The text ranks kshara highest among sharp instruments and their substitutes because it can perform cutting, opening and scraping, counter all three doshas and be used for particular therapeutic actions.
Shastra means instruments such as the mandalagra; anushastra means substitutes such as bamboo. Fire and leeches are the other two substitutes whose methods remain to be described. Each of these three receives a separate chapter because of its importance: leeches are important, fire more important and kshara most important in the present ranking. The commentator promises to explain later why the statement that fire is superior to kshara does not contradict this. Cutting, opening and scraping are not possible with fire or leeches in the same manner; this accounts for the present preference for kshara. Its action against the three doshas will be explained through the combination of multiple medicinal substances. Special application includes its particular use in pittaja arshas.
Key terms
chedyabhedyalekhya
Cutting, opening and scraping, actions attributed to kshara.
anushastra (anuśastra)
A substitute for a sharp surgical instrument.
Adhikarana ৩ (৪) · Śloka ৪
তত্র ক্ষরণাত্ ক্ষণনাদ্বা ক্ষারঃ ||৪||
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तत्र क्षरणात् क्षणनाद्वा क्षारः ||४||
Meaning of the śloka
Kshara is so named because of ksharana, causing material to break down or fall away, or kshanana, injuring or destroying it.
Ksharana is explained as loosening and causing diseased skin, flesh and similar tissues to fall away. Others understand it as moving the doshas. Kshanana means damaging skin, flesh and similar tissues. Some read kshapana instead of ksharana; on that reading the intended sense is cleansing.
Key terms
kSharaNAt (kṣaraṇāt)
From loosening or causing diseased material to fall away; alternatively, moving doshas.
Because it combines several medicinal substances, kshara is described as countering all three doshas. Its white colour is associated with saumya qualities. This is not considered inconsistent with its power to burn, promote paka and split tissue, since properties of agneya medicines predominate. The text describes it as pungent, hot, sharp, promoting paka, dissolving, cleansing, healing, drying, checking discharge and scraping. It is said to counter krimi, ama, kapha, kushtha, poison and medas, but excessive use also impairs male reproductive capacity.
Samavaya here means combination. The combination of several medicines explains the asserted action on all three doshas and hence suitability even in pittaja arshas. Some understand an unexpressed 'also' before the statement about white colour: kshara is not merely hot but also saumya, so the later attribution of heat is not contradictory. The coexistence of saumya character with burning, paka and splitting is compared with ice or snow. Both forms of kshara are called pachana: the externally applied form promotes paka in wound swelling, while the drinkable form acts on undigested food. Dissolving refers to swelling dominated by vata and kapha. Cleansing concerns an unhealthy wound; healing concerns a clean wound. One explanation allows both actions through the power of the preparation, as with sesame-and-barley paste. Others argue that kshara only cleanses and the clean wound then heals on its own; it is not applied to a clean wound for healing because of the danger of damaging vessels and similar structures. Healing is therefore an indirect effect in that interpretation. Some omit the description 'healing' entirely. Drying concerns wound moisture, and checking discharge concerns excessive bleeding. The expression 'countering' applies separately to each item in the following list. Krimi may be external or internal, corresponding to the two forms of kshara. Ama is incompletely processed rasa; only the drinkable form is said to counter medas. Pumstva is explained here as shukra.
Key terms
saumyaH (saumyaḥ)
A lunar or gentle character attributed here on the basis of white colour.
pAcana (pācana)
Promoting paka of wound swelling or processing undigested food, according to the form used.
ropaNaH (ropaṇaḥ)
Healing, which some commentators regard as indirect and others omit.
puMstvasya (puṃstvasya)
Male reproductive capacity, glossed here as shukra.
Adhikarana ৫ (৬) · Śloka ৬
স দ্বিবিধঃ- প্রতিসারণীযঃ, পানীযশ্চ ||৬||
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स द्विविधः- प्रतिसारणीयः, पानीयश्च ||६||
Meaning of the śloka
Kshara is of two kinds: pratisaraniya, for external application, and paniya, for drinking.
Pratisaraniya means suitable for application; paniya means suitable for drinking, specifically kshara water. Other alkalis, including pakya, sarjika and yavakshara, are to be described according to the disease and used in preparations such as powders, pills and avaleha.
