The commentary links this chapter to the earlier statement in the rasāyana section that the rasāyana procedure is unsuitable for a body that has not been purified. In order to describe purification, the text first teaches its preparatory measures, snehana and svedana. Because svedana is preceded by snehana, the treatment concerning the use of sneha is presented first. Snehopayaugika means the treatment in which sneha is employed. Its employment may be external, such as abhyaṅga, or internal, such as drinking.
Key terms
snehopayaugika
Concerning the appropriate employment of sneha, both externally and internally.
sneha
Oleaginous substance or the practice of oleation in this chapter.
sveda
The sudation measure that the commentary says follows snehana.
abhya~gga (abhyaṅga)
External application of sneha by anointing or massage.
The human being is said to have sneha as an essential element; the vital functions are predominantly associated with sneha and are also managed through it. Sneha is employed in drinking, anuvāsana basti, application to the head and cranial region, uttara-basti, nasal administration, filling the ears, anointing the body, and food.
The commentary says that drinking and the other principal applications are the subjects to be explained here. Secondary applications have already been mentioned in the earlier discussion on preventing future disorders, in the context of protecting the sense faculties.
Key terms
snehasAra (snehasāra)
Having sneha as an essential or predominant element.
prANa (prāṇa)
The vital functions said here to be predominantly associated with sneha.
anuvAsana (anuvāsana)
A basti application using an oleaginous substance.
uttarabasti (uttara-basti)
A named specialized route of basti administration.
Sneha has already been described as arising from two sources, having four principal forms, and possessing particular qualities. Among animal-derived snehas, cow ghee is regarded as foremost; among plant-derived snehas, sesame oil is regarded as foremost.
The two sources are sthāvara, plant-derived, and jaṅgama, animal-derived. Oil belongs to the plant source, whereas ghṛta, vasā, and majjā belong to the animal source. Oils may come from fruits or seeds such as sesame, or from the heartwood of trees such as devadāru, śiṃśapā, and aguru. Ghṛta is described as made either from milk or from curd; vasā is the unrefined fat of flesh, and majjā is contained in bone. The four forms are therefore ghṛta, oil, vasā, and majjā. Their inherent qualities are said to have been described earlier in relation to drinking. The commentary repeats that cow ghee is chief among animal-derived snehas and sesame oil among plant-derived snehas.
Key terms
dviyoni
Having two sources: plant-derived and animal-derived.
caturvikalpa
The four forms of sneha: ghṛta, oil, vasā, and majjā.
gavya ghRuta (gavya ghṛta)
Ghee derived from cow's milk, considered foremost among animal snehas here.
tilataila
Sesame oil, considered foremost among plant snehas here.
The text next lists plant-derived snehas according to their stated principal uses. Oils of Tilvaka, Eraṇḍa, Kośāmra, Dantī, Dravantī, Saptalā, Śaṅkhinī, Palāśa, Viṣāṇikā, Gavākṣī, Kampillaka, Śampāka, and Nīlinī are said to induce purgation. Oils of Jīmūtaka, Kuṭaja, Kṛtavedhana, Ikṣvāku, Dhāmārgava, and Madana are said to induce vomiting. Oils of Viḍaṅga, Kharamañjarī, Madhuśigru, Sūryavallī, Pīlu, Siddhārthaka, and Jyotiṣmatī are said to evacuate the head. Oils of Karañja, Pūtīka, Kṛtamāla, Mātuluṅga, Iṅgudī, and Kirātatiktaka are used in unhealthy wounds; those of Tuvaraka, Kapittha, Kampillaka, Bhallātaka, and Paṭola in major diseases. Further groups are assigned respectively to urinary obstruction, gravel and urinary stones, prameha, vāyu associated with pitta, darkening, making pale, and dadru, kuṣṭha, and kiṭibha. All snehas are said to alleviate vāta. The qualities of oils have been explained here in summary.
The commentary explains yathāprayojana as keeping to each intended use, and yathāpradhāna as considering what is principal. It says purgative snehas are listed first because plant substances are generally considered earthy and therefore naturally downward-moving. It supplies numerous identifications or synonyms for the named plants. The emetic group follows the purgative group; after these actions directed at pitta and kapha, the text gives a localized action on kapha in the head. Śirovirecana is explained as draining kapha situated in the head through nasal administration. Because this is a surgical treatise, snehas applicable to wounds are then listed. For mahāvyādhi, one view takes the term as eight major disorders including severe kuṣṭha and meha, while others understand it as conditions beginning with vāta disorders. The phrase ‘are used’ is carried forward grammatically into later groups. Urinary obstruction is interpreted as including painful urination, distension, and stones. The commentary preserves Gayadāsa's alternative reading, which groups Kapotavaṅkā and Harītakī oils for gravel and stones and interprets their use for stones fragmented by vāta. The separate mention of dadru and kiṭibha, despite their inclusion under kuṣṭha, restricts the special claim to those conditions. Finally, the common action assigned to all snehas is stated, and the properties of sesame oil, as the principal plant oil, are said to have been summarized earlier by group rather than individually.
Key terms
yathAprayojana (yathāprayojana)
According to each stated intended use.
virecana
Purgative evacuation attributed to the first group of oils.
vamana
Emetic action attributed to the second group of oils.
shirovirecana (śirovirecana)
Evacuation or drainage from the head, explained here in connection with nasal use.
mahAvyAdhi (mahāvyādhi)
Major diseases, whose scope is interpreted differently by commentators.
mUtrasa~gga (mūtrasaṅga)
Urinary obstruction, expanded by the commentary to painful urination, distension, and stones.
vAta (vāta)
The doṣa that all snehas are classically said here to alleviate.
