Ashtangasamgraha 42

English (machine translation) 42

Language: English

42.1

Now we shall explain the chapter named "Prevention and Treatment of Snake Venom";
thus spoke the great sages led by Ātreya.

42.2

Having stayed at the bite of the bitten living being for a hundred measures of time,
the poison advances into the body, corrupting the bodily tissues such as the blood.

42.3

In this interval, one should quickly perform treatment of the bite, such as excision,
so that the creeper of poison does not take root in the body.

42.4

As soon as bitten, he should promptly bite that very wind-eater [snake],
or, in a flurry, bite a clod of earth or the ground with his teeth, or tear it.

One should smear the bite with saliva or earwax.
Four finger-breadths above the bite, one should tie a tourniquet
with linen or the like in a braid, and the knower of mantras [should tie it] with proven mantras.

42.6

A binding according to the site, neither excessively tight nor loose, is beneficial;
for when bound too tightly, it causes putrefaction of the bite, swelling, and the like,
while when loose, it is incapable of checking the poison from traveling to another location.

42.7

Like water by a dam, the poison is stopped by the binding;
and the vessels, compressed by the binding, do not carry its poison.

42.8

One should press and excise the bite, provided it is not located on a vital point or a joint.
The surge of poison does not arise, just as a sprout does not [grow] when the seed is destroyed.
If it is located on a vital point, one would meet death; if situated in a joint, deformity of limbs.

42.9

Except for the bite of hooded or viperine snakes (maṇḍalin) because of their pitta-provoking nature,
one should quickly cauterize the other [bites] with heated gold, iron, or the like, or with a firebrand;
for what indeed does fire not reduce to ashes in an instant?

42.10

Or one, filling the mouth with clay, ash, antitoxic medicine, and cow dung, should suck [it],
having scarified [the area] within the tourniquet, especially where it is fleshy.

42.11

One should repeatedly smear the limb together with the bite with antitoxic formulations,
and sprinkle it with water accompanied by sandalwood and uśīra.

42.12

When the poison has spread, one should puncture a vein; that is the supreme treatment.

42.13

For when the blood is extracted, the entire poison is extracted;
indeed, when corrupted, it pervades the limb, and death certainly occurs from that.

42.14

One should induce unstarted blood with the means prescribed for venesection,
and check excessive flow using those very means, in order to preserve life.

42.15

Foul-smelling, venomous blood crackles in the fire;
and one should observe the purified blood according to the doṣas as described previously.

42.16

When the veins are not visible, [cupping] horns and leeches should be employed.

42.17

And the remaining shed blood, liquefied by the heat of the poison,
one should check repeatedly with extremely cooling pastes and sprinklings.

42.18

For when [blood] does not coagulate owing to the surge of poison, fainting, delirium, burning sensation, and palpitations
arise; one should conquer them with cold [measures] and fan until goosebumps appear.

42.19

Because of its sharpness, the poison pulls at the heart; for its protection,
one should drink ghee, ghee with honey, or an antitoxic medicine inundated with ghee,

42.20

Bone marrow, juice of cow dung, ash water, black-soil water,
or the five bovine products (pañcagavya) combined, curd, or red-ochre water;

42.21

Or one should eat the leaves of kovidāra, arka, śirīṣa, and kaṭabhī.
Children, the elderly, and women should drink the blood of a goat, sheep, or boar,

42.22

And a pregnant woman should drink cold and sweet remedies with milk;
thus fainting and the like would not occur, and the poison would not quickly reach the wind.

42.23

Because of this guarding of the heart, śleṣman accumulates in the heart;
then, when heaviness, nausea, and salivation have appeared, one should induce vomiting

42.24

With liquids devoid of fermented gruel, horse gram, oil, liquor, and the like,
and with poison-destroying emetics; thus it does not pervade his body.

42.25

Having examined very subtly and thoroughly according to the specific serpent, doṣa, constitution, location, and surge [of poison],
one should administer the appropriate treatment.

42.26

One should grind roots of sinduvāra with its own juice;
this antitoxic medicine combined with honey is a drink for the poison of hooded snakes (darvīkara).

42.27

The roots of sinduvāra and white girikarṇikā
are a drink when bitten by hooded snakes (darvīkara); honey with pākala is a nasal medication.