Key terms
pratisAraNIyaH (pratisāraṇīyaḥ)
Kshara intended for external application.
pAnIyaH (pānīyaḥ)
Kshara intended for drinking, explained as kshara water.
तत्र प्रतिसारणीयः कुष्ठकिटिभदद्रुमण्डलकिलासभगन्दरार्बुदार्शोदुष्टव्रणनाडीचर्मकील- तिलकालकन्यच्छव्यङ्गमशकबाह्यविद्रधिकृमिविषादिषूपदिश्यते , सप्तसु च मुखरोगेषूपजिह्वाधिजिह्वोपकुशदन्तवैदर्भेषु तिसृषु च रोहिणीषु, एतेष्वेवानुशस्त्रप्रणिधानमुक्तम् ||७||
Meaning of the śloka
The text prescribes externally applied kshara for kushtha, kitibha, dadru patches, kilasa, bhagandara, arbuda, arshas, unhealthy wounds, nadi lesions, charmakila, tilakalaka, nyaccha, vyanga, mashaka, and external vidradhi, krimi and poison-related conditions, among others. It also specifies seven disorders of the mouth: upajihva, adhijihva, upakusha, dantavaidarbha and three forms of rohini. These are the oral disorders for which the application of this substitute for an instrument is stated.
Kitibha is a form of kushtha; it is named separately to indicate a definite place for external kshara in its treatment. Dadrumandala means a dadru patch. Kilasa is shvitra-kushtha situated in the skin. Charmakila is described in the account of arshas, while nyaccha and vyanga are described among minor disorders. 'External' qualifies vidradhi, krimi and poison separately. 'And others' includes valmika and related conditions. Some instead read 'external krimi, particular kinds, and others.' The oral diseases beginning with upajihva will be described in the account of oral disorders. Mention of only three forms of rohini indicates that the sannipata and blood-origin forms are considered incurable. The restriction to these oral disorders explains why kshara is not used in the others. Anushastra here specifically means kshara. Another reading substitutes a term meaning application or bringing down of the instrument substitute.
Key terms
kiTibhaH (kiṭibhaḥ)
A form of kushtha singled out for external kshara treatment.
kilAsaM (kilāsaṃ)
Shvitra-kushtha situated in the skin, in this gloss.
rohiNI (rohiṇī)
An oral disorder of which three forms are included here.
Drinkable kshara is stated to be used in gara, gulma, udara, obstruction of digestive activity, indigestion, loss of appetite, anaha, sharkara, ashmari, and internal vidradhi, krimi, poison-related conditions and arshas.
Gara is explained as artificially compounded poison; others interpret it as dushivisha. Agnisanga means a condition in which, through which or because of which digestive agni becomes obstructed or subdued. It therefore includes vata-kapha disorders such as grahani, visuchika, alasaka and vilambika. Sharkara is explained as an ashmari broken into fragments by vata.
Key terms
garaH (garaḥ)
Artificially compounded poison; alternatively interpreted as dushivisha.
agnisa~ggaH (agnisaṅgaḥ)
Obstruction or suppression of digestive agni.
sharkarA (śarkarā)
Fragments of an ashmari, said here to result from vata.
It is described as unsuitable for people with raktapitta or fever, those of pitta constitution, children, older people, the weak, and those affected by bhrama, mada, murchha or timira, as well as others in comparable conditions.
This passage identifies those for whom kshara is unsuitable. Bhrama is a sensation of revolving as if mounted on a wheel. Mada is a disturbed state arising from poison, alcohol or blood, comparable to intoxication from areca fruit. Murchha is loss of consciousness. The word meaning 'affected by' applies separately to bhrama and each of the following conditions.
Key terms
bhrama
A revolving sensation, compared with being on a wheel.
The preparation and method for drinkable kshara are briefly explained by comparison with externally applied kshara. The commentary describes burning the wood, heating with six times as much water and filtering after reduction to one-third, but omitting the second heating used for the external form. It gives the largest quantity of drinkable kshara water as one pala, the middle quantity as three karshas and the smallest as half a pala. 'Elsewhere' refers to chapters such as that on gulma.