The text next introduces methods for preparing decoctions and medicated sneha. Some authorities say that one part of bark, leaf, fruit, root, or another plant material should be combined with four parts water, boiled until one quarter remains, and then removed; this is their method of decoction preparation. They also say that six prasṛtas of sneha should receive four times as much liquid and four boluses of medicinal paste, each equal to one akṣa; this is their method of sneha preparation. The text rejects this account as incorrect because it is not established by authoritative tradition.
Because sneha is generally used after processing, the text begins to explain that processing. The word ‘and so forth’ includes tubers and similar materials. Since bhāga is singular, the commentary understands one unspecified unit of the plant material, determined by weighing, with four times that quantity of water and reduction to one quarter. It then explains the stated proportions of decoction, sneha, and kalka. Here prasṛta is defined as a slightly opened handful formed by joining the five fingers, rather than as two palas. The four paste boluses are made from ground medicine and are each the size of a bibhītaka fruit. The commentary attributes this method to ‘some authorities,’ consistent with the passage's later rejection.
Key terms
kaShAya (kaṣāya)
A decoction prepared by boiling plant material in water.
snehapAka (snehapāka)
The processing or cooking of sneha with liquid and medicinal paste.
prasRuta (prasṛta)
Interpreted here as one slightly opened joined-hand measure, not two palas.
akSha (akṣa)
A measure represented here by the size of a bibhītaka fruit.
AgamAsiddha (āgamāsiddha)
Established by authoritative tradition; the proposed method is rejected for lacking this basis.
पलकुडवादीनामतो मानं तु व्याख्यास्यामः- तत्र द्वादश धान्यमाषा मध्यमाः सुवर्णमाषकः, ते षोडश सुवर्णम्; अथवा मध्यमनिष्पावा एकोनविंशतिर्धरणं, तान्यर्धतृतीयानि कर्षः; ततश्चोर्ध्वं चतुर्गुणमभिवर्धयन्तः पलकुडवप्रस्थाढकद्रोणा इत्यभिनिष्पद्यन्ते, तुला पुनः पलशतं, ताः पुनर्विंशतिर्भारः; शुष्काणामिदं मानम्, आर्द्रद्रवाणां च द्विगुणमिति ||७||
Meaning of the śloka
The text then defines a sequence of measures. Twelve medium-sized dhānyamāṣas make one suvarṇamāṣaka, and sixteen suvarṇamāṣakas make one suvarṇa. Alternatively, nineteen medium niṣpāvas make one dharaṇa, and two and a half dharaṇas make one karṣa. From the karṣa upward, each successive measure is four times the preceding one, producing pala, kuḍava, prastha, āḍhaka, and droṇa. One tulā is one hundred palas, and twenty tulās make one bhāra. These measures apply to dry substances; fresh and liquid substances are stated to be double.
Before describing sneha preparation, the commentary says the measures must be established because the proportions of decoction, sneha, and other ingredients depend on them. The separate mention of pala and kuḍava in the sequence is taken to show that they are not merely a twofold relation. Medium grains are neither very thick nor very thin. Sixteen suvarṇamāṣakas constitute the suvarṇa-karṣa. The alternative system using niṣpāva and dharaṇa is also recognized, with ardhatṛtīya explained as two and a half. From karṣa, each successive measure is fourfold: pala, kuḍava, prastha, āḍhaka, and droṇa; a tulā is one hundred palas and twenty tulās a bhāra, though the commentary says bhāra is mentioned incidentally and is not used here. Dry materials use the stated measures, while moist, juicy, and liquid materials are generally doubled at the kuḍava and higher levels. Jejjaṭa instead gives a four-pala kuḍava for moist and liquid materials. Traditional practice also exempts a quoted list of plants from doubling when fresh, and another view gives differing prastha measures for water, sneha, and dry substances. The commentary identifies the first system as the Māgadha measure accepted by Suśruta and records a verse preferring it over the Kāliṅga measure, while associating the Kāliṅga system with Caraka. It then attributes the alternative niṣpāva formulation to Suśruta.
Key terms
suvarNamAShaka (suvarṇamāṣaka)
A small weight defined here as twelve medium dhānyamāṣas.
karSha (karṣa)
A weight from which the later measures are built by fourfold progression.
kuDava (kuḍava)
A measure placed after pala in the fourfold sequence.
tulA (tulā)
A measure stated to equal one hundred palas.
mAgadha mAna (Māgadha māna)
The measurement system the commentary says is accepted by Suśruta.
kAli~gga mAna (Kāliṅga māna)
An alternative measurement system associated by the commentary with Caraka.
Plant materials such as bark, leaves, fruits, and roots, measured by an appropriate unit and dried in the sun, are to be cut into pieces if suitable for cutting, split finely if suitable for splitting, and pounded. They are infused with eight or sixteen times as much water, boiled in a vessel until one quarter remains, and then removed; this is the decoction method. For medicated sneha, the liquid is four times the sneha and the medicinal paste one quarter of the sneha; they are combined and cooked. Alternatively, one tulā of bark, leaves, fruits, roots, and similar materials is placed in one droṇa of water and boiled until one quarter remains to form the decoction. For sneha preparation, one pala of ground medicinal paste and four times as much liquid are added to one kuḍava of sneha and cooked.
