Shloka 53

Purusha-Strī-Lakṣaṇa (Samudrika-śāstra): Marks of Kingship, Wealth, Longevity, and Conduct

Devanagari script

शतायुषं च कुरुते छिन्नया तरुतो भयम् / निः स्वाश्च बहुरेखाः स्युनिर्द्रव्याश्चिबुकैः कृशैः

Transliteration

śatāyuṣaṃ ca kurute chinnayā taruto bhayam / niḥ svāśca bahurekhāḥ syunirdravyāścibukaiḥ kṛśaiḥ

Translation

Khi [đường sinh mệnh] bị đứt, nó gây nỗi sợ tử vong; khi dài, nó khiến người ấy sống đến trăm tuổi. Kẻ bần cùng thường có nhiều đường chỉ, rồi trở nên nghèo túng—với chiếc cằm gầy gò, hốc hác.

Word by Word

• शतायुषम्: one with a hundred-year lifespan
• शतायुषम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शतायु (प्रातिपदिक: शत+आयुस्)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन; समासः—शत-आयुस् (कर्मधारय/तत्पुरुषभावः: ‘शतं आयुः यस्य’)

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

• कुरुते: makes/causes
• कुरुते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष? (No) मध्यम? (No) — उत्तमपुरुष? (No); प्रथमा-पुरुषः (3rd person), एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

• छिन्नया: by/with a cut (line)
• छिन्नया: Karana/Hetu (Instrument/Cause/करण-हेतु)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: छिन्न (कृदन्त; छिद् धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त—क्त (PPP) ‘छिद्’ धातोः, स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3), एकवचन; करण/हेतु-भावे

• तरुतः: from a tree
• तरुतः: Apadana (Ablative/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तरु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5), एकवचन (वैकल्पिकरूपेण षष्ठी अपि सम्भवति); अपादानभावः

• भयम्: fear
• भयम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन

• निः: without
• निः: Upasarga/Modifier (Prefix/उपसर्ग)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: निः (अव्यय/उपसर्ग)
• Form: उपसर्ग/अव्यय (prefix-like particle), ‘विना/निर्-’ अर्थे; अत्र ‘निःस्वा’ इत्यत्र समासपूर्वपद

• स्वाः: destitute/without wealth
• स्वाः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), बहुवचन; समासः—निः-स्व (अव्ययीभाव/तत्पुरुषभावः: ‘स्वं नास्ति यस्य’)

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

• बहुरेखाः: having many lines
• बहुरेखाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: बहु+रेखा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), बहुवचन; समासः—बहु-रेखा (कर्मधारयः: ‘बह्व्यः रेखाः यस्य/यासाम्’)

• स्युः: would be/are (said to be)
• स्युः: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन; परस्मैपद

• निर्द्रव्याः: without possessions
• निर्द्रव्याः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: निर्द्रव्य (प्रातिपदिक: निर्+द्रव्य)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), बहुवचन; समासः—निर्-द्रव्य (अव्ययीभाव/तत्पुरुषभावः: ‘द्रव्यं नास्ति यासाम्’)

• चिबुकैः: with chins
• चिबुकैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चिबुक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3), बहुवचन; करणभावे (with chins)

• कृशैः: thin/lean
• कृशैः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कृश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3), बहुवचन; ‘चिबुकैः’ इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

Speaker

Lord Vishnu (speaking to Garuda/Vinata-putra)

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Life-span and material condition are read as karmic outcomes indicated by bodily lines and features; signs warn against complacency.

Vedantic Theme: Impermanence of embodied life (anityatā) alongside karma-phala; prompts vairāgya without denying worldly duties.

Application: Let mortality-awareness motivate dharma: health vigilance, ethical livelihood, charity, and disciplined living; avoid fatalism—use warnings as impetus for corrective action.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: bhayanaka

Secondary Rasa: karuna

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana 1.65.49-52 (context of rekhā-phala)

FAQs

What is the importance of bodily signs (rekhā) in the Garuda Purana?

This verse treats bodily lines/marks as indicators of lifespan and fortune—suggesting that longevity and poverty can be inferred from specific visible features.

How does this verse explain the path of the soul?

Indirectly: by linking destiny-like outcomes (longevity, poverty) with observable signs, it reflects the Purana’s broader karmic framework in which past actions shape embodied conditions that later influence one’s life and post-death trajectory.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

Use it as a prompt for ethical living and self-discipline: rather than fatalism about “signs,” focus on karma-oriented conduct (dharma, charity, restraint) that the Garuda Purana repeatedly emphasizes as improving one’s life and afterlife.