Key terms
parisrAvayet (parisrāvayet)
Filter the preparation.
palaM (palam)
A traditional quantity unit used in the stated amounts.
The other kind of kshara, intended for external application, is of three strengths: mild, medium and strong. The text describes its preparation as follows. In autumn, a person who is clean and has fasted selects a large, mature but not old, uninjured asita-mushkaka growing on a mountain slope in a suitable place. After the prescribed consecration, the tree is cut the next day, divided and split into pieces, and stacked in a sheltered place. Sudha stones are added, and the pile is ignited with sesame stalks. When the fire has subsided, the ash and the ash concretions are collected separately. In the same manner, kutaja, palasha, ashvakarna, paribhadraka, bibhitaka, aragvadha, tilvaka, arka, snuhi, apamarga, patala, naktamala, vrisha, kadali, chitraka, putika, indravriksha, asphota, ashvamaraka, saptacchada, agnimantha, gunja and the four kinds of koshataki are burnt together with their respective roots, fruits, leaves and branches.
A drona of the ash material is mixed with six dronas of water, or with the previously specified urines, filtered twenty-one times, and slowly cooked in a large vessel while being stirred with a ladle. When the liquid becomes clear, reddish, sharp and slimy, it is filtered through a large cloth, the residue is separated, and the liquid is returned to the fire. A kudava or one and a half kudavas of this kshara liquid is set aside. Katasharkara, bhasmasharkara, kshirapaka and shankhanabhi are heated to the colour of fire, quenched in that reserved liquid in an iron vessel, and ground with it. The text then specifies adding the preparation of shankhanabhi and the other materials in an eight-pala measure to two dronas; the commentary records disagreements about how this measure is distributed. Cooking continues with constant, attentive stirring, so that the product is neither too thick nor too fluid. Once properly cooked, it is removed and kept securely in an iron vessel with its mouth covered. This is the medium preparation. When cooked without the addition, it is the mild preparation called samvyuhima.
'The other' means pratisaraniya kshara, the externally applied kind. Some manuscripts omit the initial statement of its three strengths; others read 'now, wishing to prepare the other kind', with 'atha' serving as an auspicious opening. Girisanuja means growing on a mountain; other interpreters take it to indicate jangala country. A variant says 'being clean and fasting'. The tree must be unharmed by worms, forest fire, poison and similar causes. Asita-mushkaka is identified as the black-flowered mokshaka, excluding white-flowered and other forms. Adhivasana means a ritual offering accompanied by a mantra.
Some readers insert an invocation asking the tree, whose potency is associated with fire, to retain its strength, remain to accomplish the speaker's task, and afterwards go to the world of the gods, together with an offering of a thousand white and red flowers. The commentator notes that this passage is not read in the nibandhas. Another reported ritual directs a clean, attentive person to approach facing east, make offerings in the four directions, and with joined hands ask the beings inhabiting the tree to leave because it will be cut the following day for the benefit of others. Parched grain, incense, sura and asava are offered. In the morning, if no abnormal sign is seen, the tree is felled with its top to the east or north after mist and darkness have cleared and the sun has risen to the specified yuga height. This version is said also to occur in Bhoja.
'On the next day' is glossed directly. Dividing and splitting mean first making many pieces and then splitting those again. A variant instead directs preparation in the morning only if no abnormality or extraordinary portent is seen: a broken branch illustrates the former, a rain of blood the latter. Niciti means wood placed in successive layers; those reading citi explain it as the burning place. Ignition with sesame stalks is said to increase potency. Some readings explicitly insert sudha stones here. Bhasmasharkara is explained as ash clumped together like gravel by sap released from burning moist wood. It is collected separately because ordinary ash makes the kshara liquid whereas the concretions are later added to the preparation. Another reading mentions both katasharkara and bhasmasharkara: its interpreters identify the former as unburnt sudha stones and the latter as lime stones burnt with the kshara materials.
