General measures for obstruction of the ears are the drinking of ghee, rasāyana, avoidance of physical exertion and washing the head, observance of brahmacarya, and refraining from excessive speech.
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karṇarōgāṇāṁ sāmānyaṁ cikitsitamāha- sāmānyamityādi| ghr̥tapānamatra ūrdhvabhaktikam| aśiraḥsnānaṁ na śiraḥsnānamityarthaḥ| akatthanam abhāṣaṇam| rasāyanamityatra ‘rasāśanam’ iti kēcit paṭhanti, māṁsarasēna saha bhōjanamiti vyākhyānayanti||3||
Meaning of the commentary
Introducing general treatment for ear diseases, the commentary says that ghee is to be taken after the upper meal. Aśiraḥsnāna means not washing the head, and akatthana means not speaking. Some read rasāśana instead of rasāyana and explain it as eating food together with meat broth.
Key terms
karNarodha (karṇarodha)
Obstruction of the ear or ears.
ghRutapAna (ghṛtapāna)
Drinking ghee, specified by the commentary as being taken after the upper meal.
rasAyana (rasāyana)
The regimen named in the received reading; an alternative reads rasāśana.
akatthana
Refraining from speech, according to the commentary.
Because these four vāta-origin disorders—ear pain and the others—share one cause, the commentary says that a single common treatment is prescribed for them.
Key terms
karNashUla (karṇaśūla)
Pain in the ear.
praNAda (praṇāda)
A named auditory disturbance retained as a technical term.
bAdhirya (bādhirya)
Loss or impairment of hearing.
kShveDa (kṣveḍa)
A named abnormal sound perceived in the ear.
Adhikarana 4 (5) · Śloka 5
snigdhaṁ vātaharaiḥ svēdairnaraṁ snēhavirēcitam |
nāḍīsvēdairupacarētpiṇḍasvēdaistathaiva ca ||5||
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स्निग्धं वातहरैः स्वेदैर्नरं स्नेहविरेचितम् |
नाडीस्वेदैरुपचरेत्पिण्डस्वेदैस्तथैव च ||५||
Meaning of the śloka
After making the person unctuous and administering oleaginous purgation, the person should be treated with vāta-reducing sudation, including tubular steam and bolus sudation.
The commentary explains snigdha as made unctuous through internal oleation and massage, and snehavirecita as purged with castor oil or similar substances. It says that nāḍīsveda was described in the chapter on sudation in the passage beginning vyāmārdhamātra, while piṇḍasveda is performed with preparations such as kṛśara or pāyasa.
Key terms
snigdha
Made unctuous through drinking an oleaginous substance and massage.
Tubular sudation prepared with bilva, castor, arka, varṣābhū, kapittha, dhattūra, śigru, bastagandhā, aśvagandhā, tarkārī, barley, and bamboo, cooked in sour fermented liquid, is said to relieve ear pain arising from kapha and vāta.
The commentary identifies varṣābhū as white punarnavā, dadhittha as kapittha, unmatta as dhattūraka, śigru as śobhāñjanaka—though some understand viṭapaśāka—bastagandhā as bobayikā, tarkārī as araṇikā, and yavaveṇu as a grain variety. Sudation with these substances cooked in āranāla is prescribed for ear pain produced by vāta alone or by vāta obstructed by kapha. For pain due solely to vāta, sudation follows oleation; when kapha obstructs vāta, dry sudation is used instead.
Key terms
nADIsveda (nāḍīsveda)
Tubular steam or sudation described with the listed substances.
AranAla (āranāla)
A sour fermented liquid used here as the cooking medium.
The commentary explains that the milk is made into a thickened bolus. Sudation may be performed with separate meat boluses made from fish and the other listed animals, or with them combined.
Key terms
piNDasveda (piṇḍasveda)
Sudation performed with a heated bolus.
lAva (lāva)
The named bird whose flesh is included in the preparation.
kShIrapiNDa (kṣīrapiṇḍa)
A thickened milk bolus inferred by the commentary.
A many-layered receptacle shaped from aśvattha leaves is filled well with embers and placed over the ear. Oil dripping from that ember-heated receptacle reaches the ear channel and is said to remove pain immediately.
