अथातः स्थावरविषविज्ञानीयमध्यायं व्याख्यास्यामः ||१||
यथोवाच भगवान् धन्वन्तरिः ||२||
Meaning of the śloka
Now the chapter called Sthāvaraviṣavijñānīya, concerning the recognition of poisons of immobile or plant and mineral origin, will be explained, as taught by the venerable Dhanvantari.
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అన్నే పానే చ ప్రాయేణ స్థావరవిషావచారణాత్తద్విజ్ఞానీయారంభో యుజ్యత ఇత్యాహ- అథాత ఇత్యాది||1-2||
Meaning of the commentary
The commentary explains why this subject begins here: poisons of plant or mineral origin are commonly introduced through food and drink, so an account of how they are recognized appropriately follows.
Key terms
sthāvaraviṣa (sthāvara-viṣa)
Poison associated in this chapter with immobile sources, principally plants and minerals.
vijñānīya
That which is to be recognized or understood.
Dhanvantari
The authoritative teacher to whom the chapter is attributed.
Poison is said to be of two kinds: sthāvara, from immobile sources, and jaṅgama, from moving or animal sources. The first is described as having ten sites or source-parts, while the second has sixteen.
The commentary says that poison is divided in two ways—by its nature and by the place in which it resides—so that differences in treatment may be understood. It glosses ādya as ‘the first.’ Some read the word as adanīya, ‘not to be eaten,’ but Gayī rejects that reading.
Key terms
sthāvara
The immobile-source category of poison in this classification.
jaṅgama
The moving or animal-source category of poison.
adhiṣṭhāna
A site, location, or source-part in which poison is classified as residing.
ādya / adanīya
Competing readings meaning ‘the first’ and ‘not to be eaten’; Gayī rejects the latter.
The ten stated sites of sthāvara poison are root, leaf, fruit, flower, bark, milky sap, heartwood or essential substance, exudate, mineral, and tuber or bulb.
The passage names groups of sthāvara poisons according to their source-parts: eight root poisons; five leaf poisons; twelve fruit poisons; five flower poisons; seven associated with bark, heartwood, or exudate; three milky-sap poisons; two mineral poisons; and thirteen tuber or bulb poisons. It gives a total of fifty-five sthāvara poisons.
The commentary preserves several variant lists. Gayī reads anantā where the main text has gargaraka, vallīja where it has nārāca, and balāha where it has pālaka. It also cautions that even diligent persons cannot readily identify these root and other poisons, and reports that knowledge of them should be obtained from Kirāta and Śabara communities of the Himalayan region. The names and totals are therefore a textual classification, not a dependable field-identification guide.
Key terms
mūlaviṣa
A poison classified as residing in a root.
patraviṣa
A poison classified as residing in a leaf.
dhātuviṣa
A mineral poison; the list includes haritāla and a textually uncertain phenāśma or bhasma reading.
kandaviṣa
A poison classified as residing in a tuber, bulb, or underground plant part.
gargaraka / anantā
A variant pair in the root-poison list preserved by Gayī.
nārāca / vallīja
A variant pair in the bark, heartwood, or exudate list.
Among the tuber or bulb poisons, four varieties of vatsanābha, two of mustaka, and six of sarṣapa are stated; each of the remaining named kinds has a single variety.
Root poisons are associated with twisting or painful contortion of the limbs, delirious speech, and loss of awareness. Leaf poisons are associated with yawning, bodily contortion, and difficult breathing. Fruit poisons are said to produce swelling of the scrotum, burning, and aversion to food; flower poisons, vomiting, abdominal distension, and loss of awareness. Poisons from bark, heartwood, or exudate are associated with foul odor and roughness of the mouth, headache, and discharge of kapha. Milky-sap poisons are linked with frothing, diarrhea, and a heavy or impaired tongue; mineral poisons with distress in the heart or chest, fainting, and burning of the palate. The text says that these poisons commonly may kill after an interval rather than immediately.
The commentary says these are concise, general signs for the nine source categories, presented to guide treatment. It explains udveṣṭana as twisting or painful movement of the limbs and notes that the term has already been explained. It then generalizes that kālaghātin poisons may cause death at a later time—such as after days, fortnights, or months—rather than on the day of exposure.
