Shloka 110

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

Devanagari script

ऊना ऊनायुषं कुर्याद्रेखाश्चाङ्गुष्ठमूलगाः / बृहत्यः पुत्रास्तन्व्यस्तु प्रमदाः परिकीर्तिताः

Transliteration

ūnā ūnāyuṣaṃ kuryādrekhāścāṅguṣṭhamūlagāḥ / bṛhatyaḥ putrāstanvyastu pramadāḥ parikīrtitāḥ

Translation

若拇指的纹线不足，只延至拇指根部，据说表示寿命短促；若纹线粗大而发达，则说预示得子；若纹线纤细柔弱，则被称为预示得女。

Word by Word

• ऊना: deficient / lesser
• ऊना: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ऊन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; ‘न्यूनā’

• ऊन-आयुषम्: a reduced lifespan
• ऊन-आयुषम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ऊन (प्रातिपदिक) + आयुस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• कुर्यात्: would make / causes
• कुर्यात्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ्, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• रेखाः: lines
• रेखाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रेखा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन

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

• अङ्गुष्ठ-मूल-गाः: going to / located at the root of the thumb
• अङ्गुष्ठ-मूल-गाः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अङ्गुष्ठ (प्रातिपदिक) + मूल (प्रातिपदिक) + गम् (धातु) → ग (कृदन्त/प्रातिपदिक ‘ग’/‘ग’ = गा)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; ‘अङ्गुष्ठमूले गच्छन्ति/स्थिताः’ इति अर्थे

• बृहत्यः: large / great
• बृहत्यः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: बृहती (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन

• पुत्राः: sons
• पुत्राः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन

• तन्वी: slender (woman)
• तन्वी: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तन्वी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; ‘सुकुमारदेहा/सुकृशा’

• अस्तु: let (her) be / is
• अस्तु: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• प्रमदाः: women
• प्रमदाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रमदा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन

• परिकीर्तिताः: are declared / are described
• परिकीर्तिताः: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया-विशेष)
• Type: Verb
• Root: परि + कीर्त् (धातु) → कीर्तित (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकालिक-कृदन्त (क्त), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; कर्मणि प्रयोगः (passive sense)

Speaker

Lord Vishnu

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Physical features are treated as outward signs of prior karma shaping lifespan and family outcomes.

Vedantic Theme: Prārabdha-karman manifesting as bodily configuration and life circumstances (āyus, santāna).

Application: Traditional interpretive framework for assessing perceived vitality and family prospects; apply with ethical restraint, avoiding deterministic harm.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: adbhuta

Secondary Rasa: shanta

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana 1.65.109-113 (sequence on hand/finger lines and female marks)

FAQs

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

This verse treats bodily markings—specifically thumb-related lines—as traditional indicators used to infer longevity and the likelihood of sons or daughters, reflecting the Purana’s broader interest in omens and physiognomic lore.

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

It does not directly describe the soul’s post-death journey; instead, it discusses pre-death indicators (longevity and progeny) through physical signs, which in the text’s worldview relate to one’s karmic allotment in embodied life.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

Read it as a historical diagnostic tradition: use it for cultural understanding and self-reflection rather than deterministic prediction, and prioritize dharma—ethical living and duties—over anxiety about omens.