Shloka 6

मुक्ता-उत्पत्ति-भेदाः, मूल्य-मान-निर्णयः, शोधन-परीक्षा-लक्षणानि

Pearl Sources, Valuation, Refinement, and Identification

Devanagari script

ये कम्बवः शार्ङ्गमुखावमर्शपीतस्य शङ्खप्रवरस्य गोत्रे / मतङ्गजाश्चापि विशुद्धवंश्यास्ते मौक्तिकानां प्रभवाः प्रदिष्टाः

Transliteration

ye kambavaḥ śārṅgamukhāvamarśapītasya śaṅkhapravarasya gotre / mataṅgajāścāpi viśuddhavaṃśyāste mauktikānāṃ prabhavāḥ pradiṣṭāḥ

Translation

‘కంబవ’ అని పిలువబడే శంఖములు—శార్ఙ్గ (విష్ణు ధనుస్సు) ముఖస్పర్శవలన పీతమైన శ్రేష్ఠ శంఖగోత్రానికి చెందినవి—మరియు విశుద్ధ వంశముగల మతంగజులు (ఏనుగులు); ఇవే ముత్యములకు ఉద్భవస్థానములని ప్రకటించబడినవి.

Word by Word

• ये: those who
• ये: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; सर्वनाम — “which/who”

• कम्बवः: conches
• कम्बवः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कम्बु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन — “conches”

• शार्ङ्ग-मुख-अवमर्श-पीतस्य: of (the conch) yellowed by rubbing at the mouth
• शार्ङ्ग-मुख-अवमर्श-पीतस्य: Shashthi-sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठीसम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शार्ङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक) + मुख (प्रातिपदिक) + अवमर्श (प्रातिपदिक) + पीत (प्रातिपदिक/कृदन्त)
• Form: पुं/नपुं, षष्ठी, एकवचन; बहुपद-तत्पुरुष — “of that which is yellowed by rubbing at the mouth (with a śārṅga-like mouth)”

• शङ्ख-प्रवरस्य: of the best conch
• शङ्ख-प्रवरस्य: Shashthi-sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठीसम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शङ्ख (प्रातिपदिक) + प्रवर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष — “of the excellent conch”

• गोत्रे: in the lineage
• गोत्रे: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गोत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (अधिकरण), एकवचन — “in the lineage/family”

• मतङ्गजाः: elephants
• मतङ्गजाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मतङ्गज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन — “elephants”

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक अव्यय (conjunction)

• अपि: also
• अपि: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय/अप्यर्थक अव्यय (particle: also/even)

• विशुद्ध-वंश्याः: of pure lineage
• विशुद्ध-वंश्याः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: विशुद्ध (प्रातिपदिक) + वंश्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; कर्मधारय — “of pure lineage”

• ते: they
• ते: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; सर्वनाम — “they/those”

• मौक्तिकानाम्: of pearls
• मौक्तिकानाम्: Shashthi-sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठीसम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मौक्तिक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, बहुवचन — “of pearls”

• प्रभवाः: sources
• प्रभवाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रभव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन — “sources/origins”

• प्रदिष्टाः: are declared
• प्रदिष्टाः: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + दिश् (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन — “are declared/are stated” (passive sense)

Speaker

Lord Vishnu (teaching Garuda/Vinata-putra)

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Sacralization of material origins through association with Viṣṇu’s symbols; purity of lineage (viśuddha-vaṃśya) as a marker of auspicious production.

Vedantic Theme: Īśvara-sambandha: objects gain auspicious meaning through relation to the divine; guṇa (purity) reflected in effects.

Application: In ritual/ornament selection, prefer items believed to have pure/auspicious provenance; cultivate remembrance of Viṣṇu through his emblems.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: adbhuta

Secondary Rasa: shanta

Geographic Context

Type: mythic lineage/source taxonomy

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana 1.69 (mauktika-prabhava enumeration)

Characters & Entities

• Vishnu
• Śārṅga (Vishnu’s bow)
• Śaṅkha (conch)
• Kambava (conch type)
• Mataṅgaja (elephant)
• Mauktika (pearls)

FAQs

What is the importance of pearls (mauktika) in the Garuda Purana context?

This verse frames pearls as sacred, originating from specific pure lineages—especially certain conches and pure-bred elephants—linking natural substances to divine and mythic provenance.

How does this verse explain the path of the soul after death?

It does not directly discuss the soul’s post-death journey; instead, it appears in an explanatory section describing origins of substances (here, pearls) within a Puranic cosmological framework.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

Treat ritual and sacred materials with discernment and purity: the verse emphasizes “viśuddha-vaṃśya” (pure origin), a principle often applied when selecting items for worship and traditional rites.