After explaining the embryo, the commentary says it is appropriate to count the bodily parts once the developed embryo has acquired limbs and subsidiary parts and is called a body. The body was previously defined as the conjunction of the five great elements with the embodied being. This chapter explains the number of its component parts. Alternatively, because the collective word 'body' can also apply to its parts, the title may mean the enumeration of those bodily parts.
Key terms
sharIra (sharira)
The body as a whole or, by extension, its component parts.
Shukra and shoNita situated in the uterus and combined with Atman, prakRti, and its transformations are called garbha. While consciousness remains present, vAyu divides it, tejas transforms it, water moistens it, earth consolidates it, and space enables its expansion. When thus developed and furnished with hands, feet, tongue, nose, ears, buttocks, and other parts, it receives the name sharIra. The body has six major parts: four limbs, the central trunk as the fifth, and the head as the sixth.
The commentary first explains how the developing garbha comes to be called a body. Atman is the kShetrajna; the eight prakRtis begin with pradhAna; and the sixteen transformations are the five elements and eleven faculties, together forming the twenty-five-principle scheme useful to yogins. For physicians the embryo is then described through six constituents. Consciousness remains as a sustaining cause until birth; without it, the material would putrefy and disintegrate. VAyu differentiates doShas, dhAtus, wastes, limbs, and minor parts. Tejas changes one form into another. Water preserves moisture despite the drying action of air and fire. Earth makes the moistened material firm and embodied. Space allows growth upward, downward, and across by providing room in channels opened by air and fire. A variant reads 'draws together,' but the commentator rejects it because that verbal root would signify destruction. The central part extends from the throat to the anus.
Key terms
garbha
Reproductive material joined with conscious and material principles, before being termed the developed body.
cetanAvasthita (chetanavasthita)
Sustained by the presence of consciousness in the classical account.
ShaDa~gga (shadanga)
The six major divisions: four limbs, trunk, and head.
The subsidiary parts are then listed. Single structures include the head, abdomen, back, navel, forehead, nose, chin, bladder, and neck. Paired structures include the ears, eyes, eyebrows, temples, shoulders, cheeks, armpits, breasts, groins, testes, flanks, buttocks, knees, elbows, arms, thighs, and related parts. There are twenty digits. The srotases are to be described later. This is the division of the subsidiary parts.
The commentary explains that this is another numerical division of bodily parts. AMsa is the head of the arm or shoulder, gaNDa the cheek, and several other terms receive vernacular anatomical glosses. The phrase 'arms, thighs, and so forth' also includes paired lips, corners of the mouth, and kukundaras. The channels are not numbered here because they will be discussed under the skin and other structures in which they are situated.
Key terms
pratya~gga (pratyanga)
A subsidiary or minor part of the body.
aMsa (amsa)
The shoulder or upper end of the arm.
sRkkaNI (srikkani)
The two corners of the mouth, included through 'and so forth.'
kukundara
A paired anatomical region included by the commentary; exact modern correspondence is uncertain.
Having identified the major and subsidiary parts that serve as supports, the commentary introduces the structures situated within them. From skin through the dhamanI-associated channels, the list contains twenty-nine categories. Yogavaha srotases are channels that travel in association with dhamanIs, identified in the later explanation as conveying prANa, water, food, and other substances.
Key terms
sa~gkhyAna (sankhyana)
The reckoning by which the body's component categories are counted.
kaNDarA (kandara)
A large binding structure, later glossed as a major snAyu.
sevani
A seam or suture line.
sImanta (simanta)
A boundary seam, especially of the head in this enumeration.
A concise enumeration gives seven skin layers, seven kalAs, seven Ashayas, seven dhAtus, seven hundred sirAs, five hundred muscles, nine hundred snAyus, three hundred bones, two hundred and ten joints, one hundred and seven marmas, twenty-four dhamanIs, three doShas, three wastes, and nine srotases. It additionally lists sixteen kaNDarAs, sixteen networks, six kUrcas, four cords, seven sutures, fourteen unions, fourteen cranial seams, twenty-two dhamanI-associated channels, and two sets of intestines.
विस्तारोऽत ऊर्ध्वं- त्वचोऽभिहिताः कला धातवो मला दोषा यकृत्प्लीहानौ फुप्फुस उण्डुको हृदयं वृक्कौ च ||७||
Meaning of the śloka
The detailed account now follows: the skin layers, kalAs, dhAtus, wastes, doShas, liver and spleen, lungs, uNDuka, heart, and kidneys have already been described.