The commentary introduces this as a special form of unctuous sudation for pain caused by vāta alone. Khalla is explained as a receptacle shaped like a vessel with two ears or handles. On the authority of Sātyaki and Videha, it is to be smeared with oil or ghee.
Key terms
ashvatthapatra (aśvatthapatra)
Leaves of aśvattha used to form the described receptacle.
khalla
A receptacle explained as having a two-handled shape.
a~ggAra (aṅgāra)
Hot embers placed in the leaf receptacle.
shravaNasrotas (śravaṇasrotas)
The ear channel into which the heated oil is said to pass.
Adhikarana 8 (11) · Śloka 11
kṣaumaguggulvagurubhiḥ saghr̥tairdhūpayēcca tam |
bhaktōpari hitaṁ sarpirbastikarma ca pūjitam ||11||
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क्षौमगुग्गुल्वगुरुभिः सघृतैर्धूपयेच्च तम् |
भक्तोपरि हितं सर्पिर्बस्तिकर्म च पूजितम् ||११||
Meaning of the śloka
The person should then be fumigated with linen, guggulu, and aguru together with ghee. Ghee taken after food is beneficial, and basti therapy is also commended.
Describing the measures after ear sudation, the commentary identifies kṣauma as linen cloth and says that basti here means śirobasti, a retention of oil on the head.
Key terms
kShauma (kṣauma)
Linen cloth, as identified by the commentary.
dhUpana (dhūpana)
Fumigation with the listed substances.
guggulu
An aromatic resin included in the fumigation.
shirobasti (śirobasti)
The head-based oil-retention procedure intended by basti here.
At night, while without food, the person should drink that ghee and afterward drink milk. Śatapāka balā oil is praised for use in head-basti, nasal therapy, the procedure called mastiṣka, pouring over the head, and also with food.
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idānīṁ nirannasya sāyamēva kōṣṇaṁ payō nirdiśannāha- niranna ityādi| nirannaḥ puruṣaḥ| niśi kōṣṇaṁ payō'nupānaṁ ca sarpiḥ pibēt| mūrdhētyādi| mastiṣkaḥ śirōbastiviśēṣaḥ, sa ca snēhapicuplōtādinā'vacāryatē| śatapākaṁ vātavyādhipaṭhitam| balātailaṁ mūḍhagarbhōktaṁ, anyē tu balātailamēva śatapākaṁ kr̥tvōpayujyata iti vyākhyānayanti||12||-
Meaning of the commentary
The commentary says that a person who has not eaten should take the ghee at night with warm milk as the follow-up drink. Mastiṣka is explained as a special kind of śirobasti performed by placing an oil-soaked pad or similar material on the head. Śatapāka is the preparation taught under vāta disorders, and balā oil is the one described in the context of obstructed labour. Other interpreters explain that balā oil itself is prepared through one hundred cookings and then used.
Key terms
anupAna (anupāna)
The accompanying or follow-up drink, here interpreted as warm milk.
mUrdhabasti (mūrdhabasti)
Retention of an oleaginous substance on the head.
mastiShka (mastiṣka)
A special head-oil procedure using an oil-soaked pad or related application.
shatapAka balAtaila (śatapāka balātaila)
Balā oil associated either with a separately taught hundred-cooked preparation or, by another interpretation, itself cooked one hundred times.
Adhikarana 10 (13) · Śloka 14
kaṇṭakārīmajākṣīrē paktvā kṣīrēṇa tēna ca ||13||
vipacēt kukkuṭavasāṁ karṇayōstatprapūraṇam |14|
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कण्टकारीमजाक्षीरे पक्त्वा क्षीरेण तेन च ||१३||
विपचेत् कुक्कुटवसां कर्णयोस्तत्प्रपूरणम् |१४|
Meaning of the śloka
Kaṇṭakārī is cooked in goat's milk; chicken fat is then cooked with that prepared milk, and the resulting substance is described for filling the ears.
The commentary supplies proportions and a staged preparation: four palas of kaṇṭakārī, eight times that quantity of milk, and water amounting to four times the milk are cooked; chicken fat measuring one kuḍava is then cooked with the resulting milk and used to fill the ears.
Key terms
kaNTakArI (kaṇṭakārī)
The plant cooked in goat's milk in this formulation.
