Garudapurana 3.22
English (machine translation) 3.22
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Contents
- 3.22.85 — 1 part
3.22.1
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.
3.22.2
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,
3.22.3
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.
3.22.4
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.
3.22.5
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—
3.22.6
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.
3.22.7
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.
3.22.8
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.
3.22.9
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.
3.22.10
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:
3.22.11
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.
3.22.12
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.
3.22.13
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.
3.22.14
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.
3.22.15
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.
3.22.16
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.
3.22.17
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.
3.22.18
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:
3.22.19
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.
3.22.20
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.
3.22.21
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.
3.22.22
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.
3.22.23
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.
3.22.24
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.
3.22.25
Artha is endowed with twenty-four; Nāsāvāyu has twenty-two; and Śacī is endowed with twenty-one marks, without a doubt.
3.22.26
Pravāhā is endowed with twenty; Yama with nineteen; / the Bearer of the Noose (Varuṇa) is endowed with eighteen; and Fire is endowed with seventeen.
3.22.27
Vaivasvata has sixteen, Mitra has fifteen, / the lord of wealth has fourteen, and fire has thirteen.
3.22.28
Gaṅgā has twelve, Mercury has eleven, / Saturn has ten, and Puṣkara has nine.
3.22.29
Now, the sixteen thousand wives who are dear to me / are endowed with eight, and the ancestors likewise with seven.
3.22.30
The celestial Gandharvas have six, and those next to them have five; / kings are declared to have four, and others have three.
3.22.31
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,
3.22.32
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.
3.22.33
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.
3.22.34
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;
3.22.35
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;
3.22.36
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;
3.22.37
resembling a burnt mountain, Kali is traditionally remembered as having a red back, / hairless flesh, a hairless head, and red cheeks and temples.
3.22.38
He has constant paleness on his forehead, left shoulder, and hands, O bird; / he has a cruel gaze, squinting eyes, and a gurgling voice;
3.22.39
he is an excessive eater and heavy drinker, with breasts like dried fruits; / on his thighs, back, and head there is sparse, thin hair;
3.22.40
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;
3.22.41
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;
3.22.42
a scorpion-shaped fish is noticed on his feet; / and a dog-shaped fish is proclaimed in his mouth;
3.22.43
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.
3.22.44
Such and similar inauspicious marks exist in Kali in many ways; / many auspicious marks exist in me, O King of Birds.
3.22.45
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.
3.22.46
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;
3.22.47
I spoke uniting red lips and a red palate into one. / Therefore there is no contradiction at all; so it is understood through knowledge.
3.22.48
The women headed by Lakṣmaṇā who are endowed with twenty-seven marks:
3.22.49
in the vulva, eyes, hands, breasts, and belly, / [such a woman] is deficient by five marks in comparison to Bhāratī.
3.22.50
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.
3.22.51
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.
3.22.52
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].
3.22.53
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.
3.22.54
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.
3.22.55
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.
3.22.56
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.
3.22.57
Vaivasvata is endowed with eighteen marks and fourteen absences of them; / Mitra is endowed with seventeen marks, O bird,
3.22.58
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,
3.22.59
and is proclaimed to be endowed with sixteen absences of them. / The eldest son of Agreji is endowed with fifteen of them,
3.22.60
and is endowed with seventeen defects, of this there is no doubt. / Gaṅgā is proclaimed to have fourteen of them,
3.22.61
and is endowed with eighteen defects, of this there is no doubt. / Mercury is endowed with thirteen of them,
3.22.62
and is endowed with nineteen defects, of this there is no doubt. / Saturn has twelve marks and is endowed with twenty defects.
3.22.63
Puṣkara is proclaimed to have eleven marks, / and is declared to have non-existences [of marks] numbering twenty-one.
3.22.64
The ancient ancestors, O bird, are endowed with ten marks, / and are endowed with twenty-three defects, of this there is no doubt.
3.22.65
The best among celestial Gandharvas are endowed with eight marks, / and are proclaimed to be endowed with twenty-four defects.
3.22.66
The human Gandharvas are endowed with seven marks, / and they are proclaimed to be endowed with twenty-five defects.
3.22.67
Kings are endowed with six qualities, and with twenty-six defects. / Others are endowed with five, and some with only four.
3.22.68
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,
3.22.69
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.
3.22.70
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.
3.22.71
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.
3.22.72
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,
3.22.73
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.
3.22.74
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.
3.22.75
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.
3.22.76
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.
3.22.77
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.
3.22.78
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.
3.22.79
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.
3.22.80
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.
3.22.81
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.
3.22.82
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.'
3.22.83
Knowing this, the goddess Lakṣmaṇā constantly pleased Hari, / thinking through the worship she performed, 'May Hari be my husband.'
3.22.84
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,
3.22.85
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.
3.22.85.p1
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.
Linked texts (1)
- Garuḍapurāṇa — Vyāsa, Sanskrit