'The same method' carries forward the sheltered location, stacking and sesame-stalk ignition, and the plants beginning with kutaja are likewise taken from jangala country. Although their treatment resembles that of mushkaka, the separate burning instruction is explained as indicating a larger proportion of mushkaka ash. Others understand it to show that mushkaka alone can produce kshara. Palasha is kimshuka. Ashvakarna is described as an eastern plant called gandhamunda, resembling pippala. Paribhadraka is identified by one view as devadaru and by another as the familiar thorny, red-flowered tree of that name. Tilvaka is said to be known by its own name. Indravriksha is another kutaja: kutaja has a male form with large fruits, white flowers and smooth leaves, and a female form with small fruits and stalks and dusky-red flowers. Asphota is identified as sariva; koshataki as ghoshaka, with large-fruited, small-fruited, yellow-flowered and white-flowered kinds. The inclusion of roots, fruits, leaves and branches applies separately to each named plant. Some readers present the whole plant list as a compound.
The drona of ash is explained as a mixture of two parts mushkaka ash and one part ash from kutaja and the other plants. Six dronas of water establishes a sixfold liquid-to-ash proportion, which the commentator extends to other kshara preparations. The urine alternative refers to the Dundubhisvaniya Kalpa passage describing cow urine; the same sixfold proportion is inferred there. Twenty-one filtrations means twenty-one passages through cloth. Stirring means keeping the liquid moving. The clear, reddish, sharp and slimy qualities are initially said to appear when one third of the liquid remains. The further filtration separates the ash paste; a variant explicitly directs discarding the ash residue.
The reserved kudava is here interpreted as eight palas, and one and a half kudavas as twelve palas. Other interpreters do not accept this doubling. The reserved liquid is for quenching and grinding the mineral additions. Another interpretation treats the wording as specifying the quantity of each addition: a kudava or one and a half kudavas each. Katasharkara is identified here as gangeshthi; the earlier alternative identifications of katasharkara and bhasmasharkara are also acknowledged. Kshirapaka is identified as jalashukti. The heated materials are put into the reserved kshara liquid in an iron vessel.
The proportions of the added materials are disputed. One account takes unspecified proportions to mean equal shares, here eight palas of each of the four materials, giving thirty-two palas in all. It regards this as compatible with the phrase concerning two dronas and eight palas and as indicating an addition of one sixteenth. Others take eight palas as the combined amount, two palas of each material. The commentator rejects that view on the ground that shankhanabhi must retain its principal role; the proportions attributed to Vishvamitra and Bhoja are rejected on the same ground.
The concluding discussion supplies differing accounts of reduction and measurement rather than one undisputed calculation. Elders are said to understand the mention of two dronas as establishing a one-third remainder, and the six dronas of starting water are calculated as 1,536 palas. A subsequent account places the required clear, reddish and slimy qualities at a one-sixteenth remainder, ninety-six palas. Other interpreters reject application of a fixed one-quarter or similar reduction rule here: cooking should continue slowly until the characteristic colour and other qualities of kshara appear. For ninety-six palas of kshara liquid, an addition amounting to one quarter, made from equal portions of katasharkara and the other materials, is also reported.
Key terms
pratisAraNIyaH (pratisāraṇīyaḥ)
Kshara intended for external application.
bhasmasharkarA (bhasmaśarkarā)
Ash concretions reserved for later addition; alternative material identifications are recorded.
kShArodaka (kṣārodaka)
The filtered alkaline liquid prepared from the ash.
pratIvApaH (pratīvāpaḥ)
An addition to the preparation, omitted in the mild form described here.
saMvyUhimo (saṃvyūhimaḥ)
The name given here to the mild cooked preparation without the addition.
For a further addition, the text specifies the available materials among danti, dravanti, chitraka, langali, putika shoots, talapatri, vida, suvarchika, kanakakshiri, hingu, vacha and ativisha, in equal quantities, finely powdered, each in a shukti measure. The same preparation, cooked with this addition, is called pakya and is strong.
Prativapa here means adding further materials after an earlier addition. Dravanti is a kind of danti, called samvari in Bhadanaka. Langali is identified by a supplied name with a variant syllable. Putika shoots are identified as young shoots of thorny karanja; another reading instead mentions chiribilva shoots and leaves. Talapatri is mushali. Kanakakshiri is identified as suvarnakshiri, while others identify it as kankushtha. Each shukti measure is explained as half a pala. The kshara called samvyuhima, when cooked with the materials beginning with danti, becomes the preparation named pakya and acquires strong action. The commentary distinguishes this intended strength from a defect: excessive sharpness, rather than sharpness itself, is the fault in kshara. Another reading replaces the closing wording with 'and it, cooked as before, is strong'.
