Shloka 70

Kāraṇānvēṣaṇam: The 32 Marks of Hari, Defects (Doṣas), Death-Omens, and Hari’s Omnipresence in Social & Household Life

Devanagari script

लक्षणालक्षणैश्चैव क्रमेणोक्ता न संशयः / लक्षणैः सप्तविंशत्यालक्षणैः संयुताः खग

Transliteration

lakṣaṇālakṣaṇaiścaiva krameṇoktā na saṃśayaḥ / lakṣaṇaiḥ saptaviṃśatyālakṣaṇaiḥ saṃyutāḥ khaga

Translation

Oh Ave (Garuda), las señales distintivas y las contraseñales (no-señales) han sido expuestas en debido orden—no hay duda. Se describen como dotadas de veintisiete señales y de las no-señales correspondientes.

Word by Word

• lakṣaṇa-alakṣaṇaiḥ: by marks and non-marks
• lakṣaṇa-alakṣaṇaiḥ: Karaṇa (करण/instrument)
• Type: Noun
• Root: lakṣaṇa + alakṣaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Instrumental (तृतीया) Plural; द्वन्द्व-समास: lakṣaṇaiḥ ca alakṣaṇaiḥ ca

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Conjunction (समुच्चय-अव्यय)

• eva: indeed
• eva: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/emphasis)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: Emphatic particle (निपात)

• krameṇa: in order/stepwise
• krameṇa: Prakāra (प्रकार/manner)
• Type: Noun
• Root: krama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental (तृतीया) Singular; adverbial use

• uktāḥ: have been stated
• uktāḥ: Karta (कर्ता/predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (धातु) + kta (कृदन्त)
• Form: Past passive participle (क्त); Masculine, Nominative (प्रथमा) Plural; 'said/declared' (agreeing with implied subject)

• na: no/not
• na: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/negation scope)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: Negation particle (निषेध-अव्यय)

• saṃśayaḥ: doubt
• saṃśayaḥ: Karta (कर्ता/existential subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: saṃśaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (प्रथमा) Singular

• lakṣaṇaiḥ: with marks
• lakṣaṇaiḥ: Karaṇa (करण/instrument)
• Type: Noun
• Root: lakṣaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Instrumental (तृतीया) Plural

• saptaviṃśati-alakṣaṇaiḥ: with twenty-seven non-marks
• saptaviṃśati-alakṣaṇaiḥ: Karaṇa (करण/instrument)
• Type: Noun
• Root: saptaviṃśati (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक) + alakṣaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Instrumental (तृतीया) Plural; द्विगु-समास: saptaviṃśati-alakṣaṇāni = twenty-seven non-marks

• saṃyutāḥ: endowed
• saṃyutāḥ: Karta (कर्ता/predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sam-yuj (धातु) + kta (कृदन्त)
• Form: Past passive participle (क्त); Masculine, Nominative (प्रथमा) Plural; 'endowed/combined'

• khaga: O bird
• khaga: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन/address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: khaga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Vocative (सम्बोधन) Singular

Speaker

Lord Vishnu

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Pramāṇa-by-lakṣaṇa: knowing a category through stated distinguishing marks and their negations, taught in ordered sequence.

Vedantic Theme: Vyavahāra-level discernment (viveka) through definitions; reliance on śāstra-pramāṇa for classification.

Application: When judging persons/omens/eligibility, use the full traditional criteria (marks and counter-marks) in the prescribed order; avoid partial inference.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: adbhuta

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana 3.22 (context: lakṣaṇa/alakṣaṇa enumeration)

Characters & Entities

• Garuda

FAQs

What is the importance of lakṣaṇa and alakṣaṇa in the Garuda Purana?

This verse emphasizes that the Purana presents an ordered, reliable framework of “signs” and “non-signs,” used to classify or recognize conditions described in the Preta-kanda context.

How does this verse explain the path of the soul after death?

Rather than narrating a specific stage of travel, it signals that the text has already laid out a systematic set of indicators—useful for understanding states of the departed (preta) and related outcomes described in surrounding verses.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

Approach death-ritual discussions and afterlife descriptions with method: learn the defined terms and categories first (lakṣaṇa/alakṣaṇa), then apply them carefully when interpreting ritual duties and ethical consequences.