The commentary says this begins the expansion of the categories previously summarized. Skin has already been explained by both number and name in the chapter on the embryo, and the kalAs and the other listed structures have likewise been addressed.
Key terms
vistAra (vistara)
The expanded or detailed account following the summary.
uNDuka (unduka)
A classically named visceral structure whose exact modern identification is uncertain.
vRkka (vrikka)
The paired kidneys in common contextual rendering.
The seven Ashayas are those of vAta, pitta, shleShma, rakta, undigested food, digested waste, and urine. In women, the garbhAshaya is an eighth.
🔊 Audio coming soon
Show commentary
āśayānāha- āśayāstvityādi| āśayō'dhiṣṭhānam| pittāśayādadhaḥ pakvāśayaḥ, tasyaikadēśē ca vibhaktamalādhāra uṇḍu(ndu)kō vidyatē, ata uṇḍu(ndu)kāt pakvāśayō bhinna ityarthaḥ| āśayakramastu vāgbhaṭēnōktā yathā- “raktasyādyaḥ kramāt parē| kaphāmapittapakvānāṁ vāyōrmūtrasya ca kramāt| garbhāśayō'ṣṭamaḥ strīṇāṁ pittapakvāśayāntarā”- (vā.śā.3) iti||8||
Meaning of the commentary
Ashaya means a seat or receptacle. The commentary distinguishes pakvAshaya from uNDuka: pakvAshaya lies below pittAshaya, while uNDuka is a particular part of it that holds separated waste. It cites Vagbhata's order as rakta, kapha, Ama, pitta, pakva, vAyu, and urine, with the uterine receptacle as an eighth in women, located between pittAshaya and pakvAshaya.
Key terms
Ashaya (ashaya)
A seat, receptacle, or region holding a bodily constituent.
AmAshaya (amashaya)
The receptacle associated with undigested food.
pakvAshaya (pakvashaya)
The receptacle associated with digested material or formed waste.
garbhAshaya (garbhashaya)
The uterine or embryonic receptacle, counted additionally in female reproductive anatomy.
The commentary defines one vyAma as the transverse distance between the hands when both arms, including the hands, are extended sideways.
Key terms
antra
The intestines or intestinal tract.
vyAma (vyama)
A body-based measure equal to the span between outstretched hands.
ardhavyAmahIna (ardhavyamahina)
Shorter by half a vyAma.
Adhikarana 9 (10) · Śloka 10
śravaṇanayanavadanaghrāṇagudamēḍhrāṇi nava srōtāṁsi narāṇāṁ bahirmukhāni, ētānyēva strīṇāmaparāṇi ca trīṇi dvē stanayōradhastādraktavahaṁ ca ||10||
View original
श्रवणनयनवदनघ्राणगुदमेढ्राणि नव स्रोतांसि नराणां बहिर्मुखानि, एतान्येव स्त्रीणामपराणि च त्रीणि द्वे स्तनयोरधस्ताद्रक्तवहं च ||१०||
Meaning of the śloka
Men are said to have nine outward-opening channels: two ears, two eyes, the mouth, two nostrils, the anus, and the urethral or genital opening. Women have these and three additional channels: two beneath the breasts and one carrying menstrual blood below.
The commentary explains that this list concerns outward-opening channels; other channels described with the dhamanIs open internally. The menstrual channel is located below a structure poetically called Smara's parasol at the upper part of the bhaga. A cited verse describes that structure as broad and shaped like a pippala leaf, located at the upper surface and touched by the openings of the channels of sexual desire.
Key terms
bahirmukha srotas
A bodily channel with an external opening.
raktavaha
The externally opening channel described as carrying menstrual blood.
bhaga
The external female genital region in this context.
smarAtapatra (smaratapatra)
A poetic anatomical term, 'the parasol of Smara,' for an upper genital structure; exact mapping needs review.
Adhikarana 10 (11) · Śloka 11
ṣōḍaśa kaṇḍarāḥ- tāsāṁ catasraḥ pādayōḥ, tāvatyō hastagrīvāpr̥ṣṭhēṣu; tatra hastapādagatānāṁ kaṇḍarāṇāṁ nakhā agraprarōhāḥ, grīvāhr̥dayanibandhinīnāmadhōbhāgagatānāṁ mēḍhraṁ, śrōṇipr̥ṣṭanibandhinīnāmadhōbhāgagatānāṁ bimbaṁ , mūrdhōruvakṣōṁ'sapiṇḍādīnāṁ ca ||11||
There are sixteen kaNDarAs: four associated with the feet, four with the hands, four with the neck, and four with the back. The nails are the terminal outgrowths of those belonging to the hands and feet. The lower ends of those binding the neck and heart reach the genital region; those binding the pelvis and back reach the bimba or rounded buttock region. Their other terminal regions include the rounded areas of the head, thighs, chest, shoulder masses, and related parts.