42.28

When blood has been removed from one bitten by a black cobra (kṛṣṇasarpa), one should plaster the bite
with cāraṭī and nākulī, or with a sharp root poison;

42.29

And a drink [is] ghee combined with honey, mañjiṣṭhā, and soot.

42.30

Taṇḍulīyaka, kāśmarya, kiṇihī, and girikarṇikā,
mātuluṅgī, white sugar, and śelu: [this] antitoxic medicine is beneficial for a drink, nasal medication, and collyrium
in the dreadful poison of hooded snakes and of striped snakes (rājīmant) as well.

42.31

Equal parts of sugandhā, mṛdvīkā, the one named śvetā, and gajakarṇikā,
and a half-part each of surasā leaf, kapittha, bilva, and pomegranate,
with honey, is an antitoxic medicine especially beneficial in the poison of viperine snakes (maṇḍalin).

42.32

The bark of the five trees (pañcavalkala), the three myrobalans (varā), yaṣṭī, nāgapuṣpa, and elavāluka,
jīvaka and ṛṣabhaka, śīta, sugar, padmaka, and utpala,

42.33

Combined with honey, named Himavān, destroys the poison of viperine snakes (maṇḍalin);
as a plaster, it removes swelling, erysipelas, blisters, fever, and burning sensation.

42.34

Kāśmarya, aerial roots of vaṭa, jīvaka and ṛṣabhaka, sugar,
mañjiṣṭhā, and madhuka: one bitten by a viperine snake (maṇḍalin) should drink this.

42.35

Bamboo bark, seed of bījaka, kaṭukā, seed of pāṭalī, dried ginger,
seed of śirīṣa, ativiṣā, root of gāvedhuka, and vacā:
this eight-part formulation ground with cow urine destroys the poison originating from a gonasā viper.

42.36

Kaṭukā, ativiṣā, kuṣṭha, soot, and hareṇukā,
with honey, the three pungents (vyoṣa), and tagara, destroy the poison of striped snakes (rājīmant).

42.37

One should bury the bite of a kāṇḍacitrā in the earth for two yāmas;
having extracted it and scarified it, one should smear it with ghee, paddy, and earth.

42.38

And one should drink aged ghee dusted with powder of the three myrobalans (varā);
when digested, having purged, he should eat barley grain prepared with pulse soup.

42.39

Karavīra, flower and root of arka, lāṅgalikā, and kaṇā
combined with pāṭhā and black pepper, one should make into a paste with sour gruel;
this is an all-purpose antitoxic medicine for those bitten by mixed/cross snakes (vyantara).

42.40

White pepper macerated for seven days in the fresh juice of śirīṣa flowers
is beneficial as a drink, nasal medication, and collyrium for those bitten by snakes.

42.41

Two palas of vakra and kuṣṭha, [and] four palas of ghee and honey:
this drink brings relief even to those bitten by Takṣaka.

42.42

Soot, the two kinds of turmeric, and taṇḍulīyaka along with its root:
even one bitten by Vāsuki should drink [this] inundated with honey and ghee.

42.43

Dried and powdered blood and flesh of a monitor lizard is beneficial;
when poison has entered the chyle (rasa), it is taken as a drink combined with kapittha juice.

42.44

One should drink tips of root-bark of śelu, badara, udumbara,
and kaṭabhī when [poison] has entered the blood; and when it has entered the flesh,

42.45

Roots of khadira, ariṣṭa, and kuṭaja with honey in water;
in all cases, the two balās, madhuka, madana, and nata [are useful].

42.46

When the poison has entered the head, one should employ in the procedure of nasal medication
the root of bandhujīva, bhārṅgī, and black surasā.

42.47

Or else, pippalī, hiṅgu, vṛścikālī, realgar,
śirīṣa seeds, apāmārga, and salt bring back consciousness,
or a paste or powder from kṛṣṇā, kṣavaka, ativiṣā, and ūṣaṇa.

42.48

Pippalī, black pepper, alkali, vacā, rock salt, and śigru,
ground with the bile of a rohita fish, destroy [poison] residing in the eyes when used as a collyrium.

42.49

Sandalwood, licorice, māṃsī, pippalī, black pepper, and utpala,
with rock salt, ground into a paste with cow's bile, makes an excellent collyrium.

