अथातः शिरोरोगविज्ञानीयमध्यायं व्याख्यास्यामः ||१|| यथोवाच भगवान् धन्वन्तरिः ||२|| शिरो रुजति मर्त्यानां वातपित्तकफैस्त्रिभिः | सन्निपातेन रक्तेन क्षयेण क्रिमिभिस्तथा ||३|| सूर्यावर्तानन्तवातार्धावभेदकशङ्खकैः | एकादशप्रकारस्य लक्षणं सम्प्रवक्ष्यते ||४||
Meaning of the śloka
Now the chapter on the knowledge of diseases of the head is explained, as taught by Bhagavān Dhanvantari. The head may be afflicted through vāta, pitta, or kapha separately; through their combined involvement; through rakta, depletion, or kṛmi; and through sūryāvarta, anantavāta, ardhāvabhedaka, and śaṅkhaka. The characteristics of these eleven types will be described.
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तानेव शिरोरोगान् सङ्ख्यया आह- शिरो रुजतीत्यादि| त्रिभिरिति पृथगर्थद्योतनार्थम्| ‘शिरो रुजति मर्त्यानाम्’ इत्यत्र केचित् ‘शिरोरोगा मनुष्याणाम्’ इति पठन्ति| रोगशब्दो यद्यपि सामान्यव्याधिवाचकस्तथाऽपि ये पीडाकरा व्याधयस्तेऽत्र गृह्यन्ते, तेन खालित्यादीनामत्रानुपादानमिति व्याख्यानयन्ति| एकादशप्रकारस्येत्यादि| एकादशैवात्र शिरोरोगाः| अन्यतोवातशब्देन अनन्तवातस्य सर्वगतनयनरोगविज्ञानीये प्रोक्तत्वात्| ब्रह्मदेवस्तु विदेहादिषु अनन्तवातस्य पृथक् पाठात् पृथगेवात्र पठनीयः, तेन चैकादश शिरोरोगा इति ब्रूते| अत्र केचिद्विदेहदर्शनात् सूर्यावर्तकविपर्ययमपि पठन्ति| तथा च तद्वचः- “तत्र वातानुगं पित्तं चितं शिरसि तिष्ठति| मध्याह्ने तेजसाऽर्कस्य तद्विवृद्धं शिरोरुजम्|| करोति पैत्तिकीं घोरां संशाम्यति दिनक्षये| अस्तं गते प्रभाहीने सूर्ये वायुर्विवर्धते|| पित्तं शान्तिमवाप्नोति ततः शाम्यति वेदना| एष पित्तानिलकृतः सूर्यावर्तविपर्ययः”- इति| केचित्सुश्रुताध्यायिनोऽनेन पाठेन सूर्यावर्तकविपर्ययं पठन्ति,- “वातपित्तात् पुरोजाता रुजाऽपैत्यपराह्णतः| सूर्यावर्तः स तु प्रोक्तो विपरीते विपर्ययः”- इति| असौ सूर्यावर्तविपर्ययश्चातुर्थिकविपर्ययवदसूत्रितोऽपि गृह्यते| अत्र केचित् “आलुञ्चयते कम्पति चापि मूर्धा सर्पन्ति मध्ये च पिपीलिका वा| स्कन्धः शिरश्चाप्यवघूर्णते च मूर्च्छा प्रलापश्च तथैव निद्रा|| सञ्ज्ञाप्रणाशं जनयेद्विनिद्रां प्रातस्ततः पश्यति चातिचित्रम्| गृह्णाति मन्ये हृदयं च रूपैः सर्वैरमीभिः समभिद्रुतस्तु|| तिस्रो हि रात्रीर्न स जातु जीवेत्तं शीर्षकं सम्प्रवदन्ति रोगम्”- इति पठन्ति| स च निबन्धकारैर्नाङ्गीकृतः||१-४||
Meaning of the commentary
The commentary says this passage enumerates the diseases of the head. The word ‘three’ indicates vāta, pitta, and kapha acting separately. Some read ‘diseases of the head in human beings’ instead of ‘the head of mortals is afflicted.’ Although roga can denote disease generally, the commentator explains that the present list concerns painful disorders, which is why conditions such as khālitya are omitted. The count is eleven. One interpretation treats anantavāta as included under anyatovāta because it was already described in the section on diseases affecting the whole eye; Brahmadeva, relying on its separate reading in authorities such as Videha, counts it separately while retaining eleven disorders. Some authorities additionally read sūryāvarta-viparyaya: accumulated pitta accompanied by vāta is said to produce severe pain around midday that subsides as the day ends, while another reading defines it through pain arising before midday and disappearing in the afternoon, with the reverse pattern called viparyaya. Although not stated in the root aphorism, it is accepted by analogy with cāturthika-viparyaya. Another transmitted passage describes a condition called śīrṣaka, with pulling and trembling of the head, crawling sensations, whirling of the shoulders and head, fainting, delirium, sleep disturbance, loss of awareness, unusual morning visions, and cardiac distress, said to be fatal within three nights; the compilers do not accept this condition in the present classification.
Key terms
- shiroroga (śiroroga)
- A painful disorder of the head in the classification introduced here.
- sUryAvarta (sūryāvarta)
- One of the named head-disease categories, associated in the cited interpretation with a daily temporal pattern of pain.
- anantavAta (anantavāta)
- A named category whose separate inclusion is debated in the commentary.
- ardhAvabhedaka (ardhāvabhedaka)
- One of the eleven classical categories of head disease.
- sha~gkhaka (śaṅkhaka)
- One of the named classical categories of head disease.