Shloka 90
Veṅkaṭeśa-Māhātmya: Varāha Prelude, Descent of Śeṣācala, Svāmipuṣkariṇī and the Network of Tīrthas
with Dāna-Lakṣaṇas
लक्षणं यो विजानाति तदा तत्सदृशं फलम् / प्राप्नोत्येव न संदेहो नात्र कार्या विचारणा
lakṣaṇaṃ yo vijānāti tadā tatsadṛśaṃ phalam / prāpnotyeva na saṃdeho nātra kāryā vicāraṇā
مَن يَعرِف العلامات الفارقة الحقّة ينال ثمرةً تماثلها لا محالة؛ لا شكّ في ذلك—ولا حاجة هنا إلى مزيدٍ من التمحيص.
Lord Vishnu (speaking to Garuda/Vinata-putra)
Concept: Right knowledge of defining characteristics (lakshana) ensures right practice and thus appropriate fruit; doubt is resolved by scriptural assurance.
Vedantic Theme: Pramana and viveka: correct cognition guides action; alignment of knowledge and practice supports purification and steadiness.
Application: Before performing a rite or adopting a teaching, learn its lakshana from reliable sources; verify essentials, then practice consistently without wavering.
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: vira
Related Themes: Garuda Purana: lakshana-based instructions in tirtha/vrata contexts (general); Garuda Purana: karma-phala certainty motifs (general)
FAQs
This verse states that correct understanding of the defining signs of a practice or teaching ensures the corresponding result (phala), emphasizing precision and right knowledge in dharmic observance.
In the Preta Kanda’s ritual-and-afterlife framework, it implies that knowing the proper markers of rites and principles leads to predictable karmic outcomes, which in turn shape the soul’s post-death trajectory.
Learn the essentials of any dharmic practice you follow—its purpose, method, and ethical basis—because clarity and correctness align actions with their intended spiritual results.