Key terms
udveṣṭana
Twisting, contortion, or painful movement of the limbs, as glossed by the commentary.
moha
Loss or disturbance of awareness.
śvāsa
Difficult or disturbed breathing in this symptom list.
viḍbheda
Loose or frequent stools; diarrhea.
hṛtpīḍana
Distress or pressure in the region of the heart or chest.
kālaghātin
Described by the commentary as capable of killing after a delayed interval.
The text calls the tuber or bulb poisons intensely potent and then assigns particular signs to thirteen named kinds. Kālakūṭa is associated with loss of touch sensation, tremor, and stiffness; vatsanābha with neck stiffness and yellow stool, urine, and eyes; sarṣapa with disordered vāta, abdominal obstruction, and formation of swellings; pālaka with weakness of the neck and obstructed speech; kardama with excessive salivation, diarrhea, and yellow eyes; vairāṭaka with bodily pain and head disorder; mustaka with bodily stiffness and tremor; śṛṅgīviṣa with exhaustion, burning, and abdominal enlargement; puṇḍarīka with red eyes and abdominal enlargement; mūlaka with altered complexion, vomiting, hiccup, swelling, and profound impairment of awareness; hālāhala with slow breathing and a dusky appearance; mahāviṣa with severe development of a lump and pain in the heart or chest; and karkaṭa with upward jumping, laughter, and biting of the teeth.
The commentary explains that these kanda poisons are called tīkṣṇa—intensely poisonous—and therefore regarded as rapidly fatal, after which the text gives their signs individually. It glosses aṅgasāda as bodily exhaustion or languor and pramūḍhatā as profound unconsciousness. The final behavior is explained as laughing while biting or grinding the teeth.
Key terms
tīkṣṇa
Intensely potent or sharply acting; the commentary associates it with rapid danger to life.
sparśājñāna
Loss of awareness of touch or tactile sensation.
vāksaṅga
Obstruction or impairment of speech.
aṅgasāda
Bodily exhaustion or languor, according to the commentary.
pramūḍhatā
Profound loss of consciousness or awareness, as explained by the commentary.
cireṇocchvasiti (cireṇa ucchvasiti)
Breathing only after a prolonged interval; slow or severely impaired respiration.
The thirteen tuber or bulb poisons have thus been individually described as possessing formidable potency. The text adds that skilled persons should recognize all of these poisons by ten qualities, which are to be explained in the following context.
The commentary says this passage distinguishes kanda poisons from the root and other categories by a special characteristic. It explains ugravīrya as possessing exceptionally strong power. Gayī instead reads agravīrya and interprets it as possessing foremost and extensive special qualities. Pratyukta means that the thirteen have been stated one by one.
Key terms
ugravīrya
Possessing formidable or exceptionally strong potency.
agravīrya
Gayī's variant reading, interpreted as possessing foremost and extensive special qualities.
pratyukta
Stated or described individually, one by one.
daśabhir guṇaiḥ
By ten qualities; the qualities are referenced here rather than enumerated in this passage.
रूक्षमुष्णं तथा तीक्ष्णं सूक्ष्ममाशुव्यवायि च ||१९||
विकाशि विशदं चैव लघ्वपाकि च तत् स्मृतम् |
तद्रौक्ष्यात् कोपयेद्वायुमौष्ण्यात् पित्तं सशोणितम् ||२०||
मतिं च मोहयेत्तैक्ष्ण्यान्मर्मबन्धान् छिनत्ति च |
शरीरावयवान् सौक्ष्म्यात् प्रविशेद्विकरोति च ||२१||
आशुत्वादाशु तद्धन्ति व्यवायात् प्रकृतिं भजेत् |
क्षपयेच्च विकाशित्वाद्दोषान्धातून्मलानपि ||२२||
वैशद्यादतिरिच्येत दुश्चिकित्स्यं च लाघवात् |
दुर्हरं चाविपाकित्वात्तस्मात् क्लेशयते चिरम् ||२३||
Meaning of the śloka
Poison is described as dry, hot, sharp, subtle, rapidly acting, spreading before digestion, loosening or dispersing, non-slimy, light, and resistant to digestion. Through dryness it aggravates vāyu; through heat, pitta together with blood. Its sharpness confuses the mind and disrupts vital connections, while its subtlety enables it to enter and alter bodily parts. Because it acts swiftly it can kill quickly; because it spreads, it pervades the body. Its dispersing quality is said to deplete doṣas, tissues, and wastes. Its clarity or non-adhesiveness allows unimpeded movement, its lightness makes it difficult to treat, and its resistance to digestion makes it difficult to remove and capable of causing prolonged distress.
