sushruta samhita vol.2_chapter 2_715 - 762p

8/6/2019 sushruta samhita Vol.2_Chapter 2_715 - 762p

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CHA PTER V .

Now we shall discourse on J:he C hapter which deals

w ith the medical treatment of snaR e-bires (Sarpa-dashta Kaipa-'Chlkltsltam).

General treatment of snake-bttee :-

In all cases of snake-bites ~igatures of cloth, skin, soft

fibre or any other soft article (consecrated with the·

proper M antras), should first of all be bound four

fingers apart above the seat of the bite in the event of'

its occurring in the extrem ities, inasmuch as such .a·

proceeding would arrest the further (upward) course of

the poison in the body. A s an alternative, the seat of

the bite should be incisioncd, bled and cauterized where

such a ligature would be found to be impossible. Inci-

sion, cauterization, and sucking (of the poisoned blood

from the seat of the bite) should be highly recommend-

ed in all 'C ases of snake-bites. T he cavity of the mouth

should be filled w ith a linen' before sucking (the blood

from the wound). It would do the man bitten by a

snake an immense good if he could bite the serpent

that had bitten h"im or failing that, bite a clod of earth

w ithout any loss of time. 2-3.

T he scat of the bite by a Mandali snake should not,

however, be cauterized inasmuch as the preponderant

P ittaja character of the poP s~n, aggravated by the appli-

cation of the heat, m ight lead to its speedy expansion

or coursinr_ in the system . 4·

Mantras :-A physician well-versed in the

Mantras of anti-venomous potency should bind a•

• D ailaD a recommendl bur . . earlb or the .artb of aD lO l·bill or lib

for the purpose of 6 11ing up the m outb before lucking tbe polloD ed blood.



Chap. V .JKA Ll\A S T liA N AM.

P lasters of linti-poisonous drugs (A gada) should be

applied all round the scat of the bite after scarifying it,

which should be sprikled w ith water m ixed w ith (red)

S andal wood and Us'ira or w ith their dec~ction. T he

appropriate A ga Ja com pounds (according to the nature

.. . .

of the bite) should ~e adrniui-tcrcd through t(IC m edium

of m ilk, honey and clarified butter, etc. In the absence

of these, the patient should be made to rake (4 solution

of) the black earth of 'an ant-h ill (d isso lv ed in w ate r).

A s an alternative, (a pl~te of) Kouiddra, S'irisNa, Arka

and K, l taM; should be prescribed for him . T he patient

should not be allowed to take oil, the soup of KU/'lllh,j-

pulse, w ine and S<luvim!a . T he patient should . be

made to vom it w ith the help of any other suitable

liquid available, since vom iting in most cases leads to

the elim ination of the poison from the system . 6 .

specific treatment of the bIte by a

hooded (Darvi-kara) Snake :-In the case

of a bite by a hooded (D arvi·kara) snake, bleeding

by opening ' the veins should be resorted to in the

first stage of poisoning'. In the second stage, thepatient should be made to drink an A gada compound

w ith honey aad clarified butter. In the third stage,

anti-poisonous snuffs (N asya) and collyrium (A njana)

should be employed. I I I the fourth stage, the patient

should be made to vom it, and medicated Yavagu

(gruel) mentioned before (in connection w ith vegetable

poison=see C hapter II,' para 26 , K alpasthana) should

then be given him for drink. In the fifth and thesixth M ages, after the adm inistration of cooling

measures, strong purgatives and emetics should be

adm inistered and the foregoing medicated Yavagu

(g ru el) s hould be adm inistered to the patient. In the

seventh stage, strong~ m edicated Avapida-snuffs and



T H E SUSH R VT A & \MH IT A , [Chlp,V.

.strong collyrium of anti-venomous efficacy should b e

employed for the purification (purging) of the head.

Superficial incisions like the marks of crew's fee t sh ou ld

be made on the seal p and the affected flesh and blood

should be rem oved. J.

Specific treatment of bites by a

Mandall Snake: -In the first M age of a case of

poisoning by the' bite of a Mandali snake, the treat-

ment is the same as in the corresponding stage of a

D 'arvi-kara (cobra) bite. I n the second stage, an A gada

compound should be given w ith honey and clarified

butter and after making the' patient vom it the preced-

ing medicated Yavagu (gruel). should be adm inisterd to

him . In the third stage, after the exhibition of drastic

purgatives and brisk emetics, a proper and suitable medi-

cated gruel should be adm inistered. In th~ fourth and

the fifth stages, the treatment would be the same as in

the corresponding stages of a D arvi-kara (cobra) bite.

In the sixth stage, the drugs of the Madhura (Kakolyadi)

Gana taken w ith m ilk prove efficacious, l~ the

seventh stage, anti-venomous A gada compound inthe shape of A vapida (snuff) would neutralise the

effects of poison. 8.

Specific treatment of Rajiman-

bites: -In the first stage of a case of R ajiman-bite,

bleeding should be resorted to and an A gada should be

adm inistered with m ilk and honey. In the second stage,

emetics and an anti-venomous ,.A gada should ' be given

to the patient. I n the third, fourth and fifth stages, the

treatment should be the same as in the correrponding

stages of a case of D arvi-kara-bite. ln the sixth stage,

the use of the strongest (anti-venomous) collyraim and in

the seventh stage, that of an A vapida (8nuff) of sim ilar

virtue should be prescribed. 9 , r



C hap. V . J

Contra-Indlcatloll to blood-letting

In casesof Snake-bites :-111 the case of an

infant, an old man, or an encicntc woman.having been

bitten by a snake, all the foregoing rem edies in m ilder

doses w ith the exception of brood-I£tting should be em -

ployed according to. the requirem ents of the casco 10.

Dosageof Collyrium, etc, to be re-

sorted to In cases of different beasts

and birds: -T he q~antity c i f m edicated collyrium

(Anjana) to be used and blood to be let out in the case

of a goat or a sheep bitten ~y a snake should be equal

to those laid down in connection w ith a sim ilar human

patient, while the quantity should be doubled in the

case of a cow or a horse. I n the case of a cam el or a

buffalo it should be trebled, while in the case of an

elephant, it should be quadrupled B irds of what

soever species in a sim ilar predicament should , however,

be treated only w ith sprays of cold water and cooling

med ic ajed p lasters . I!.

General dosage of medicines In

casesof Snake-bites :-In cases of snakc·bites,collyrium to the weight of one M ashaka (M ash:i) should

be used at a 'time. T he dosage of m edicated snuff'

(Nasya), potions and emetics being respectively double,

quadruple and eight times thereof. B ut a w ise physi-

cian should treat a case of snake-bite w ith a full regard

to the nature of the couatry, season, temperam ent, as

well as to the intensity ~nd the particular stage of

poisoning the case has reached. IZ-13.

W e h"'e described the anti-venomous measures and

rem edies applicable to the different stages of poisoning

(b y a snake-bite). W e shall now deal w ith the specific

treatm ent of poisoning gf either kind according to the

physical symptom s developed in the patient. Blood.



720 T H E SU S!W UT A eSA M HIT A . (C hap. V .

,

letting should be speedily resorted to iii the case where

the poisoned limb had become discoloured, rigid, swollen

and painful! C urd, T akra, honey, clarified butter and

meat-soups should then be given to the patient affected

with a poison marked by a preponderance of the ag-

gravated V a y n and by a craving for food. A personaffected with a poison marked by a predominance of

th e agg rava ted Pitta. would have thirst, epileptic fits,

perspiration and a burning sc~sation in the body and

should be treated with shampooing with cold hands

and with cold baths, and cooling medicinal plasters, A

person affected with a poison marked by a predomi-

nance of the aggravated Kap4a and. bitten in the winter

would have cold salivation, epileptic fits and intoxica-

tion and should be treated with strong emetics. 14 .

Specific treatment of the different

Supervening Symptoms: -Purgatives

should be exhibited in the event of the patient being

oppressed with such symptoms as pain and burning

sensation in the abdomen, A 1hmana (tympanites), reten-

tion of urine, stool and flatus, painful urination and

other troubles of the deranged P itta. Collyrium should

be applied (along the eyelids) in the cas- of a swelling

of the eyeballs, somnolence, disco louring of the eye,

cloudiness of vision and discoloured appearance of all

objects T he head of the patient should be cleansed

(purged) with medicinal errhi~es (Nasya) in the case of

pain and a heaviness of the. head, lassitude, lock-jaw,

constriction of the throat (Gala-graha) and violentwryneck (Manya-stambha), P owders of sued drugs of

the S 'iro-virechana group as are of strong potency. in the

shape of Pradhamana Nasya should be blown into the

nostrils of the patient suffering frpm the effects of poison-

ing in tile case where such symptoms as loss of conscious-



Chap. V . l721

ness, upturned eyes and drooping of the neck would set

in . T he veins of his forehead and of the ext rem iti~1

should be instantly opened. W hen such opening of the

veins would not be attended w ith (the desired) bleeding

superficial incisions in the shape of cow 's feet (Kaka-

pada) should be made by an expc;icnc~d surgeon onthe scalp of the pati~nt. T hese failing, the inclsioned

bits of flesh m ixed w ith blood should be removed

and the decoction or powders of a Charma-vr" 'uha

(B hurja patra) should b '~ applied to the incisions. '

D undubhis (sm all drum s) smeared w ith anti-venomous.

plasters should be sounded' around the patient. T he.

patient thus restored to consciousness should be treated

w ith both purgatives ~qd e';'etics. A complete elim i-

nation of the poison from the system is a very difficult

task but it is indespcnsably necessary, since the least

remnant of tfie poison may again be aggravated In

course of time and cause lassitude, discolouring of the

com plexion, fever, cough, headache, sw elling, em aciation

(Sosha)," cataract, blindness, catarrh (P ratlsyaya), aver-

sion to food and nasal catarrh (P inasa), T hese disease!

and any other supervening symptom s of poisoning

should be treated according to the injunctions laid down

under their specific he~ds w ith a careful consideration

of the D osha or D oshas involved in each case. [5 . ,

T he ligature should then be removed, the seat of the

bite incisioned and an A gada plaster should be applied

there, so inasmuch ai the ~ojson is found to be lodged in

a condensed form (in the puncture of the fangs) and

is likely ~ be afterw ards aggravated (if not fully

eliminated). [6.

Remedy for aggravated Doshas due

to polson:-lf th e Viyu of the body be found to be

in an aggravated conditi6n, even after a careful elim l-

9[



722 THE SUSHaUTA'SAMHITA. [C hap. V .

nation of the poison from. the system 'with the help of

suitable Mantras, measures and medicinal remedies,

it should be-pacified and restored to its normal con-

diiton with any V ayu-pacifying Sneha, etc., other than

oil. T he. use IJf fish, Kulattha.sou p and acid articles

(fermented rice-gruel, etc.) is forbidden, T h e aggravatedPitta in such a case should be remedied with the appli-

cation of a Sn~ha·V asti and wjth the decoction of drugs

.prescrlbed in cases of P ittaja-fever, while the deranged

Kapha should be corrected with Kapha-subduing

'remedies or with (the decoction 00 the drugs of the

.Aragvadhddi Gana mixed with honey, or with a diet

consisting of bitter and parching (R uksha) articles of

food. 17 .

