Shloka 25
Kāraṇānvēṣaṇam: The 32 Marks of Hari, Defects (Doṣas), Death-Omens, and Hari’s Omnipresence in Social & Household Life
अर्थश्चतुर्विंशतिभिश्चैव युक्तो नासावायोर्द्व्यधिका विंशतिश्च लक्षणैश्चैकविंशत्या शची युक्ता न संशयः
arthaścaturviṃśatibhiścaiva yukto nāsāvāyordvyadhikā viṃśatiśca lakṣaṇaiścaikaviṃśatyā śacī yuktā na saṃśayaḥ
अर्थः चतुर्विंशतिगुणैः सम्यग्युक्तः; नासिके च वायुः द्व्यधिकविंशतिलक्षणैः चिह्नितौ; शची तु एकविंशतिशुभलक्षणैः युक्ता—अत्र न संशयः।
Lord Vishnu (in dialogue instruction to Garuda)
Concept: Lakṣaṇa-jñāna: knowing entities through defined auspicious characteristics and numerical measures.
Vedantic Theme: Nāma-rūpa-viveka (discernment of defined attributes) as a preparatory clarity for higher knowledge.
Application: Use disciplined observation and consistent criteria (lakṣaṇas) when assessing auspiciousness/fitness in ritual, iconography, or astrological-ritual contexts.
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
Related Themes: Garuda Purana 3.22.26-29 (continuation of numerical lakṣaṇa mapping)
FAQs
This verse treats lakṣaṇas as countable, tradition-bound indicators of auspiciousness—linking prosperity (artha), vitality (vāyu/prāṇa), and revered exemplars like Śacī to specific “marks” used for discernment.
By mentioning vāyu together with the nostrils and enumerating their signs, the verse implies that observable bodily indicators (especially connected to breath) are used to assess vitality and auspicious conditions.
Use it as a reminder to cultivate artha through dharmic means and to care for prāṇa—steady breathing, health, and discipline—rather than treating “signs” as superstition divorced from ethical living.