12. agnikarmavidhyadhyāyaḥ

Meaning of the commentary

These signs distinguish the results in each tissue or site. A firm wound is explained as a hard wound.

Meaning of the commentary

The remaining applications are explained according to the condition present. Intensely painful vayu means vayu with severe pain. Raised flesh means elevated flesh, and supta means lacking sensation. Nadi is a particular wound type.

Meaning of the commentary

The commentary explains that, in the circumstances of internal bleeding and a breached cavity, obstructing the blood can give rise to burning, suppuration and related problems. Some readers substitute 'afflicted by many diseases' for 'afflicted by many wounds'. Those unsuitable for svedana include the groups listed elsewhere beginning with persons with pandu, prameha, raktapitta or distressing thirst.

Meaning of the commentary

The four kinds can result from a physician's fault or from an accident. Although plushta and durdagdha both fall under insufficient burning, they are distinguished because their signs and treatment differ. Repeating that there are four kinds prevents their being collapsed into a threefold classification. In plushta, the colour differs from the normal colour and burning is intense, but blisters do not arise. An alternative reading describes a markedly pale area that appears as though made to sweat by the fire's heat. In durdagdha, chosha denotes a drawing or sucking kind of pain; daha feels as though the part were being reduced to ash; raga means redness; and vedana includes the other sensations of heat and pain. For samyagdagdha, 'not deep' means free of the signs of excessive burning. The colour is that of a ripe tala fruit, as made explicit in two alternative readings. A well-formed appearance lacks defects such as excessive elevation or depression. The earlier signs are those given for cauterisation of skin, flesh, siras, snayus, joints and bones. In atidagdha, separation means disintegration and damage means injury to those structures. 'Excessive' qualifies each complication, including fever and the others, and the connecting word also brings in bleeding and similar events. The statement that all four kinds support the physician's work raises an objection: surely only proper cauterisation assists the physician? The answer distinguishes what is to be attained from what is to be avoided. The signs of samyagdagdha guide the intended result, while recognising the other three guides avoidance. A variant says these signs support the previously described procedures. Its interpreters take this either as clarifying the signs of the earlier skin- and flesh-based cauterisation, or as assisting the procedures prescribed for head disorders, adhimantha and other conditions by distinguishing desirable from undesirable results. Another variant adds a connecting 'and'. Its interpreters understand the statement as referring to treatment by the measures already taught, beginning with honey and ghee for a properly cauterised site, while the added word also includes the measures to be taught subsequently, such as warming in plushta.

Meaning of the commentary

The first explanation assigns cooling measures to the more deeply burnt portion, to soothe blood that has already been heated, and warming measures to the less deeply burnt portion, to liquefy blood that has not been warmed. Others distinguish by the intensity of burning: cooling when burning is excessive, warming when it is not excessive. The commentary then reiterates that ghee applications and the other named measures should be cool, and says that this brings comfort and supports wound healing.

Meaning of the commentary

Vishirna is explained as flesh that is hanging loose. The rice material consists of small particles produced by pounding shali rice; when used as a powder, the action 'sprinkle over' is to be understood. One explanation takes tindukitvakkapala as pieces of tinduki bark. Others divide the expression into tinduki bark and earthen pot fragments. Some read tindukitvakkashaya instead, explaining it as tinduki bark and the substances from other astringent trees. Others understand kashaya here as powder, hence powdered tinduki bark. Aquatic leaves include lotus and utpala leaves. The commentary states that a wound affected by pitta and rakta loses its heat under a covering of guduchi and similar leaves and then heals comfortably.

Meaning of the commentary

The commentary extends the discussion of burns to similar injuries. Hot wind means summer or autumn wind; the effects of hot wind and sunlight resemble burning. The plural wording includes other unnamed sources of heat. Some read 'in a wound' rather than 'always,' explaining wound here as its bodily site, such as the skin. Cold refers to snow or frost, whose injury also resembles burning; rain-wind means wind accompanied by rain. The plural includes other unmentioned cold exposures. Some read 'injured' instead of 'burned.' Extremely intense fire is explained as thunderbolt fire. The statement that such severe burning is untreatable is understood to imply that a slight burn may nevertheless respond, using the previously described cooling or warming measures as appropriate. Some recensions then include the lines about treating a living person burned by Indra's thunderbolt with unctuous applications, massage, pouring and pastes; the nibandha authors do not include them.