Key terms
pratIvApaH (pratīvāpaḥ)
A further addition of materials after a preceding addition.
shuktipramANAH (śuktipramāṇāḥ)
In a shukti measure, glossed here as half a pala for each material.
pAkya (pākya)
The name of the strong preparation cooked with the specified additional materials.
Adhikarana ১২ (১৪) · Śloka ১৪
তেষাং যথাব্যাধিবলমুপযোগঃ ||১৪||
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तेषां यथाव्याधिबलमुपयोगः ||१४||
Meaning of the śloka
The text assigns their use according to the strength of the disease.
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তেষাং ক্ষারাণাম্||১৪||
Meaning of the commentary
'Their' refers to the kshara preparations.
Key terms
yathAvyAdhibalam (yathāvyādhibalam)
According to the strength of the disease.
Adhikarana ১৩ (১৫) · Śloka ১৫
ক্ষীণবলে তু ক্ষারোদকমাবপেদ্বলকরণার্থম্ ||১৫||
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क्षीणबले तु क्षारोदकमावपेद्बलकरणार्थम् ||१५||
Meaning of the śloka
When the preparation has lost its strength, the text describes adding kshara liquid to restore its potency.
Kshara may become weak through the passage of time or because the medicinal materials were deficient in strength. In that case, kshara liquid prepared by the previously described method is added and the mixture is cooked again. Restoring strength means increasing its sharpness and related powers.
Key terms
kShINabale (kṣīṇabale)
When the kshara has diminished potency.
balakaraNArtham (balakaraṇārtham)
For restoring the preparation's strength or potency.
Kshara is described as possessing eight qualities: it is neither excessively sharp nor excessively mild; it is white, smooth, cohesive, does not spread away from its application, is gentle in its action and acts quickly.
The commentator applies the qualification 'not excessive' separately to sharpness, mildness and whiteness. A preparation that is not excessively white indicates only a small amount of the added ingredients called prativapa. Another explanation links the negative qualification with whiteness. Smooth means free from roughness; some instead read mrutsna, pleasant to the sense of touch. Avishyandi means that the applied substance does not spread. Shiva is explained as gentle; some instead read sama, meaning neither excessively dense nor excessively fluid. Shighra means quick-acting. Some readings include two further qualities, sukhanirgrahya and doshaghna: easily brought to an end or removed, and acting only in accordance with the disease, respectively. Here dosha means disease. Although eight qualities can already be counted from the wording, the explicit number eight excludes adding further qualities such as pungent taste to this enumeration.
Key terms
aviShyandI (aviṣyandī)
Not spreading from the place where it is applied.
prativApa (prativāpa)
Ingredients added to the kshara preparation.
shiva (śiva)
Gentle or benign in the commentator's explanation of a desirable kshara quality.
The defects of kshara are excessive mildness, whiteness, heat, sharpness, stickiness, spreading and density, together with incomplete preparation and deficiency of ingredients.
These defects are presented so that they can be avoided. The qualification 'excessive' is connected separately with mildness, whiteness and the other relevant qualities. Some recensions present the nine defects in a verse and a half: excessive heat, stickiness, sharpness, spreading, mildness, whiteness and density, deficient medicinal ingredients and incomplete preparation. The explicit number nine is used to exclude the possible addition of impairment of male sexual capacity from excessive use of kshara: that is a defect of overuse, beyond this enumeration of the preparation's defects. Some do not separately recite the defects, since they can be understood as the opposites of the previously stated desirable qualities.
The historical procedure places a patient with a disease considered treatable by kshara in a spacious place sheltered from wind and sun, with the required materials assembled according to the Agropaharaniya chapter. After examining the affected area and preparing it by rubbing, scraping or superficial incisions, kshara is applied with a shalaka. The text then specifies waiting for the time taken to utter one hundred short syllables.