The commentary defines kaNDarA as a large snAyu. Jejjata has a variant reading in which the nails are terminal outgrowths of both the kaNDarAs and bones of the hands and feet. For the four binding neck and heart, the genital region is supplied as their lower terminal outgrowth. For the four binding pelvis and stabilizing the back, bimba means the rounded buttock region. Their upper ends are assigned by proximity: the neck group to the rounded head, the foot group to the thighs, the back group to the chest and breast regions, and the hand group to the shoulder masses.
Key terms
kaNDarA (kandara)
A major binding structure, glossed as a large snAyu.
agrapraroha
A terminal extension or outgrowth.
bimba
A rounded region, interpreted here principally as the buttock contour.
aMsapiNDa (amsapinda)
The rounded mass at the shoulder or head of the arm.
There are four networks each of flesh, sirAs, snAyus, and bones. They are situated at the wrists and ankles, bound to one another and mutually windowed or interlaced; through these networks the body is described as latticed throughout.
The commentary takes the four tissue categories separately, each with four networks. At each wrist and ankle there is one network of flesh, one of sirAs, one of snAyus, and one of bone. ParasparagavAkShita means that openings form among structures bound to one another, producing a continuous lattice-like arrangement of spaces through the body.
Key terms
jAla (jala)
A netlike anatomical arrangement.
maNibandha (manibandha)
The wrist region.
gulpha
The ankle region.
parasparagavAkShita (parasparagavakshita)
Mutually perforated, windowed, or interlaced like a lattice.
The commentary says their brush-like form can be inferred from the name kUrca. They are continuous formations arising from networks of flesh, bone, sirAs, and snAyus.
Key terms
kUrca (kurcha)
A brush-shaped anatomical formation made from converging tissue networks.
meDhra (medhra)
The genital or penile region in this source context.
jAlaka (jalaka)
A small network from which a kUrca is said to arise.
There are four great cords of flesh: two external and two internal, lying on both sides of the spinal column and binding the muscles. There are seven sevanIs: five divided across the head, one on the tongue, and one on the genital organ. These must be avoided by surgical instruments.
The commentary says the cords serve to bind the muscles. Gayi reads the count differently: four great flesh cords on each side of the spinal column, making eight rather than four. The supplied commentary gives no further explanation of the seven sevanIs beyond their locations and the warning to avoid them.
Key terms
mAMsarajju (mamsarajju)
A major cord-like flesh structure that binds muscles.
pRuShThavaMsha (prishthavamsha)
The spinal column or axial line of the back.
sevanI (sevani)
A seam or suture line regarded as vulnerable to instruments.
Fourteen assemblages of bones are counted. Three are situated at the ankle, knee, and groin of each lower limb; the same pattern applies to the other lower limb and to both upper limbs. One further assemblage is at the trika and one at the head.
The ankle, knee, and groin supply three assemblages in each leg, and the corresponding threefold pattern in each arm brings the limb total to twelve. One at the trika and one in the head complete fourteen. Although trika commonly denotes the sacral or pelvic region, the commentary says that here it means the three-bone junction involving the arm and neck region.
Key terms
asthisa~gghAta (asthi-sanghata)
An assemblage or junction of bones.
gulpha
Ankle region.
jAnu (janu)
Knee region.
va~gkShaNa (vankshana)
Groin region.
trika
A three-bone junction; interpreted unusually here rather than as the familiar sacral region.
चतुर्दशैव सीमन्ताः; ते चास्थिसङ्घातवद्गणनीयाः, यतस्तैर्युक्ता अस्थिसङ्घाताः; ये ह्युक्ताः सङ्घातास्ते खल्वष्टादशैकेषाम् ||१७||
Meaning of the śloka
Fourteen simantas are likewise counted, following the enumeration of bone assemblages because the assemblages are joined by them. Some authorities, however, count eighteen bone assemblages.
A verse from Bhoja defines simantas as the seams by which assemblages are sutured together. The alternative total of eighteen consists of the preceding fourteen plus one above the pelvic mass, one above the chest, one at the junction of abdomen and chest, and one above the shoulder prominence.
Key terms
sImanta (simanta)
A seam or suturing boundary joining bone assemblages.
asthisa~gghAta (asthi-sanghata)
A bone assemblage joined by simantas.
aShTAdasha (ashtadasha)
The alternative total of eighteen assemblages.
aMsakUTa (amsakuta)
The shoulder prominence named in the alternative count.