A person found to be unconscious from the effects of

a fall from an uneven ground 01' from the top of a tree

or precipice as well as a drowned man rescued uncon-

scious, or one in a state of suspended animation owing

to strangulation should be treated according to the

injunctions and with remedies laid down in connection

with the treatment of persons who have become uncon-scious from the effects of poisoning (mentioned in the

present chapte r) . 18.

If a deep seated incision (P rachchhita) in, or an

ex tremely tig ht fasten ing (Arishtaj around the seat of

the bite, or an application of extrem ely irritant plasters

or any such other application thereon gives rise to a

local sw elling which em its 'a bad sm ell and slim y m atter

it should be inferred from these that the inherent poison

in such a case has putrefied the' flesh of 1he affected

part which can be made amenable to medicine only

w ith th e g reatest d ifficu lty. I9·A. •

Sypmtoms of wounds from poison-ed darts, etc: T he poisonous character of



C hap. V .lK"LPA.sTHA~AM .

•a dart or ~f an arrow with which a person has been

pierced (D igdha-viddha) should be inferred from the

fo llow ing symptoms , viz., flow of black-coloured blood

from an immediately inflicted w ound, suppuration, a

constant burning sensation (in. the incidentalulcer) and

sloughing of black coloured, putrefic 'd an~ m orbid fleshm ixed w ith a m ucopurulent discharge from the wound,

and thirst, vertigo, epileptic fits, a burning sen satio n in

the body and fever. 19.'

Treatment of a poisoned wound :-In

a case where all the above symptom s of poisoning are

present whether in a case of snake-bite or of a bite by

a sp id er (Luta), or in. a case of being pierced w ith . a

venomed arrow , or in a case of poisoning of any kind,

where putrefaction has set in , the putrid flesh of the

incidental ulcer should be judiciously rem oved and the

vitiated blo;d of the locality should be speedily extract-

ed by applying leeches thereto . T he system of the

patient should then be cleansed w ith purgatives and

emetic; and the affected part of his body should be

pro fuse ly spr ayed 01' washed w ith the decoction (of the

bark) of a Kshiri·Vriksha A poultice prepared w ith

the anti venomous drugs of cool potency m ixed w ith

clarified b utter (washed a hundred tim es ami) placed

inside the folds of linen should also be applied . In the

event of its being caused by the insertion 01' introduc-

tion of a bone' of any anim al, the bone of which is

poisonous \n itself, tlit: ,measures and remedies laid

down above as well as those prescribed under the treat-ment 0 ' th e "Pltta-poisoning' should he adopted and

used; 10.

• D allaD a 'bolds tbat by tbe word "bone" in tbe tex t Ihould be aD '

derstood all tbe d ifferentlO u rcel of poilon, "i••, (ZCeI , u rin e, n ail, to oth ,

b ris tl e, e te ., OhD animal .



T H E SUSW RUT " SAMH IT A . [C hap. V .

Recipe of different AgadaS :-Maha-gada :-T he powders of Trior it, V is 'a lyd , Yasllti-

madhu , the two kinds of Ha rid rd , R akld (Manjishtha),

Narendra (A ragvadha), the five kinds of officinal salt

and Tri-katu, pasted. w ith honey, should be placed inside

a horn. T his A gada or anti-poisonous compound used

as snuff'(Nasya), collyrium and anointment acts as a good

neutraliser of poison. It is irresistible in its potency and

is of m ighty efficacy. It is called the Mahagada. 21.

Ajltagada :- A compound made of powdered

Viqanga . Pd thd , Tri-pka ld , A jamod(l, H in g«, Chakra

(Tagara), Tri-katu, the five kinds of officinal salt and

Chitraka, pasted w ith honey, should be kept for a fort-night inside a cow 's horn covered w ith a lid of the same

material. T his anti venomous compound (A gada) is

known as the Ajitagada. and is efficacious in cases of

both vegetable and anim al poisoning. 22.

Tarkshyagada :-A compound made of the

fine powders of P ra pa u nd ar ik a, D e ua -d dr u, Mu s(d , K d ld -

nu sdryd , K atu -rohin i, S tllaun cyaka , D ltydmaka , Pad -

maka . Punndga , Tdlis 'a , Suva rchikd , K utanna ta , Eld ,white Sindl lu-vdra, S'a ile va , K u shlh a, T ag a ra , P riy an g u,

L od kr a, [a la (B dla ka ), S va rn a·G 'lir ikcI, M d ga dlta , (red)

Chandana an d Saindkava salt, taken in equal parts

and pasted w ith honey, should be kept inside a horn.

T his A gada is called the Tarkshyagada and is capable

of neutralising the effects even of the poison of a

T akshaka. 23 . . .

Rishabhagada :-A compound made of the

powders of Mdn si, Tri-pka ld , M ura flg i, M an jis lltkd ,

Y as kli-m a dltu , P a d",a ka , V i4 an g a, T dlis 'a , S ug a nd kik tS ,

E ld , TVaN , K usktlta , Te ja -pa l,.a , Chandana , Bkdrg i,

Pa lo la , K illik ; ( A pamarga ), P d llt) , M r igddan i, Ka , .ka tik4 ,

Fura (Guggulu), PtS lind ,., A s 'o ka , K , .a tlluRa and flow ers



C h a p . V . I

of Sur a s; and of Bhal /d taka, well pasted with honey

and with the bile of a boar (V araha), Godha, P eacock,

Sallaka. cat, P rishata (deer) and of mung~o,e, should be

preserved inside a horn. T his anti-venomous medicine

is called the Rishabhagada'. Saakcs never visit the

house of the fortunate and m ighty one wherein this

we ll p repa red remedy is preserved. V enomous insects,

dare not come w ithin thf precincts of such a mansion

and even their poison loses its quickness and fata.!

character. T he sound of trumpets and drum s, smeared

with this compound and blown upon and beaten, terrd

immediately to destroy the effects of poison. If a

poisoned patient would -only look at the bannerplastered with this A gada the poison from his system

w ould be thereby elim inated. 24

Sanjivana Agada:- i\ compound made o f

the powders of L dks lld . lla re n u, Nalnda, Pr i yangu , th e

two kinds of S 'ig r« , Y as ltti-m a dh u, P ritllV ikd (E la) and

Haridsd, pasted w ith honey and clarified butter, should

be preserved inside a cow 's horn and covered in the

above manner. T his anti venomous medicine is calledth e Sanjivana A gada and should be used as snuff,

collyrium and ~rink .• It is capable of restoring even a

man apparently dead (by poisoning) to life. 25 ·

Darvl ..kara ..Raji la ..Vlshahara ..Aga ..

da :-A n A gada consisting of the powders of S'leskmd·

ta ka K a lp lillta , M d tu /u ltfja , S 'ie td , (;irikvd, Kinini , sugar

and 'Tanduliya should be r~garded as the best remedy in

cases of poisoning by D arvi kara or R ajila-bites. 26 .Mantclll..VIShahara Agada :-O ne part

each of Drdksltd ,Sugandkd , Naga ·v ri tti kd · and SaHlI1"1{d.• D lnaD a IIYS Ibat iD place of "S ug.ndha N aga.v,lttikil" som e Itad

"S agaD :iU N lga.m ,ittIU " w ltcb m eans "the ... eet-seeated eartb 0 1 the

mou nt. ln" kn owD 1 0 be poBeped of Int i.po isoDOUI , i, lu . ..



TH E SUSH KUTA SA MH ITA . [C hap. V .

(V arahakranta), two parts each of the' following dtugs,

viz,,-leaves of Su ra sd , V ilva, Kap ittlla , and of Dddi",a,. .and half a part each of the following, ois.: (leaves of)

black S in dhu vd ra , A ",k o!h a and Gl1irika, should be

powdered together and mixed with honey. T his anti-venomous medicine (A gada) is highly efficacious es-

pecially in the case of poisoning by a Mandali-bite. 27 .

vamsa-tvagadl Aga;da:-An Ag ada should

be prepared with the scrapings of green bamboo

(Vamsa-tvak), Amala ka , Kapittlta , T ri-ka tu , Ha imava li,

Kushtha, Karanja-seeds, Tagara and S'irisha flowers,

pasted with cow's bile. U sed as a plaster, snuff or

collyrium, it destroys the' poi scm of a spider, mouse,

serpent or any other (poisonous) insect. U sed as a

collyrium (over the eye-lids), as a plaster over the

umbilical region, or as a V arti (plug), it, removes the

obstruction of stool, urine and V :lyu (flatus, cic.), or of a

fcetus in the womb. U sed as a snuff' or a collyrium, its

curative potency is manifest even in such dangerous

eye-diseases as Kacha, A rman, Kotha, P atala and

Pushpa. 28 ,

Pancha-Strtsha Agada :-A potion con

sisting of a decoction of the roots, flowers, bark, seeds

and sprouts of a S'irisk« tree, taken with honey,

the five officinal kinds of salt and a profuse quantity

of powdere d Trikut«, proves speedily efficacious in a

case of poisoning by an insect-bite. 29 .

Sarva-Kamlka Agada :-A n A gada pre-

pared w ith Ku shtlta , T ri-ka tu , Dd rv i, Madhuka (flower),

the two kinds of salt (Saindhava and S .uvarchala),

Mdlati (flower), Ndga-pushpa and all the drugs of the

Madhura (Kakolyadi) group and pasted with the juice

of Kapiltha and mixed with honey and sugar destroys all

sorts of poison specially that of a mouse (M ushika), 30 .



C hap. V . l K"LP.l·STH~NAM

Ekao :llA IA Agada : - T he follow ing drugs viz.,

Sommij i seeds and Somarti) i flowers,· Ka ldM i, S in dltu ·

ud ra , Cho raka , Varuna ,Kush tJ la , Sa r /,a -g l" ,~ ltti , Sa tta ld ,

Punarnaud, flowers of Siris/la, Aragvllda and of A rka,

S 'ydmd , Ambas lltltd , V i/!a l/litl:Amca , A~ 'm i l1 l~aka ,black

earth and Kllra7la"ka comprise the E kasara A gllod a.T hese should be applied singlyt or in combination of

two or three to destroy the effects of poison. 3 r.•

T hu. ends the fiflh C hapl er of the Kalpa·Snlhdna in Ihe Su.'ruta

Samhil:! which deals with the medical treatment of anake.bltes,

• Some explain "~~ 1~" 10 mean 'Soma ra ji , P h ,la (Ma daria )

an d P ushp a (N ag a.kes'.ra).'

t Som e e xp la i-i " l !1II1i t·~. l f l1 i I" 10 mean that the A gA d •• liould

h e u sed "once, twice Or thrice" acconling to the req uir em ents in ea ch

care,



CHA PTER V I.

Now we shall discourse on cases of rat-poison-

ing (Mushli<aRkalpa). !.