42.50

Karanja fruit, the three pungents, bilva root, the two turmerics,
and the flower of surasā ground with goat's urine into a collyrium,
taught by Bhoja and Vaitaraṇa, awakens one sleeping from poison.

42.51

Vāri, guñjā fruit, and uśīra ground with water
is the Gāruḍa collyrium for eyes corrupted by poison, equal to Garuḍa.

42.52

Cuttlefish bone, black pepper, kaṇā, and Sauvīra antimony,
with rock salt, as a powdered collyrium, is for those whose vision is damaged by poison.

42.53

Pulp of wood-apple with sugar and honey should be licked when poison is in the throat;
when it has entered the stomach, [one should lick] one pala of powder of nata with those two.

42.54

When poison has reached the large intestine, having ground equal parts of mañjiṣṭhā, the two turmerics,
and pippalī, one should administer it to drink with cow's bile.

42.55

Pippalī, dry ginger, and alkali, blended with butter,
should be applied as an inunction when śleṣman is aggravated in the throat.

42.56

One should quickly overcome poison situated in the head by means of transference.
Having made a crow's-foot incision on the head of one bitten below,

42.57

one should apply meat and blood measuring a bilva fruit, of a crow, cock, peacock, goat, cow, buffalo, or fowl;
[or] on the feet of one bitten above.
The poison transfers thither; otherwise it would quickly kill him.

42.58

At the conclusion of sharp nasal errhines and collyriums, he should drink a generous dose of ghee;
for poison stirred up by sharp remedies destroys the eyes of one who is dry.

42.59

Then, one should induce vomiting in him to subdue the remnants of poison,
especially in a person of kapha constitution bitten by kapha creatures, above the navel.

42.60

Dhāmārgava, śakrayava seeds, mustard seeds, madana, honey,
and rock salt serve as a warm emetic when poison has taken residence in the seat of śleṣman.

42.61

Surasā, sarpavetālī, īśvarī, white mustard,
and leaves of patola and nimba should be drunk with honey and rock salt.

42.62

Śukāhvā, jālīnī, dantī, madana, ikṣvāku, kuṭaja,
kālā, lāṅgalikā, and tiktā [serve as] an emetic with rice-water.

42.63

In a person of pitta constitution bitten by pitta creatures, especially below the navel,
when poison has entered the seat of pitta, one should administer a purgative.

42.64

Dantī with nīlī fruit with milk or whey;
or finely powdered kumbha with a decoction of the three fruits;
or powder of trivṛt, śyāmā, surasā, and nīlinī with milk.

42.65

Piṇḍītaka fruit, the three pungents, trivṛt, viḍaṅga, and harītakī,
combined with salt and saturated with urine, is a purgative when kapha predominates.

42.66

Nīlinī fruit soaked in ghee, with salt, is [the purgative] when vāta is involved.

42.67

The afflicted by poison should be purged while lying on a bed with an aperture;
for if he repeatedly stands up, the poison vitiates vāta.
Having vomited or purged, he should drink gruel that destroys poison.

42.68

When poison has reached the seat of vāta, the drinking of ghee is desired,
as well as whatever was stated in the first and last methods of poison counteraction.

42.69

Now, in the case of a hooded snake, having let out the blood during the first stage of poisoning,
one should quickly drink an antidote mixed with honey and ghee.

42.70

In the second stage, having performed emesis, one should drink the antidote just as before;
in the third stage, one should apply poison-destroying collyrium and nasal errhines.

42.71

In the fourth, one should drink the previously described gruel after emesis is performed;
in the fifth and sixth, he should be repeatedly anointed and sprinkled with cold substances;

42.72

one should administer a sharp emetic and the gruel as prescribed;
in the seventh stage, one should apply a sharp antidote as collyrium and nasal errhine.

42.73

Then, having made a deep crow's-foot incision with a blade upon the head,
one should place upon it meat accompanied by blood, or hide, of that [animal].

42.74

In the case of viperine snakes, having been vomited in the third stage, he should drink gruel;
in the sixth stage, a mild antidote or the group beginning with padmaka.

42.75

In the first stage of one bitten by striped snakes, having scarified deeply,
one should draw blood with a gourd, and he should drink the antidote as before.

