Shloka 22
Marakata (Emerald): Mythic Origin, Anti-Poison Virtue, Qualities, Defects, and Proper Wearing
कस्यचिदनेकरूपैर्मरकतमनुगच्छतो ऽपि गुणवर्णैः / भल्लातकस्यस्वनात्तु वैषम्यमुपैति वर्णस्य
kasyacidanekarūpairmarakatamanugacchato 'pi guṇavarṇaiḥ / bhallātakasyasvanāttu vaiṣamyamupaiti varṇasya
ഏതെങ്കിലും വസ്തു പല രൂപങ്ങളിൽ ഗുണവും വർണ്ണവും കൊണ്ട് മരകതത്തെ അനുഗമിച്ചാലും, ഭല്ലാതകം തന്റെ സ്വഭാവം കൊണ്ടു വ്യത്യസ്ത വർണ്ണം പ്രാപിക്കുന്നു; അതിനാൽ വർണ്ണത്തിൽ വൈഷമ്യം സംഭവിക്കുന്നു।
Lord Viṣṇu (in instruction to Garuḍa / Vinatā-putra)
Concept: Svabhava (innate nature) prevails over superficial imitation; true qualities cannot be fully borrowed by proximity or mimicry.
Vedantic Theme: Prakriti-svabhava and guna-bheda; discernment between seeming sameness and essential difference (viveka).
Application: Judge character and outcomes by consistent conduct and inner disposition, not by external resemblance, association, or borrowed ‘color’ (status/appearance).
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
Related Themes: Garuda Purana (didactic sections on svabhava/gunas and moral discernment around 1.71)
FAQs
This verse stresses that outer resemblance to goodness (guṇa and varṇa) may not endure unless one’s inner disposition is transformed; svabhāva ultimately shapes the result.
By analogy, it implies that karmic tendencies and inner nature continue to influence one’s trajectory; merely copying righteous behavior without inner purification leads to inconsistent outcomes.
Cultivate inner character alongside external discipline—combine ethical practice with self-examination and purification, so virtue becomes stable rather than performative.