तण्डुलीयकमूलानि फलमङ्कोलजं तथा ||१४||
अहिंस्राकेन्दुकान्मूलं सरलं देवदारु च |
लशुनं शृङ्गवेरं च तथा वंशावलेखनम् ||१५||
कल्कैरेषां तथाऽम्लैश्च पचेत् स्नेहं चतुर्विधम् |
वेदनायाः प्रशान्त्यर्थं हितं तत्कर्णपूरणम् ||१६||
Meaning of the śloka
A fourfold group of fats is cooked with pastes of taṇḍulīyaka root, aṅkola fruit, the root of ahiṃsrā and kenduka, sarala, devadāru, garlic, fresh ginger, and bamboo scrapings, together with sour liquids. The preparation is described for filling the ear to calm pain.
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aparamapi pūraṇamāha- taṇḍulīyakētyādi| vaṁśāvalēkhanaṁ vaṁśācchōlanam| kalkō dr̥ṣadi pēṣitaḥ, sa cādravaḥ, sa cāṣṭapalapramāṇaḥ, amlaiḥ dadhitakrasurācukramātuluṅgarasaiḥ pratyēkamaṣṭāviṁśatyadhikaśatapramāṇaiḥ, snēhaścaturvidhaḥ sarpistailavasāmajjasañjñō dvātriṁśatpalapramāṇaḥ||14-16||
Meaning of the commentary
The commentary explains vaṃśāvalekhana as bamboo scrapings and kalka as a non-liquid paste ground on a stone, measuring eight palas. The sour liquids are curd, buttermilk, surā, cukra, and citron juice, each in the stated traditional quantity. The four fats—ghee, oil, animal fat, and marrow—together measure thirty-two palas.
Key terms
vaMshAvalekhana (vaṃśāvalekhana)
Scrapings taken from bamboo.
kalka
A paste ground on a stone and described as lacking free liquid.
sneha caturvidha
The four fats: ghee, oil, animal fat, and marrow.
amla
The group of sour liquids used in processing the fats.
For filling the ear, the expressed juices of garlic, fresh ginger, śigru, muraṅgī, radish, and banana are considered best when slightly warm. Alternatively, slightly warm ginger juice, honey, rock salt, and oil are applied to the ears as a pain-relieving preparation.
The commentary identifies śigru as madhuśigru and muraṅgī as a second kind of śobhāñjanaka, and explains kaduṣṇa as slightly warm. The juices of the six substances beginning with garlic may be used separately or combined for ear filling.
A physician should cook ghee in the urine of goats and sheep together with bamboo scrapings, and the resulting preparation is described for filling the ear of a person with ear pain.
The commentary says that, according to another tantra, the order stated in the verse should be reversed: the ghee is first cooked in sheep urine and afterward in goat urine. Other interpreters instead explain the reversal as filling the ear first with ghee cooked in sheep urine and then with goat urine. Some read oil should be cooked rather than ghee should be cooked, but the commentator rejects that reading because all the authoritative commentaries exclude it.
Key terms
vaMshAvalekhana (vaṃśāvalekhana)
Bamboo scrapings included in the preparation.
AjAvika mUtra (ājāvika mūtra)
Urine of goats and sheep, whose sequence of use is disputed in the commentary.
sarpiH (sarpiḥ)
Ghee, the accepted fatty medium in the commentary.
An eighteen-aṅgula piece from the great pañcamūla is wrapped in linen, soaked with oil, and then set alight. The oil that drips from the burning pieces held downward over a vessel is known as dīpikā oil and is said to relieve pain immediately.
The commentary explains kāṇḍa as a cut piece and kṣauma as linen. It supplies the omitted qualification that three portions are wrapped, and also supplies that the burning pieces are held facing downward. Gṛhṇāti is explained as removes.
Key terms
mahat pa~jcamUla (mahat pañcamūla)
The classical group called the great five roots, used here as pieces of wood or root.
a~ggula (aṅgula)
A traditional unit of length used for the piece.
kShauma (kṣauma)
Linen used to wrap the piece.
dIpikAtaila (dīpikātaila)
Oil collected as it drips from the ignited, oil-soaked pieces.