42.76

In the sixth stage, one should apply a sharp collyrium and nasal drops;
and in the stages not explicitly mentioned, the treatment stated for hooded snakes [should be done].

42.77

In pregnant women, children, and the elderly, one should puncture gently and not cut the vein.

42.78

Cinnamon bark, realgar, the two turmerics, vakra, rasa, tiger-claw,
tamāla, stamens, [and] śīta, drunk with rice-water,
destroys all poisons, just as the thunderbolt destroys the Asuras.

42.79

Prapauṇḍarīka, kaṭukā, devadāru, suvarcikā,
kālānusārī, sthauṇeya, śaileya, mustā, padmaka,

42.80

kuṭannaṭa, elā, punnāga, nata, kuṣṭha, priyaṅgu,
lodhra, guggulu, tālīsa, pippalī, red ochre,

42.81

sinduvāra, sugar, dry ginger, dhyāmaka, and rock salt,
finely powdered and kept in a horn, liquefying with honey,

42.82

this antidote called Tārkṣya, equal to Garuḍa, through potions, nasal errhines, ointments, and collyriums,
can turn back even the poison impulse of Takṣaka.

42.83

Lodhra, flowers of śirīṣa, samaṅgā, hiṅgu, reṇukā,
kaṇā, black pepper, cardamom, manahśilā, vacā, yaṣṭī, honey, utpala,

42.84

roots of sinduvāra and mandāra, seeds of karañja,
jyotiṣmatī, nata, kuṣṭha, śvetā, and girikarṇikā,

42.85

powdered with aloe juice and rolled into pills with honey and cow's bile,
[this] antidote destroys [the poison of] snakes, rats, kaṇabha insects, and jackals;

42.86

poison arising from cats, kāṇḍacitra snakes; possession by evil spirits, fever,
epilepsy, spirit affliction, insanity, abdominal swelling, indigestion, and cholera.

42.87

Root of bilva, flower of surasā, fruit of karañja, nata, devadāru,
the three fruits, the three pungents, and the two turmerics, ground very finely with goat's urine,

42.88

restores to health, through collyrium, potions, and nasal errhines,
men afflicted by snakes, spiders, rats, scorpions, and the like, or by cholera, indigestion, and fevers, and those assaulted by spirits.

42.89

Trivṛt, viśalyā, licorice, the two turmerics, the five salts,
mañjiṣṭhā, and the three pungents likewise: one should make a paste; that is the Mahāgada.

42.90

Māṃsī, hareṇu, the three fruits, muruṅgī, licorice,
mañjiṣṭhā, padmaka, aśoka, kuṣṭha, tālīsa, sandalwood,

42.91

sugandhikā, cardamom, kiṇihī, cinnamon bark, paṭola, mṛgādinī,
bhārṅgī, viḍaṅga, pālindī, pāṭhā, kroṣṭukamekhalā,

42.92

Bhallātaka flower, tulasī leaf, areca nut, and guggulu; / bile from a mongoose, cat, monitor lizard, porcupine, and pig;

42.93

and from a spotted deer and a peacock—kept as before in a cow's horn: / in the house where this remains, there is no fear arising from snakes, insects, and the like.

42.94

Kettledrums, drums, and banners smeared with this [formulation] / called Ārṣabha destroy poison by touch, sound, and sight.

42.95

And by means of ointments and the like, one should extract the poison completely even from the bite; / any remnant would lead to another paroxysm or to slow poison.

42.96

When the poison has departed, one should treat provoked vāta with oleation and the like, / using vāta-destroying [measures] that exclude oil, wine, horsegram, and sour substances;

42.97

[pacify] pitta with decoctions and unctuous enemas that relieve pitta fever;

42.98

and [pacify] kapha with honey and the group beginning with āragvadha.

42.99

Sugar, vaigandhika, grapes, payasyā, madhuka, and honey / as a drink; sprinkling with water sanctified by mantras; soothing and gladdening— / one should employ [these] for one struck by a snake's body, and likewise for one afflicted by suspected poison.

Commentaries (1)

Śaśilekhā — Indu, Sanskrit

Linked texts (1)

Aṣṭāṅgasaṃgraha — Vāgbhaṭa, Sanskrit