Having described the measures, the commentary explains the conventions for preparing decoctions. ‘Any one measure’ means any suitable measure beginning with pala, used accurately for the plant materials. It interprets the optional wording concerning sixteenfold and eightfold water as also gathering the previously mentioned fourfold amount. From the example of one tulā of material in one droṇa of water, it infers a fivefold-water rule for a substance to be decocted. The sneha convention is then restated: liquid is four times the sneha and paste one quarter of it; thus one prastha of liquid and one pala of paste are used with one kuḍava of sneha. The commentary records other Suśruta traditions: water varies with quantity or with the hardness of the material, and sixteenfold water is generally used for a decoction intended for drinking while the earlier convention applies to sneha preparation. An older Suśruta tradition supports the fourfold liquid and quarter-part paste rule and includes liquids such as water and milk. Another reading says that when there are one to four liquids, each is four times the sneha, but when there are five or more, their combined or assigned quantity is equal to the sneha; a cited verse supports this distinction.
Key terms
kaShAyapAkakalpa (kaṣāyapākakalpa)
The stated convention for preparing a decoction.
bheShajakalka (bheṣajakalka)
Medicinal paste used as a component in processing sneha.
snehapAkakalpa (snehapākakalpa)
The stated convention for cooking sneha with liquid and paste.
caturbhAgAvashiShTa (caturbhāgāvaśiṣṭa)
Reduced by boiling until one quarter remains.
dravadravya
A liquid ingredient, including water or milk according to the commentary.
When the quantities of sneha, medicine, and water are not specified, the general method just stated should be followed; when quantities are specified, they should be followed exactly. When the required liquid is not named, water is understood. When neither the paste nor the decoction is specified, both should be selected from the same stated group of medicines.
The commentary identifies these verses as a general interpretive rule for preparing decoctions and medicated sneha: such a rule supplies a standard when the text gives no specific direction. If no liquid or related detail is stated, the default conventions apply. When a sneha preparation is intended from a particular medicinal group, its decoction and paste are to be prepared from that same group.
Key terms
paribhAShA (paribhāṣā)
A general rule that determines procedure where a specific direction is absent.
dravakArya (dravakārya)
The required liquid component; water is the default when none is named.
kalka
Medicinal paste, selected from the relevant medicinal group when unspecified.
kvAtha (kvātha)
Decoction, selected from the relevant medicinal group when unspecified.
gaNa (gaṇa)
The medicinal group from which the paste and decoction are to be chosen.
अत ऊर्ध्वं स्नेहपाकक्रममुपदेक्ष्यामः |
स तु त्रिविधः; तद्यथा- मृदुः, मध्यमः, खर इति |
तत्र स्नेहौषधिविवेकमात्रं यत्र भेषजं स मृदुरिति, मधूच्छिष्टमिव विशदमविलेपि यत्र भेषजं स मध्यमः, कृष्णमवसन्नमीषद्विशदं चिक्कणं च यत्र भेषजं स खर इति; अत ऊर्ध्वं दग्धस्नेहो भवति, तं पुनः साधु साधयेत् |
तत्र पानाभ्यवहारयोर्मृदुः, नस्याभ्यङ्गयोर्मध्यमः, बस्तिकर्णपूरणयोस्तु खर इति ||११||
Meaning of the śloka
The text next describes three stages of cooking sneha: mild, medium, and khara. In the mild stage, the sneha and medicinal material have only just become distinguishable from each other. In the medium stage, the medicinal paste is clear like beeswax and does not adhere. In the khara stage, the paste is dark, settled, somewhat clear, and smooth. Beyond this the sneha becomes burnt, and it is said that this should be properly corrected. Mild cooking is assigned to drinking and eating, medium cooking to nasal use and anointing, and khara cooking to basti and filling the ears.
For the mild stage, the commentary explains viveka as the mere separation or distinctness of sneha and medicine. Although this distinctness belongs to both, it is stated with reference to the medicine because the medicinal paste is used as the marker in the following definitions. In the medium stage, the paste is clear or non-slimy like beeswax and does not stick to a finger or similar surface. In the khara stage, it is somewhat roasted through frying. When the paste is excessively dark, settled, and clear, the preparation is burnt. Because the text still instructs that this be corrected, the commentator infers that the medicinal qualities have been lost but the qualities of the sneha itself have not. The commentary then preserves a differing rule from Caraka: khara for anointing, mild for nasal use, and medium for drinking and basti. It accepts both traditions as authoritative and supports this by citing examples in which divergent scriptural prescriptions are both retained.
Key terms
mRudupAka (mṛdupāka)
The mild stage of cooking sneha.
madhyamapAka (madhyamapāka)
The medium stage, marked here by clear, non-adhering medicinal paste.
kharapAka (kharapāka)
The stronger stage, marked by a darkened and somewhat roasted paste.
dagdhasneha
Sneha cooked beyond the khara stage and described as burnt.
shruti dvaidha (śruti-dvaidha)
Divergence between authoritative traditions, for which the commentary retains both rules.
Completion of cooking is recognized when the sound subsides, the foam settles, and the proper odour, colour, taste, and other qualities are attained. A skilled physician should assess cooked ghṛta in this way. For oil, abundant foam is an additional sign; the remaining signs are to be understood as for ghṛta.
After determining the cooking stage principally by the feel of the medicinal paste, whether soft, clear, or otherwise, the text gives additional signs perceptible to the other senses. The commentary distinguishes two kinds of sound during cooking: sound associated with liquid and sound not associated with liquid. In the phrase ‘when the sound has ceased,’ the qualifying word indicates the appropriate cessation of liquid-associated sound, not the complete absence of every sound. Sampatti means the proper development or fullness of the stated qualities.
Key terms
siddhi
Completion or successful attainment of the cooking stage.
shabdoparama (śabdoparama)
The appropriate subsiding of the sound associated with remaining liquid.