The commentary explains each of the ten qualities. Tīkṣṇa is compared to mustard and pepper; sūkṣma means entering very fine pathways; āśu means causing injury quickly; vyavāyin spreads through the whole body before undergoing transformation; vikāśin loosens tissue bonds while spreading; viśada is non-slimy; laghu possesses lightness; and apākin cannot be digested like food by the digestive fire. It then links each quality to an effect. Vyavāyin is understood as whole-body pervasion, while vikāśin is interpreted as injurious and destructive. Viśada means that the poison does not adhere anywhere; the alternative reading ‘asaktagati vaiśadyāt’ conveys the same unimpeded movement. Lightness is said to make the mind unstable and to hinder the arrival of pacifying medicine, making treatment difficult. The commentary distinguishes poison with all ten qualities, said to kill immediately, from poison with only two, three, or fewer qualities, which may cause prolonged suffering because it remains difficult to eliminate and digest. These are historical explanatory claims, not modern toxicological mechanisms.
Key terms
व्यवायि (vyavāyin)
A quality by which poison is said to spread through the whole body before digestion or transformation.
विकाशि (vikāśin)
A dispersing quality described as loosening tissue bonds and producing injury.
विशद (viśada)
Non-slimy or non-adherent, allowing unimpeded movement in the commentary's account.
अपाकि (apākin)
Resistant to digestion or transformation, and therefore described as difficult to remove.
Any plant-derived, animal-derived, or artificially compounded poison that causes death immediately should be understood as possessing all ten poisonous qualities. The supplied text then begins a further statement about such poison remaining in the body without being completely expelled, but that sentence is incomplete here.
The commentary explains that possession of all ten qualities is not restricted to bulb- or root-derived poisons. A plant, animal, or compounded poison that remains incompletely removed from the body and kills immediately is likewise regarded as having all ten qualities. Although the preceding account says that poisons other than the bulb-derived group generally act over time because they lack the full set of qualities, the commentary preserves the qualification that any among them possessing all ten may act rapidly. The final source line is fragmentary and should not be reconstructed beyond what is supplied.
Key terms
स्थावर (sthāvara)
Plant- or immobile-source poison in this classification.
जङ्गम (jaṅgama)
Animal- or mobile-source poison in this classification.
कृत्रिम (kṛtrima)
Artificially compounded poison.
दशगुणान्वित (daśaguṇānvita)
Possessing the ten qualities attributed to rapidly lethal poison.
जीर्णं विषघ्नौषधिभिर्हतं वा दावाग्निवातातपशोषितं वा ||२५||
स्वभावतो वा गुणविप्रहीनं विषं हि दूषीविषतामुपैति |
वीर्याल्पभावान्न निपातयेत्तत् कफावृतं वर्षगणानुबन्धि ||२६||
Meaning of the śloka
Poison that has aged, been weakened by anti-poison medicines, dried by forest fire, wind, or sunlight, or has otherwise lost some of its natural qualities is said to assume the condition called dūṣīviṣa. Because its potency is slight and it is enveloped by kapha, it is described as not causing an immediate collapse but persisting for many years.
The commentary says that plant poison originally described with ten qualities receives another designation when its strength has been reduced by the stated causes. Losing two, three, or more qualities, or otherwise becoming weak, makes it dūṣīviṣa. Its diminished action is explained through its effects: it does not kill either immediately or after a short delay because its formerly hot and other qualities have weakened and it is covered by liquefied śleṣman. ‘Varṣagaṇānubandhin’ is glossed as continuing for a long time. This is the commentator's historical model and does not establish that a real toxin becomes safe with age, heat, wind, sunlight, or attempted antidotes.
