दुःसहा राम संसारविषावेशविषूचिका । योगगारुडमन्त्रेण पावनेन प्रशाम्यति ॥ १० ॥
duḥsahā rāma saṁsāraviṣāvēśaviṣūcikā | yōgagāruḍamantrēṇa pāvanēna praśāmyati || 10 ||
Translation
The cholera of the poison of saṁsāra, Rāma, is unbearable. It is stilled by the pure Garuḍa mantra of yoga.
Word by word
- duḥsahā
- unbearable
- rāma
- Rāma
- saṁsāra
- of saṁsāra
- viṣa
- of the poison
- āvēśa
- the working
- viṣūcikā
- the cholera
- yōga
- of yoga
- gāruḍa
- Garuḍa
- mantrēṇa
- by the mantra
- pāvanēna
- pure
- praśāmyati
- is stilled
Meaning
Viṣūcikā is a violent sickness of the bowels, and the commentary notes that it too may come from poison and be cured by treating the poison. Garuḍa, the eagle of Viṣṇu, destroys snakes, and the gāruḍa mantra is the charm for snake bite. Here yoga needs an exact reading. Both commentaries take it as the knowledge of the oneness of the individual self and Brahman, and the next verse supports that by calling it the knowledge of the highest. So it is not postural or breathing practice that is meant in this verse. Poison calls for an antidote, and for this poison the antidote is knowledge.