Shloka 101

Purusha-Strī-Lakṣaṇa (Samudrika-śāstra): Marks of Kingship, Wealth, Longevity, and Conduct

Devanagari script

नासा समा समपुटा स्त्रीणां तु रुचिरा शुभा / नीलोत्पलनिभं चक्षुर्नासालग्नं न लम्बकम्

Transliteration

nāsā samā samapuṭā strīṇāṃ tu rucirā śubhā / nīlotpalanibhaṃ cakṣurnāsālagnaṃ na lambakam

Translation

Bei Frauen gilt eine gleichmäßige, wohlgeformte Nase als reizvoll und glückverheißend. Die Augen sollen dem blauen Lotos gleichen, nahe an der Nase sitzen und nicht herabhängen.

Word by Word

• नासा: nose
• नासा: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नासा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• समा: even/symmetrical
• समा: Viśeṣaṇa
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• समपुटा: with even nostrils/contours
• समपुटा: Viśeṣaṇa
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सम (प्रातिपदिक) + पुट (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• स्त्रीणाम्: of women
• स्त्रीणाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्त्री (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), बहुवचन

• तु: indeed/but
• तु: Sambandha (Discourse particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; विरोध/विशेषणार्थक-निपात (particle: but/indeed)

• रुचिरा: beautiful
• रुचिरा: Viśeṣaṇa
• Type: Adjective
• Root: रुचिर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• शुभा: auspicious
• शुभा: Viśeṣaṇa
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शुभ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• नीलोत्पलनिभम्: like a blue lotus
• नीलोत्पलनिभम्: Viśeṣaṇa
• Type: Adjective
• Root: नील (प्रातिपदिक) + उत्पल (प्रातिपदिक) + निभ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• चक्षुः: eye
• चक्षुः: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चक्षुस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• नासालग्नम्: set close to the nose
• नासालग्नम्: Viśeṣaṇa
• Type: Adjective
• Root: नासा (प्रातिपदिक) + लग्न (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Negation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-अव्यय (negation particle)

• लम्बकम्: hanging/pendulous
• लम्बकम्: Viśeṣaṇa
• Type: Adjective
• Root: लम्बक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

Speaker

Lord Vishnu (in dialogue to Garuda/Vinata-putra, as per the common Garuda Purana narration style)

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Śubha-strī-lakṣaṇa: auspicious feminine features described through symmetry and lotus imagery.

Vedantic Theme: Prakṛti’s harmony as a sign of sattva; outer symmetry used as a cultural metaphor for inner auspiciousness.

Application: For literary/iconographic depiction, use lotus-eye imagery and proportion; interpret as aesthetic tradition rather than moral worth.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shringara

Secondary Rasa: adbhuta

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana 1.65.99-103

FAQs

What is the importance of auspicious bodily signs (lakshana) in the Garuda Purana?

This verse treats certain facial features—symmetry of the nose and lotus-like eyes—as indicators of beauty and auspiciousness, reflecting the text’s lakshana tradition of reading outward signs as markers of favorable qualities and fortune.

How does this verse explain the path of the soul in the Garuda Purana?

It does not describe the soul’s journey or after-death states; instead, it belongs to a descriptive section on auspicious characteristics (lakshana) for women.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

Read it as a historical-cultural lens on ideals of appearance and ‘auspiciousness’; practically, it can be approached as descriptive tradition rather than a rigid standard, while focusing on inner virtues emphasized elsewhere in dharma literature.