Authorities of the Vedic tradition are said to count 360 bones, while the surgical tradition counts 300: 120 in the limbs, 117 in the pelvis, sides, back, and chest, and 63 from the neck upward, completing three hundred.
🔊 Audio coming soon
Show commentary
asthisaṅkhyāṁ kurvannāha- trīṇītyādi| vēdavādinō bhāṣanta ityatrāyurvēdavādina iti draṣṭavyaṁ, na punarvēda ēva; tadā tu trīṇyēvāsthiśatānītyatratyaṁ vacō vēdaviruddhatvādapramāṇaṁ syāt| svamatamāha- śalyatantrēṣvityādi||18||
Meaning of the commentary
The commentary says that 'Vedic authorities' should be understood here as authorities of Ayurveda, rather than the Veda in general; otherwise the surgical total of three hundred would appear to contradict the Veda and lose authority. The text then identifies three hundred as its own surgical-system count.
Key terms
asthi
Bone or a structure counted as bone in this classical enumeration.
vedavAdin (veda-vadin)
Interpreted here as an Ayurvedic authority who counts 360 bones.
shalyatantra (shalya-tantra)
The surgical tradition, which counts 300 bones.
shAkhA (shakha)
The four limbs.
koShTha (koshtha)
The central trunk region represented here by pelvis, sides, back, and chest.
The text details its total of 300 bones. Each toe has three, giving fifteen; ten more belong to the sole, kurcha, and ankle, one to the heel, two to the lower leg, one to the knee, and one to the thigh—thirty in each limb, with the other leg and both arms counted correspondingly. Five are in the pelvis: four at the anus, pubic region, and buttocks, and one at the trika. Each side has 36, the back 30, the chest eight, and the two shoulder blades two. Above are nine in the neck, four in the throat tube, two jaws, 32 teeth, three in the nose, one in the palate, paired cheek, ear, and temple structures, and six in the head.
The commentary explains five rod-like bones in the sole, one binding bone, and two each at kurcha and ankle as the ten foot structures. Four sets of twenty plus the associated counts produce 120 limb bones. The five pelvic structures and the remainder through the clavicular region produce 117 for the trunk. The structures from the neck upward total 63. In the phrase concerning cheeks, ears, and temples, each paired structure is counted separately, producing six bones.
Key terms
talakUrcagulpha (tala-kurcha-gulpha)
The sole, kurcha region, and ankle used in the foot count.
pArShNi (parshni)
Heel.
shroNI (shroni)
Pelvic region.
aMsaphalaka (amsaphalaka)
Shoulder blade.
kaNThanADI (kantha-nadi)
The throat tube or tubular structures of the neck in this count.
Bones are classified into five forms: kapala, ruchaka, taruna, valaya, and nalaka. Kapala bones occur at the knee, hip, shoulder, cheek, palate, temple, and head; teeth are ruchaka; structures in the nose, ear, neck, and eye socket are taruna; those of the sides, back, and chest are valaya; and the remaining bones are called nalaka.
Kapala is also called karpara. The five names distinguish bones according to location and structural character. Nalaka includes the bones of the hands and feet, digits, sole, kurcha, wrists, arms, and lower legs, supported by a quotation from Bhoja. Stating the names is intended to communicate differences in construction or shape.
Key terms
kapAla (kapala)
A plate- or shell-like class of bone.
rucaka (ruchaka)
The class assigned to teeth.
taruNa (taruna)
A softer or developing structural class at sites such as nose, ear, neck, and orbit.
valaya
A curved or encircling class in the sides, back, and chest.
nalaka
A tubular or stalk-like class assigned to most remaining limb bones.
As trees are supported by their inner heartwood, living bodies are firmly supported by the essential framework of bones. Even when skin and flesh have long decayed, bones do not disappear as quickly because they are the body's enduring essence. Flesh is fastened here by vessels and ligaments and, taking bones as its support, does not collapse or fall away.
The commentary introduces the verses to show the primary importance of bones in supporting the body. Its brief final gloss indicates that 'here' refers to the bones as the place of attachment.
Key terms
asthisAra (asthi-sara)
The essential supporting framework of bone.
bhUruha (bhuruha)
A tree, used in the heartwood analogy.
sirA (sira)
Vessels that help bind flesh in the classical account.
snAyu (snayu)
Binding structures or ligaments attaching flesh to its support.
Alambana (alambana)
Support or point of attachment.
