Garudapurana 3.22

The glorious Kṛṣṇa said: / That Lakṣmaṇā, O King of Birds, who in a previous creation was the daughter of a knower of the fire-Veda, / because of being endowed with auspicious bodily marks (sulakṣaṇa), was known as Sulakṣmaṇā, O King of Birds.

Just as Lakṣmī is fully complete in bodily marks, just as Hari is indeed fully complete in bodily marks, / just as Vāyu is complete in bodily marks, just as Gāyatrī is fully complete in bodily marks,

and just as Rudra and the others are complete in bodily marks, [yet] Lakṣmaṇā is more complete than Rudra and others / in virtue [though] slightly less in dharma; so, too, her name is chosen according to that meditation.

Therefore, all called her Lakṣmaṇā. Hear first her marks, O King of Birds. / In Nārāyaṇa, the Lord of Ramā, full of virtues, there are thirty-two auspicious marks.

They are indeed present, O king of birds; I speak of them in order. Hearing of them from me, one attains liberation forever: / a man who is seven feet [tall], his body ninety-six aṅgulas, four cubits, with sharp teeth—

The noble declare all this taken together as a single mark of Hari Viṣṇu. / A face that is smooth, round, and full-bodied: the noble declare that as the second mark.

His chin is not excessively raised, O king of birds; the noble call that the third mark. / His teeth are sharp and small; the noble call that the fourth mark.

Redness upon his lower lip, O king of birds, the noble call the fifth mark. / His hands are deeply red, O King of Birds; the noble declare that as the sixth mark.

Nails that are red and very radiant: the noble call that the seventh mark. / Redness upon his cheeks, O king of birds, the noble declare as the eighth mark.

Lines such as the conch and discus upon his hand: the noble call that the ninth mark. / A belly resembling a cord, well-nourished, marked with three folds, and handsome:

The noble call that the tenth mark; an indrawn navel they declare as the eleventh. / Both thighs being fleshy: the noble declare that as the twelfth mark.

A waist that is long and broad: the noble declare that as the thirteenth mark. / Well-placed testicles: the noble declare that as the fourteenth mark.

An elevated penis: they state that to be the fifteenth mark. / The soles of the feet deeply coppery, O King of Birds: the noble declare that as the sixteenth mark.

Indrawn ankles they call the seventeenth; the shape of the neck they call the eighteenth. / The nineteenth is an eye[-like] lotus of bright red; likewise, the arm and knee they declare as the twentieth.

A broad chest they declare as the twenty-first; shoulders like a lion's they call the twenty-second. / A delicate mouth they call the twenty-third; very serene glances the twenty-fourth.

A short, soft organ, O king of birds, they declare as the twenty-fifth mark. / Symmetrical feet, waist, knees, and thighs, and symmetrical shanks they call the twenty-sixth.

Equal hands and equal ears taken together: the noble declare these [up to] thirty-two marks. / There are thirty-two marks on Mukunda, and thirty-two marks on Ramā.

They declare truly that there are thirty-two marks of Brahmā, and likewise of Bhāratī. / But do not constantly doubt, thinking: ‘It is just equal to the Wielder of the Discus.’ I shall state the determination:

Even of a single mark of Viṣṇu, Lakṣmī does not comprehend the full limit. / Therefore, those who know marks always declare Hari to be endowed with endless marks.

Lakṣmī knows the marks in the form of Vāyu as surpassing her own, O King of Birds; / while Bhāratī is a hundred times superior in relation to her own marks, even in comparison to Vedhas.

Therefore, O King of Birds, do not ever keep a mind that views the marks of Viśva and the others as equal. / They declare twenty-eight [marks] for Rudra and the others, who are lacking in the marks of the eyebrows and eyes.

What is regarded as an absence of a mark on him must not be considered an inauspicious mark. / The twenty-eight marks of Hara, O King of Birds, are not to be considered equal to those of Bhāratī.

Therefore Hara has the nature of anger always, due to the absence of these two; thus this has been truly spoken. / Therefore these two are not in Rudra, O King of Birds; in the penis and belly there is a slight excess.

His own women, Lakṣmaṇā and the others, are endowed with twenty-seven marks; / Vāruṇī and others are endowed with twenty-six marks; and the Moon has twenty-five.

Artha is endowed with twenty-four; Nāsāvāyu has twenty-two; and Śacī is endowed with twenty-one marks, without a doubt.