Different varieties of rats (M. Text):

-N ow hear me enumerate the names of the different

families of Mushika (rats) briefly referred to before as

having their poison in their s e m e n , classifie d a cco rd in g

to their different names, features and the medical treat-

ment to be employed for the neutralisation of the effects

of their poison. T hey are eighteen in number and are

named as follows :-LH ana, P utraka, Krishna, H amsira,

C hikkira, C hhuchhundara, A lasa, Kashaya-dasana,

Kulinga, A jita, C hapala, Kapila, Kokila, A runa, Maha-

Krishna, S 'veta, Mahd-Kapila and Kapotabha, 2·A

General symptoms of rat-potscn-Ing :-T he blood of any part of a human body

coming in contact with the semen of any of these

different classes of rats or scratched with their nails,teeth, etc., previously besmeared with their semen

(S 'ukra) is vitiated and gives rise to the appearance of

G ranthi(nodes), sw elling, M andala, 'eruptions of circular

erythematous patches on the skin, Karnika (eruptions

of patches resembling the calycle of a lotus flower),

pimples (pustules) violent and acute erysipelas, Kitima

(keloid tumou rs), breaking pain in the joints, extreme

pain (in the body), fever, viole'nt epileptic fits, anem ia,aversion to food, difficult breathing, shivering and

horripilation. 2. ..

Specific symptoms and treatment

of rat ..polsonlng :-T he general symptoms of

rat-poisoning have been briefly described above. Now



hear me -specialty describe the symptoms of the bites

by the different families of rats (M ushika). A bite b y

a rat of the La'lana class is m arked by • copious itOI'

•of saliva, hie-cough and vomiting. T he patient In

such a case should be made-to use a lambltivo made

• •of the roots of Tandul jyaka m ixed with honey. A bite

by a rat of the 'Putraka fam ily is marked by a senle

of physical langour, yellowness of the eomplexlon and

the appearance of nodllar glands (Granthi) resem bling

young rats. A compound of S'iriska an d / nKudi pasted

together and m ixed with honey should be given tp

the patient as a lambative In this case. A bite by a r~t

of the Krishna ~Iack) class in foul weather and moreespecially on a cloudy day is characterised by the

vomiting of blood. A pasted compound of S;";slta

fruit and Kushtlta with the washings of the ashes of

Kims'uka (fl~wer) should be given to the patient in

such a case. 3-A.

A bite by a rat of the Hanaira species brings on an

aversion to food, yawning and horripilation. In such

a case emetics should be first given to the patient whoshould be then made to drink a decoction of the drugs

of the ArafVai l tddi _group. A bite by a rat of the

O h i k k i r a class is accompanied by headache, swelling,

hie-cough and vomiting. In such a case an emetic con-

sisting of the decoction of Id ljn i. M adana fruit and

Amkotka should be prescribed, A bite by a venomous

Mushika of the Ohhuohcbundara (m ole) species gives

rise to diarrhoea (watery stool), num bness of tb e musclesof the neek and } 'awn ing. I n this case an alkaline

compound prepared of t he ashes of the dry plants of

bar ley (Yava .-na la ), R,'shablti (A tm a-g up tA ) an d Vriltati

should be ' prescribed-. r B.

• D l Ieren t re.d ll ll .-A bite by • MUlhik. o f th e Chbucbchhaaclara

92



THE SUS I fRUTA . SAMHITA .o

A bite by a rat of the A . l & I a species is. cb ,aracteri led

by a numbness of the neck, an upward coursing of the

V ayu, fever end pain at the seat of the bite. In this

case the 'p~tient should be made to take the M ahigada

with honey and clarified-butter as a lambative. A bite

by a rat of the Kashaya-dasana species is marked bysomnolence or excessive sleep, atrophy (Sosha) of the

heart and a genera! emaciation of the body. In such a

case a lambative made of the bark, pith and fruit (seeds)

of S'irisha mixed with honey should be given to the

patient to lick. A bite by a rat of the Kuling& . species

is m arked by pain, swelling and stripe-like m arks about

the seat of the bite, the rem edy consisting in a lam bative

made of the two kinds of Sakd (Mudga-pami and Masha-

parni) and Sindkuvdra pasted together and mixed with

honey. 3 ·e.

A bite by a rat of the Ajita specie s is cha racte ris ed

by vomiting, epileptic fits (fainting), a catching pain

at the' heart (H rid-graha) and blackness of the eyes.

T he patient in such a case should be made l~ lick a

compound made of (the roots of) Pdlindi [Trivrit)pasted with the milky juice of Snuki and mixed with

honey. A bite by a rat of the C ha.,ala species Is

marked b y vom iting, epileptic fits and thirst, and the

remedy in this case should consist of a lambative

made of Tri-pllald, Bkadra·kdshtka (D eva-daru) and

!ateJ·",dnsi (D.R.- Yava) pasted together and m ixed w ith

honey. A bite by a rat of the' Kapila species is fo llow-

ed b y Kotha (putrefaction) of the bite, appearance

class produces thirst, vom iting, fever, w eaknels, D umbnell 0 1 t be muscles

of tbe neck, swelliD g, abscess on tbe back, losl of tbe sense of smell and

V is.cbik" A compound of C bafya, H arltakl, S 'uutbl, V idaoga, P lppa!l,

S ·vetaka·seeds .nd tbe .. bes of (tbe plantl 0 1 ) Vr i ll at i pouDded toget ll er

and m ixed w itb boney sbould be prescribea in this c .. e.-G.yad ... .



Cbep.ttl

of nodula~ glaDd's (Granthl) and fever. T he remedy

consists in the use of a lambative made of T,.;-plWd,

S'w/ae (white A parajita) and Pu""",,,,d pasted

together and licked with honey , A bite by a rat of

the Kokila species is attended witJ! hi~b fever, an in-:

tolerable burning sensation in tbe body and tb'e appear-

ance of nodular gla~ds (Granthi). C larified butter duly

cooked with the decoction of Varshd8ltu and NiliHi

(Indigo plants) should be .ddm inistered in such a case. 3-D,

A bite by a rat of the. Aruna (verm ilio n coloured)'

species is marked by an extremely aggravated condi-

tion of the bodily V ayu and the symptoms peculiar to.

it. A bite by a rat of tqe IIt~kri8hna (extremelyblack) species leads to an aggravated condition of the

P itta, while a bite by one of the Kaha-iveta class

ushers in an aggravation of the bodily Kapha. T he

blood of a p~rson is vitiated by the bite of a rat of the

MBhi-kapila. family, while the bite by one of the

Kapota species leads to the dersngernent of all the

four p rincip le s vi•., the three D oshas (Yayu, P itta and

Kapha) as well as of the blood. T heir bites are accorn-panied by a violent swelling of the affected locality, the

appearance of nedular.glands (Granthi) and such other

erythematous and eczematous growths as Mandala,

Karnika and P idaka (P ustules). 3 -E .

T hree P rastha measures+ each of clarified butter,'

curd and milk should be .duly cooked with the duly

prepared decf>ctlon of Ka 'r4llja , A ragvad lta , T rl·kat.,

• Som e elplailll "S 'ftt' P ualraad" to mO la .. . . bite P ualra .. ""

G ay.dU o read~ " S're.btb'" ia place of "S',ot'- ia . . b le b cu e 1 11 0tb e

. . b ite . pe ele t o f P u alla _" it evideally meaat .

t A =rding to D ~laaa, the recipe 01 tbis Gbrill Is . . fo llo",,-

O ne P mtba eac\ of clarl6 ed batler, curd aad m ilk, two P al.. . acb of

K araa jl' etc ., a nd six tee n . c e n . of .. . ter to be boiled down 10 fOU l

secn, Ibe dr1 lll'of lb. X alka .. e igbing _ M er lull.



, 1 P TH E ·SUS lJllUTk .SA l rfH ITA .

V riM ti, Ams'uma ti and Sthird' (Kakoli),' and with

Trivrit,1'ila, Am,itdtGulancha), Chakra, Sarpa-gandl tr i,

(black) ear t! t* '(of an ant-hill) and the barks of Kapittka

and Dadima as K alka. T he w hole should be duly cooked

. over a g~ntle "fire.• T he Ghrita thus prepared woulddestroy the poison of the five kind: of rats ' I I i8., Aruns,

etc. A s an alternative, clarified butter duly cooked

with the expressed juice of Kdkddani and Kdka·mdcki

.should be given to the patient' [n such cases. A wise

physician shall h ave recourse to bleedin g or ven esection

in ..these cases and the system of the patient should be

.cleansed by purgatives and em etics. 3 .

. General Treatment: 'T"The genera l measu re sto be adopted in the case of a bite by a rat of what-

soever class are as follows: - T he seat of the bite

should be first c au te riz ed (w ith boiling c la rified butte r),

and blood-letting should be resorted to' (b y 'opening

the veins of the patient). T he seat of the bite should

then b e mark ed w lth sup erficial incisio ns and a plaster of

S in s/la , R aja ni. K uslltlta , K umkuma and Amrita (Gula

ncha) should be applied. T he patient should be made

to vom it w ith the decoction of [dlini or with that of

Su'kdkhyd and Am~otlta boiled together .> T he (powdered)

roots o f S 'ukdkhya , Kos 'd 'lla ti, Madana fru its and Deoa-

ddli fruits should be administered with curd for the

elim inati6 nby vom iting the (internal) poison (if any).

T he patient should be made to take (with curd) the

compound consis ting of Phala (Madana}.raclta. Deoa-

dd(i and Kush/Ita pasted with the urine of a cow (as

an em etic), T his rem edy neutralises the.eff(cts of 'the I

poison of all species of venomous rats. 4.-A .

:A ,compound composed oftri'llrit, D an " and t«

o In :place of "n lf l lU ~ ~ ~ometeads "~~I", '

while Jejjlt. re.d, I~MTI»



Okap. VL]1J3

p l t . ! l i 4 s~puld (if necessary) be employed as a purgati'Ve

(in such a case). A compound prepared with the pith

of Sirislla and the pulp of its fruits shC'JJWbe used (if

necessary) as an errhine (S'iro-virechana), • The watery

secretion of fresh cow-dung mixed with. a profuse

quantity of (powdered) Tr;~ka/~ sho'Lld be used ;~collyrium. The ·patient should be made to lick a

compound prepared with the expresscdjuice of the fruits

of Kapittlta and with ®ney and the serous secretion of

(fresh) cow-dung, or a'iambative made of Rasdnjana,

Haridrd, Indra-yaua, Katuk; and Ali·visltd with honey

should be given to the patIent in the morning. A potion

of medicated clarified butter duly cooked with the rpots

of Tanduliyaka sho~ld be 'given to the patient for drink.

A s an alternative, clarified butter, duly cooked with

the five parts (vis., roots, bark, fruits, leaves and

flowers) of a Kapiltlta tree or with the roots of As"p/lotd,

should be prescribed. 4

The poison of a venomous Mushika (rat or mole)

even though (apparently) eliminated from the system

may sometimes still be aggravated in cloudy days or in

foul weather. In such a case, all the above measures as

well as the rerpedies laid down under the treatment of

Duahi-visha should be resorted to. The round protrud-

in~ edges (Karnika) of an ulcer, incidental to a rat-bite,

whether benumbed or painful, should be excised (D.R-

made to suppurate) and should be treated with purify·

ing or cleasing remedte= according to the deranged j

Dosha or Doshas involved in each case. 5-6.causes of. RableS:--The bodily V ayu , in

conjunction with the (aggravated) Kapha of a jackal,

dog, wolf. bear, tiger or of any other such ferocious

beast affects the sensory nerves of these .animals

and overwhelms their- instinct and consciousness, .Tbe



7 3 4w ,

raE S US H ll'O T A S 4M Jl1T A .•

[Cllap. V I.

tails, jaw-bones (D . R.- neck) and shoulde'; of such

infurated animals naturally' droop down, attended with

a copious flow IIf saliva from their mouths. T he beasts

in such a state of frenzy, blinded and deafened by rage,

roam about and bite each ether. 7-A.