Key terms
दूषीविष (dūṣīviṣa)
A weakened yet persistent form of poison in the source's classification.
गुणविप्रहीन (guṇaviprahīna)
Deprived of some of the qualities attributed to poison.
A person affected by this poison is described as having altered stool color, loss or distortion of smell and taste in the mouth, thirst, fainting, vomiting, indistinct speech, dejection, and signs associated with duṣyodara. When it is situated in the āmāśaya, disorders attributed to kapha and vāta are said to occur; when in the pakvāśaya, disorders of vāta and pitta occur. The person's hair and body are described as disordered, like a bird whose wings have been cut. If lodged in rasa and the other tissues, it produces the corresponding tissue-derived disorders previously stated, and it becomes aggravated quickly in cold, windy, or overcast weather. The supplied verse ends incompletely before the next passage.
The commentary presents these as the disorders produced by gara, or compounded poison. It preserves a variant reading: some read ‘bhraman’ (reeling or dizziness) in place of ‘vaman’ (vomiting). Gadgad speech is explained as indistinct speech, and the first group is treated as general signs regardless of location. The following lines distinguish signs by bodily location. A variant reading concerning disordered or completely disturbed hair and limbs is also preserved. ‘Previously stated’ refers to the disorders listed in the discussion of disease classification, including lack of desire for food and loss of appetite. The commentary does not explain the truncated closing phrase here.
Key terms
गर (gara)
Compounded or prepared poison whose effects are being described.
वमन् / भ्रमन् (vaman / bhraman)
Variant readings meaning vomiting or reeling/dizziness, respectively.
गद्गदवाक् (gadgadavāk)
Indistinct or faltering speech, according to the commentary.
धातुप्रभव विकार (dhātuprabhava vikāra)
Disorders said to arise according to the affected tissue.
...पूर्वं शृणु तत्र रूपम् ||२९||
निद्रा गुरुत्वं च विजृम्भणं च विश्लेषहर्षावथवाऽङ्गमर्दः |३०|
Meaning of the śloka
Continuing from the preceding incomplete sentence, the text asks the listener to hear the preliminary signs. These are sleepiness, heaviness, yawning, impaired movement or separation at the joints, horripilation, and aching of the limbs.
The commentary explains viśleṣa as failure or reluctance of the joints to engage in extension and similar movements, harṣa as horripilation, and aṅgamarda as a particular kind of bodily pain. Because the opening words complete a sentence begun in the preceding passage, their full sense depends on that context.
Key terms
पूर्वरूप (pūrvarūpa)
A preliminary or prodromal sign.
विश्लेष (viśleṣa)
Difficulty or lack of engagement in extending the joints, as glossed by the commentary.
हर्ष (harṣa)
Horripilation or the hair standing on end in this context.
अङ्गमर्द (aṅgamarda)
A particular aching or painful sensation in the limbs or body.
After the preliminary signs, the text attributes many possible disorders to the poison: abnormal exhilaration or impairment after eating, indigestion, loss of appetite, circular skin lesions, koṭha eruptions, confusion, depletion of tissues, swelling of the feet, hands, and face, fluid accumulation in the abdomen, vomiting, diarrhea, discoloration, fainting, irregular fever, or intense thirst. It may also produce mental disturbance, abdominal obstruction or distension, depletion of semen, faltering speech, kuṣṭha, and many other disorders of various kinds.
The commentary states that these manifestations arise after the preliminary signs. Annamada is explained as a loss of normal composure or exhilaration associated with food that has been eaten, while avipāka means absence of digestion. The many disorders mentioned at the end include those previously assigned to kapha and vāta when the poison is in the āmāśaya, to pitta and vāta when it is in the pakvāśaya, and to involvement of rasa and the other tissues. The source presents alternatives—one poison may produce one manifestation and another a different one—rather than asserting that every sign occurs together.