Tender shoots of arka, ground with an acidic liquid, coated with oil, and mixed with salt are placed inside a hollowed snuhi stem and covered with its leaf. After heating by the putapaka method, the material is pressed to obtain its juice; the comfortably warm juice is described for application into the ear to calm pain. Warm juices of kapittha, matulunga, and fresh shringavera are likewise described for filling the ear to relieve pain. The text also describes filling a painful ear with lukewarm cukra and judiciously dusting it with powdered samudraphena.
The commentator states that the passage beginning with arka shoots was regarded as non-authoritative (anarsha) by all compilers and therefore was not explained further.
Key terms
puṭapāka
A traditional enclosed-heating process used here to extract juice.
karṇaśūla
Pain in the ear.
samudraphena
A named mineral or marine-derived substance prescribed here as a powder.
anārṣa
Regarded by the commentators as not belonging to the authoritative rishi-derived text.
Adhikarana 17 (27) · Śloka 27
aṣṭānāmiha mūtrāṇāṁ mūtrēṇānyatamēna tu |
kōṣṇēna pūrayēt karṇaṁ karṇaśūlōpaśāntayē ||27||
The physician is instructed to prepare the four kinds of sneha by cooking them in urines, acidic liquids, and a group of substances considered vata-alleviating, and to use the resulting preparation for filling the ears.
The commentary identifies the urines as those of the traditional group of eight animals. It lists the acidic liquids as sura, mastu, aranala, bijapura, and cukra, and identifies the vata-alleviating group as the Vidarigandhadi group and related substances.
Key terms
caturvidha sneha
The four traditional varieties of fatty or unctuous media.
amla
Acidic or fermented liquids used in the preparation.
vātaghna gaṇa
A traditional group of substances regarded as alleviating vata.
Vidārīgandhādi
The named group cited by the commentary as the vata-alleviating group.
After describing treatment for vata-associated ear disease, the commentator takes this verse as treatment of pitta-associated ear pain. 'The same procedures' refers to such measures as dipika and related applications. Dipika is explained as filling the ear with ghee processed with ashvattha leaves and a mortar preparation; kanjika is also mentioned because its contact is considered pitta-alleviating.
Key terms
pittasaṃyuta karṇaśūla
Ear pain understood in the text as associated with pitta.
pittaghna
Regarded as alleviating pitta.
dīpikā
A named procedure or formulation explained here as a particular medicated-ghee ear filling.
kāñjika
A sour fermented liquid mentioned for external contact in this interpretation.
For this condition, the text commends ghee prepared with the Kakolyadi group and ten parts milk, as well as a bitter medicated ghee. It also describes ghee prepared with decoctions and pastes of the tender shoots of milk-yielding trees, or separately with madhuka and candana, together with sugar, madhuka, and purgative substances.
The commentary explains the first preparation as ghee cooked with a Kakolyadi paste and tenfold milk. It offers two interpretations of 'bitter': either ghee processed with bitter substances or the specific medicated ghee described in the treatment of kushtha. The milk-yielding trees are identified as nyagrodha, udumbara, ashvattha, plaksha, and gardabhanda; their tender-shoot decoction is combined with a Kakolyadi paste. Separate preparations with decoction and paste of yashtimadhuka or candana are also understood. The plural madhuka is taken to indicate two forms of yashtimadhuka, while sara is explained as purgative substances. Jejjata instead recognizes one formulation based on the milk-tree shoots and a second based on bimbi decoction, but considers both formulations non-authoritative.
Key terms
Kākolyādi
A named traditional group beginning with kakoli.
tikta haviḥ
Bitter medicated ghee, interpreted in two ways by the commentary.
kṣīravṛkṣa
Milk-yielding trees, whose tender shoots are used here.
sara
Explained by the commentator here as purgative substances.
When the ear condition is associated with kapha, fats or oils derived from ingudi and mustard are described as suitable for ear filling. Soups of bitter medicinal substances and drying forms of fomentation are described as kapha-reducing.
The commentator states that 'ear pain' is to be supplied after 'associated with kapha.' The fomentations described as kapha-reducing are specifically dry applications of heat or steam.
Key terms
iṅgudī
A named plant whose fatty preparation is described for ear filling.