The text next describes the sequence for drinking sneha. For a patient with a light or cleared digestive tract, after auspicious rites and blessings have been performed, the physician is to give a quantity of oil or ghṛta suited to the person's strength at sunrise, when the sun on the eastern mountain appears red like heated gold. Immediately after drinking it, the person is to rinse or sip warm water and move about comfortably while wearing footwear.
Snehapānakrama means the ordered procedure for drinking sneha. The opening word atha is auspicious at the beginning of a pañcakarma procedure, while khalu embellishes the sentence. Mention of a light digestive tract indicates that the previous food has been digested. Gayadāsa interprets this more fully as the absence, in the stomach, intestines, and heart region, of undigested food, retained waste, improperly formed nutritive fluid, and heaviness. The auspicious observances include a commonly recognized full water-pot and recitation of blessings. Sunrise indicates the morning. The commentary cites another teaching that sneha for purification is drunk in the morning after the night's food has digested, whereas sneha for pacification is taken at mealtime when desired. ‘According to strength’ refers to selecting a dose in relation to the low, medium, or high strength of the doṣa, the person, and the disease, and according to whether digestion is expected over two yāmas, four yāmas, or the whole day. Ghṛta and oil are named because they are principal among snehas. Upaspṛśya is explained as performing ācamana.
Key terms
snehapAnakrama (snehapānakrama)
The ordered regimen for internal administration of sneha.
laghukoShTha (laghukoṣṭha)
A light or cleared digestive tract, indicating digestion of prior food according to the commentary.
yathAbala (yathābala)
According to the assessed strength of the doṣa, patient, and disease.
saMshodhana (saṃśodhana)
Purificatory purpose, for which the cited teaching places sneha drinking in the morning.
saMshamana (saṃśamana)
Pacifying purpose, for which the cited teaching places sneha at mealtime.
Acamana (ācamana)
Ritual or prescribed sipping/rinsing, used to explain upaspṛśya.
The passage assigns different sneha substances according to the person’s condition. Drinking ghṛta is praised for those affected by dryness, injury, poison, disorders attributed to vāta and pitta, or diminished intellect and memory. Taila is prescribed for persons with intestinal worms, vāta in the abdomen, increased kapha or medas, those accustomed to oil, and those seeking firmness. Vasā is considered suitable for persons depleted by exercise, with depleted reproductive tissue and blood, severe pain, strong agni, and a constitution dominated by vāta. Majjā, or alternatively ghṛta combined with the individual’s appropriate medicine, is assigned to those described as having a krūra internal disposition or bowel, able to tolerate hardship, affected by vāta, and having strong digestive fire.
The commentary states that ‘all’ refers collectively to the groups beginning with those affected by dryness, injury, and poison. It explains svauṣadhānvita as the sneha being combined with whichever medicine is specifically appropriate to that individual.
Key terms
sarpiH (sarpiḥ)
Ghṛta, the sneha praised for the first group described in the passage.
taila
Oil, assigned here to a distinct set of constitutions and conditions.
vasA (vasā)
Animal fat, listed as a sneha for persons with the stated features.
majjA (majjā)
Marrow, listed as another form of sneha in this classification.
svauShadhAnvita (svauṣadhānvita)
Combined with the medicine specifically appropriate to the individual.
For a condition dominated by pitta, ghṛta alone is to be given; for one dominated by vāta, it is combined with salt; and where kapha is abundant, it is combined with vyoṣa and kṣāra.
The commentary explains the use of plain or combined ghṛta according to each doṣa. Kevala means unaccompanied and not mixed with other substances. It may nevertheless be either processed or unprocessed, because processing and combination are treated as distinct qualities; thus ‘plain’ here means without additions such as decoctions or powders. Gayī offers a different interpretation: kevala refers specifically to ghṛta prepared with pitta-reducing substances.
Key terms
kevala
Plain or unaccompanied; the commentary preserves a competing interpretation that it is ghṛta prepared with pitta-reducing substances.
sarpiH (sarpiḥ)
Ghṛta used alone or with additions according to the stated doṣa pattern.
vyoSha (vyoṣa)
A named pungent preparation to be combined with ghṛta in the kapha-dominant case.
kShAra (kṣāra)
An alkaline preparation named as an addition in the kapha-dominant case.
saMskRuta (saṃskṛta)
Processed or prepared, distinguished by the commentary from merely being combined with another substance.
दोषाणामल्पभूयस्त्वं संसर्गं समवेक्ष्य च |
युञ्ज्यात्त्रिषष्टिधाभिन्नैः समासव्यासतो रसैः ||२०||
Meaning of the śloka
After considering whether the doṣas are present in lesser or greater degree and whether they occur in combination, the practitioner should employ the tastes, classified into sixty-three forms through their grouped and separate combinations.
The commentary clarifies that ghṛta is not to be combined only with the salt and other additions just mentioned; it may also be combined with the tastes distinguished into sixty-three varieties, with the doṣa pattern guiding their selection.
Key terms
doSha (doṣa)
The organizing factors whose degree and combination are to be assessed.
alpabhUyastva (alpabhūyastva)
The relative lesser or greater predominance of the doṣas.
saMsarga (saṃsarga)
Combination or association of doṣas.
triShaShTidhAbhinna rasa (triṣaṣṭidhābhinna rasa)
Tastes classified into sixty-three forms through the traditional scheme of combinations.
A person accustomed to sneha and capable of tolerating the regimen may drink plain sneha at a time that is neither excessively hot nor cold, because acchapāna, the drinking of uncombined sneha, is commended.