. Symptoms of Hydrophobia: - T he limb

or part of the body of a person bitten' by such a rabid

and (consequently) poisonous animal loses its sensi-

bility of touch, and a copious fl()~ of dark sooty blood

isemitted from the seat of the bite. T he patient in

such a case generally exhibits all the symptoms which

mark a case of poisoning by a venorned arrow. 7 -B .

. PrognoSIS: -A persc,lO bitten by a rabid ani-mal barks and howls like the animal by which he is

bitten, im itates it in many other ways and, bereft of

the specific functions and faculties of a human subject,

. ultim ately dies. If a person, bitten by a rabid animal,

sees its (imaginary) image reflected in water or in a

mirror, he should be deemed to have reached an unfavour-

able stage of the disease. 7 -C . .

Symptoms of Jala-trasa :-If th e patie nt

ill such a case becomes exceedingly frightened at the

sight or mention of the very name of water, he

should be understood to ha ve b~e n afflicted with

Js.la·trias. (H ydrophobia) and be deemed to have been

doomed. Such a case of [ala-trasa (water-scare) even in

an unbitten person or in a healthy person, if frightened

(by such a scare), whether wa~iilg or in sleep, should

be regarded as a fatal symptom . 7 ,

Treatment : -In the case of I bite by .a rabid

animal, the seat of the bite should be profusely bled

(by pressing it) so as to let out all the (vitiated) blood.

, I t should then be cauterized with (boiling) clarified

butter and pasted with any of (he aforesaid A gada;



IC AL I¥ . S T IiANAM .1 3 5

•or the patient should be made to drink a potion of

matured clarified butter. C larified butter mixed with the

milky exudation of an Al'ka plant. as fejl .as a com-

pound of white Punarnavd ' and Dhutfurat should be

prescribed for the patient as 10 errhine, S .~,

Treatment.of bites by rabid dogs :-

A compound of pasted sesamum mixed with its oil,

treacle and the (milky) juice of a Rupikd p lant e lim in ate s

the poison of a rabid dog (A larka) from the system as ~

gale of wind drives a pack of clouds before it. A quan-

tity of rice, two T olas (one Karsha) in weight of the roots

of SaY(j·pumklla and half a Karsha weight of Dlluttu"4

(roots) should be pasted together w ith the washings' ofrice. '(he paste should be covered with (seven) Dllus·

tura leaves and baked (on the fire) in the shape of an

A pupaka (C j.ke). T he cake thus prepared should be

given, at the proper time of taking a medicine, to a person

bitten by a rabid dog for a complete nullification of the

poison, But the use of these cakes is attended with

certain other troubles at the time of their digestion and

these troubles becom e subdued b y a retiring to in a drybut cool chamber away from water. T he patient (after

the subsidence'of t!lf troubles) should be bathed the

next day and a diet of boiled S'd/; or SJtas/ltika rice

with tepid milk] should be prescribed for him . O n the

third and on the fifth day, the aforesaid anti-venomous

compound should again ~e adm inistered in half doses to

the patient tor the elim ination of the poison. S ·B .

• S om e elp laln "S"~'P unarnav'" 1 0m ean ... . bile P unarna,'·, bat

o tb ers e lp Ja i~ It to mea n " S'v el' (K ala bb il a nd P u na rn ad ".

t S om e commen laton p re scribe Ibe rooU 0 1 D h oa tur& 1 0 be t&ktn,

wbile o lb ert b old lh at ill Iro lts a ho uld b e u se d.

~ D .U lna uyl that In place 01 .. ~ Gay"'''' readl

"~, thai il to u y, IIIl dlel lbould be lu en w ith c la ri fi ed bulle r.



C H A PT E R V It ..Now we shall discourse on the' C hiptcr ~hich 'treats of

the sounds of a'(m eQ ic'ated) drum , etc., pps5 esscd of anti-

venom ous virtues (Dundhubhl-S\48nlya). I.

Ksharagada: - T he woods of Dha !!II, A s'vII-

kam a, T isis 'a , P IIUs 'a , F ichu -m arda , Pdta li, Pd ribhlld -

raka, Amra, U1umbam , Knrakdtak«, Arjuna, Kakubltl l ,

Sarfa , K aPita lIa , S '/e shm iltllkll, Amko lltll, A lltll/aka ,

P ra gra ka , K uta ja , S'II!ni, K:lPitfhll, As 'umantaka, ArklJ,

C l li ra -vt1v lI , Ma l ld -1 Ir ik s ll a, Arushkara, /lralu, lIladhuHlf,l 'r J lld ltu- s' igru , S 'dk ll , Go/i, Murvd , T i/!!a kll, Iksku ra ka ,

C;oplIgllllnld and Ar ime}d ' should be taken (in equal

parts) and burnt 'down to ashes, T he said ashes

should be dissolved in the urine of a cow and filtered

(through a piece of linen) in the manner of preparing

an alkall, T his alkaline solution should then be duly

boiled (till it would assume a transparent blood red

hue and slimy character), and the powders of Pippa/ i-m ula , Ta nd uliyjkll, V 'ardng«, CllOcltaka, }ffanjis/lllld,

K llraqja , Hasti-P ipp;li, M arkka , ( 1 1 / , 1 1 / 1 1 , Sdr iud ,

V id an ga , G rika d llllm a (soot of a room), Anan td , Soma,

Sa;ald, Vdkl ika, GUlll i ,Kos 'dmra, white mustard seeds,

Var un a, L au an a, Plakska, Nichula, Vardl lamdna, Va,,-

Ju la , Pu tra -lfen i, Sa ptllih~n a, D lln 1llka , E la ·vd lu kll,

N dga -dan ti, A tivisltd , AM ayd , Bhadra -dd ru Kusktlta,

• •• T he plantl or these Ibould be t.k .n in full i.e, with th eir I. . . . . ,

ro ot., b rlnch .. , etc. T he p re pa re d a sh s houl d b e d illo lv cd in c ow '. u rin e

w eig blng lix tim :: tb e comb in ed .. eigh t of th e lshe.. D,lI,n... y.lhat

G aya do ltt d oe. D o l re ad "S 'lrilb t, P ic huma rd e, K ak ub ha, A l lllh kara a D d

Madhu -S 'i gr fl" i n tb e lilt.

93



T HE SU·~H RU1A SA MH IT A , .

.Harid,d and Vachd together with pulverised (dead)

iron (taken in equal part~)' should be added to it. T hen

it should b~ boiled again and preserved in an iron

pitcher' after it had been duly prepared in the manner

. of an alkali. 2. •• • Q ..

Metrical Texts: =D undhubhis (drum s), ban-.ners and the gate ways of houses should be sm eared with

this alkaline "preparation, hearing the sound as well as

the sight and touch whereof would lead to the complete

elim ination of the poison from the system of the

. patient. T his medicine is known as the Kahir"

ga.da. which is ~qually efficacious in cases of S'arkara

(gravel), stones in the bladder, H rernorrhoids, V ata-

G ulm a, cough, S 'ula (colic), U dara (abdom ina} dropsy),

indigestion, G rahani, extrem e aversion to food, general

cedema of the body and violent asthma, T he remedy

is applicable in all cases of poisoning' of whatsoever

type and acts as a sure antidote to the poison of the

serpents headed by the dreadful T akshaka. 3.

Kalyanaka Ghrlta: -A n adequate quantity

of clarified bettcr duly cooked with (the decoction andKalka of) the drugs known as Vi/fang-a , Tr i -p l ta ld ,

Da n ti, B ka dm -d dr u, Ha re n u, T dlis 'a p.ztr a, Ma n jis kth d,

Kes'ara, Utpala, Patimllkil, D d4ima , M dta ti liIower,

the two kinds of Rajani , the two kinds of Sdrivd,

the. tw o kinds of Sthird , Priyang», Tagara , Kush/ha,

the two kinds of Vrikati, Eta vdluka, sandal w ood andI •

• T be tot.1 weight of these powders to be added '.hould be ODe

thirtieth part of the prepared alkaline lo:ution. D a"aD I UY' Ihal

O ayadU e. count. only Ihirty and he does D ol read "M lricha, S om a, Gubi,

Lanni, C balna aD d A la in the texi. W e do not, however, find Cbakra

ind A l a in tbe text, W e hue, on the otber band,lhe !lam" of lO me more

drol' which a re b elie ved to . b e mere ID lC rpola tioD If rom Ib e m a r & i a a l DOIei'

o r Ittm e: manuserintL



G a i J d k l J , ; , b ~1'I0Wft as the Kalyanab Gbrita. The

curative l effic. ' lcy of this Ghrita extends to easel of

poisoning, Grahdpasmara (hysteria due to '~e influence

o f malignant stars and planets), Jaundice, Cara dosha

(slow chemical poisoning), asthma, sluggishness of

appetite, fever and cough. It· is ~om~endea to con.sumptive patients,' a s well as to men suifering from

scantiness of semen and women afflicted with

sterility, 4.

Amrlta Ohrlta' ~-An adequate quantity of :

clarified butter duly cooked with the seeds of Apamarga

and of the two kinds of S'vebi, S irisha, and Kdkamdclli

(previously) pasted wjth th~ urine of a cow is known'

as the Amrit&-Ghrita. It embraces within the pale ofits therapeutic virtues all cases of poisoning and is

capable of bringing back an apparently dead man to

life. 5. •

Maha-sugandhl Agada:-The follow-

ing drugs uis., (red) sandal wood, Aguru, Kusllt/ta,

Tagara: Tila-pamika, Prapaulldarika, Nalada, Sara/a,

Deoa-ddru, Bkadra-s'ri (white sandal wood), Yava·

p/tald, BAtirei, Mlz', Sugandhikd, Kdleyaka, Pad"'aka,

Madhuka, Ndlara, Jald (a variety of ]ata·mamsi),

Pum,oga, E I d , E/,wdlu, Gairika, Dhydmaka, B a J d ,

Toya , So r fa r a sa , Mdmsi, Sita-pushpd, Harlnulld, Tdli/a-

patra, small E I d , Priyang», Kutannata, S'dila pusllpa,

S'ai/qa, Patm, Kdldnu-Sdriud, Tri-kat«, S'ita·/iva,·

Kdsmarya, Matu-rokini, s-"mardji,IAti-visha, PrilhviNd,, .

Indra-1Jdruni, Us'tra, Varuna , Musta, Nak/ta, Kustum-

buru, the etwo kitWIs of S'oetd, t the two kinds of

• D al1 an. 'explalol"S 'ita.rita" to m ean "culphor", Olben upl.l.

it 10Dlelil "S'.Ibi.'~

. t The text hu "S'veli' in Ihe d U ll number m e.nilli the Iw o kind, of

"S'vet" villI w bile V acha a " wbile Apldjiti. , D a 1la na g iy e. ,001,



7 4 Q IR E s u s l u u h 4 S A ¥H I T A . [Cbap. .V l t. .