Pravāhā is endowed with twenty; Yama with nineteen; / the Bearer of the Noose (Varuṇa) is endowed with eighteen; and Fire is endowed with seventeen.

Vaivasvata has sixteen, Mitra has fifteen, / the lord of wealth has fourteen, and fire has thirteen.

Gaṅgā has twelve, Mercury has eleven, / Saturn has ten, and Puṣkara has nine.

Now, the sixteen thousand wives who are dear to me / are endowed with eight, and the ancestors likewise with seven.

The celestial Gandharvas have six, and those next to them have five; / kings are declared to have four, and others have three.

Except for a slight excess in the belly, shortness in the feet, / and an excess in ears and crest, O brahmin, in the wife of Śiva,

and in Lakṣmaṇā, there are five defects, leaving aside the head, ankles, and so forth. / Along with an excess in the navel, there are eight defects in Ativāhika.

Along with an excess in the shanks, eight defects are traditionally taught for Śacī. / In this very way, defects are to be inferred, O King of Birds.

By hearing about inauspicious marks, O king of birds, one becomes a knower of truth: / he has a great belly, a hanging navel, and fierce tusks the size of poles;

his eyes are sunken like a blind well; he has drooping ears, lips, and nose; / his ankles are sagging, his feet are crooked; he has diseased nails and blackish teeth;

he has long shanks and a long penis, a single testicle and a single nostril; / he is proclaimed to have a red beard, red body hair, and a crooked face;

resembling a burnt mountain, Kali is traditionally remembered as having a red back, / hairless flesh, a hairless head, and red cheeks and temples.

He has constant paleness on his forehead, left shoulder, and hands, O bird; / he has a cruel gaze, squinting eyes, and a gurgling voice;

he is an excessive eater and heavy drinker, with breasts like dried fruits; / on his thighs, back, and head there is sparse, thin hair;

on the forehead three [lines] are declared to be long, and two equal. / A fish that is serpent-shaped is proclaimed to be on his penis;

a fish resembling a shoe is proclaimed on the tip of his tongue; / and a fish shaped like a penis is noticed on his anus;

a scorpion-shaped fish is noticed on his feet; / and a dog-shaped fish is proclaimed in his mouth;

there are many lines on the hand, hair is recorded in the nostril; / the thumb is extremely long, and the little finger is extremely long.

Such and similar inauspicious marks exist in Kali in many ways; / many auspicious marks exist in me, O King of Birds.

The thirty-two marks of Viṣṇu are spoken of in relation to Brahmā and the others; / this was stated to you by Brahmā along with its implicit meaning, O lord.

There is no contradiction between what Brahmā said and what I said, O best of beings. / That which was spoken by me is demonstrated in detail by [the mark of] a conch-like neck;

I spoke uniting red lips and a red palate into one. / Therefore there is no contradiction at all; so it is understood through knowledge.

The women headed by Lakṣmaṇā who are endowed with twenty-seven marks:

in the vulva, eyes, hands, breasts, and belly, / [such a woman] is deficient by five marks in comparison to Bhāratī.

She does not have [the marks] like Rudra, nor other marks, O King of Birds. / The wife of Varuṇa has twenty-six marks and is deficient by six marks.

In the ears, belly, nose, mass of hair, ankles, and vulva there is slight excess. / Indra is endowed with twenty-five, O King of Birds, and is always deficient by seven marks.

In the hands, feet, belly, ears, penis, ankles, and lower lip there is excess. / Endowed with twenty-four marks is Nāstikya-Vāyu, and in the same way with eight [defects].

In the navel, ankles, jaw, feet, shoulders, teeth, eyes, and lower lip there is excess. / Śacī is endowed with twenty-three marks and also with nine defects.

In the vulva, hair, lower lip, ears, shanks, cheeks, chest, and ankles, / as well as in the upper lip, there is slight excess; know it thus, O best of the kings of birds.

Endowed with twenty-two marks and ten defects is the wind named Pravaha; / likewise in the thumb there is slight excess. The Sun has twenty-one, with eleven defects.

One who is endowed with twenty marks is then endowed with twelve defects. / Fire is endowed with nineteen marks and with thirteen absences of them.