The place should be free from both wind and sunlight and should not be crowded. The reference to Agropaharaniya includes its arrangements concerning an auspicious date, karana, time and lunar mansion. Instruments, sharp instruments, kshara, fire, shalaka and related materials are to be nearby. Examination establishes the appearance of the disease. The commentary associates rubbing with a pitta-affected area, scraping with a vata-affected area whose skin is numb and hard, and superficial incisions with a kapha-affected area where itching and swelling predominate. Application with a shalaka follows these preparations. Some read 'having placed the kshara' instead of 'one should apply the kshara.' Vak here means the utterance of a short syllable. The expression 'the measure of one hundred' indicates that a preparation which produces its burning action in that interval has the stated qualities. Some read 'exactly one hundred' and explain that the interval should be neither longer nor shorter. The commentary next mentions a passage beginning 'equal to a lotus leaf' that would specify application thickness and duration according to dosha; it states that some teachers do not read that passage and that it has not been reproduced in full because it was unavailable.
Key terms
shalAkayA (śalākayā)
With a probe or rod used here to apply kshara.
vAkshatamAtram (vākśatamātram)
The time measured by uttering one hundred short syllables.
Adhikarana ১৭ (১৯) · Śloka ১৯
তস্মিন্নিপতিতে ব্যাধৌ কৃষ্ণতা দগ্ধলক্ষণম্ |১৯|
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तस्मिन्निपतिते व्याधौ कृष्णता दग्धलक्षणम् |१९|
Meaning of the śloka
After kshara has been applied to the diseased tissue, blackening is stated to be a sign of the burning action.
This gives a general sign of proper burning. Here vyadhi refers to affected flesh and similar tissue, rather than disease understood as suffering, because suffering itself cannot become black.
Key terms
kRuShNatA (kṛṣṇatā)
Blackening of the affected tissue, described here as a sign of the burning action.
For calming the effect after burning, the text names sour substances combined with ghee and madhuka. If the tissue burned by kshara does not separate because it is firmly rooted, it describes applying a paste of equal portions of the sediment from sour kanjika, sesame and madhuka, ground together.
This concerns care after proper burning. The sour group includes sauviraka, tushodaka, dhanyamla and similar substances. Firmly rooted means deeply or securely attached, and 'does not separate' means that the burned material does not fall away. The full paste subsequently specified is applied to that area. Amlakanjikabija means the material settled at the bottom of sour kanjika. That sediment, sesame and madhuka are ground in equal portions for application to the tissue burned by kshara.
Key terms
amlakA~jjikabIjAni (amlakāñjikabījāni)
The sediment at the bottom of sour kanjika, as explained by the commentary.
madhuka
The medicinal ingredient named madhuka in the prescribed paste.
Adhikarana ১৯ (২২) · Śloka ২২
তিলকল্কঃ সমধুকো ঘৃতাক্তো ব্রণরোপণঃ |২২|
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तिलकल्कः समधुको घृताक्तो व्रणरोपणः |२२|
Meaning of the śloka
Sesame paste combined with madhuka and mixed with ghee is described as promoting healing of the wound.
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ক্ষারকৃতব্রণরোপণোপাযমাহ- তিলকল্ক ইত্যাদি|২২|-
Meaning of the commentary
The verse states a means of healing a wound caused by kshara.
रसेनाम्लेन तीक्ष्णेन वीर्योष्णेन च योजितः ||२२||
आग्नेयेनाग्निना तुल्यः कथं क्षारः प्रशाम्यति |
एवं चेन्मन्यसे वत्स! प्रोच्यमानं निबोध मे ||२३||
अम्लवर्जान् रसान् क्षारे सर्वानेव विभावयेत् |
कटुकस्तत्र भूयिष्ठो लवणोऽनुरसस्तथा |
अम्लेन सह संयुक्तः स तीक्ष्णलवणो रसे ||२४||
माधुर्यं भजतेऽत्यर्थं तीक्ष्णभावं विमुञ्चति |
माधुर्याच्छममाप्नोति वह्निरद्भिरिवाप्लुतः ||२५||
Meaning of the śloka
The question is raised: how can fire-like kshara be calmed by combining it with a sour substance that is itself sharp, hot in potency and of a fiery nature? The teacher replies that all tastes except sour are to be recognised in kshara. In the verse, pungent is described as predominant and salty as its secondary taste. When this sharply salty kshara is combined with sour, it acquires pronounced sweetness and loses its sharp quality. Through sweetness it becomes calm, like fire flooded with water.
