सङ्गीतरत्नाकर: प्रथम भाग (शार्ङ्गदेव - स्वरगताध्याय सविस्तार व्याख्या व अनुवाद सहित)

78 Treatment of Svara
14. सिराधमनीनां सङ्ख्या
सिराधमनीनां तु लक्षाणि नवविंशतिः ।
सार्धानि स्युनंवशती षट्पञ्चाशद्युता तथा ॥१०१॥
bed³ resembling the fish called rohita⁴ in-between the gall-
bladder and the intestines. Three⁵ (muscles) are known as
the coverings (of the uterus) serving for the entrance of the
ovum and the sperm. (99-100).
14. The number of arteries and veins : 1 1
The number of arteries and veins (in the body) is 29,
50, 956. (101)
rohita fish. The mouth of the rohita fish is said to be narrow at the
mouth and expanded at the end.
The description of the vaginal canal is compared by Ghanekar
with the account given in Gray's anatomy "The vaginal canal like the
shape of a conch shell is constricted at its commencement, dilated in
the middle and narrowed near its uterine extremity (Ghanekar, Vol. II,
p. 164 commenting on Suśruta 5.55-56).
He further says that there is nothing like the whirlpools in the
constitution of the vaginal canal but its inner layer of skin is marked
with ridges.
The word sirā denotes veins, nerves, arteries and lymphatic vessels.
Our author however is dealing with the arteries separately in the subse-
quent few verses. Suśruta (Śā. Sthā. 7.2) straightaway speaks of seven
hundred sirā-s, therefore the ten primal sirā-s are peculiar to our author
who subsequently mentions that these ten branch off into seven
hundred. Suśruta who also speaks of dhamanī-s, i. e., arteries later,
describes forty principal sirā-s of four types viz., ten vāyu (wind)-carry-
ing, ten pitta (bile)-carrying, ten conveying kabha (phlegm) and ten
blood-carrying, which are respectively identified by Bhishagratna
(Vol. II, p. 192) as nerves, veins, lymphatic vessels and arteries. Some
people, however, interpret sirā-s for veins and dhamanī-s for arteries. But,
one cannot really make such a sharp distinction, for the two terms are
sometimes used indiscriminately.
3. Garbhāśaya, according to Ghanekar, also means uterus, but
here it is the foetal cavity that is indicated.
4. Matsya-sya of the text may be read as matsyāsya-sadṛśī in view
of the above comments.
5. These are the three remaining out of the ten spoken of above
(Verse 97-98 ante).
Section 1 ...
15. मूलसिराः, भिन्नसिराश्च
दश मूलसिरा ओजोवाहिन्यो हृदयाश्रयाः ।
द्वयङ्गुलं चाङ्गुलदलं यवं यवदलं तथा ॥१०२॥
गत्वा द्रुमदलस्येव सीवन्यः प्रतता यदा ।
भिद्यन्ते तास्तदा सप्त शतानि परिसंख्यया ॥१०३॥
तासु जिह्वास्थिते द्वे द्वे वाग्रसज्ञानकारणे ।
घ्राणे गन्धवहे द्वे द्वे मेषोन्मेषकृतौ दृशोः ॥१०४॥
श्रोत्रयोः शब्दवाहिन्यौ तासु द्वे शार्ङ्गिणोदिते ।
15. The number of major and minor vessels of vital essence:
102-105b
There are ten primal (blood-vessels) carrying the vital
essence abiding in the heart. (102 ab)
Spaced from two fingers¹ and a half to a barley² corn
and a half, when the capillaries spread to branch off like the
leaf-veins, then they number seven hundred. (102c-103)
Of these,³ two veins that cause speech and two causing
the perception of taste are located in the tongue; two in the
nose for the perception of smell and two in the eyes causing
the winking (of eyelids); and two pertain to the ears, carry-
ing sound (waves) as declared by Dhanvantari⁴. (104-105b)
The ten primal-tubular vessels springing from the heart are
interspaced at the length of two fingers and a half, to begin with; and
gradually they branch off into narrower and finer tubular veins etc.,
spaced at the length of a barley and a half. Thus finally the sirā-s are
counted to be seven hundred in all as mentioned by Suśruta, according
to whom they spring from the navel region.

1. Aṅgula is equal in length to eight barley corns. Twelve
   aṅgula-s make a vitasti (a span) and twenty-four aṅgula-s make
   for a hasta (a cubit).
2. A measure equal to one-sixth or one-eighth of aṅgula (i. e , the
   finger breadth).
3. Perhaps, of the ten primal ones.
4. The divine physician considered to be the father of Indian
   medicine.