific material combinations and bodily application are asserted to produce extraordinary capacities (standing in water for days).
Vedantic Theme: Highlights the body as an instrument shaped by saṃskāra and practice; implicitly invites discrimination between transient siddhi-like aims and ultimate liberation.
Application: Prioritize non-harm and safety; interpret as symbolic of endurance/discipline rather than literal prescription; cultivate resilience through ethical, healthy methods.
Primary Rasa: bibhatsa
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
Type: waterbody
Related Themes: Garuda Purana 1.184 (lists of dravya-mixtures for protective/transformative effects; aquatic endurance)
FAQs
This verse describes a severe, bodily austerity-like procedure presented as a ritualized act of expiation/purification, emphasizing the text’s theme that actions (karma) have concrete remedial disciplines (prāyaścitta) tied to them.
In the Preta Kanda context, such prescriptions are linked to removing or mitigating karmic impurities that can obstruct the post-death passage and intensify suffering; the text frames ritual discipline as one means to address those impediments.
Rather than imitating extreme acts, the practical takeaway is accountability: adopt ethical restraint, repentance, and appropriate, safe, tradition-guided rites (e.g., charity, prayer, and śrāddha observances) to reduce harm and cultivate purity of conduct.