Key terms
अन्नमद (annamada)
An abnormal state linked with eaten food, glossed as loss of normal exhilaration or composure.
अविपाक (avipāka)
Failure or absence of digestion.
आनाह (ānāha)
Abdominal obstruction or distension in this passage.
कुष्ठ (kuṣṭha)
A broad classical category of skin disease, not a single modern diagnosis.
It is called dūṣīviṣa because, when repeatedly aggravated or corrupted by place, season, food, daytime sleep, and related factors, it is said to impair the bodily tissues.
The commentary presents this as an etymological explanation of dūṣīviṣa. ‘Place’ is exemplified by marshy terrain with abundant wind, cold, and rain; ‘season’ by cold, wind, and overcast weather; and ‘food’ by items such as surā, sesame, and kulattha. Because food is used illustratively, the commentator also includes sexual activity, exercise, anger, and similar factors. Abhīkṣṇaśaḥ means repeatedly. These examples belong to the source's historical framework and should not be treated as established causes of toxic injury.
Key terms
दूषीविष (dūṣīviṣa)
Persistent, weakened poison, named here for repeatedly impairing the tissues.
देश (deśa)
Place or environment, exemplified by marshy, cold, windy, rainy terrain.
दिवास्वप्न (divāsvapna)
Sleep during the daytime, listed among aggravating factors.
The text describes seven successive stages after ingestion of plant poison. In the first, the tongue becomes dark and rigid, with fainting and difficulty breathing. In the second, tremor, exhaustion, burning, throat pain, and pain in the heart region are described when poison reaches the āmāśaya. The third includes dryness of the palate, severe pain in the āmāśaya, and discolored, greenish, swollen eyes. The fourth includes piercing pain in both pakvāśaya and āmāśaya, hiccup, cough, intestinal sounds, and extreme heaviness of the head. In the fifth there is increased kapha, discoloration, pain in the joints, aggravation of all doṣas, and pain in the lower digestive region. The sixth brings loss of awareness and severe diarrhea. The seventh is marked by severe pain or breaking sensation in the shoulders, back, and waist, together with cessation of breathing.
The commentary introduces the passage as the signs of the first and subsequent vegas, or stages, of ingested plant poison. It supplies the omitted noun in the final expression: sannirodha means complete cessation, specifically cessation of breathing. No additional interpretation of the intermediate signs is provided.
Key terms
वेग (vega)
A successive stage or surge in the classical account of poisoning.
मूर्च्छा (mūrcchā)
Fainting or loss of consciousness.
प्रज्ञाप्रणाश (prajñāpraṇāśa)
Loss of awareness or consciousness.
सन्निरोध (sannirodha)
Complete cessation, clarified by the commentary as cessation of breathing.
For the first stage of poisoning, the text directs that the person be made to vomit, sprinkled with cool water, and given an agada mixed with honey and ghee. In the second stage it prescribes vomiting as before followed by purgation; in the third, drinking an agada together with nasal medication and collyrium; in the fourth, an agada mixed with an unctuous substance; and in the fifth, an agada combined with honey and a decoction of madhuka. For the sixth stage it refers to the treatment used for diarrhoea and prescribes avapīḍa nasal medication; in the seventh it describes making a crow's-foot-shaped incision on the head and placing blood-bearing flesh there.
The commentary identifies the unspecified agada throughout as Dūṣīviṣāri. For the second stage it describes a purgative combined with ghee, honey, cooling substances, and antipoison herbs, whereas Gayī interprets the instruction as giving the purgative with honey, as in the preceding stage. In the third stage, the agada is understood as Dūṣīviṣāri with honey and ghee; the nasal medication and mild collyrium are characterized as antipoison measures intended to restore consciousness, with the collyrium also described as beneficial to the eyes. In the fourth stage, sneha is specifically cow's ghee and replaces the previously mentioned honey. The fifth-stage agada is again supplied as Dūṣīviṣāri. Although the seventh stage is described as having signs of incurability, the commentator says intervention may still be attempted after communicating the prognosis. A grammatical explanation extends avapīḍa to the sixth stage and incorporates additional measures mentioned elsewhere for animal poison, including blood-bearing skin and striking vessels of the limbs or forehead. These are hazardous historical procedures, not instructions for use.