The commentary identifies the eligible subject for acchapāna. Kleśasaha means possessing strength expressed as an ability to tolerate the regimen; a person with the opposite qualities should receive sneha together with food. Accha means sneha alone. It also records a variant reading, ‘dṛḍhaṃ kāle ca śītale,’ instead of ‘kāle nātyuṣṇaśītale.’ Those accepting the variant explain dṛḍha as strength characterized by bodily development and interpret the reference to a cold time, with ca, as also indicating coldness in disorders of vāta and kapha.
Key terms
snehasAtmya (snehasātmya)
Accustomed or suited to sneha.
kleshasaha (kleśasaha)
Able to tolerate the demands of the regimen, explained as a sign of strength.
accha
Plain or uncombined sneha.
acchapAna (acchapāna)
Drinking sneha in its plain, uncombined form.
dRuDha (dṛḍha)
In the variant reading, a person with strength characterized by bodily development.
Sneha is to be drunk during the day in the cold season and at night in the hot season. A person with predominance of vāta and pitta is to take it at night, while one with predominance of vāta and śleṣman is to take it during the day.
The commentary expands the timing of acchapāna according to season and doṣa. Night use is understood here as śamana use, because another statement prescribes taking it with food in the hot season. The phrase vāta-pitta predominance includes vāta alone, pitta alone, and their combination; by treating that combination as illustrative, the commentator also extends night use to pitta-śleṣman predominance. Vāta-śleṣman predominance similarly implies daytime use for vāta-kapha predominance or kapha alone. A quotation from Vṛddhavāgbhaṭa supports daytime use under clear sun, in a moderate season, in doṣa balance, or with anila-kapha or kapha, and night use with anila, pitta, or a combination containing marked pitta. A further quotation says that urgency and assessment of doṣas may override the seasonal rule: oil may be used by day even in cold weather, or ghṛta by night even in hot weather. The commentary thus makes individualized assessment an explicit qualification.
Key terms
shItakAla (śītakāla)
The cold season, associated here with daytime administration.
uShNakAla (uṣṇakāla)
The hot season, associated here with nighttime administration.
vAtapittAdhika (vātapittādhika)
Having predominance of vāta and pitta, expanded by the commentary to include either singly or together.
vAtashleShmAdhika (vātaśleṣmādhika)
Having predominance of vāta and śleṣman or kapha.
saMshamana (saṃśamana)
A pacifying mode of use, applied by the commentary to the nighttime instruction.
For a person with predominant vāta and pitta, taking sneha in hot conditions contrary to the stated rule is said to produce thirst, fainting, and unmāda. For one suffering from vāta and kapha, taking it in cold conditions is said to cause heaviness, loss of appetite, and pain.
If thirst arises after drinking sneha, the person is told to drink warm water. If the thirst still does not settle, the sneha is to be expelled by vomiting with warm water. The head is then to be coated with cooling substances, and immersion in cool water is also prescribed.
The commentary introduces these measures as the response to thirst following sneha intake. It glosses dihyāt as ‘one should smear or apply a coating.’ The supplied commentary ends incompletely after its reference to verse 24.
Key terms
tRuShNA (tṛṣṇā)
Thirst occurring after sneha intake.
uShNodaka (uṣṇodaka)
Warm water, named first as a drink and then in the instruction to induce expulsion.
vamet
One should vomit or expel the ingested sneha; a hazardous historical intervention.
dihyAt (dihyāt)
One should smear or coat, glossed by the commentary as limpet.
avagAhayet (avagāhayet)
One should immerse or bathe the person in cool water.
या मात्रा परिजीर्येत चतुर्भागगतेऽहनि ||२५||
सा मात्रा दीपयत्यग्निमल्पदोषे च पूजिता |
या मात्रा परिजीर्येत तथाऽर्धदिवसे गते ||२६||
सा वृष्या बृंहणी या च मध्यदोषे च पूजिता |
या मात्रा परिजीर्येत चतुर्भागावशेषिते ||२७||
स्नेहनीया च सा मात्रा बहुदोषे च पूजिता |
या मात्रा परिजीर्येत्तु तथा परिणतेऽहनि ||२८||
ग्लानिमूर्च्छामदान् हित्वा सा मात्रा पूजिता भवेत् अहोरात्रादसन्दुष्टा या मात्रा परीजीर्यति ||२९||
सा तु कुष्ठविषोन्मादग्रहापस्मारनाशिनी |३०|
Meaning of the śloka
The passage classifies sneha doses by how long they take to digest. A dose digested after one quarter of the day is praised when the doṣas are slight and is said to kindle agni. One digested after half the day is praised for a moderate doṣa burden and is described as promoting reproductive capacity and nourishment. One digested when only a quarter of the day remains is considered an oleating dose and is praised when the doṣas are abundant. A dose digested at the completion of the day is praised if it does not produce exhaustion, fainting, or intoxication-like disturbance. A dose that digests without disturbance over a day and night is traditionally said to remove kuṣṭha, poisoning, unmāda, graha, and apasmāra.
The commentary infers from the qualification ‘without exhaustion and the other symptoms’ that such symptoms may occur during digestion when the amount of sneha is large. From the words ‘is praised,’ it supplies the implied qualification ‘for oleation’ to the statement.
Key terms
mAtrA (mātrā)
A dose, classified here according to its digestion time.
parijIryeta (parijīryeta)
Would become fully digested.
dIpayatyagni (dīpayatyagni)
Traditionally said to kindle agni.
bRuMhaNI (bṛṃhaṇī)
Nourishing or promoting bodily increase.
glAni (glāni)
Exhaustion or languor, identified as an undesirable sign during digestion.
apasmAra (apasmāra)
A classical disorder named in the claimed effects of the longest-digesting dose.
