Shloka 29

Ratna-parīkṣā: Vajra (Diamond/Thunderbolt) — Origin, Types, Testing, Defects, Weights, and Royal Auspiciousness

Devanagari script

यस्यैकदेशः क्षतजावभासो यद्वा भवेल्लोहितवर्णचित्रम् / न तन्न कुर्याद्ध्रियमाणमाशु स्वच्छन्दमृत्योरपि जीवितान्तम्

Transliteration

yasyaikadeśaḥ kṣatajāvabhāso yadvā bhavellohitavarṇacitram / na tanna kuryāddhriyamāṇamāśu svacchandamṛtyorapi jīvitāntam

Translation

If some part of the body appears as though smeared with blood, or shows mottled patches of a reddish hue, one should not disregard it; for bearing such a sign quickly brings life to its end, as though death had come of its own accord.

Word by Word

• yasya: whose/of which
• yasya: Sambandha (Genitive/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी, एकवचन; सर्वनाम (genitive singular)

• eka: one
• eka: Sambandha (Compound-member/समासाङ्ग)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: eka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (समासे), प्रातिपदिक (compound member)

• deśaḥ: a part/portion
• deśaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (कर्ता), एकवचन; समास: eka-deśa ('one part')

• kṣataja: blood
• kṣataja: Sambandha (Compound-member/समासाङ्ग)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kṣataja (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग (समासे), प्रातिपदिक (compound member; 'blood')

• avabhāsaḥ: appearance/sheeny look
• avabhāsaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: avabhāsa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; समास: kṣataja-avabhāsa ('having blood-like sheen')

• yad: if/when
• yad: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभूत-यद्; सम्बन्धसूचक (indeclinable relative: 'if/when/that which')

• vā: or
• vā: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; विकल्पार्थक

• bhavet: should be/might be
• bhavet: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √bhū (भू) (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ्, परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन (optative, 3rd sg., active)

• lohita: red
• lohita: Sambandha (Compound-member/समासाङ्ग)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: lohita (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (समासे), प्रातिपदिक (compound member)

• varṇa: color
• varṇa: Sambandha (Compound-member/समासाङ्ग)
• Type: Noun
• Root: varṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (समासे), प्रातिपदिक (compound member)

• citram: variegated/patchy
• citram: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: citra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; समास: lohita-varṇa-citra ('variegated with red color')

• na: not
• na: Sambandha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निषेध

• tat: that (vajra)
• tat: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• na: not
• na: Sambandha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निषेध

• kuryāt: should make/do (accept)
• kuryāt: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √kṛ (कृ) (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ्, परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• dhriyamāṇam: being held/borne
• dhriyamāṇam: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: √dhṛ (धृ) (धातु) + शानच् (शानच्)
• Form: वर्तमानकर्मणि कृदन्त (शानच्), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषण (present passive participle: 'being held')

• āśu: quickly
• āśu: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: āśu (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रियाविशेषण

• svacchanda: at will/independent
• svacchanda: Sambandha (Compound-member/समासाङ्ग)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: svacchanda (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (समासे), प्रातिपदिक (compound member)

• mṛtyoḥ: of (one with) voluntary death
• mṛtyoḥ: Sambandha (Genitive/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mṛtyu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचन; समास: svacchanda-mṛtyu ('one who can die at will')

• api: even
• api: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात

• jīvitāntam: end of life
• jīvitāntam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: jīvita + anta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; समास: jīvita-anta ('end of life')

Speaker

Lord Vishnu (in instruction to Garuda/Vinata-putra)

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Ariṣṭa-lakṣaṇa: bodily signs can indicate impending prāṇa-viccheda (life’s end), urging vigilance and dharmic readiness.

Vedantic Theme: Anityatā (impermanence) of the body; mṛtyu as inevitable—prompting pramāda-tyāga (avoidance of negligence).

Application: Treat alarming physical signs seriously (seek care, reduce risk); also use the reminder to settle duties, reconcile, and intensify sādhana.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: bhayanaka

Secondary Rasa: karuna

Geographic Context

Type: body/embodied-space

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana 1.68: ariṣṭa/nimitta indicators; Garuda Purana Pretakalpa passages on death signs and preparation (general internal thematic link)

FAQs

What is the importance of death-omens (mṛtyu-lakṣaṇa) in the Garuda Purana?

This verse treats specific bodily discolorations as urgent mṛtyu-lakṣaṇas, meant to prompt immediate seriousness—spiritual preparation, dharmic conduct, and timely rites—rather than negligence.

How does this verse explain the path of the soul?

By warning that life may end swiftly when such signs appear, it underscores the Garuda Purana’s broader teaching: death can arrive suddenly, so one should be ready for the post-death journey described in the Preta Khanda.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

Do not dismiss alarming bodily changes; seek appropriate care, and simultaneously strengthen dharma—truthfulness, charity, remembrance of Hari, and completing essential duties and rites without delay.