Adhikarana 20 (24-25) · Śloka 25
sandhayastu dvividhāścēṣṭāvantaḥ , sthirāśca ||24||
śākhāsu hanvōḥ kaṭyāṁ ca cēṣṭāvantastu sandhayaḥ |
śēṣāstu sandhayaḥ sarvē vijñēyā hi sthirā budhaiḥ ||25||
View original
सन्धयस्तु द्विविधाश्चेष्टावन्तः , स्थिराश्च ||२४||
शाखासु हन्वोः कट्यां च चेष्टावन्तस्तु सन्धयः |
शेषास्तु सन्धयः सर्वे विज्ञेया हि स्थिरा बुधैः ||२५||
Meaning of the śloka
Joints are of two kinds: movable and stable. Movable joints occur in the limbs, jaws, and waist; knowledgeable authorities regard the remaining joints as stable.
The text counts 210 joints: 68 in the limbs, 59 in the trunk, and 83 from the neck upward. Each ordinary toe has three and each great toe two, making fourteen in a foot; one each at knee, ankle, and groin makes seventeen per lower limb, and the other limbs follow correspondingly. It then enumerates joints in the pelvis, spine, sides, chest, neck, throat, channels attached to the heart and kloma, tooth roots, kakalaka, nose, eyelids and eyes, cheeks, ears, temples, jaws, brows, skull, and crown to complete the total.
Although each great toe or thumb is associated with three bones, only two joints are counted. In the hand, the third apparent thumb junction is included within the wrist joint. After the limb joints, the commentary explains the trunk and upper-body totals. It places three in the pelvic plates, 24 in the vertebral column, 24 in the sides, and eight in the chest. Kakalaka is glossed as the throat prominence commonly called ghantika. Eighteen circular joints belong to food-and-drink-carrying tubular structures tied to the heart and kloma. Paired cheeks, ears, and temples produce six joints, and the cited mnemonic confirms that the 32 tooth-root joints are included in the total of 83 above the neck.
Key terms
sandhi
A joint or anatomical junction in the classical count.
pRuShThavaMsha (prishtha-vamsha)
The vertebral column or spinal series.
kAkalaka (kakalaka)
A throat prominence, glossed as galamani or ghantika.
vartmamaNDala (vartma-mandala)
The eyelid-circle region assigned paired junctions.
kloma
A classical internal structure whose modern identity remains uncertain.
These joints are classified into eight shapes: kora, ulukhala, samudga, pratara, tunnasevani, vayasatunda, mandala, and shankhavarta. Kora joints are assigned to digits, wrists, ankles, knees, and elbows; ulukhala to armpits, groins, and teeth; samudga to shoulder seats, anus, pubic region, and hips; pratara to neck and spine; tunnasevani to skull and pelvic plates; vayasatunda to both sides of the jaw; mandala to throat, heart, eye, kloma, and tubular channels; and shankhavarta to the ear and shrungataka regions. Their names largely indicate their shapes.
The commentary adds shape explanations for clarity. Kora may mean a pit, producing a pit-shaped joint; others take it as a flower bud. Ulukhala resembles a mortar used for pounding grain, samudga a lidded casket, and pratara a raft. Mandala is circular, while the shapes of the remaining types are to be inferred from their names.
Key terms
kora
A pit-shaped or, alternatively, bud-shaped joint.
ulUkhala (ulukhala)
A mortar-shaped joint.
sAmudga (samudga)
A joint shaped like a fitted or lidded casket.
pratara
A raft-shaped joint.
tunnasevanI (tunna-sevani)
A seam-like joint category.
sha~gkhAvarta (shankhavarta)
A spiral or conch-whorl-shaped junction.
Adhikarana 23 (28) · Śloka 28
asthnāṁ tu sandhayō hyētē kēvalāḥ parikīrtitāḥ |
pēśīsnāyusirāṇāṁ tu sandhisaṅkhyā na vidyatē ||28||
Nine hundred snayus are counted: 600 in the limbs, 230 in the trunk, and 70 from the neck upward. In each foot, six are bound to each toe, making thirty; thirty occur in the sole, kurcha, and ankle, thirty in the lower leg, ten at the knee, forty in the thigh, and ten in the groin—150 in each limb, with the remaining limbs counted correspondingly. The trunk has sixty at the waist, eighty in the back, sixty in the sides, and thirty in the chest. From the neck upward there are thirty-six in the neck and thirty-four in the head.
The commentary explains nicita as six snayus bound together at each toe. It separates the limb, trunk, and upper-body calculations to show how the total of nine hundred is reached. Large snayus are specifically called kandaras.
