Shloka 2

Pulaka-Lakṣaṇa (Auspicious Horripilation), Sacred Designs, and Inauspicious Omens

Devanagari script

दाशार्णवागदर (व) मेकलकालगादौ गुञ्जाञ्जनक्षौद्रमृणालवर्णाः / गन्धर्ववह्निकदलीसदृशावभासा एते प्रशस्ताः पुलकाः प्रसूताः

Transliteration

dāśārṇavāgadara (va) mekalakālagādau guñjāñjanakṣaudramṛṇālavarṇāḥ / gandharvavahnikadalīsadṛśāvabhāsā ete praśastāḥ pulakāḥ prasūtāḥ

Translation

These are the auspicious kinds of pulaka (devotional horripilation) that arise: those colored like the Dāśārṇa flower, the āgada plant, and the Mekalā-kālagā; like guñjā seeds, añjana (collyrium), honey, and lotus-fiber; and those whose radiance resembles the fire of the Gandharvas and the plantain stem—such pulakas are held to be commendable.

Word by Word

• दाशार्ण: (from) Daśārṇa region
• दाशार्ण: Adhikarana (Source-region/अधिकरण-आश्रय)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दाशार्ण (प्रातिपदिक; देशनाम)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; (समुच्चित-देशसूची)

• वागदर: Vāgadara (a place)
• वागदर: Adhikarana (Source-region/अधिकरण-आश्रय)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वागदर (प्रातिपदिक; स्थान/देशनाम)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; पाठभेद/अस्पष्ट-स्थाननाम

• मेकलकालगादौ: in Mekalā, Kālagā, etc.
• मेकलकालगादौ: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मेकल + कालगा (प्रातिपदिक-द्वय; नदी/स्थान)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; समासः—मेकला च कालगा च (द्वन्द्व), ‘in Mekalā and Kālagā etc.’; आदौ = ‘etc.’-अर्थे

• गुञ्जाञ्जनक्षौद्रमृणालवर्णाः: having colors like guñjā, collyrium, honey, and lotus-stalk
• गुञ्जाञ्जनक्षौद्रमृणालवर्णाः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: गुञ्जा + अञ्जन + क्षौद्र + मृणाल + वर्ण (प्रातिपदिक-समूह)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; समासः—गुञ्जा-अञ्जन-क्षौद्र-मृणाल-इव वर्णः येषाम् (वर्ण-निर्देश)

• गन्धर्ववह्निकदलीसदृशावभासाः: having a sheen like gandharva-fire and banana (plant)
• गन्धर्ववह्निकदलीसदृशावभासाः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: गन्धर्व + वह्नि + कदली + सदृश + आभास (प्रातिपदिक-समूह)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; समासः—गन्धर्व-वह्नि-कदली-सदृशः आभासः येषाम्

• एते: these
• एते: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन

• प्रशस्ताः: excellent, praised
• प्रशस्ताः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्रशस्त (√शंस् + क्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; विशेषण

• पुलकाः: pulakas (a kind of bead/stone; term in context)
• पुलकाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुलक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन

• प्रसूताः: are produced/originated
• प्रसूताः: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + √सू (धातु) → प्रसूत (कृदन्त, क्त)
• Form: कृदन्त (क्त), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; ‘born/produced’ (विधेय)

Speaker

Lord Vishnu (speaking to Garuda/Vinata-putra)

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Shubha-lakshana: certain forms/colors of pulaka (horripilation) are praised as auspicious indicators.

Vedantic Theme: Sattva-lakshana: bodily signs as reflections of inner disposition (sattva) in traditional physiognomy.

Application: In ritual/royal/auspicious contexts, interpret bodily signs cautiously as supportive omens; cultivate purity and devotion rather than superstition.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: adbhuta

Secondary Rasa: shanta

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana: lakshana/saṃudrika-style passages on bodily marks and omens

Characters & Entities

• Gandharvas

FAQs

What is the importance of pulaka (horripilation) in the Garuda Purana?

This verse treats certain kinds of pulaka—identified by traditional color and radiance comparisons—as “praśasta” (commendable), implying they are auspicious bodily indicators within the text’s broader discussion of signs and conditions surrounding spiritual states.

How does this verse explain the path of the soul?

Indirectly: rather than detailing routes like Yama’s path, it highlights bodily indicators considered auspicious, which function as traditional markers of inner spiritual disposition within the Preta Kanda’s after-death teaching framework.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

Use it as a reminder to focus on cultivating sattvic qualities and steady devotion; the text frames “auspicious signs” as secondary to living ethically and preparing the mind through dharma-oriented conduct and remembrance of the divine.