Harid rd , S tk aun~J'a , Ldks kd , the five.kin4s;·ot officinal

salts, Kumu da " U tpa /a , P adma , flower of I4rRa, flowers

and fruits 'il Champaka , A s'oRa, Sumanas, Tilaka

(sesarnumj' PdfaH, .Sd/mali, S 'e /u , S 'iriska, Surasi,

Trina-s'uti and of Sindhl1vdra, flow ers of Dhaua, As'oo-

kama, and Tmisa , Guggula, K umkuma, Vimbi, Sarpd-

ksM an d Gandha-Ndkulz ' should b e c are fu lly c olle cte d

and pasted with honey, clarified butter and the bile

of a cow and should be kept inside a horn (or a

. receptacle made of that material). T his medicine, which

is the best of all anti-venomous m edicinal preparations,

l would rescue from the jaws of death, a patient even

with drooped down shoulders and sunk and upturned

eyes. It is capable of destroying in a moment theirresistible fire-like poison even of the dreadful infuriated

V asuki, the king of serpents. T his A gada which con-

sists of eighty-five ingredients is callc I the Mahi·

sugandhi Agada and is the most potent of a\l anti-

venomous remedies, It should constantly be in the

possession of a king. Smeared with the present

preparation he is sure to be a favourite with all his

subjects and to shine with his sovereign majesty evenamidst his en em ies. 6 . ,

A physician well versed in the natures of poisons,

should adopt a\l remedial measures excepting the heat-

engendering ones in all types of poisoning. But this

rule would not be applicable in a case of insect bite in-

asmuch as the poison of an Insect is cool in its potency

and hence would be aggravated by the application of

any cooling measures. 7 .

"VacbA" al it •• ynonym , w bich show l he lakes the w ord in Ibe Iingulir

number and nol in the dual IS in the printed text. Thi . appears to be

tba co rre ct rea din g, fo r oth erw ise Ib e n umbe r o f lh e d ru gs in tbe l is t would

be mOle lhan eigh1y·five .



Chap, VII,],IC ALP A BlHAliAM. 141

Ruiea of diet and conduct :-Whole-

.some diets which have been' enumerated in the chapter

on Anupana-Vidhi, should be prescribed in cases of

poisoning after a due consideration of the' nature, habit,

and temperament of the patis:nt who should be warned

against the use of unwholeso~e o~es. The use ofPhanita (liquid tr;ac!e), S'igru, Sauuira, the taking of

meals before the digestion of the prevlous ones, the'

group of Nava Dhanya \unmaturcd corn), wine, scsa··

mum, oil and Kulat~'la pulse, sleep in the day time,

sexual intercourse, physical exercise, fits of anger fond

exposure to the sun arc forbidden in the case o f a

poisoned patient. ,8. ,

Symptoms of elimination of polson:- Th~ restoration of the deranged Doshas and of the

vital principles (Dhatus of the body) to their normal

state, a natural craving for food and drink, the normal

colour and condition of the tongue and of the urine

and the normal state and functions of the mind and of

the ;ense-organs in a poisoned patient would indicate

the full and complete elimination of the poison from

his system. 9.

•Thus end. the Seve~th Chapter of the K.Jpa.Slh'na in the SUI'rula.

amhit' which t,eats of the sounds of medlcated drum., etc.



CH APTER V III.

Now we. shal] discaurse on insects, Z',I. th e measu res;

etc. to be adopted in cases of insect-bite, etc, (Klta..Kalpa). r.· ", -

V arious kind; of worms and insects (Kita) germi-

na.te from the semen, fecal matt:r, urine, putrid eggs

and putrid carcases of serpents, which are marked by

V ataja, P ittaja (A gneya) and Kaphaja (A mbuja) tem-

peraments. T he poisons of these vermin which are

nothing but insects (Kita), are apt to' b~ most dangerous

in the long run on account of their being acted uppn by

the Doshas and may be divided into four' groups. 2.

Insects of Vataja Temperament:-

T he eighteen classes of insects known as the Kurnbhi-

nasa, T undlkeri, S ringi, Sata-Kuliraka, U chchitinga,

A gnina.ma, C hichchitinga, Mayurika, A va rtak a,

U rabhra, Sarlka-rnukha, V aidala, Sarava-kurda,

A bhiraji; . . P arusha, C hitrasirshaka, Sata bahu and

the R akta-raji are possessed of a V itajatemperament

.an~ their poison tends to aggravate, and U derange the

bodily Viyu and produce the specific diseases ;roe

thereto. 3 .

Insects of Pittaja Temperament:-

T he twenty-four families of insects known as the Kaun-

dilyaka, Kanabhaka, V arati. (asp), P atra-vrischika,

V inasika, B rahm anika, V indula (D ,R ,· V iluta), B hrarnara,v

• D allino says tbat the four group. are to be determined according

to the origin of the iD sects (rom the sem en, etc. of a narvi.kllla, M andali,

, R ajila, or a V aikaranja serpent. T o U I it seems, h oweve r, tha t the g ro ol"

.hoald he Vitaj., P i l la ja , Kapba ja and Sannl ia l_ ja .



.C U P . V n : I ,, l KA i,P '" S iH A NAM . 7 43.V ~hyaki,. 'P icnchita, Kumbhi, V ardiah-kita, A rim e-

daka, P adma-kita,D undubhika; M akara, Sata-pL(daka

(c en tip ed e), P a nch ala ka, P aka -rn atsy aj' !< rish na. tu nd a,

Gardabhi, K lita, K rim i-Sarai and the U tklesaka are of

a . fiery i. e . P ittaja tcmpersmeu] andtheir poison tends

..

to derange and a~gra\'ate the bodily Pitta and produce

the specific diseases due to the derangement of that

Desha. 4.

Insects of itaphaJaTemperament:·

-T he thirteen families of insects known as the Visvam-

bhara, P aucha-s'ukla, P ancha-krishna. Kokila, Saireyaka

P rachalaka, V alabha, kitima, Suchimukha, K rishna-

G odhi, K ashayaY ,lsiiq l, Kita-gardabhaka and- th e

T rot~ka are possessed of Saumya i.e., Kaphaja tempera-

ment, and their poison a~~ravate3 and deranges the

Kapha and produces the specific diseases which owe

their origi~ to the deranged condition of that D esha, 5 .

Insects of Sannipalika Tempera-

ment :-T he twelve kinds of insects known as the

T ungi-nasa, V ichllaka, T alaka, V ahaka, Koshthagari,

Krimikara, Mandala-P uchchhaka, T unga-nabha, Sarsha-

pika, A valguli, S ambuka and the A ngi-kita <\I'C danger-

ously fatal 'lin thelr bile. A person or an animal bitten

bt' any of these dangerous insects exhibits stages and

symptoms sim ilar to those of a case of a snake-bite and

their poison tends to derange and aggravate the three '

Doshas (Sannipatiklj.) of the body anti produce. t~e

s pe cif ic s }'mp toms the~e~f. 6 -A .

Symptoms of their bite :. . . . :T he seat' of

the bit.- seem s ~ if on fire or being burnt w ith strong

alkali and Is characterised by a red, yellow, white'or

verm illioo colour, T he symptom s which are developed .

in ' the entire course of the poisoning (or are found to ·

supervene) ill ,ases' of their bites are fever, breaking



7 4 4 T H E s u sln ~ t1 , TA SAMH ITA .

. and aching pain '(in the lim ps), horripilation,. v o m i t i n g ,

t6 irst, a burning sensation in the body, loss of eonscious-

ness, yaw ning, '& haking of the lim bs, difficult breath-

ing, hie-cough, (som etinres) a burning and (at others)

a cold sensation (in the5 eat of the bite), eruption of

'~u stules, sw ellin g (in th e affected lo cality), app earan ce

of nodular glands \ Granthi), circular' erythematous

patches (M andala) on the skin, ring-w orm , E rysipelas,

X itima (Keloid T umour) and Karnika (round about

theseat of the bite) as well as any other symptoms

peculiar to the D osha. aggr avated by the poison of each

species, 6. '

T he other characteristic Ieatu res of the poison ofthese (fatal and strong-poisoned) insects should be

speedily ascertained by comparing the symptoms of

aggravation of the Ilushi- V isha. (consequent thereon)

and by examining the effets of the application of

different anti-poisonous plasters as w ell, 7 .

T h ese are th e ch aracteristic featu re s o f sh arp -poison.

ed insects; now hear me describe those of the mild-

poisoned ones, T he symptoms which are manifest in

the case of a bite by such an insect are salivation

(P raseka), an aversion to food, vom ltlng.rheaviness in

the head, a slight sensation of cold and the appearance of

pustules and urticaria according to the deranged D osha

. ar;r~vated by the specie, of the biting insect. 8

T h e pulverised bodies of these insects possessing, as

they do, the characteristic features of D ushi-'V isha or

enfeebled polson (lying inherent in a hum an system ) is

tu rn ed in to a G a r a . o r chemical (comb inac ive o r resultant)

poison, if adm inistered (internally) w ith any m edicine

or externally with any plaster. 9.

W e shall henceforth describe the distinctive traits

o f o ne in sect from anoth er o f the same species acco rd in g



Cbap..vm.l7 4 5 , '

to thf: da~sification an d general ' characteristics a n dincurapilitll' of their bites. ' g.

The Kanabha class of Inf&e<:ts·-ThllT rikantaka, K un i, H a sti-kaksh aand the A parnjita are

the four kinds of insects that. belong to the K l I . u a b h a

group and arc extremely painful i l l th~ir, bites givingrise to swdling, ;tching in the limbs, heaviness of tho

body and a black aspect at the seat of tije bite. 10.

The Gaudheyaka class of tnsectar-.T he five kinds of insects known as the P rati-surya,

P inga-bhasa, Bahu-vama, M aha-s'iras and the Nirupam a

belong to the Gaudheyaka class. T he stages and to e

symptoms of a bite by an insect of this group arc ofte'n

identical with (or m istaken for) a snake bite and 'arc

marked by all its characteristic pain and the appearance

of dreadful G ranthis (nodular glands) of varied colours

an d sh ap es,' t r ,

T he six kinds of insects known as the Gala goli,

S 'vcta-krishna, R akta-raji, R akta-m andala, S arva-s'veta,

and tH e Sarshapika belong to one and the same species.

A bite by any of these insects excepting by a Sarshapikd

is attended w ith a burning sensat'ion and slimy exud-

ation from an~swelling in the scat of the bite, that of

the Sarshapika bci~g accompanied by an attack of

dysentery (A tisara) and pain at the heart. 12.

Sata-padi (cen tip ed e) :-T h e S'ata.-padi (centi-

pede) species is divided into eight kinds, uis., the P arusha

(rough), Kashna (blacKal,Chitta (of variegated colours),

Kapilika (tawny brown), "itaka (yellow), R akta Ired),

S'veta (~hite) an~ the A gni-prabha (resembling fire

ill virtue). A bite by any of these insects is attended

with swelling, pain and a burning sensation in the heart.