Key terms
snAyu (snayu)
A binding bodily structure counted in the classical system.
भवन्ति चात्र- स्नायूश्चतुर्विधा विद्यात्तास्तु सर्वा निबोध मे |
प्रतानवत्यो वृत्ताश्च पृथ्व्यश्च शुषिरास्तथा ||३०||
प्रतानवत्यः शाखासु सर्वसन्धिषु चाप्यथ |
वृत्तास्तु कण्डराः सर्वा विज्ञेयाः कुशलैरिह ||३१||
आमपक्वाशयान्तेषु बस्तौ च शुषिराः खलु |
पार्श्वोरसि तथा पृष्ठे पृथुलाश्च शिरस्यथ ||३२||
नौर्यथा फलकास्तीर्णा बन्धनैर्बहुभिर्युता |
भारक्षमा भवेदप्सु नृयुक्ता सुसमाहिता ||३३||
एवमेव शरीरेऽस्मिन् यावन्तः सन्धयः स्मृताः |
स्नायुभिर्बहुभिर्बद्धास्तेन भारसहा नराः ||३४||
न ह्यस्थीनि न वा पेश्यो न सिरा न च सन्धयः |
व्यापादितास्तथा हन्युर्यथा स्नायुः शरीरिणम् ||३५||
यः स्नायूः प्रविजानाति बाह्याश्चाभ्यन्तरास्तथा |
स गूढं शल्यमाहर्तुं देहाच्छक्नोति देहिनाम् ||३६||
Meaning of the śloka
Snayus are described in four forms: spreading, round, broad, and hollow. Spreading ones occur in the limbs and throughout the joints; all kandaras are round; hollow ones are at the ends of the stomach and large bowel and in the bladder; broad ones are in the sides, chest, back, and head. Just as a well-built boat, its planks fastened by many bindings, carries weight on water, the body's joints are bound by many snayus and thereby bear weight. Injury to a snayu is said to endanger a person more severely than injury to bone, muscle, vessel, or joint. Knowledge of external and internal snayus enables a surgeon to remove a deeply concealed foreign body.
The commentary glosses the round type as circular and emphasizes that snayus bind all bodily parts. In the boat analogy, the craft is well assembled and carries a person. The comparison about injury states the text's view that damaged snayus can be especially lethal.
Five hundred peshis are counted: 400 in the limbs, 66 in the trunk, and 34 from the neck upward. Each lower limb has one hundred, distributed among the toes, forefoot, upper foot and kurcha, ankle and sole, lower leg, knee, thigh, and groin; the other leg and both arms follow correspondingly. The text then enumerates peshis at the anus, penis, perineal seam, testes, buttocks, bladder, abdomen, navel, back, sides, chest, clavicle and shoulder, heart, stomach, liver, spleen, other internal structures, neck, jaws, throat, palate, tongue, lips, nose, eyes, cheeks, ears, forehead, and head. These total five hundred. Vessels, snayus, bones, bony prominences, and joints are enclosed by the peshis and thereby gain strength.
A peshi is defined as a distinct aggregate or portion of flesh. The primary text counts 66 in the trunk and 34 above the neck. Gayi instead reads sixty in the trunk and forty above the neck, as does Vriddha Vagbhata for the trunk total, and supplies a different distribution: among other changes, separate counts occur at the anal folds, abdominal structures, heart and stomach, tongue, forehead, and head. The commentary retains both enumerations rather than resolving them. The closing verse explains muscle as covering and strengthening vessels, snayus, bones, prominences, and joints.
Key terms
peshI (peshi)
A distinct aggregate or portion of flesh, broadly a muscle unit.
prapada
The forepart of the foot.
sevanI (sevani)
A midline seam, here in the perineal region.
akShaka (akshaka)
A clavicular or shoulder-region structure in this enumeration.
The text counts twenty additional peshis in the female body: ten in the two breasts, five in each, which enlarge in youth; four in the reproductive passage; three associated with the passage of the fetus; and three through which shukra and artava enter. The garbhashayya, where the fetus remains, is located between the sites of pitta and the pakvashaya.
The commentary explains the twenty as follows. There are ten breast peshis. Four are in the yoni: two internally extended structures, understood in relation to the urinary passage, and two external rounded peshis situated on either side of the yoni's karnika-like passage. Three peshis of the fetal passage form three turns; in the third turn lies the fish-mouth-shaped garbhashayya. Three further peshis admit shukra and artava. The final sentence locates the garbhashayya between pittashaya and pakvashaya.
