Shloka 6
Karketana (Karketa) Lakṣaṇa: Origin, Color-Forms, Purity Marks, and Ritual Efficacy
एके ऽपनह्य विकृताकुलनीलभासः प्रम्लानरागलुलिताः कलुषा विरूपाः / तेजो ऽतिदीप्ति कुलपुष्टिविहीनवर्णाः कर्केतनस्य सदृशं वपुरुद्वहन्ति
eke 'panahya vikṛtākulanīlabhāsaḥ pramlānarāgalulitāḥ kaluṣā virūpāḥ / tejo 'tidīpti kulapuṣṭivihīnavarṇāḥ karketanasya sadṛśaṃ vapurudvahanti
Some, casting off their garments, bear distorted bodies with a confused bluish sheen—complexion faded, sullied, and misshapen. Their radiance blazes excessively, yet their color lacks the nourishing grace of noble lineage, carrying a form resembling Karketana.
Lord Vishnu (speaking to Garuda/Vinata-putra)
Concept: Inauspicious signs—deformed appearance, sullied complexion, unstable radiance—signal disharmony and possibly adverse karma or improper practice.
Vedantic Theme: Guṇa-vaikṛti: tamas/rajas imbalance manifests as confusion and loss of śrī; external brilliance without inner harmony is not true sattva.
Application: Treat ‘excessive blaze’ without grace as a warning: reassess choices (including gems/remedies), seek competent guidance, and correct conduct rather than chasing mere display.
Primary Rasa: bibhatsa
Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka
Related Themes: Garuda Purana 1.75 (ratna-doṣa and auspicious/inauspicious effects)
FAQs
This verse uses physical imagery to show that karma leaves recognizable marks on the post-death condition—impurity, deformity, and abnormal radiance indicate an afflicted state of the departed.
It implies that on the journey in the hereafter, beings may manifest bodies reflecting their moral and ritual condition; the soul’s experience is shaped by the quality of deeds and purity carried from life.
Cultivate ethical conduct and purity in daily life—truthfulness, restraint, and dharmic living—so one’s post-death condition is not described as sullied or deformed by harmful actions.