A bite b; one of the Svet~ or the A gni·prabha species

is marked by all tile a~resaid sympt0ms as well a" ;by

9 4



T liiE SUSH IW TA SA MH IT A . ll,;DIP. VlU.

violent epileptic fits', an intolerable b)Jrning "S ensation

and eruptions of white pustules (P idaka~ 13 .'

ManduJ(a ( frogs) :-The M a n d u k a s '(frog s) are

divided inei;::~t different species ois., the K rishna, S ara,

Kuhaka, H arita, R akta, Yava-varnabha, B hrikuti and the

Kotika 1 \ bite by any o'f these is accompanied by an

itching sensation in the seat of the lite ann a flow of

yellow-coloured foam from the mouth. A bite by one of

the Bhrikuti or Kotika species gives rise to the aforesaid '

symptoms as well as a burning sensation, vomiting and

a severe attack of epileptic fits in addition thereto. 14.

A bite by one of the Vis'vlmbhara species of insects

is followed by S ita-jvara (catarrhal fever) and an eruption

of white pimples (P idaka) in the shape of mustard seeds

round about the scat of the bite. A bite by one of the

Ahinduka species is marked by piercing pain, a burning

sensation, itching and swelling (in the affected loeality),

a, well as by delirium . A bite (contact) by one of the

Kandumaka species is followed by a yellowness of

the complexion, vom iting, dysentery and fever, etc.

A bite by one of the S'uka-vrinta or such like speciesis attended w ith itchfng and Kotha (urticaria) and the

bristles of the insects are found to be adhering to the

affec te d lo cality . I S . ~

Plpillka (A nts) :-T here are six kinds of P ipilika

(ants) v i I S . , the S thula-s'irsha, S arnvahika, B rahm anika,

Kapilika and the Chitra-varna, A bite by any of these

is attended w ith imflammatory swelling and a burning

sensation (in the seat of the bite) resembling those

produced by contact with fire. 16 . " 'f

Makshlka (stinging flies) :-F lies (M a kshika]

may ba divided into six species uis., th e Kan th ik a,

K rishna, P ingal lka, M adhulika, K ash:iyi and the S thalika.

~ bite b r ally of these is accompa-iied by sw ellil1 ::r.and 'I



Chap. 'lilll. J • KAL P l ·STftANAM. 1 4 1

.burning sensation. A bite. by one of the S tM likll.

or the K~shayi species, however, is marked by the

preceding sym ptom s as well as by lh~ .~ruption of

pustules :P idakA \, w ith supervening symptoms in addi-

tio n th ereto . 17 .

Masal(as. (l\{osquito~s) :-M osquitoes (M as'akas)

are divided into five species, ois. , th ~ S arnudra, P ari-

. m andala, H nsti-masaka, Krishna and the P arvatiya.

A m osquito (Masakaj-bitc is characterised by a severe

itching and swelling of 'the affected locality; while the

symptoms which mark a- bite by a l'arvatiya one arc:

sim ilar to those of a bite by fatally venomous insects,

and a sting of the points' of their antenna: is fo llowedby the-appearance of pustules (P idaka) attended w ith

a burning sensation and suppuration therein, when

scratched by the finger·nails. The ch aracteristic featu res

of a bite by Jalaukas (leeches) w ith the mode of

treatment thereof have already been described. 1 8.

Memorable Verses :-The poisons of the

Gaudhcyaka, S thallka, Sveta, A gni-samprabha, Bhrikuti

and the Kotika belonging to their respective classes

a re in cu ra ble . 1 9 .•

C ontact w ith the dead body, stool or urine of a

venomous animal is accompanied by itching and a

burning sensation, pricking pain, eruption of P idaka

(pustules), u lcers and Kotha as well as by a slimy and

p ain fu l ex qd atio n. Tltli local skin is found to suppurate

and the treatment would 'be the same as in the case of a

wound b~ an cnv'¥ l0med arrow . 20.

A bite which is neither depressed nor raised, but

very much swollen with pain (round about), but un-

attended 'w ith any pain in the seat itself just after

the bU e, should be r~arded as not easily amenable to

any medical remedy. 21.



rue SUSHR~TA' Sl\MHlTA. . (C b ap,. : V I II.

. .A bite by an insect. of strong and acute poison

hould be treated as a snake- bite and the three-fold

emcdies t o . . l ! t ! employed in snake-bites according to

he three-fold division's of snakes should also be em-

rloyed in . 'th cs~ cases, ;fhc measures of fom enting,ilastcring and hot washing would prove efficacious in

hese cases, except in the event of' an 'insect-bitten

iaticnt having been found to have been fainting away

ill account of suppuration and sloughing in the scat of

he bite, in which case all kinds of cleansing (emetic,

)lJrgative, etc.) and anti-poisonous measures should be

idopted. 22-23'

Plasters of S iriska, K -a tukil; K ushtha , Vacha ,

R aja ni, S ain dhn ua , milk, marrow, lard (V asa), clarified

butter, : :/u l lth i, Pippali and Deuaddru in the form of

Utkarika (poultice-like preparation) should .b e used in

fomenting (the seat of the bite). A s an alternative, th e

fomentation with the drugs of the S'dla-Pllrllyddi Gana

in the same (U tkarika) form should be considered

equally efficacious in the case. 24.

In the case of a Scorpion bite, the affected part should

not be fomented. It might, however, be fumigated with

vapours of the drugs to be dealt with l;ter on. T he

medicinal remedies (A gadas) applicable in the sever.l

cases are here separately described. 25-26

Recipes of remedies in different

cases : -An anti-venomous rom pound (.6-gada) con-

,sisting of Kushtl la , C/lak/'a (Tagara), Vachd , V i lvaroo ts ,P dt/ld , S uva rch ikd , house-soot and the two kinds of

r ~

'Har idrd is efficacious in the case of a bite by a Trikan-

taka insect. A n A gada consisting of house-soot, Rajani ,

'Ckakra, Kus/lflla and the seeds of Palds'a destroys the

\ p oison of a Gala-goli insect. A ll A gada comppsed of

KU fflk uma, T agar a, S 'ig ru , Padmak« and the two kinds



Chap. y'lll.l . Kt\L'.~ S~lANAM. 7 4 9

of Raiani, pastedwith water.proves curative in the case

of a bite by a S'ata-padl (centipede) An ,A~ada consist-

ing of AIeslla-s'rillgi, Vackd , Pdtlld, N,cItU/(l, Rollin;

and lid/aka is efficacious in lIIl kinds ~f ·Manduka.~.

poisoning, :\11 .-\~;lda collsi,til\: o f . v . u l i , z , .-itllrl-g,lIIdlld,I •• I

,- Iii- ba ld , B n ld , AliJ,rullli (Sala-parni) and Agu/ l l f '),risni-

parni) nul1iflci 'the POiSOI10f a Visvambhara insect.

. An Agad<l c)i1sistill~ of S'irisk«, l;I~,li'a, KlIslltltl/, the

two kinds of llaridl'l2, ,',Its'u-I/II/li and the two kinds of

S a h d de .troys the poison of o m Ahinduka. insect. Cooling

measures should be adopted in the night time ill the

case of a Kandumaka-buc, since the pcison which i s

aggravated by the -sun's , rays in the day docs 'not

prove .amcnablc to any remedy, if applied at that lime.

An Agada consisting of C hrlk l'fl , K ush th « and . ' I p d -

1 1 1 1 2 1 ' g - a is efGcaciou,i in a case of Suka.,vrinta,bite, As

an alternative, the earth of a black ant-hill pasted with

the expressed juice of IJhl l ' / IXa would prove efficacious in

such fascs. A plaster prepared with the earth of a

black 'lilt-hili and the urine of a cow proves curative

ill cases of bites of flies, ants and mosquitoes. The

treatment of a case of a bite by a Prati-euryaka is the

same as that < 1 f a slljlke·bitc, ::q-Ji'i,

·Origin and Classification of Scor-

pions :-Scorpiol1s arc divided into three classc, ViI I . ,

the mild-poisoned ones (Manda-visha), those whose

poison is neither mild. nor strong (Madhya-visha), and

the strong.poisoned ~~s (Maha-visha), Scorpions

germinating from cow-dung' or from any other rottensubstancfs are rrfanda-viBha. Those which germinate

from (decomposed) wood or (decayed) bricks are

Madhya-~isha (With poison neither mild nor strong);

• D allin . II}I that by cow -dung (G oO llya) il m eant the duO K , tb .

urine el~ . of not only a cow , \uI of • buffalo , etc. ae well



7 50 . ,T H E SU SH R tJT A ~A MH IT A , , (C hap; V lII.

while those which originate from the decmposed carcase

of a snake or ,from any other poisonous putrid organic

m atter are, "1'ilshna·visha (strong-poisoned). T he' first

'group of scorpions includes twelve different species,

-the second 'three and- the ' third and last fifteen, thus

making thirty ' species in all. 3 7 -3~,

Specific traits and Cha'racteristics

of mild-poisoned Scqrpions :-S corpions '

which are black (Krishna) or dark- brown (S 'yava) or of

variegated colours (Karbura) 'or yellow (P andu) or

coloured like the urine of a cow or rough or dark blue

(M echaka) or white or red or greenish (S 'advala) or

red m ixed w ith w hite (R akta-s'vctaj+ 01' provided w ith

hair on their bodies (R ornas'a) should be regarded as

Manda.-visha (m ild poisoned ones), A bite by a

scorpion of this species is accompained by rain (in the

scat of the bite), shivering, numbness of the limbs and a

flow of blackish blood (from the punctures of the bile),

In the case of a bite at any of the extrem ities, the pain

courses upward, accornpaincd by a burning sensation,perspiration, swelling of the bitten part and fever, 39

Madhya-visha Scorpions :.S corpions of

th e Madhya,-visha (m ild-poisoned) c'ass are red (R a~ta)

or yellow (P ita), 01' tawny (Kapil a), A ll of them are

ash-coloured in their belly and provided w ith three

joints or links. T hey germ inate from the stool, excreta,

eggs and putrid carcases of the-three (aforesaid) groups

of snakes and respectively partake of the nature of the:

• •A ccording 10 G ayadas. the total number or the three classes or

sco rp io ns w ou ld b e Iw en ty .sev en , o r w hich th e first (m ild . p oiso ned ) class

co nailts o r elev en , th e seco nd co nsists o r th ree an d th e th ird 'Jr th irteen .

t In place or "white, red and whitish red" some read "while, red

and little red" (A raktal," w hile others m ak~ It "w hile in tbe ,bdom en

(S ' •• to dar.), red an d while,"

•



\ .Obap . V I ,I1 .]KALP< .\ ,'trU1.NAM. 1S[

serpent wYto~e fecal matter, ctc. they originate from ,

A bite by J l. scorpion of this species is accom panied

by a sw elling of the tongue, an incapacitY .of,deglutition

and violent epileptic fits. 40 . • ,

Tlkshna-vlsha Scorpions :-T he keen-

poisoned (T ikshna.·v isha.> scorpion~ are ~ither' w hite ~r'parti-coloured (C hinh) or blackish (S 'y;im ala) or reddish

white (R akta-s'veta) or red-bellied or. blue-bellied or

reddish or bluish ycllew or· reddish blue or bluish

w hite; o thers arc reddish brow n and are (further-divided

into four classes), viz.; three-jointed (like those of the

previous class) or one-jointed or tw o-jointed or jointlcss,

T he poison of this grot:p of scorpions, varying in colour

and shape, is extremely dr~adflll and should be regarded

as the veritable robber of vitality . T hey gcrrninate from

the putrified dead body of a snake or any poisoned

animal. A 'b ite by a member of an)' of these fam ilies

produces those physiological transformations in the

body of its victim s which mark the different stages of a

snakc-bltc, and gives rise to pustular eruptions (Sphota)

on the skin accompanied by vertigo, a burning sensation

(in the body), fever and excessive discharge of black-

coloured bloo~ from the channels (mouth and nostrils,

ctcJ. A nd hence thtJr bite proves so rapidly fatal. 4£.

