Shloka 21

पुंसां क्रिया-विभागः, संस्काराः, नामकरणम्, विवाहविधानम्

Devanagari script

नातिरूक्षच्छविं पाण्डुकरजाम् अरुणेक्षणाम् आपीनहस्तपादां च न कन्याम् उद्वहेद् बुधः

Transliteration

nātirūkṣacchaviṃ pāṇḍukarajām aruṇekṣaṇām āpīnahastapādāṃ ca na kanyām udvahed budhaḥ

Translation

A wise man should not marry a maiden whose complexion is excessively harsh and lusterless, whose nails are pale, whose eyes are reddish, and whose hands and feet are swollen.

Word by Word

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Negation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक-अव्यय

• अतिरूक्षच्छविम्: with overly rough complexion
• अतिरूक्षच्छविम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अति + रूक्ष + छवि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषणम्; 'having excessively rough complexion'

• पाण्डुकरजाम्: pale-nailed
• पाण्डुकरजाम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पाण्डु + करज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषणम्; 'having pale nails'

• अरुणेक्षणाम्: red-eyed
• अरुणेक्षणाम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अरुण + ईक्षण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषणम्; 'red-eyed'

• आपीनहस्तपादाम्: with swollen hands and feet
• आपीनहस्तपादाम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: आपीन + हस्त + पाद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषणम्; 'having swollen/plump hands and feet'

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-अव्यय

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Negation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक-अव्यय

• कन्याम्: a maiden
• कन्याम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कन्या (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• उद्वहेत्: should marry
• उद्वहेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: उद् + वह् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• बुधः: a wise man
• बुधः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बुध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (in instruction to Maitreya)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Topic: Gṛhastha-dharma: identifying inauspicious bodily signs interpreted as illness or imbalance

Teaching: Ethical

Quality: authoritative

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: The verse links perceived signs of bodily imbalance with the pursuit of a steady, auspicious household, advising caution in marital choice.

Vedantic Theme: Dharma

Application: Prioritize long-term wellbeing and compatibility; approach health concerns through care and shared responsibility rather than superstition or stigma.

Vishishtadvaita: Embodied welfare is not opposed to spirituality: in Vishishtadvaita, the body-mind complex is a real mode (prakāra) of the self under God, to be tended in dharmic life.

FAQs

What is the significance of bodily marks (lakṣaṇa) in the Vishnu Purana’s marriage teachings?

This verse treats certain physical signs as traditional indicators of inauspiciousness, advising discernment so that marriage supports household harmony and social stability (gṛhastha-dharma).

How does Sage Parāśara explain practical dharma in this section of the Vishnu Purana?

Parāśara presents dharma as applied wisdom—concrete guidelines for choosing and acting rightly—so that personal life aligns with the wider order upheld by dharma.

What is the theological importance of Lord Vishnu in this context?

Even when Vishnu is not named in the verse, the Purāṇa frames dharma as part of the cosmic order sustained by the Supreme (Vishnu); orderly household life is portrayed as one strand in that larger preservation (sthiti).