Key terms
peshI (peshi)
A fleshy or muscular structure counted in the classical anatomy.
apatyapatha
The reproductive or birth passage.
yoni
The female reproductive passage in this context.
garbhacchidra (garbhachidra)
The passage associated with fetal delivery.
garbhashayyA (garbhashayya)
The fetal bed or uterine receptacle in this classical account.
According to their location, peshis naturally vary in being thick or thin, large or minute, broad or round, short or long, firm or soft, smooth or rough. They cover joints, bones, siras, and snayus.
The commentary says the peshis take different forms according to location. It explains the paired descriptions: abundant versus slight, gross versus subtle, broad versus round, short versus elongated, hard versus soft, and pleasant to touch versus rough.
Key terms
peshI (peshi)
A fleshy or muscular structure in the classical anatomy.
sandhi
A joint.
sirA (sira)
A vessel-like structure whose exact modern correspondence varies by context.
snAyu (snayu)
A binding or fibrous structure whose modern correspondence is context-dependent.
svabhAva (svabhava)
Inherent nature, said to account for variation by location.
Some authorities say that peshis corresponding to those situated anteriorly at the penis and testes in males instead surround and contain the garbhashaya in females.
The commentary introduces this as the view of certain authors who relocate peshis associated with the penis and testes because those organs are absent in female anatomy. It explains lakshana as the male identifying organ, the penis, and phala as the garbhashaya. Gayi does not accept this verse from another treatise. Instead, he reads an earlier count as five hundred peshis specifically in males and, citing Bhoja, says females have three fewer because the three structures at the penis and testes are absent.
Key terms
meDhra (medhra)
The penis in this anatomical context.
muShka (mushka)
A testis or the testicular region.
garbhAshaya (garbhashaya)
The fetal receptacle in the classical anatomy.
lakShaNa (lakshana)
The male identifying organ, glossed here as the penis.
The commentary understands 'elsewhere' as referring to the separate sections on individual marmas, the classification of siras by color, and the explanation of dhamanis. It assumes that the remaining classifications of these structures are treated in those places.
Key terms
marma
A vital anatomical site described separately in the text.
sirA (sira)
A vessel-like structure classified elsewhere by color.
dhamanI (dhamani)
A pulsating or conducting structure explained in another section.
The yoni is described as shaped like the inner spiral of a conch and having three turns. In its third turn lies the garbhashayya. The wise describe this fetal bed as shaped like the mouth of a rohita fish.
The commentary explains the fish-mouth comparison as a structure with a small opening and a large hollow space within.
Key terms
yoni
The female reproductive passage in this classical anatomical description.
sha~gkhanAbhi (shankhanabhi)
The central spiral or inner form of a conch, used as a shape comparison.
Avarta (avarta)
A turn, fold, or whorl; three are counted.
garbhashayyA (garbhashayya)
The fetal bed or receptacle situated in the third turn.
rohitamatsyamukha (rohita-matsya-mukha)
The mouth of a rohita fish, indicating a narrow opening and broad interior.
Adhikarana 32 (45) · Śloka 45
ābhugnō'bhimukhaḥ śētē garbhō garbhāśayē striyāḥ |
sa yōniṁ śirasā yāti svabhāvāt prasavaṁ prati ||45||
View original
आभुग्नोऽभिमुखः शेते गर्भो गर्भाशये स्त्रियाः |
स योनिं शिरसा याति स्वभावात् प्रसवं प्रति ||४५||
Meaning of the śloka
The fetus is described as lying flexed and facing the birth passage in the garbhashaya. At delivery it moves toward the yoni head first, through svabhava.
🔊 Audio coming soon
Show commentary
mūḍhagarbhōddharaṇārthaṁ tatra garbhasthitisvarūpamāha- ābhugna ityādi| ābhugnaḥ saṅkucitāṅgaḥ| svabhāvāt pūrvakarmāpēkṣāt ||45||
Meaning of the commentary
The commentary introduces fetal position for the later discussion of extracting an obstructed fetus. It defines abhugna as having the limbs contracted or flexed and interprets svabhava here in relation to previous karma.
Key terms
Abhugna (abhugna)
Bent or flexed, with the limbs contracted.
garbhAshaya (garbhashaya)
The fetal receptacle or womb in the classical account.
yoni
The birth passage.
prasava
Childbirth or delivery.
mUDhagarbha (mudhagarbha)
An obstructed or abnormally positioned fetus, mentioned by the commentary as the procedural context.