The text describes oils prepared separately with the Surasadi group and with Mahat Panchamula. For ear filling it also names, individually, the juices of matulunga, garlic, and fresh ginger, as well as shukta, or oils prepared with any of these. Strong head-cleansing procedures and pungent or strong kavala preparations are also commended here.
The first line is understood as two distinct oils: one prepared with Surasadi and another with Mahat Panchamula. Each of matulunga juice, shukta, garlic juice, and fresh ginger juice may separately be used to prepare an oil for ear filling. Strong murdhavireka is exemplified with apamarga seeds and related substances, while strong kavala is exemplified with pippali and related substances.
Key terms
Surasādi
A named medicinal group beginning with surasa.
Mahat Pañcamūla
The traditional group of five major roots.
mūrdhavireka
A strong head-cleansing procedure, exemplified here with apamarga seeds.
kavala
Holding and moving a medicinal substance in the mouth.
The general regimen has been stated for ear pain, abnormal ear sounds, deafness, and kshveda. A particular ear-filling preparation for deafness is then given: bilva is ground with cow urine, cooked in oil together with water and milk, and the resulting oil is described for filling the ear.
The Panjika author gives an alternative reading of the phrase 'with water and with milk,' reading it as specifying one-quarter portions of water and milk.
Key terms
praṇāda
Abnormal sound perceived in the ear.
bādhirya
Loss or marked impairment of hearing.
kṣveḍa
A particular type of ear noise named in the text.
bilva
The named plant ingredient used in this preparation.
Another oil for deafness is described as processed with sita, madhuka, and bimbi in goat's milk. While hot, it is churned in a bimbi decoction and collected after cooling; it is then cooked again with ten parts milk and pastes of sita, madhuka, and candana, in a concentrated bilva decoction, and used for filling the ear.
The commentary expands the preparation: sesame oil is first cooked with pastes of sita, madhuka, and bimbi in four parts goat's milk. While still hot it is churned in bimbi decoction, then collected by hand after cooling. It is again stirred into a bilva-fruit decoction and cooked with pastes of white sugar, yashtimadhuka, and red sandalwood in ten parts milk. Some read 'concentrated bimbi water' instead of 'concentrated bilva water.'
Key terms
bādhirya
Loss or marked impairment of hearing.
bimbī
A named plant used as paste and decoction in the formula.
yaṣṭīmadhuka
Licorice, identified by the commentary as an ingredient.
bilvāmbu / bimbyambu
Variant readings indicating concentrated bilva water or bimbi water.
The commentator explains this cross-reference on the grounds that deafness may also have an association with kapha. For brevity, the text anticipates the later treatment of pratishyaya, including the instruction that, except in a newly arisen case, treatment should begin with drinking ghee and the other measures stated there.
Key terms
pratiśyāya
The condition whose later treatment regimen is applied here by cross-reference.
kaphānubandha
An accompanying association with kapha.
atideśa
Application here of a regimen stated elsewhere in the text.
Adhikarana 27 (39) · Śloka 39
vātavyādhiṣu yaścōktō vidhiḥ sa ca hitō bhavēt |39|
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वातव्याधिषु यश्चोक्तो विधिः स च हितो भवेत् |३९|
Meaning of the śloka
The regimen already prescribed for disorders of vata is also said to be beneficial here.
For a condition attributed to vata alone, the commentator explains this as a brief retrospective cross-reference. The regimen meant is that stated for vata disorders, including staying protected from wind and observing brahmacharya, among other measures.
Key terms
vātavyādhi
Disorders attributed to vata in the classical framework.
nivāta
Remaining sheltered from wind.
brahmacarya
A prescribed discipline or restraint included in the referenced regimen.
atideśa
A cross-reference applying previously stated treatment here.
For discharge from the ear, putrid ear, and krimikarṇaka, a common course of treatment is to be used, together with formulations specific to each condition.
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karma cikitsām||39||-
Meaning of the commentary
The commentary simply glosses karma as treatment.
Key terms
karṇasrāva
Discharge from the ear.
pūtikarṇa
A foul-smelling or putrid ear condition in the text.
kṛmikarṇaka
An ear disorder attributed to krimi in the classical account.
vaiśeṣika yoga
A formulation selected specifically for a particular condition.