A knowledgeable practitioner should give the first dose in accordance with agni, because an excessive quantity of sneha is said to endanger life. If sneha fails to digest because of improper conduct or excessive quantity and remains obstructed while digesting, the text directs that it be expelled with warm water. If the disorder still calls for sneha, it may subsequently be given again to a person with a laghu koṣṭha. When there is doubt whether the sneha has digested, warm water is to be drunk; a clear belch and renewed desire for food are then taken as signs. A variant half-verse lists thirst, burning, dizziness, weakness, distress, and fatigue while the sneha is being digested.
The commentary identifies the first of the previously described doses as the one without fault: it should digest within one yāma without exceeding the person’s agni, and it glosses this amount as one pala. The larger doses are rejected because excessive sneha may threaten life. Improper conduct is exemplified by exposure to cold and similar behaviour, and the response to sneha indigestion from such causes is then stated. If the disease remains one for which sneha is indicated, the commentary permits later re-administration. Jīrṇājīrṇaviśaṅkā means uncertainty about whether digestion is complete. Some sources read the half-verse describing symptoms during digestion, but Jejjaṭācārya calls it non-authorial, so the commentator says it should not be included.
Key terms
yathAgni (yathāgni)
In accordance with the person’s digestive capacity.
prANasaMshaya (prāṇasaṃśaya)
Danger to life, attributed in the passage to excessive sneha.
mithyAcAra (mithyācāra)
Improper conduct during the regimen, exemplified by the commentary as cold exposure and similar behaviour.
laghukoShTha (laghukoṣṭha)
A person whose gastrointestinal disposition is described as light or readily responsive.
jIrNAjIrNavisha~gkA (jīrṇājīrṇaviśaṅkā)
Doubt about whether the sneha has been digested.
anArSha (anārṣa)
Regarded as non-authorial; the commentary applies this judgment to the symptom half-verse.
After the sneha has been digested, the person is to be sprinkled or bathed with warm water and then offered warm yavāgū prepared soft with a small amount of grain. Alternatively, fragrant yūṣa or meat broth may be given without sneha, or prepared with only a very small amount of ghṛta; vilepī is another stated option.
The commentary infers from ‘without sneha’ that the yūṣa and meat broth are otherwise unprocessed. Kṛtau means prepared with sneha and similar substances. It assigns yūṣa in a kapha context and after taking oil, meat broth in a vāta context and after taking ghṛta, and vilepī for a person accustomed to vilepī who has moderate agni.
Key terms
jIrNasneha (jīrṇasneha)
The state in which the ingested sneha is considered digested.
yavAgU (yavāgū)
A thin grain preparation prescribed warm after digestion of sneha.
yUSha (yūṣa)
A pulse or vegetable broth assigned by the commentary to the kapha context and following oil.
rasa
Here interpreted by the commentary as meat broth, assigned to the vāta context and following ghṛta.
vilepI (vilepī)
A thicker grain preparation offered as an alternative for a person accustomed to it with moderate agni.
Sneha may be drunk for three, four, five, or six days; when it is continued beyond seven nights, the passage says that it becomes sātmyībhūta, accustomed or assimilated like a habitual substance.
The commentary links duration to koṣṭha: three days for mṛdu koṣṭha, four to six days for madhyama koṣṭha, and seven nights for krūra koṣṭha. Another opinion gives a finer gradation: one, two, or three days for the three degrees of mṛdu koṣṭha; four, five, or six for degrees of madhyama koṣṭha; and seven, eight, or even nine for degrees of krūra koṣṭha. It explains sātmya as something compatible with the body, causing no disorder and providing comfort. Once sneha becomes habitual like food, it no longer produces its intended actions such as utkleśana; the text illustrates habituation by claiming that even a small daily amount of poison may cease to be fatal. The commentator qualifies this habituation: in a vāta constitution it is to be understood in relation to upward-moving vāta, while in a vāta-kapha constitution it means only the absence of utkleśa.
Key terms
mRudukoShTha (mṛdukoṣṭha)
A softly responsive bowel or gastrointestinal disposition, assigned the shorter duration.
madhyamakoShTha (madhyamakoṣṭha)
A moderate bowel disposition, assigned an intermediate duration.
krUrakoShTha (krūrakoṣṭha)
A hard or slowly responsive bowel disposition, assigned the longer duration.
sAtmya (sātmya)
Compatibility or habituation by which a substance remains with the body without producing disorder and is experienced comfortably.
utkleshana (utkleśana)
An intended mobilizing or excitatory action of sneha that the commentary says is lost after habituation.
सुकुमारं कृशं वृद्धं शिशुं स्नेहद्विषं तथा |
तृष्णार्तमुष्णकाले च सह भक्तेन पाययेत् ||३७||
Meaning of the śloka
A delicate person, one who is emaciated, an older person, a child, one who dislikes sneha, or one afflicted by thirst should be given sneha together with food; this approach is also prescribed during hot weather.
The commentary says that this verse specifies when avacāraṇā, the administration of sneha mixed with food, may be used both according to a person's condition and as a regular method. Here bhakta includes all food preparations, such as vilepī. Sneha drinking is of two kinds: taken separately from food or mixed with food. The separately taken form is itself acchapāna, drinking plain sneha.
Key terms
sukumAra (sukumāra)
A person of delicate constitution in this context.
snehadviSha (snehadviṣa)
One who has an aversion to sneha or unctuous substances.
bhakta
Food, interpreted here broadly to include preparations such as vilepī.
avacAraNA (avacāraṇā)
Administration of sneha in association with food rather than as plain sneha.
