Shloka 23
Cikitsā-sāra: Doṣa Nidāna–Lakṣaṇa, Agni, Ajīrṇa/Āma Cikitsā, Daśamūla, and Prognostic Signs
शीतोष्णं लवणं वीर्यमथ वा शक्तिरिष्यते / रसानां द्विविधः पाको कटुरेव च
śītoṣṇaṃ lavaṇaṃ vīryamatha vā śaktiriṣyate / rasānāṃ dvividhaḥ pāko kaṭureva ca
వీర్యము శీతము, ఉష్ణము అని ద్వివిధముగా చెప్పబడుతుంది; అదే కార్యశక్తి (శక్తి). రసముల విపాకము కూడా ద్వివిధము; ఇక్కడ కటు-రూప ఫలితము పేర్కొనబడింది.
Lord Vishnu (in instruction to Garuda/Vinata-putra)
Concept: Virya is twofold (cooling/heating) as operative shakti; vipaka is classified as twofold, with katu as a resultant category stated here.
Vedantic Theme: Knowledge by lakshana (definition) and bheda (classification); power (shakti) inferred from effects.
Application: When selecting diet/drugs, assess heating vs cooling potency and expected post-digestive outcome; do not rely on initial taste alone for predicting systemic effect.
Primary Rasa: shanta
Related Themes: Garuda Purana 1.168.22 (dravya as substratum); Garuda Purana 1.168.25 (assessment before treatment)
FAQs
This verse defines virya primarily as twofold—cooling (śīta) and heating (uṣṇa)—and equates it with the functional power (śakti) of a substance.
It states that the post-digestive transformation of tastes is twofold, and points to pungency (kaṭu) as a noted resulting type in this formulation.
When assessing a food or herb, track not only its taste but whether it acts heating or cooling and what it tends to become after digestion, since that influences long-term balance.