शिरोविरेचनं चैव धूपनं पूरणं तथा ||४०||
प्रमार्जनं धावनं च वीक्ष्य वीक्ष्यावचारयेत् |
राजवृक्षादितोयेन सुरसादिगणेन वा ||४१||
Meaning of the śloka
The common measures include head-cleansing procedures, fumigation, filling the ear, wiping, and washing, each selected after repeatedly assessing the particular condition. Washing is described with water prepared from the Rajavrikshadi or Surasadi group.
In explaining the common treatment, the commentator defines pramarjana as wiping the ear with a cotton implement and dhavana as washing. The repeated phrase 'after examining' means that the practitioner should assess the particular dosha, affected tissue, impurity, and related features in each case of ear discharge and the other conditions. Rajavrikshadi is identified with the Aragvadhadi group.
Key terms
śirovirecana
A head-cleansing procedure.
dhūpana
Fumigation or exposure to medicinal smoke.
pramārjana
Wiping or swabbing the ear with a cotton implement.
dhāvana
Washing or irrigation.
Rājavṛkṣādi
The named group identified here with Aragvadhadi.
Adhikarana 30 (42-45) · Śloka 45
karṇaprakṣālanaṁ kāryaṁ cūrṇairēṣāṁ ca pūraṇam |
kvāthaṁ pañcakaṣāyaṁ tu kapittharasayōjitam ||42||
karṇasrāvē praśaṁsanti pūraṇaṁ madhunā saha |
sarjatvakcūrṇasaṁyuktaḥ kārpāsīphalajō rasaḥ ||43||
yōjitō madhunā vā'pi karṇasrāvē praśasyatē |
lākṣā rasāñjanaṁ sarjaścūrṇitaṁ karṇapūraṇam ||44||
saśaivalaṁ mahāvr̥kṣajambvāmraprasavāyutam |
kulīrakṣaudramaṇḍūkīsiddhaṁ tailaṁ ca pūjitam ||45||
The ear is to be washed and filled with powders of the previously named substances. For ear discharge, the text praises filling the ear with a decoction of five astringent substances combined with kapittha juice and honey. It also commends the juice of karpasi fruit combined with powdered sarja bark and honey, or powders of laksha, rasanjana, and sarja. Another praised oil is prepared with shaivala, shoots of mahavriksha, jambu, and amra, together with kulira, honey, and manduki.
After the common measures, the commentary introduces formulations specific to ear discharge. It says the five astringents will later be listed in this chapter as tinduka, abhaya, rodhra, samanga, and amalaka. Others identify the group as aragvadha, shirisha, jambu, sarja, and ashvakarna, but the tika and Panjika do not accept that interpretation. Karpasi is explained as wild cotton. Shaivala is identified as durva, though others read hatha; mahavriksha as sehunda; and prasava as tender shoots. Kulira is identified as karkatashringi and manduki as a variety of brahmi. The substances from shaivala through the shoots form the decoction, while those beginning with kulira form the paste. The phrase to be supplied at the end is that the oil is praised for filling the ear in ear discharge.
Key terms
pañcakaṣāya
A group of five astringent substances, with competing identifications discussed in the commentary.
karṇasrāva
Discharge from the ear.
śaivala
Identified as durva by the commentator, with hatha reported as an alternative reading.
For filling the ear in this condition, a preparation of tinduka, abhaya, rodhra, samanga, amalaka, and honey, combined with the juice of kapittha, is described as suitable.
The commentary identifies samanga as anjalikarika, while other authorities call it varahakranta. It describes this as a powder made from five astringent substances.
Key terms
samanga
A plant identified here as anjalikarika, with varahakranta preserved as an alternative identification.
purana
Filling or instillation into the ear in the historical therapeutic context.
pancakashayacurna (panca-kashaya-curna)
A powder of five substances characterized as astringent by the commentary.