The verses call several preparations immediate oleation, sadyaḥsnehana: pippalī and salt combined with the four snehas and the liquid part of curd; a well-cooked, unctuous yavāgū prepared in meat broth with phāṇita; a warm, thin-rice yavāgū cooked in milk and enriched with ghee; pippalī, salt, ghee, sesame paste, and boar fat taken together; and milk drawn from a cow while powdered sugar has been mixed with ghee at the time of milking. They then list a decoction of yava, kola, and kulattha together with pippalī, milk, curd, surā, and ghee as the eighth component. Ghee prepared with these is called the best immediate oleation and is said to be suitable for a king or persons living in comparable comfort.
The commentary presents these as practical examples of avacāraṇā. It interprets the salt as principally saindhava and identifies the four snehas as ghee, oil, animal fat, and marrow. Dadhimastuka is the liquid or essence of curd. Pippalī and salt should be used only in amounts that make the preparation neither excessively pungent nor excessively salty. Prakṣudrā is explained as yavāgū containing kṣudra, identified in common usage as phāṇita or kāakavī. In the final preparation, pippalī is the paste ingredient; six substances serve as liquids, pippalī in an amount equal to the sneha is counted seventh, and ghee is eighth. The resulting ghee may be taken before, during, or after food by kings and others accustomed to comfort. Sadyaḥsnehana means that oleation is expected on that same day according to the text.
Key terms
sadyaHsnehana (sadyaḥsnehana)
Oleation said in the source to occur on the same day.
snehAshcatvAraH (snehāś catvāraḥ)
The four unctuous substances: ghee, oil, animal fat, and marrow.
dadhimastuka
The liquid or essence separated from curd.
yavAgU (yavāgū)
A gruel preparation used here as a vehicle for oleation.
saindhava
The type of salt preferred by the commentary in these preparations.
avacAraNA (avacāraṇā)
Administration of sneha through food-based preparations.
The preparations just properly described are to be employed in people with little strength, older people, those with mild agni, persons weakened by sexual activity, and those with only a small burden of doṣa.
विवर्जयेत् स्नेहपानमजीर्णी तरुणज्वरी |
दुर्बलोऽरोचकी स्थूलो मूर्च्छार्तो मदपीडितः ||४६||
छर्द्यर्दितः पिपासार्तः श्रान्तः पानक्लमान्वितः |
दत्तबस्तिर्विरिक्तश्च वान्तो यश्चापि मानवः ||४७||
अकाले दुर्दिने चैव न च स्नेहं पिबेन्नरः |
अकाले च प्रसूता स्त्री स्नेहपानं विवर्जयेत् ||४८||
स्नेहपानाद्भवन्त्येषां नॄणां नानाविधा गदाः |
गदा वा कृच्छ्रतां यान्ति न सिध्यन्त्यथवा पुनः ||४९||
गर्भाशयेऽवशेषाः स्यू रक्तक्लेदमलास्ततः |
स्नेहं जह्यान्निषेवेत पाचनं रूक्षमेव च ||५०||
दशरात्रात्ततः स्नेहं यथावदवचारयेत् |५१|
Meaning of the śloka
Sneha drinking should be avoided by a person with indigestion, a recent fever, weakness, loss of appetite, marked corpulence, fainting, intoxication, vomiting, intense thirst, exhaustion, or fatigue after drinking. It should also be avoided immediately after basti, purgation, or emesis, at an unsuitable time, in bad weather, and by a woman who has recently delivered at an unsuitable stage. In such persons it may produce various disorders, aggravate an existing disorder, or prevent successful treatment. When blood, moisture, and waste remain in the uterus after delivery, sneha is to be withheld and digestive and drying measures used; after ten nights, sneha may then be administered appropriately.
The commentary explains the stated contraindications through their expected harms within the text's framework. With indigestion, agni is occupied with undigested food and can process little sneha; a recent fever is treated similarly and is also associated with obstruction of the channels. In weakness, bodily exhaustion may increase; in loss of appetite, aversion to food may worsen; in corpulence, further corpulence and obstruction are feared; and in fainting, faintness may intensify. Immediately after basti, purgation, or emesis, recent cleansing is said to leave weak agni and may lead to excessive thirst, fatigue, and related effects. After recent delivery, retained blood, moisture, and waste in the uterus are said to be disturbed by sneha and may produce a difficult disorder. The commentary also preserves another reading, codarī jvarī in place of taruṇajvarī. Under that reading, sneha is allowed in an earlier stage of udara as taught elsewhere but prohibited in chidrodakodara, while in fever the prohibition applies to the early stage. The following verse is said to reinforce these restrictions.
Key terms
snehapAna (snehapāna)
Internal drinking of an unctuous substance.
ajIrNa (ajīrṇa)
Indigestion or incomplete digestion.
taruNajvara (taruṇajvara)
A recent or early-stage fever; the commentary records a variant reading.
dattabasti
The state immediately after receiving basti.
prasUtA (prasūtā)
A woman who has recently given birth.
codarI jvarI (codarī jvarī)
A variant reading preserved by the commentary in place of taruṇajvarī.
rUkSha (rūkṣa)
Drying in quality; prescribed here after withholding sneha in the postpartum context.
Signs of a dry or insufficiently unctuous state are hard, dry, knotted stool; difficult digestion of food; burning in the chest; vāyu moving upward from the koṣṭha; poor complexion; weakness; and bodily dryness.
The commentary says these are signs of dryness used to decide when the prescribed sneha may be given. 'Moving upward' means ascending from the koṣṭha. Senior physicians are cited as saying that these signs describe a dry person after the preparatory digestive measure has been completed.
