Shloka 32
The Examination of Pearls and Padmarāga (Ruby): Origins, Marks, Defects, and Valuation
दोषोपसर्गप्रभवाश्च ये ते नोपद्रवास्तं समभिद्रवन्ति / गुणैः समुत्तेजितचारुरागं यः पद्मरागं प्रयतो बिभर्ति
doṣopasargaprabhavāśca ye te nopadravāstaṃ samabhidravanti / guṇaiḥ samuttejitacārurāgaṃ yaḥ padmarāgaṃ prayato bibharti
Segala penderitaan yang timbul daripada cela dan kekotoran tidak akan menyerang orang yang dengan disiplin dan cermat memegang padmarāga (delima merah), yang rona indahnya disemarakkan oleh kebajikannya sendiri.
Lord Vishnu (in discourse to Garuda)
Concept: Efficacy depends not only on the object (ruby) but on the bearer’s disciplined, careful conduct (prayata).
Vedantic Theme: Sattva-shuddhi as a support: purity and restraint reduce disturbances; external aids are secondary to inner discipline.
Application: If adopting gem remedies, do so with cleanliness, restraint, and ethical living; treat the gem as a reminder to cultivate virtues.
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
Related Themes: Garuda Purana 1.70.31 (protective claim of padmaraga); Garuda Purana 1.70.34 (quality criteria: color and luster)
FAQs
This verse presents padmarāga as a protective aid: when worn with discipline and right conduct, it is said to help prevent afflictions born of faults and contaminations from overtaking a person.
It frames misfortunes as ‘upadravas’ arising from ‘doṣas’; the teaching emphasizes that cultivated virtue and disciplined living—symbolized by wearing a ruby with care—keeps such troubles from “rushing upon” the person.
Prioritize ethical discipline (prayata) and character (guṇa); if following traditional practice, treat any remedial item (like a gemstone) as secondary to inner conduct rather than a substitute for it.