रसमाम्रकपित्थानां मधूकधवशालजम् |
पूरणार्थं प्रशंसन्ति तैलं वा तैर्विपाचितम् ||४७||
प्रियङ्गुमधुकाम्बष्ठाधातकीशिलपर्णिभिः |
मञ्जिष्ठालोध्रलाक्षाभिः कपित्थस्य रसेन वा ||४८||
पचेत्तैलं तदास्रावमवगृह्णाति पूरणात् |४९|
Meaning of the śloka
The juices of mango and kapittha shoots and those arising from madhuka, dhava, and shala are commended for filling the ear, either individually or together; alternatively, oil cooked with them is described. Another oil is to be cooked with pastes of priyangu, madhuka, ambastha, dhataki, shilaparni, manjishtha, rodhra, and laksha, using kapittha juice; when used as an ear filling, it is said to restrain discharge.
The commentary explains that the fresh juices of the shoots beginning with mango may be used individually or together for ear filling, or that sesame oil cooked with them is used when there is purulent discharge. For the second formula, sesame oil is prepared with the listed pastes and four times its quantity of kapittha-shoot juice and is described as checking ear discharge. It identifies ambastha as sankurada, shila as manahshila, and parni as shalaparni.
Key terms
karNapurana (karna-purana)
Historical filling or instillation of a preparation into the ear.
Asrava (asrava)
Discharge from the ear that the preparation is said to restrain.
shila
Identified by the commentary as manahshila, an arsenic-containing mineral substance.
ambaShThA (ambashtha)
A plant identified by the commentary as sankurada.
shilaparNI (shilaparni)
The listed plant ingredient, with parni identified as shalaparni in the commentary.
Ghee and rasanjana combined with human milk and honey are commended even for a long-standing putikarnaka accompanied by discharge. A second ear-filling preparation, containing fresh nirgundi juice, oil, sindhu, smoke-soot, jaggery, and honey, is described as calming putikarna.
The commentary presents this as the specific treatment for krimikarna and says that the krimi-destroying procedure will be explained later in the chapter on the prevention or treatment of krimi.
Key terms
kRumikarNaka (krimikarnaka)
The named ear condition attributed in the text to krimi.
kRumighna (krimighna)
A procedure intended to destroy or remove krimi.
vidhi
The prescribed therapeutic procedure referenced from another section.
Adhikarana 35 (52) · Śloka 52
vārtākudhūmaśca hitaḥ sārṣapasnēha ēva ca |52|
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वार्ताकुधूमश्च हितः सार्षपस्नेह एव च |५२|
Meaning of the śloka
Smoke from vartaku and mustard oil are also stated to be beneficial.
Citing another textual tradition, the commentary explains this as inhaling the smoke of mature, dried vartaku and fumigating the ear with it, together with filling the ear with mustard oil.
Key terms
vArtAku (vartaku)
The plant material whose smoke is described in the historical procedure.
dhUma (dhuma)
Smoke used for inhalation and ear fumigation according to the commentary.
sArShapasneha (sarshapa-sneha)
Mustard oil used for historical ear filling.
tantrAntara (tantrantara)
Another textual authority cited as the basis for the commentary's procedural detail.
Adhikarana 36 (52-53) · Śloka 53
kr̥mighnaṁ haritālēna gavāṁ mūtrayutēna ca ||52||
guggulōḥ karṇadaurgandhyē dhūpanaṁ śrēṣṭhamucyatē |
chardanaṁ dhūmapānaṁ ca kavalasya ca dhāraṇam ||53||
View original
कृमिघ्नं हरितालेन गवां मूत्रयुतेन च ||५२||
गुग्गुलोः कर्णदौर्गन्ध्ये धूपनं श्रेष्ठमुच्यते |
छर्दनं धूमपानं च कवलस्य च धारणम् ||५३||
Meaning of the śloka
For foul odor of the ear attributed to krimi, a krimighna preparation combined with haritala and cow urine is described, while fumigation with guggulu is said to be best. Induced vomiting, smoke inhalation, and retaining a medicinal mouthful are also prescribed.
The commentary explains the krimighna substance as powder of the essence of vidanga, combined with powdered haritala and cow urine for filling the ear, with guggulu used for fumigation. Some authorities say the three procedures beginning with vomiting benefit all three conditions such as discharge, but the commentator rejects that interpretation. Because the procedures occur beside the discussion of foul odor caused by krimi and are similarly presented by Videha and other authorities, he limits their indication to foul odor.