Key terms
viṣavega
A stage or surge in the progression of poisoning.
agada
An antidotal preparation, identified here by the commentary as Dūṣīviṣāri.
avapīḍa
A pressed-juice form of nasal medication in the historical regimen.
kākapada
A crow's-foot-shaped incision described for the seventh stage.
Between any two stages of poisoning, after the measure appropriate to that stage has been performed, the text prescribes a cooled yavāgū containing ghee and honey. It lists koṣātakī, agnika, pāṭhā, sūryavallī, amṛtā, abhayā, śirīṣa, kiṇihī, śelu, giryāhvā, the two rajanīs, the two punarnavās, hareṇu, trikaṭu, the two sārivās, and balā, and states that yavāgū prepared in their decoction counters both kinds of poison.
The commentary explains vegāntara as a stage other than the stage currently under discussion, and anyatama as any one of them; the preceding stage-specific procedure is to have been completed first. It identifies koṣātakī as ghoṣaka; agnika as ajamodā, though others identify it as moraṭa; sūryavallī as a plant with leaves resembling paṭola whose leaf juice is said to make coated meat appear cooked, while others call it sūryāvarta; kiṇihī as kaṭabhī; śelu as śleṣmātaka; and giryāhvā as śvetasyanda. Punarnavā is understood in its white- and yellow-flowered forms. The yavāgū is said to be prepared from the decoction of these ingredients according to the ṣaḍaṅga method. An alternative reading replaces 'sārive balā' with 'sārivotpale.' These plant identifications and readings remain uncertain and distinct.
Key terms
vegāntara
The interval or transition involving a poison stage other than the one presently discussed.
yavāgū
A thin gruel described here as prepared from a herbal decoction.
agnika
An ingredient identified as ajamodā, with moraṭa preserved as an alternative identification.
sūryavallī
A plant described by its paṭola-like leaves; sūryāvarta is an alternative identification.
मधुकं तगरं कुष्ठं भद्रदारु हरेणवः |
पुन्नागैलैलवालूनि नागपुष्पोत्पलं सिता ||४७||
विडङ्गं चन्दनं पत्रं प्रियङ्गुर्ध्यामकं तथा |
हरिद्रे द्वे बृहत्यौ च सारिवे च स्थिरा सहा ||४८||
कल्कैरेषां घृतं सिद्धमजेयमिति विश्रुतम् |
विषाणि हन्ति सर्वाणि शीघ्रमेवाजितं क्वचित् ||४९||
Meaning of the śloka
The passage lists madhuka, tagara, kuṣṭha, bhadradāru, hareṇu, punnāga, elā, elavālu, nāgapuṣpa, utpala, sugar, viḍaṅga, candana, patra, priyaṅgu, dhyāmaka, the two haridrās, the two bṛhatīs, the two sārivās, sthirā, and sahā. It states that ghee prepared with pastes of these substances is widely known as Ajeya and is held to act rapidly against every kind of poison, remaining 'unconquered' in any instance.
The commentary identifies punnāga as tuṅga, said to be well known in the eastern region; elavāluka as known by that same name; nāgapuṣpa as nāgakeśara; dhyāmaka as kattṛṇa; and sthirā as śālaparṇī. It describes a historical preparation using a paste of the listed ingredients, water, and ghee and says the resulting formula is named Ajeya. 'All poisons' is explained as plant-derived, animal-derived, and artificial poisons. The closing expression is interpreted to mean that Ajeya is not defeated in any case, including any plant poison. This is the commentator's expansive historical claim and is not evidence of universal effectiveness.
Key terms
Ajeya
The name of the historical medicated-ghee formula, literally conveying 'unconquered.'
nāgapuṣpa
An ingredient identified by the commentary as nāgakeśara.
dhyāmaka
An ingredient identified by the commentary as kattṛṇa.
sthirā
An ingredient identified by the commentary as śālaparṇī.