Vaivasvata is endowed with eighteen marks and fourteen absences of them; / Mitra is endowed with seventeen marks, O bird,

and is endowed with fifteen defects, of this there is no doubt. / The lord of wealth is endowed with sixteen of them, of this there is no doubt,

and is proclaimed to be endowed with sixteen absences of them. / The eldest son of Agreji is endowed with fifteen of them,

and is endowed with seventeen defects, of this there is no doubt. / Gaṅgā is proclaimed to have fourteen of them,

and is endowed with eighteen defects, of this there is no doubt. / Mercury is endowed with thirteen of them,

and is endowed with nineteen defects, of this there is no doubt. / Saturn has twelve marks and is endowed with twenty defects.

Puṣkara is proclaimed to have eleven marks, / and is declared to have non-existences [of marks] numbering twenty-one.

The ancient ancestors, O bird, are endowed with ten marks, / and are endowed with twenty-three defects, of this there is no doubt.

The best among celestial Gandharvas are endowed with eight marks, / and are proclaimed to be endowed with twenty-four defects.

The human Gandharvas are endowed with seven marks, / and they are proclaimed to be endowed with twenty-five defects.

Kings are endowed with six qualities, and with twenty-six defects. / Others are endowed with five, and some with only four.

Some are deficient by three; there are none [lower] than that, O best of birds. / In whatever man or king, O King of Birds, an excess of a mark is seen,

they are not [mere] men, nor are they [mere] rulers of the earth; nor are all of them always foremost. / Whatever gods and whatever Daityas there are, all of them are like this, O lord of birds.

They are spoken of in order by their marks and absence of marks, of this there is no doubt. / They are endowed with twenty-seven marks, O bird.

Therefore, O King of Birds, she is known to possess auspicious marks, though not with all thirty-two marks, / growing in her father's house, ever intent on exalting her family.

She said to her father when food and the like was being given to friends and others: / 'Those who are always intent on meditation upon [the Lord] seated within each of them,

if [such things] are given without knowledge, the virtuous say that food, drink, and the like are in vain. / I shall speak of Hari as he resides in each of them; listen to it today with constant devotion.

The child Hari, Kṛṣṇa in the form of a child, receives milk and the like, fresh butter, and ghee, / as well as garments and ornaments; one should always give them thus for the satisfaction of Viṣṇu.

Hari, named Keśava and Mukunda, eats food, drink, and the like offered by friends. / A householder should always offer first [to him]; he becomes blessed, otherwise it is entirely in vain.

Knowing that Hari named Mādhava constantly receives [it], food and the like should be given. / Offered with such knowledge, Viṣṇu is constantly pleased; otherwise it is entirely in vain.

O Garuḍa, Hari as Vāsudeva constantly dwells in the house and is pleased there. / Knowing this, one should always decorate one's house with metallic images.

He named Govinda dwells among the sons of the Vaiṣṇavas; Vāsudeva dwells [in the self]; / Mukunda dwells in a friend, Aniruddha in a brother-in-law, and Nārāyaṇa is ever in an excellent twice-born.

Hari in the form of Viṣṇu is always in the cowshed; he named Vāmana is always in a horse; / Saṃkarṣaṇa is always in the Śūdra class; Pradyumna always dwells in a Vaiśya.

Janārdana is always in the Kṣatriya class; Hari as Mahīdāsa is always among servants; / O Garuḍa, Hari alone, named Upendra, constantly dwells upon the earth.

He who holds the discus in his hand is always in an elephant; Viśvarūpa is always in the inner space; / the Author of Beings always dwells in a dog, and likewise constantly in an ant.

Hari in the form of Trivikrama is in the intermediate space; Hari of infinite forms is in all creatures. / In the Lord who has all diverse forms, Hari has neither caste, nor lineage, nor birth.'

Knowing this, the goddess Lakṣmaṇā constantly pleased Hari, / thinking through the worship she performed, 'May Hari be my husband.'

Desiring to become Viṣṇu's wife, she abandoned her body, O King of Birds, and was born as a princess among the Madras. / At Lakṣmaṇā's svayaṃvara, after striking the target and subduing the kings,

I took Lakṣmaṇā's hand in marriage, went to my city, and took delight in the goddess. / In the very same way, I tell you the reason for my marriage to Jāmbavatī and her becoming my wife.

Thus ends the twenty-second chapter, entitled 'Determination of the Cause of the Marriage to Lakṣmaṇā,' in the theological section, the third part of the Uttarakhaṇḍa of the glorious and great Garuḍapurāṇa.