One who seeks doubt-free knowledge for removing shalya should properly prepare and directly observe a deceased body to determine its structures. Knowledge gained by direct observation and knowledge taught by the shastra reinforce one another and increase understanding.
The commentary says that directly observing the dimensions and arrangement of all body parts removes uncertainty. It therefore introduces the method of anatomical examination described in the following passage.
Key terms
shalya
A foreign body or surgical problem to be removed; also connected with the surgical discipline.
The historical method selects an intact deceased person, not affected by poison or prolonged disease and under one hundred years of age, whose intestines and feces have been removed. The body is tied in a cage, wrapped in munja, bark, kusha, hemp, or similar material, and placed in a flowing river at a concealed location to decompose. After seven nights it is removed and gently rubbed with a brush made from usira, hair, bamboo, balvaja, or similar material so that all external and internal structures, beginning with the skin, can be observed directly.
The commentary explains the selection and handling criteria. An incomplete body would not confirm the textual counts; poison could destroy the skin and other tissues; prolonged disease could alter their measurements; inadequate wrapping could allow fish and other creatures to consume parts; absence of a cage could let the current carry the body away; and an exposed location could allow vultures and other animals to consume it.
Key terms
mRutasharIra (mrita sharira)
A deceased body used for historical anatomical observation.
pa~jjara (panjara)
A cage used to contain the body.
kothayet
Cause or allow the body to decompose or soften.
avagharShaNa (avagharshana)
Gentle rubbing or scraping to reveal successive structures.
ushIra (ushira)
A fibrous plant material named for making the rubbing brush.
Adhikarana 36 (50) · Śloka 50
na śakyaścakṣuṣā draṣṭuṁ dēhē sūkṣmatamō vibhuḥ |
dr̥śyatē jñānacakṣurbhistapaścakṣurbhirēva ca ||50||
View original
न शक्यश्चक्षुषा द्रष्टुं देहे सूक्ष्मतमो विभुः |
दृश्यते ज्ञानचक्षुर्भिस्तपश्चक्षुर्भिरेव च ||५०||
Meaning of the śloka
The extremely subtle and all-pervading principle within the body cannot be seen with the physical eye. It is said to be perceived through the eye of knowledge and the eye of disciplined spiritual practice.
🔊 Audio coming soon
Show commentary
tvakparyantō dēhaścakṣurindriyagrāhyō na kṣētrajña ityāha- na śakya ityādi| vibhurātmā, sa cakṣuṣā draṣṭuṁ na śakyaḥ, yataḥ sūkṣmatamaḥ| dr̥śyatē jñānacakṣurbhiriti sadgurūpadēśajajñānānyēva cakṣūṁṣi tairdr̥śyatē; tapāṁsi cāndrāyaṇādīni tāni cakṣūṁṣi dr̥ṣṭayastairapi ca||50||
Meaning of the commentary
The commentary distinguishes the body, up to the skin, as accessible to sight from the kshetrajna, identified as the all-pervading self, which cannot be seen because it is exceedingly subtle. The 'eyes of knowledge' are understandings arising from a true teacher's instruction. The 'eyes of tapas' are disciplines such as the Chandrayana observance through which the self is also said to be perceived.
Key terms
vibhu Atman (vibhu atman)
The all-pervading self in the commentary's philosophical account.
kShetraj~ja (kshetrajna)
The knower of the bodily field, distinguished from the visible body.
j~jAnacakShus (jnana-chakshus)
The eye of knowledge arising through a true teacher's instruction.
tapashcakShus (tapas-chakshus)
The eye of spiritual discipline.
cAndrAyaNa (Chandrayana)
A traditional observance cited as an example of tapas.
A skilled practitioner should understand what is observable both in the body and in the shastra. After resolving doubt through what has been seen and heard, the practitioner should carry out procedures.
The commentary says that knowledge from the authoritative text together with direct observation removes uncertainty. It glosses avapohya as removing or rejecting doubt.
Key terms
dRuShTArtha (drishtartha)
One who understands what is directly observed.
shAstra (shastra)
Authoritative textual teaching.
dRuShTa-shruta (drishta-shruta)
What has been observed and what has been learned from teaching.
This marks the end of the fifth chapter of the Sharirasthana in Dalhana's commentary on Sushruta entitled Nibandhasangraha. The transmitted spelling of Dalhana's name is shown with a textual variation.
Key terms
sharIrasa~gkhyA (sharira-sankhya)
Enumeration or counting of bodily structures.
vyAkaraNa (vyakarana)
Explanation or detailed account in the chapter title.
shArIrasthAna (Sharirasthana)
The division concerned with embodiment and anatomy.