Treatment of Scorpion-bites :--A

bite by a scorpion of the m iddlc-venorncd or strong-

venomed class should be treated as a case of snake-

bite to all istents and (iarposes. In a case of a bite by

a mild-venomed one, the :ffected scat should be sprink-led over with the ~hakl'a-T aila or w ith a tepid oil duly

cooked w1 th the drugs of the Viddryddi group. T he

affected loplity should be (repeatedly) fomented w ith

the application of poultices in the U tkarika form pre-

pared svith anti-venorneus drug-s (S 'irisha, ctc.), T hc seat



7 5 2 T fiE SUSH RUT A . SA MH IT A .to f. •

(C h ap. V I II.

of the bite sboulJ'" then be marked· with superficial

incisions (scratches) and' should be gen'tly" rubbed

(Prati-sarana}; ~ith powders of Harid rd , Sa in dhau a,

Trikat« ahd' the fruit and flower of S'irisha. T he

tender leaves of 'Surasd pasted with the juice of Mdtu-

{unga and the urine 01 a cow in a lukewarm state, or

lukewarm (i.e", fresh) cow dung should be employed in

plastering and fomenting the affected part. P otions of

clarified butter m ixed with honey, milk mixed with a

profuse quantity of sugar and honey, treacle m ixed

with cold water' and perfumed with Olaturjdtaka, or

cold milk mixed with treacle' should be recommended

as drinks. Fumigation (D hupana) with the compound

made of the feathers of the tail of a cock or a peacock,

Saindhava, oil and clarified butter pasted together and

burnt is a speedy destroyer of scorpion-poison, A s an

alternative, the fumes (D huma) of a compound made

up of Kusumbha flower, the two kinds of Rajllni an d

Kodraua straw mixed with clarified butter applied to

the region of the arms speedily destroys the poison of

a venomous insect in general and of a scorpion inparticular. 42 .

Spider-bites :-C ases of Luta (venomous

spider)-bite (lit.-poison of a Luta) are the most difficult

to diagnose and cure. T he diagnosis of such a case

puzzles the head of many an experienced physician,

while novices in the art of healing find it a very difficult

matter. In a case of doubt or 01 conflicting. indications

pointing equally both to the venomous and non-venom-

ous character of the bite, a physician should employ

anti-poisonous remedies of such a character as would

not prove hostile (to the natural temperament ,and vital

principles of the patient's system nor to the course of

food and drink he is enjoined to take or naturally ~1<eS),



Cba~.VlIq

. .since the A gadaS are applicable onry in eases of P oIson-

ing and,' applied otherw ise In healt~y non- poisoned

persons, would produce all kinds of dis<¥ im iort. H ence

it is incumbent on a physidan to gathei conclusive

evidence of the poisonous natJIre ~f the bite at the v e r '

outset. A physician, failing to ascertiJn the existe~~of poison, p'rove1 ; ~ore fatal in many cases than the bltl

itself. 43 .

Development of Luta..poteen :-A s .

. the first sprouting of. a tree doc> ! not enable a man to

correctly ascertain the species, so the poison of a venom-

ous spider in its first stag 'c of incubation into the body, .

does not develop. any ,specific symptoms sufficiently

potcnj to throw any !ight on its nature, nor does it give

any hint as to its correct diagonosis, A spider (Luta}

poison latent in a human organism , is marked by a slight

itching sensation in the seat of the bite, as if the poison

were shifting from one place to another- in that loca-

lity,. by the presence of Kotha (urticaria), and by an

indistinctness of colour on the first day of its incuba-

tion. O n the second day the scat of the bite becomes

swollen at the end and sunk in the m iddle and the

characteristics mar~s of biting show themselves. 011

tlte third day the specific symptoms (fever, shivering,

etc.) of the poison of the animal set in . O n the

. fourth day the poison is aggravated. O n the fifth day

the symptoms and djsorders peculiar to its aggravated

condition" are presenf.. O n the sixth day the poison

begins to course through the organism and envelopes theMarma! (or the fulnerable parts). O n the seventh d~y

• In pl:ce of "Pllchala" Ga1Id' ••••• d. "Prabal.," i.e., alr0Dl

and uy' that the poison become. It.ong" and atrong •• with tbe lapse.

Q f linf. •

9 5



754 .r . ( ,

T H E SUSH RV TA ' 5 'A MH IT ~. [C b lp - ,v m .

thefJoison is d'ifl'used throughout the w hole ;rganism ,

becom es extremely aggra vated aad proves fatal •. 44.

Potency :-T he poison of spiders (Luta) which

areacutely·.a~dviolentlr venomous proves fatal in the

course of a w eek.. T h at of ~ m iddle-poisonous one w ould

.. take a little more time in order to prove fatal, while

a bite by one of the m ild-poisonous brings death w ithin

a fortnight. H ence a physician should try his best

w ith anti-venom ous rem edies for the com plete nulli-

fication of the poison immediately after the bite. 45 .

. Locatl.on:--A spider is found to secrete seven

. kinds of . poison through the seven different parts or

principles of its body, ois., saliva (UH), nails (c laws),urine, fangs, ovum (R ajas), fecal matter and semen,

and, such poison is either keen or m ild in its potency,

or follows a m iddle path between the two (keen and

m ild). 46 .

Characteristics of poison accord-

Ing to its seat in the bodyof a spi-

der :-T he poison which is secreted w ith the saliva

(of a spider) gives rise to non-shiftting superficial

Kotha (urticaria) attended w ith itching and slight

pain, T he poison from a scratch w ith <the tips of its

o law s, is a tte nd ed -w ith sw ellin g, itc hin g, h orrip ila tio n

and a sense as if fumes had been escaping from the

body. A ny part of the body com ing in contact w ith·

the urine of a spider is marked by a (slight) blackness

of skin in the m iddle of the p~int of contact and red-

ness at its edge, and the affected part is cracked. In a

case of fang-poison (actual bite) the rseat of tke bite is

~ ark ed by fix ed circular patches and becomes indu rated

and discoloured. T he poison in this case is strong.

, A part of. the body touched w ith the R ajas, sem en, or

w ith fecal m atter of a (venornousjvspider is marked by



C h a R : . vtU.J. , .KAU'.Ir S'QfANAM.1 5 5. .

eruptions of pustules which assume a . yellow colour like

that of' a ripe A m .llak"ol: P ilu . 47 . •

T hus far we have described the e~~~ of spider-

(Lut:i)-poisoll according to its ·seat in the ~ody of the.

insect and to the period of i\s aggra t r t t i O l i . . Now we

shall describe the rw thological account of the orig in of

these insect; and ' the curable and incurable natures of

. their bites together w ith the course of ~cdical treatment

to be followed in each lase. 48.

Mythological account of. the origin

of Luta :-O nce uppn a tim e, it is. said. kiog

V iSvam itra went to the herm itage of the holy V asi~ht"a

and by his actions aroused the w rath of the holy sage.

D rops, of perspiration were thereupon produced on

the forehead of that holy and celestially brilliant sage

and trickled down on the stacks of hay culled and

gathered (Luna) by the holy sages for the use of the

(celestial) cow , and behold! they (the drops of sweat)

were t[ansformed into innumerable dreadful ant! venom -

o us sp id ers (Luta) which, up to this day, are found to

infest the articles of royal use for the iniquity of

that royal sage (V is'vam itra), T hey are called Luti.

(spiders) from" the jact of their being germ inated from

the drops of perspiration of the holy gage V as'ishtha

fallen on the culled (Luna) stacks of hay and they are

sixteen in num ber. 4 9 ·

The different. names of spiders and

the gen~ralsymp~oms of their bltes:-

T he poison of spiders is divided into two c1asses-cur-able w it~t!ifficult? and incurable. O f the sixteen kind,

of spiders, the bites or poisons of eight m ay be cured

w ith the greatest d ifficulty, while those of the remaining

eight are incurable. T he T ri-rnandala, S veta, Ka'p iIiIl, '

P itik( A la-visha, Murra-visM , R akta and the Kaut'ta



T H E SU SH R \tT A 'SAM H lT A . . . [Cb.p~:V"L

.are the eight ~ eoie~ of spiders which belong. to the 'first

group. A bite. by any sr thfm is attended with an

aching paiQ ip the head, pain and itching about the

.seat of the ~ i'te and the symptom s and disorders peculiar

~q the aggravated V aru al1d Kapha. T he Sauvamika,

.' L aja-varn a, Jalirti, En i-p adi, K rishn a-va rna, Agn iv arna,

K akanda and the M illa·guna belong to the second group

and their bites are m arked by bleeding, fever, a burning

sensation, dysentery and disordet~ due to the concerted

action of all the. three deranged Doshas of the body,

and the bitten part putrefies. E ruptions of various sorts

~~d pustules and large circular patches as well as large,

soft and shifting swellings, red O T brown in colour,

appeal' on the skin about the affected part. T hese are

the general features of spider (Lutaj-bites. N~w we

shall describe the characteristic symptoms which are

developed by bites of the several classes of 'spiders and

the course of medical treatment to be adopted in

each case. 5 0-5 1.