The commentary explains the question as asking how fiery kanjika can calm kshara, which is comparable to fire. In interpreting the answer, the commentator rearranges the relation of the taste terms: among the five tastes attributed to kshara, salty is predominant and pungent is secondary. Some instead accept pungent as predominant. The commentator rejects that interpretation, arguing that people use salt when eating sour substances to obtain sweetness, and that kshara is included in the salty group rather than the pungent group. An objection cites the earlier statement that kshara is pungent because fiery drugs predominate in it. The response is that its salty character is already established by its placement in the salty group, while that statement additionally establishes its pungency. The description 'sharply salty in taste' refers to kshara. The concluding comparison is with fire inundated by water.
Key terms
anurasa
A secondary taste; the verse and commentator differ over which taste has this role in kshara.
mAdhuryaM (mādhuryaṃ)
Sweetness, invoked in the passage to explain calming of the sharp action.
Adhikarana ২১ (২৬) · Śloka ২৬
তত্র সম্যগ্দগ্ধে বিকারোপশমো লাঘবমনাস্রাবশ্চ |২৬|
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तत्र सम्यग्दग्धे विकारोपशमो लाघवमनास्रावश्च |२६|
Meaning of the śloka
With proper burning, the text describes subsiding of the disorder, lightness and absence of discharge.
The commentary returns to the signs of proper burning in order to introduce further treatment. Lightness refers to the bodily parts. These signs, including subsiding of the disorder, are understood to appear subsequently, after the action of kshara has been quenched. Others consider some of the signs immediate and others later.
Key terms
anAsrAva (anāsrāva)
Absence of discharge in the description of proper burning.
Adhikarana ২২ (২৬) · Śloka ২৬
হীনদগ্ধে তোদকণ্ডুজাড্যানি ব্যাধিবৃদ্ধিশ্চ |২৬|
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हीनदग्धे तोदकण्डुजाड्यानि व्याधिवृद्धिश्च |२६|
Meaning of the śloka
Insufficient burning is described as causing pricking pain, itching, numbness or dullness, and worsening of the disease.
The commentator attributes the pricking pain and other signs of insufficient burning to vata and kapha. Jadya means numbness or dullness. An alternative reading says 'improper burning' and adds burning sensation to pricking pain, itching, numbness and worsening of disease. Those who adopt this reading explain the signs as effects of aggravation of vata, pitta, rakta and kapha at that site.
Key terms
hInadagdhe (hīnadagdhe)
When the burning action has been insufficient.
jADyaM (jāḍyaṃ)
Numbness or dullness among the stated signs.
Adhikarana ২৩ (২৬) · Śloka ২৬
অতিদগ্ধে দাহপাকরাগস্রাবাঙ্গমর্দক্লমপিপাসামূর্চ্ছাঃ স্যুর্মরণং বা ||২৬||
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अतिदग्धे दाहपाकरागस्रावाङ्गमर्दक्लमपिपासामूर्च्छाः स्युर्मरणं वा ||२६||
Meaning of the śloka
Excessive burning is described as producing burning sensation, suppuration, redness, discharge, aching of the limbs, exhaustion, thirst and fainting, or even death.
The commentary attributes burning sensation, suppuration and the other effects of excessive burning to pitta. Raga means redness, angamarda a particular kind of aching pain, and klama exhaustion or languor.
Key terms
atidagdhe
When the burning action has been excessive.
pAka (pāka)
Suppuration in the stated effects of excessive burning.
This introduces treatment of complications of a wound caused by kshara. Some read 'according to the prescribed method and according to dosha,' explaining it as a method that counteracts both the cause and the disease.
The text excludes the following from kshara treatment: weak people, children, older people, the fearful, those with an abdominal disorder accompanied by swelling of the whole body, those with raktapitta, pregnant or menstruating women, people with advanced fever or prameha, those who are dry or depleted through injury, those afflicted by thirst or fainting, those with diminished reproductive capacity, and those described as having displaced phala or yoni.
