Shloka 112
Purusha-Strī-Lakṣaṇa (Samudrika-śāstra): Marks of Kingship, Wealth, Longevity, and Conduct
कनिष्ठिकानामिका वा यस्या न स्पृशते महीम् / अङ्गुष्ठं वा गतातीत्य तर्जनी कुलटा च सा
kaniṣṭhikānāmikā vā yasyā na spṛśate mahīm / aṅguṣṭhaṃ vā gatātītya tarjanī kulaṭā ca sā
जिची कनिष्ठिका किंवा अनामिका जमिनीला स्पर्श करत नाही, किंवा जिची तर्जनी अंगठ्यापेक्षा पुढे जाते—ती कुलटा मानली जाते।
Lord Vishnu (speaking to Garuda/Vinatā-putra)
Concept: Physical markers are used to infer character and sexual conduct, aligning with a prescriptive social ethic.
Vedantic Theme: Guṇa/saṃskāra inference from external signs (a non-Vedāntic but culturally adjacent idea); highlights tension between inner self and social judgment.
Application: Read critically as historical social normativity; in modern use, avoid character judgments from anatomy and uphold dignity and consent-based ethics.
Primary Rasa: bibhatsa
Secondary Rasa: raudra
Related Themes: Garuda Purana 1.65.111-113 (women’s bodily marks and inferred outcomes/traits)
FAQs
This verse appears in the Ācāra (conduct) section, presenting traditional markers used in older dharma-style literature to judge personal character and social propriety.
It does not directly describe the soul’s journey; instead, it frames ethical/social conduct, which the Garuda Purana treats as influencing karmic outcomes.
Use it as a historical-cultural reference rather than a literal diagnostic; the broader takeaway is to cultivate integrity and restraint, which the text links with dharmic living.