Key terms
rUkSha (rūkṣa)
A dry or insufficiently unctuous state identified by the listed signs.
grathita purISha (grathita purīṣa)
Knotted, compact, or hard stool.
koShTha (koṣṭha)
The internal digestive tract or bodily cavity from which vāyu is said to move upward.
pAcana (pācana)
The preparatory digestive measure referred to by the commentary.
The signs of proper oleation are well-unctuous skin, looseness or softness of stool, kindled agni, softness of the body, a sense of weariness together with lightness of the limbs, visible sneha in the downward evacuation, and aversion to further sneha.
The commentary defines snehodvega as dislike or aversion toward sneha, comparable to the aversion to water that follows being fully satisfied with water. It also records an alternative reading: weariness, lassitude of the limbs, visible sneha below, and aversion to sneha are the signs of proper oleation. This variant differs in wording and should remain distinct.
Key terms
samyaksnigdha
The state considered properly oleated according to the listed signs.
viTshaithilya (viṭśaithilya)
Looseness or softness of stool.
dIptAgni (dīptāgni)
Kindled or strong digestive capacity in the text's framework.
Aversion to food, discharge or excessive salivation from the mouth, burning at the anus, pravāhikā, and excessive passage of stool are signs of excessive oleation.
The commentary identifies pravāhikā as a type of atisāra. It also reports that some recensions place, between the signs of insufficient and excessive oleation, a verse describing whether sneha has been digested: weariness, lassitude of the limbs, and visible sneha below occur while it is being digested, and when these signs subside the sneha is understood to have been digested. This is a separately transmitted reading rather than part of the supplied main verse.
Key terms
bhRushasnigdha (bhṛśasnigdha)
A state of excessive oleation.
pravAhikA (pravāhikā)
A condition explained by the commentary as a type of atisāra.
atisAra (atisāra)
A disorder characterized by excessive loose evacuation in this context.
sneha jIrNa (sneha jīrṇa)
The state in which ingested sneha is considered digested after the cited signs have subsided.
A dry or insufficiently oleated person is to be given oleation with snehas. A person who is excessively oleated is to receive drying measures using foods prepared from śyāmāka and koradūṣa, buttermilk, oil-cake, and saktu.
A person who regularly uses sneha is traditionally said to have kindled internal agni, a clear koṣṭha, renewed dhātus, strength and good complexion, firm sense faculties, slowly advancing age, and a lifespan of one hundred years.
The commentary presents the verse as describing the results of sneha use in a healthy person. Antaragni means jaṭharāgni; a clear koṣṭha means an abdomen or digestive tract free from doṣic disturbance; pratyagra means fresh or renewed; and firm sense faculties are those capable of carrying out their own functions. Snehopasevī is one who uses sneha repeatedly. Another interpretation is also preserved: the verse describes the qualities of sneha used for saṃśamana when taken before food.
Key terms
antaragni
Internal digestive capacity, glossed by the commentary as jaṭharāgni.
parishuddhakoShTha (pariśuddhakoṣṭha)
A koṣṭha described by the commentary as free from doṣic disturbance.
pratyagradhAtu (pratyagradhātu)
Dhātus characterized as fresh or renewed.
snehopasevI (snehopasevī)
One who uses sneha repeatedly.
saMshamanIya (saṃśamanīya)
Intended for pacification; part of the commentary's alternative interpretation.
स्नेहो हितो दुर्बलवह्निदेहसन्धुक्षणे व्याधिनिपीडितस्य |
बलान्वितौ भोजनदोषजातैः प्रमर्दितुं तौ सहसा न साध्यौ ||५७||
Meaning of the śloka
For a person afflicted by disease, sneha is said to be beneficial in rekindling a weakened digestive fire and strengthening a weakened body. Once agni and the body have gained strength through it, the text says they cannot readily be overwhelmed by disorders arising from faulty food.
The commentary says that release from disease is another result attributed to sneha. It asks for whom and in what respect sneha is beneficial, answering that it is for a person oppressed by illness and for stimulating a weak body and digestive fire. The two entities referred to later are agni and the body; strengthened by sneha drinking, they are said to resist being crushed by groups of doṣas arising from the nature and qualities of unsuitable food. Stimulation of the weak body means increasing strength through nourishment, while stimulation of agni is considered self-explanatory within the commentary's framework.
Key terms
sandhukShaNa (sandhukṣaṇa)
Kindling or strengthening, applied here to both digestive fire and the body.
vahni
Digestive fire in this passage.
dehabala
Strength of the body said to be increased through nourishment.
bhojanadoShajAta (bhojanadoṣajāta)
Disorders or doṣic disturbances described as arising from unsuitable food.
vyAdhiparimokShaNa (vyādhiparimokṣaṇa)
Release from disease, presented by the commentary as a result attributed to sneha.
Thus ends the thirty-first chapter of the Cikitsāsthāna in the Nibandhasaṅgraha commentary on Suśruta composed by Śrī Dalhaṇa. The supplied text preserves the spelling-order variant Dalha(hla)ṇa in the commentator's name.
Key terms
snehopayaugikacikitsita (Snehopayaugikacikitsita)
The chapter title concerning the therapeutic use of sneha.
cikitsAsthAna (Cikitsāsthāna)
The treatment section of the Suśruta Saṃhitā.
nibandhasa~ggraha (Nibandhasaṅgraha)
The title of Dalhaṇa's commentary on the Suśruta Saṃhitā.
Dalha(hla)Na (Dalha(hla)ṇa)
The supplied spelling-order variant in the commentator's name.