The commentary introduces contraindications affecting both forms of kshara. Depending on the dosha and circumstances, some prohibit application, some internal administration, and some both. The compound concerning swelling is read specifically as a person with an abdominal disorder whose entire body is swollen. Kshata means injury to the chest, with consequent depletion. Being afflicted applies separately to thirst and fainting. Kliba is explained as someone with depleted shukra; the commentator says a person without shukra has no eligibility for kshara in the first place. One interpretation takes phala as the testicle and yoni as the uterus. Udvrutta and apavrutta apply to each: displacement upwards from the proper position and slipping down from it, respectively. Others take phalayoni together to mean uterus, giving upward displacement and downward slipping of the uterus. Still others take phala to mean menstrual blood, because it contributes to producing the embryo; on that reading the phrase concerns menstrual blood moving upward or downward from the yoni. These anatomical and menstrual interpretations are presented as distinct alternatives.
Key terms
kShINashukraH (kṣīṇaśukraḥ)
Having depleted shukra; the commentary's explanation of kliba here.
phalayonayaH (phalayonayaḥ)
A phrase with alternative explanations involving testicles and uterus, the uterus alone, or menstrual blood and the yoni.
Adhikarana ২৬ (২৯) · Śloka ২৯
তথা মর্মসিরাস্নাযুসন্ধিতরুণাস্থিসেবনীধমনীগলনাভিনখান্তঃশেফঃস্রোতঃস্বল্পমাংসেষু চ দেশেষ্বক্ষ্ণোশ্চ ন দদ্যাদন্যত্র বর্ত্মরোগাত্ ||২৯||
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तथा मर्मसिरास्नायुसन्धितरुणास्थिसेवनीधमनीगलनाभिनखान्तःशेफःस्रोतःस्वल्पमांसेषु च देशेष्वक्ष्णोश्च न दद्यादन्यत्र वर्त्मरोगात् ||२९||
Meaning of the śloka
The text also prohibits applying kshara to marma, sira, snayu, joints, soft or immature bone, sevani, dhamani, the throat, navel, the inner nail region, penis, bodily channels and areas with little flesh. It prohibits application to the eyes except in disease of the eyelids.
After contraindications relating to the patient and disease, the commentary explains those relating to particular sites. Tarunasthi refers to the structures termed soft or immature bone in the nose, ears, neck and eye sockets. Seven sevani are counted: five in the head, one in the tongue and one in the penis. Twenty-four dhamani are described as arising from the navel. Although the navel is already included among marma, it is repeated to emphasise the greater harm associated with that site. Shepha means the penis. Areas with little flesh include the knee, the upper surface of the foot and the forehead. The exception concerning the eye is explained as permitting kshara in eyelid disease while excluding other eye disorders.
Key terms
taruNAsthIni (taruṇāsthīni)
Structures termed soft or immature bone in the sites listed by the commentary.
sevanyaH (sevanyaḥ)
Seam-like anatomical structures enumerated as five in the head, one in the tongue and one in the penis.
vartmarogAt (vartmarogāt)
Disease of the eyelids, stated as an exception to the prohibition concerning the eyes.
तत्र क्षारसाध्येष्वपि व्याधिषु शूनगात्रमस्थिशूलिनमन्नद्वेषिणं हृदयसन्धिपीडोपद्रुतं च क्षारो न साधयति (दुर्बलबालस्थविरादीन् प्रतिसारणीय इति) ||३०||
Meaning of the śloka
Even in diseases otherwise considered treatable by kshara, it is said not to succeed when the person has swollen limbs, bone pain, aversion to food or distress from pain in the heart region and joints.
A further verse says that kshara used by someone of poor understanding becomes comparable to poison, fire, a weapon, a thunderbolt or death. Properly used by a discerning person, it is described as quickly destroying severe diseases.
The commentary contrasts the great benefit of proper use with the great harm of improper use. It connects death separately with each of the preceding comparisons: the result resembles death caused by poison, fire, a weapon or a thunderbolt. Like poison, it is said to spread painful effects throughout the body and kill; like fire, to cause blisters and similar injury; like a weapon, to cut sira and other structures; and like a thunderbolt, to cause immediate death. Thus four comparisons are explained.
Thus ends the eleventh chapter, called Ksharapakavidhi, in the Sutrasthana of the commentary on Sushruta named Nibandhasangraha, composed by Shri Dalhana.