Shloka 2

Pulaka-Lakṣaṇa (Auspicious Horripilation), Sacred Designs, and Inauspicious Omens

Devanagari script

दाशार्णवागदर (व) मेकलकालगादौ गुञ्जाञ्जनक्षौद्रमृणालवर्णाः / गन्धर्ववह्निकदलीसदृशावभासा एते प्रशस्ताः पुलकाः प्रसूताः

Transliteration

dāśārṇavāgadara (va) mekalakālagādau guñjāñjanakṣaudramṛṇālavarṇāḥ / gandharvavahnikadalīsadṛśāvabhāsā ete praśastāḥ pulakāḥ prasūtāḥ

Translation

Estes são os tipos auspiciosos de pulaka (arrepio, eriçamento dos pelos) que surgem: os de cor como a flor de Dāśārṇa, como a planta āgada e a Mekalā-kālagā; como as sementes de guñjā, como o añjana (colírio), como o mel e como a fibra do lótus; e aqueles cujo brilho se assemelha ao fogo dos Gandharvas e ao caule da bananeira—tais pulakas são tidos por louváveis.

Word by Word

दाशार्ण(from) Daśārṇa region

वागदरVāgadara (a place)

मेकलकालगादौin Mekalā, Kālagā, etc.

गुञ्जाञ्जनक्षौद्रमृणालवर्णाःhaving colors like guñjā, collyrium, honey, and lotus-stalk

गन्धर्ववह्निकदलीसदृशावभासाःhaving a sheen like gandharva-fire and banana (plant)

एतेthese

प्रशस्ताःexcellent, praised

पुलकाःpulakas (a kind of bead/stone; term in context)

प्रसूताःare produced/originated

Speaker

Lord Vishnu (speaking to Garuda/Vinata-putra)

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Shubha-lakshana: certain forms/colors of pulaka (horripilation) are praised as auspicious indicators.

Vedantic Theme: Sattva-lakshana: bodily signs as reflections of inner disposition (sattva) in traditional physiognomy.

Application: In ritual/royal/auspicious contexts, interpret bodily signs cautiously as supportive omens; cultivate purity and devotion rather than superstition.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: adbhuta

Secondary Rasa: shanta

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana: lakshana/saṃudrika-style passages on bodily marks and omens

Characters & Entities

Gandharvas

FAQs

What is the importance of pulaka (horripilation) in the Garuda Purana?

This verse treats certain kinds of pulaka—identified by traditional color and radiance comparisons—as “praśasta” (commendable), implying they are auspicious bodily indicators within the text’s broader discussion of signs and conditions surrounding spiritual states.

How does this verse explain the path of the soul?

Indirectly: rather than detailing routes like Yama’s path, it highlights bodily indicators considered auspicious, which function as traditional markers of inner spiritual disposition within the Preta Kanda’s after-death teaching framework.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

Use it as a reminder to focus on cultivating sattvic qualities and steady devotion; the text frames “auspicious signs” as secondary to living ethically and preparing the mind through dharma-oriented conduct and remembrance of the divine.