Shloka 79
Oṣadhi-nāma-nirdeśa: Paryāya (Synonyms) of Herbs, Minerals, and Classical Measures
रसो गन्धरसो बोले सर्जः सर्जरसो मतः / प्रियङ्गुः फलिनी श्यामा गौरी कान्तेति चोच्यते
raso gandharaso bole sarjaḥ sarjaraso mataḥ / priyaṅguḥ phalinī śyāmā gaurī kānteti cocyate
रसो गन्धरसो नाम्ना प्रसिद्धः; सर्जः सर्जरसो मतः। प्रियङ्गुः फलिनी श्यामा गौरी कान्ता इति चोच्यते॥
Lord Vishnu (speaking to Garuda/Vinata-putra)
Concept: One substance may bear many names; discern the underlying referent beyond linguistic variation.
Vedantic Theme: Nāma-rūpa viveka (practical): many names, one functional entity in empirical dealings.
Application: When encountering gandharasa/sarjarasa/priyaṅgu under variant names (phalinī, śyāmā, gaurī, kāntā), treat them as the same dravya in context; verify by characteristics.
Primary Rasa: shanta
Related Themes: Garuda Purana 1.204 synonym series (dravya-nāma-paryāya)
FAQs
This verse preserves traditional synonymy so practitioners can correctly identify the same herb across regions and lineages, reducing confusion in ritual, medicinal, and textual usage.
It shows the Purana also functions as a practical compendium—recording names of plants/resins used in traditional practices—alongside its better-known teachings on death rites and ethics.
When studying or using Sanskrit sources on herbs, cross-check synonyms (e.g., Sarja/Sarjarasa) to avoid misidentification and to align modern botanical/ayurvedic references with the text.