Shloka 1

Puṣparāga, Padmarāga, Kaukaṇṭaka, and Indranīla: Origins, Visual Marks, Value, and Phala

Devanagari script

नाम त्रिसप्ततितमो ऽध्यायः सूत उवाच / पतिताया हिमाद्रौ तु त्वचस्तस्य सुरद्विषः / प्रादुर्भवन्ति ताभ्यस्तु पुष्प (ष्य) रागा महागुणाः

Transliteration

nāma trisaptatitamo 'dhyāyaḥ sūta uvāca / patitāyā himādrau tu tvacastasya suradviṣaḥ / prādurbhavanti tābhyastu puṣpa (ṣya) rāgā mahāguṇāḥ

Translation

یہ چوہترویں باب ہے۔ سوت نے کہا—ہمالیہ پر گرے ہوئے دیوتاؤں کے دشمن کی کھال سے اعلیٰ اوصاف والے پُشپ راگ (ٹوپاز) جواہر پیدا ہوتے ہیں۔

Word by Word

• नाम: (entitled)
• नाम: Sambandha/Label (Naming particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नाम (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (निपात) — particle indicating ‘named/as’

• त्रिसप्ततितमः: seventy-third
• त्रिसप्ततितमः: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: त्रि (प्रातिपदिक) + सप्तति (प्रातिपदिक) + तम (तद्धित)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन — masculine nominative singular; क्रमवाचक (ordinal)

• अध्यायः: chapter
• अध्यायः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अध्याय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन — masculine nominative singular

• सूतः: Sūta
• सूतः: Karta (Speaker/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सूत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन — masculine nominative singular

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन — he said

• पतितायाः: of (that which is) fallen
• पतितायाः: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पतित (कृदन्त, क्त)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन — feminine genitive singular (of the fallen [skin])

• हिमाद्रौ: on/in the Himālaya mountain
• हिमाद्रौ: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हिम (प्रातिपदिक) + अद्रि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन — masculine locative singular; तत्पुरुष (हिमस्य अद्रिः)

• तु: indeed, but
• तु: Discourse particle
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (निपात/समुच्चय-भेदक) — particle ‘but/indeed’

• त्वचः: skins
• त्वचः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्वच् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन — feminine nominative plural

• तस्य: of that (one)
• तस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन — genitive singular ‘of him/its’

• सुरद्विषः: of the enemy of the gods
• सुरद्विषः: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सुर (प्रातिपदिक) + द्विष् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन — masculine genitive singular; उपपद-तत्पुरुष (सुरान् द्वेष्टि इति)

• प्रादुर्भवन्ति: appear, come forth
• प्रादुर्भवन्ति: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्रादुर् (अव्यय) + भू (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), बहुवचन — they arise/appear

• ताभ्यः: from those (skins)
• ताभ्यः: Apadana (Ablative source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/Ablative), बहुवचन — feminine ablative plural ‘from them’

• तु: indeed
• तु: Discourse particle
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (निपात) — particle

• पुष्परागाः: topaz (lit. flower-colored gems)
• पुष्परागाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुष्प (प्रातिपदिक) + राग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन — masculine nominative plural; तत्पुरुष (पुष्पस्य रागः)

• महागुणाः: of great qualities
• महागुणाः: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महा (प्रातिपदिक) + गुण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन — masculine nominative plural; कर्मधारय (महान्तः गुणाः येषाम्) used adjectivally

Speaker

Sūta

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Cosmic causality: extraordinary substances arise from extraordinary causes; the world bears traces of divine conflict and order-restoration.

Vedantic Theme: Jagat as nāma-rūpa with intelligible causation; tejas manifests in graded forms (including ratna).

Application: Treat puṣparāga as a high-quality gem with recognized origin-tradition; use provenance and lakṣaṇa together when judging authenticity.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: adbhuta

Secondary Rasa: shanta

Geographic Context

Type: mountain range

Cross References

Related Themes: Continuation of ratna-utpatti (gem origins) and lakṣaṇa in 1.74.2–1.74.4

Characters & Entities

• Sūta
• Suradviṣ (enemy of the Devas)
• Himālaya (Himādri)

FAQs

What is the importance of puṣparāga (topaz) in the Garuda Purana?

This verse gives a mythic origin for puṣparāga, presenting it as a substance of “great qualities,” thus framing gemstones as meaningful within Purāṇic sacred geography and cosmology.

How does this verse explain the path of the soul?

It does not directly discuss the soul’s journey; instead, it serves as a chapter-opening statement in which Sūta introduces a topic connected to sacred geography and the origin of substances.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

Read it as a reminder that Purāṇas often encode ethical and symbolic meaning into nature—encouraging reverence for sacred places like the Himalayas and discernment in how one values material objects.