For a person affected by dūṣīviṣa, the text first describes fomentation and cleansing in both upward and downward directions, then says that a particular antidote against dūṣīviṣa should be given regularly. Its ingredients are pippalī, dhyāmaka, māṃsī, śāvara, paripelava, suvarcikā, fine elā, toya, and kanakagairika. Mixed with honey, this antidote is called Dūṣīviṣāri; it is said to remove dūṣīviṣa and is not excluded for use in other contexts.
The commentary introduces treatment for dūṣīviṣa understood as impairing the bodily tissues. Although fomentation is generally restricted in poisoning, it is allowed here because the poison is considered weak and obstructed by kapha; reducing that obstruction is said to permit the poison to enter the gastrointestinal tract and be removed by cleansing. Another reading has 'well oleated' rather than 'well fomented,' and its proponents still infer fomentation from oleation. The formula is then presented to calm poison residue that was not fully removed and to restore tissues affected by plant or animal poison. Dhyāmaka is identified as kattṛṇa, śāvara as rodhra, paripelava as vanyaka—though others identify it as kaivartamustaka—toya as bālaka, and suvarṇagairika as a substance known in the southern region. 'Elsewhere' is interpreted either as use even in acute plant and animal poisons or, by others, in later-mentioned disorders such as fever. These alternatives must remain separate.
Key terms
dūṣīviṣa
A residual or weakened poison described as persisting and affecting the bodily tissues.
Dūṣīviṣāri
The name of the historical honey-mixed antidotal formula in this passage.
paripelava
An ingredient identified as vanyaka, with kaivartamustaka preserved as an alternative.
susvinna / susnigdha
Variant readings meaning well fomented or well oleated, respectively.
ज्वरे दाहे च हिक्कायामानाहे शुक्रसङ्क्षये |
शोफेऽतिसारे मूर्च्छायां हृद्रोगे जठरेऽपि च ||५३||
उन्मादे वेपथौ चैव ये चान्ये स्युरुपद्रवाः |
यथास्वं तेषु कुर्वीत विषघ्नैरौषधैः क्रियाम् ||५४||
Meaning of the śloka
For fever, burning, hiccup, abdominal distension, depletion of semen, swelling, diarrhoea, fainting, heart disorder, abdominal disease, mental disturbance, tremor, and any other complications arising in this setting, the text directs that each should receive its own appropriate treatment combined with antipoison medicines.
The commentary states that these are complications arising from dūṣīviṣa. It explains 'each according to its own' as applying whatever treatment is prescribed for that particular complication, with antipoison medicines incorporated. It gives no individual formula or further therapeutic detail here.
Key terms
upadrava
A complication attributed here to dūṣīviṣa.
yathāsvam
According to the treatment appropriate to each particular complication.
mūrcchā
Fainting or loss of consciousness listed among the complications.
vepathu
Trembling or tremor listed among the complications.
The text classifies recently arisen dūṣīviṣa in a self-controlled person as curable, a case present for a year as manageable rather than fully curable, and dūṣīviṣa in an emaciated person who continues unsuitable habits as incurable.
The commentary says that this verse presents the three prognostic categories: curable, manageable, and a condition for which treatment is to be declined. It supplies no further reasoning or qualifications.
Key terms
sādhya
Classified as curable in the source's prognosis.
yāpya
Classified as manageable or maintainable rather than fully curable.
asādhya
Classified as incurable in the source's prognosis.
ahitasevin
A person continuing habits or intake considered unsuitable in this context.
The commentary's colophon states that the second chapter of the Kalpasthāna is complete in Dalhaṇa's Suśruta commentary called the Nibandhasaṅgraha. The source preserves a spelling variant in Dalhaṇa's name.
Key terms
Kalpasthāna
The section of the Suśruta Saṃhitā in which this chapter occurs.
Sthāvaraviṣavijñānīya
The chapter title, concerning knowledge of plant-derived or immobile-source poisons.
Nibandhasaṅgraha
The title of Dalhaṇa's commentary on the Suśruta Saṃhitā.
Dalhaṇa
The commentator named in the colophon, with a spelling variation preserved in the source.