Specltlc symptoms of splder-bltes

and their treatment :-A bite by a spiderof the T ri-mandala species is marked by a flow of

black-coloured blood from the bite which f f i transformed

into an open ulcer. It is also attel{ded with deafness,

impaired or cloudy vision and a burning sensation

in the eyes. In such cases, a compound consisting

of Arka roots, Rajan i, Ndkuli and Pris'ni-parnikd

should be employed as snuff as ~ell as in drtnk (P ana),

enemas (V astis) and ointments 'etc. A bite by a spider

o f the S v e t a species is followed by. the eruption of

~ hite-coloured pustules attended w ith itching; burning

sensation,epileptic fits, fever, erysipelas and. pain in

, and .secretion from the bite.· A n A gada consisting of

ClllnI(J~na,Rtisnd, su , Harenu, Mia, VanJ'ula,Kurlltlla,



1 5 7

Ld",ajjiJ-'ta, 'Cltbkra and Na/ada is effitaclous insucl1

a case.' A bite by a-iapiJa spider is ,characterised by

eruptions of copper-coloured pustules iJf ,an indurated

nature accompanied by a sense of heavij!ess in the

head, a burning sensation". ver~igo and 'darkness, Qf

vision (Tim ira), The remedy in suctt a case consists"of an antt-poisorious Agada 'composed of Padmaka,

Kuththa, Eld, Karania, Ka~ublta-bar1<, S'IIt,'rd, Arka-

parni, Apdmdrgll, Dlhvri and Brdkmi. A case of'

bite by a Pitika spider is market! by an eruption

of hard pustules, vomiting, fever, ~o1ic (Sula) ~ijd,

redness of the eyes, and the remedy consists in the,

application of an Agada, composed of Kutaj'a, Us'i~a,

Kini/zi. S'el«, Kadamba and Kakublta-bark, A case ofbite by an Ala·visha spider is marked by the bright

red colour of the seat of the bite, eruption of pustules

like mustard seeds, parchedness of the palate and a

burning sensation in the body, The remedy in such

a case should consist of an Agada composed of Pl'iyangu,

Hrivera, Kuslzt/za, Ldmajjiz, Vanju/a, S'ata-pusltpd and

the sprouts of the Pippa/a and the Vata trees. T he case

of bite by a spider of the :M:utra·visha class is attended

with putrefaction \of the affected locality), erysipelas,

a.llow of blackish blood (from the scat of the bite),

cough, difficult breathing, vomiting, epileptic fits, fever

and a burning sensation. The remedy in such a case

consists in Manak.s'i/d, Ala, Yashti-madk», Kushtka,

Cka,zdana,· Padmaka a"'~ LdmajjiJ pasted together and

mixed with honey. The case of bite by a spider of theRakti species is tnarked by eruptions of yellow-coloured

pustules tull of blood and coloured red in the extremiti~s

(round the seat of the bite), with a burning sensation

and slimy secretion. The Agada in such a case should '

be prepared with 1'oya (Balaka) Clzandana,Us'ira,



• I.'H E S US H R tJ.T A ·S "M H IT A " , £ C b a p , . . V l I l .

Padllla,ka and the ba~k of Arjuna , Setu and A:nrd taka,

A bite by a spider of the' Ka~ class is' atte nd ed

w ith a flo",. ~f slimy cold blood (from the bite),

~nd w ith coygh and difficult breathing, the treatm ent

being the same as in the S !ase of a bite by a spider of

t h ~ Ratka C la ss. • 5 2 '5 ;.

A bite by a spider' (Luta) of t'he' Krishna class

sm ells of fecal m a'tt~r and i,s attended w ith a scanty flow

of blood, as w ell as w ith fever, e~ .ileptic fits, vom iting,

burning sensation, cough and difficult breathing. T he

treatment of such a patient should be taken in hand

~ithout holding out any definite hope of recovery and

the remedy in this case should consist of an A gadacom posed of Eld , C ha kra , sa rpdkslti, G an dka -n ,d ku li,

Cl tandana and the drugs known as the Malld-sugand/l i

(as described in the D undubhi-svaniya chapter), T he

case of bite by an Agni-varna spider is m~rked by a

burning sensation in the seat of the bite, excessive

secretion (of blood), fever, a sort of sucking pain,

itching, horripilation, a burning sensation in the body

and eruptions of pustules. In a case of this type, the

patient may be treated w ith the A gada prescribed for

the treatment of a bite by a spider of the Krishna class,but no hopes should be held out. 60 -61 . .G'

General Remedies :-A n A gada made of

Sdrivd , Us'ira , Yaslitimadhu , C/landan a, U tpa la and,

Padmaka may be used w ith advantage in cases of

spider-bites of all types. T he bark of Sleshnfdtaka andr

Kshirajippala should be deem ed equally efficacious in

all cases of spider-bites, and these rntly be eM ployed

in' any shape, viz" as snuff, potion, unguent, etc~ 62 .

W e have described (the sym ptom s and the treatm ent

Iof the. bites of) the eight classes of spiders w hich can be

cured w ith difficulty. T hose of tl!e tw o classes (of-the



Chap,• .VIII .} KAtPA ~THANAM. 7S9

other group whose bites are generally {ncarabla) have

also been described ~ove: as being s"metimes found

amenable to medicine (with the greltcw'ft.·difficulty).

Now hear me describe (the !tymptoms arsd the treat.

ment of the bit.e,; of) the rcn\aini~g siic Sl)e~ie~ whkb.

are incurabl e. 63. A.SpecflicSymptoms of the Incurable

cases of Spider-bites: -A b{te by a spider.of

the Sauvarnika spe~ies is marked by swelling and a

frothy secretion and a fishy smell from the scat of the

bite, and is followed by c.ough, difficul t brei\thing, fever,

thirst and violent fainting" fits. A bite by a l"aja.·varna

spider is marked ~y a flow of flesh-smelling and fetid

blood .from its scat as well as by a burning sensation,

dysentery, fainting fits and pain in the head. A case of

bite hy a 'rider of the Jalini species is very severe and

is marked by a cracking of the scat of the bite which

is striped with line, as well as by numbness, difficult

breathing, parchcdncss of the palate and cont inued

dizzi~ess of the head. The bite by an Eni-padi spider

resembles the seeds of black scsarnum in shape and is

marked by thirst, fever, fainting fits, vomiting, cough

and difficult " brea~ing. A bite by a Kakandaka

-spider is marked by an excruciating pain and a

reddish-yellow colour at its scat. A bite by a Mala-

guna spider is characterised by a cra.s:king of the

seat of the bite il. several parts and is marked by a

red colour~ smoky 9~~1, extreme pain, fever and

epileptic fits. 63.Treaftllent o~ the incurable cases of spider-bites

should, h~wever, be taken in hand by a wise physician

with a due consideration of the aggtavatcd Desha or

Doshas in each case with the exception of making

inci~ons (chheda-karjna), G4·A. .



7 6 0 . T HE SU SH I':IJ'ri. . ~A MH IT A .. .(~ ..~!lr;

,

.. Surgical IJ"'ta''''"l~II''~ ;-10 lUI cases~ me

cu rab le ty pes qf.. spider- bites,' ttt! affected part' sbouid

at once 1 :i~'.cU t open and removed with a V riddbi-.

patra instrument.and the incisioned part should then be

cau te rised :. v'ith !I. red hot~' Jambvoshtha, instrument in

the absence of any ffilver or such like. distressing syrsp-

toms and in the ~vent of its not occurring i~ any of the

vulnable parts of the body (Marmas), T he act of

cauterisation should be conti n'~ed until the patient

himself (t~l'oughpain) prohibits the continuation of the

same. If the affected part is found to be attended with

a 'slight swelling, it should be cut open and removed.

It should then be plastered with a 'paste of the (MaM.

sugandhi and such other) A gada mixed with Sairtdhava

and honey or with the paste of Priya ng », Ha rid rd ,

Ku sh tha , S amangd and Yashti-madh», A potion corn-

posed of the decoction of Sdriud, the two kinds of

Yashti·mad/IU, * Drdkshd, Payasyd, K skira-momta,

Viddri and GoksllUra mixed with honey should be

administered to the patient. T he affected part shouldbe washed with a cold decoction of the bark of the

Kshiri-vrikskas. A ny other distressing symptoms

should be rem edied with anti-poisonous m ~asures with an

eye to the deranged D oshas involved in the case. 6 ,10 '"

A ny of the (ten-fold) remedial measures of Nasya

(snuff), m edicated collyrium , unguents (A bhyaniana)~

potions (P ana) D huma (fumi~i.ltion; .." A vapida form

of snuff, gargling, emesis, ~Irging and blood- letting

by the application of leeches sh?uld b~ adopted

jo n a case of spider. bite according to its~ require-

ments: 65 .

•• M ention o f M adhuka t wice in the list show . t bat one pa,t each of

bot h th e k ind s V l lh ti·madhu ( li quo ,ic e) -g r8wn on land . and i n ,~ a te r-

should b e ta ken.



Chp'V't·]

'. f1.'!Aic~~I ['![CS I p r any insect ;or bi\an! snake..

~nd,~~rs.~ncident~ t~tho3~ . bites ,sliq l,ltd,1 lc careflll~y .

tr!:.c wiih mcasurcs)nd remedies J ( L d down 1 1 1

cot ection with snake-bites as lon~ as~i)c/stag-c of

in .mmation and suppuration wduld last. 'Tic gr(,\\'ths

.\~'r' y) of vapp~l;e (K a1 'llik:t) ~aro:,lIld tpc scat of tbc,

'b i e sho¥d .be rcrgo\'cd after ~hc, ~l1blil\cn~c of the

~. cllin~ ' by the' ~pp~ication,of:1 . plaster cOllsistin~ (J~

. iln -b t,lle av cs ,* Trw1'I!, DIIII!I, f).lIslImblln flower, RIIJ 1 1 1 1 ,. .honey, GligglIlll, Snil/(lJlfIvll salt, Kiuu« and the dun~ of

a pigeon pa sted tog cthc r, and such did as would not'

aggra\'3 te the effect- of pq ison should be carefully pre·.

scribed. T he pa pillatou- grow ths (Karnikri) dl~e to the

poison of an)' kind should, be scratched with a proper

surgical instrument in the event "f their beill:~ hard and

painless and should then be plastered w ith a paste of

purifying (Sodhaniyai drugs (such as Nimba leaves, etc)

m ixed w ith honey. 66,

T he specific features and treatment of thc bites by

the oye hundred and sixty-seven types of insect arc

IHJIV described, T he subjects mentioned but not included

within these one hundred and tw enty chapters (from th e

commencement of the book) would be dealt w ith in

detail in the la 'ter P ill! r. f the present treatise (U ttara

T<t' tltaral- 6763.

W e have not heard of a holier discourse than the

medical science on account of the eternal a~d imperish-

able character ~he. A yurvcda (the ;;'cncc of life)

. from its ~~ted mel, ~ta'~ i~s beneficial e . cts upon the

created bC lP gs and SIJICC It IS always wo I ped by the

whole hu~an race,"or the fact of its fully explaining

• lJayadasj reads "S'ikbi" tLlngalnki) and ':Vlm.'." (scraping' of

bamboo) In plsce cl "Nimba,palra", He alro read. "Danta" (Iooth 01

• cow) in place of "Kinv. "



"liE SU~lUdJ1AS!MHlTA, (CI1~l"VIIi

'the. i~pott. :? ! ,I ;o~d~ ( i .e. delineation of. its. s~ific. 'sub

'jects); Who ever stores up-in. hi~ 'iIlemory and acts up t(

these sac red . .J t t I wO l'shir:ful'inffhctions on the ~ ienc~

of iife ~~;un:led, as' it 'is, by the uectar-origine:

. sage ,D h arl'yantari), the' p!;eceptor of all physicians am

". 'equal to the ce~stial '\ndfa, in respect of- m ajesty, enjoyhappiness .P oth 1n 'Ibis world and jn'th~ next, 69,

T hus end. the eibhth C hapter of the Kalpasthana in the Sus'ruta

S .ml>lt:\ which treat. of the measures to j,,,.dop,,~1 in the case of a n H' insect-bite.

Here ends the Kalpa Sthana.

sushruta samhita vol.2_chapter 2_715 - 762p

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