Key terms
haritAla (haritala)
An arsenic-containing mineral substance included in the historical formula.
viDa~gga (vidanga)
The substance whose essence-powder the commentary identifies as krimighna.
karNadaurgandhya (karna-daurgandhya)
Foul odor of the ear, treated here as the specific indication.
For karnakshveda, filling the ear with mustard oil is stated to be beneficial. In an ear vidradhi, treatment described for vidradhi should also be carried out.
The commentary says that the mustard oil prescribed as an ear filling for karnakshveda may also be used for vidradhi, but that the other treatments taught for vidradhi are also required. It then distinguishes pouring sesame oil in an unripe, painful vata-type vidradhi and mustard oil in a kapha-type vidradhi.
Key terms
karNakShveDa (karnakshveda)
The named ear disorder for which mustard-oil filling is mentioned.
vidradhi
A suppurative swelling or abscess-like condition treated according to its previously taught regimen.
Ama (ama)
An unripe or not-yet-mature stage of the vidradhi in this context.
seka
Pouring or irrigation with oil in the historical procedure.
Adhikarana 38 (55) · Śloka 55
praklēdya dhīmāṁstailēna svēdēna pravilāyya ca |
śōdhayētkarṇaviṭkaṁ tu bhiṣak samyak śalākayā ||55||
Tube-administered fomentation, induced vomiting, medicinal smoke, elimination through the head, and the full range of kapha-reducing measures are said to relieve itching of the ear.
The commentary presents these measures as treatment for ear itching. It specifies that vomiting is performed with fomentation and that the smoke used here is of the evacuative type.
Key terms
karNakaNDU (karna-kandu)
Itching of the ear.
nADIsveda (nadi-sveda)
Fomentation delivered through a tube in the historical procedure.
vamana
Therapeutically induced vomiting, specified here together with fomentation.
mUrdhavirecana (murdha-virecana)
An evacuative procedure directed through the head or upper channels.
vairecanikadhUma (vairecanika-dhuma)
Evacuative medicinal smoke, as specified by the commentary.
In karnapratinaha, oleation and fomentation should first be applied. After the head has been evacuated, the treatment appropriate to the condition should be carried out.
The commentary identifies this as treatment for karnapratinaha. It explains kriya as the course beginning with oleation and fomentation, and prapta as whatever is suitable or indicated.
Key terms
karNapratInAha (karna-pratinaha)
The named obstructive ear condition addressed in the passage.
sneha
Oleation in the historical treatment sequence.
sveda
Fomentation in the historical treatment sequence.
viriktashiras (virikta-shiras)
A state after an evacuative procedure directed at the head.
prApta (prapta)
Appropriate or indicated for the condition, according to the commentary.
Following the discussion of removing ear accumulation arising from bodily doshas, the commentary says this verse treats extraction of externally introduced insects, dirt, and similar material. It supplies the omitted sense that removal with the horn instrument is performed by suction.
Key terms
karNacchidra (karna-chidra)
The opening or canal of the ear.
kITa (kita)
An insect lodged in the ear.
Agantu (agantu)
Externally introduced or arising from an outside cause, as the commentary classifies the material.
shRu~gga (shringa)
A horn instrument used with suction according to the commentary.
Anticipating a question about the treatment of the four kinds of arshas, seven kinds of arbuda, and four kinds of shopha recognized in Shalakya-tantra, the author avoids leaving the section incomplete by referring back to their earlier treatment chapters. The commentary explains that treatment has already been described for each dosha and each stage of these disorders.
Key terms
arshas
A class of lesions said here to have four kinds and to be treated according to earlier teaching.
arbuda
A class of masses said here to have seven kinds and to be treated according to earlier teaching.
shopha
Swelling, said here to have four kinds and to be treated according to earlier teaching.
prAk (prak)
Earlier, specifically in the prior treatment sections for these disorders.
Thus ends the twenty-first chapter, entitled Prevention and Treatment of Diseases Affecting the Ear, in the Shalakya-tantra section of the Uttara-tantra of the Sushruta-samhita.
Thus ends the twenty-first chapter in the Shalakya-tantra portion of the Uttara-tantra in Dalhana's commentary on the Sushruta-samhita entitled Nibandhasangraha. The supplied authorial name contains the uncertain or variant form Dalha(hla)na.