The World of Valmiki-16
2.0 Knowledge base
The Vedas
कौसल्यां च य आशीर्भिः भक्तः पर्युपतिष्ठति ।
आचार्यस्तैत्तिरीयाणामभिरूपश्च वेदवित् ।२/३२/१५॥
That worthy preceptor who attends on Kausalya with benedictions and who is well versed in the Vedas and who teaches Taittiriya rescension of Krishna-Yajurveda- - - .
ये चेमे कठकालापा बहवो दण्डमाणवाः ॥२/३२/१८॥
These religious students carrying staff who study Katha and Kalapa rescensions of the Vedas - - - .
नानृग्वेदविनीतस्य नायजुर्वेदधारिणः ।
नासामवेदविदुषः शक्यमेवं प्रभाषितुम् ॥४/३/२९॥
It is not possible for a person who is not well versed in Rigveda, Yajurveda and Samaveda to speak like this.
Vedangas
त्र्यहोऽश्वमेधः संख्यातः कल्पसूत्रेण ब्राह्मणैः ।१/१४/४०॥
In Kalpasutra and in Brahmanas Savana process is allotted three days in Asvamedha(Horse-sacrifice).
नूनं व्याकरणं कृत्स्नमनेन बहुधा श्रुतम् ।
बहु व्याहरतानेन न किञ्चिदपभाषितम् ॥
न मुखे नेत्रयोर्वापि ललाटे च भ्रुवोस्तथा ।
अन्येष्वपि च गात्रेषु दोषः संविदितः क्वचित् ॥
अविस्तरमसंदिग्धमविलम्बितमद्रुतम् ।
उरःस्थं कण्ठगं वाक्यं वर्तते मध्यमे स्वरे ॥
संस्कारक्रमसम्पन्नामद्रुतामविलम्बिताम् ।
उच्चारयति कल्याणीं वाचं हृदयहारिणीम् ॥
अनया चित्रया वाचा त्रिस्थानव्यञ्जनस्थया ।
कस्य नाराध्यते चित्तमुद्यतासेररेरपि ॥४/३/३०-३४॥
This person must have studied Vyakarana (grammar) well. Although he spoke a lot, not a single word was wrongly used. No wrong gestures were made in the mouth,eyes,fore-head, eye-lashes and other limbs. He speaks not too much in detail yet not ambiguously, not too fast, not too slow. He speaks with a medium tone that emanates from the chest and the throat. He speaks in an enchanting auspicious manner. Even an enemy who has raised his sword will be pleased by his colourful speech which emanates from the three regions(Chest,throat and head).
गर्भस्थजन्तोरिव शल्यकृन्तः ।५/२८/६॥
- - - like a surgeon cuts the limbs of a (lifeless) foetus in the womb.
Physiognomy , body proportions and anatomy
विपुलांसो महाबाहुः कम्बुग्रीवः शुभाननः ।
गूढजत्रुः सुताम्राक्षो रामो नाम जनैः श्रुतः ॥
दुन्दुभिस्वननिर्घोषः स्निग्धवर्णः प्रतापवान् ।
समश्च सुविभक्ताङ्गो वर्णं श्यामं समाश्रितः ॥
त्रिस्थिरः त्रिप्रलंबश्च त्रिसमस्त्रिषु चोन्नतः ।
त्रिताम्रस्त्रिषु च स्निग्धः गंभीरस्त्रिषु नित्यशः ॥
त्रिवलीमान् त्र्यवनतः चतुर्व्यङ्गः त्रिशीर्षवान् ।
चतुष्कलश्चतुर्लेखः चतुष्किष्कुश्चतुस्समः ॥
चतुर्दशसमद्वन्द्वः चतुर्दंष्ट्रश्चतुर्गतिः ।
महोष्ठहनुनासश्च पञ्चस्निग्धोऽष्टवंशवान् ॥
दशपद्मो दशबृहत् त्रिभिर्व्याप्तो द्विशुक्लवान् ।
षडुन्नतो नवतनुः त्रिभिर्व्याप्नोति राघवः ॥५/३५/१६-२०॥
Called by people by the name Rama, he has broad shoulders. long arms, auspicious face, hidden collar-bone, fine coppery eyes, has a voice like that of a dundubhi drum, has an oily colour, has well-proportioned limbs and is dark in colour. He has stiffness in three ( chest, wrist and fist); three of his parts are long (eye-brows, arms and testicles); three of his parts are levelled (hair lock, testicles and knees); three of his parts are elevated (abdomen, chest and navel); has three parts looking coppery ( edges of eyes, nails and palms and soles); has three parts slippery (hair, lines on the soles, tip of the genital); has gravity in three parts (voice, navel and gait); has three folds (in neck and in abdomen); three of his parts are depressed ( the middle of the soles, lines on the soles, nipples); small in four parts ( neck, genital, hips and shanks); his head has three of a distinctive feature (three whorls); has four lines (at the root of the thumb) a feature indicating that he is well versed in the four Vedas; has four lines (on the forehead indicating long life); his height is four kishkus ( 24 angulas make a kishku); has four pairs of equal size (cheeks, arms, thighs and shanks); has fourteen well matched pairs (eyebrows, nostrils, eyes, ears, lips, nipples, elbows, wrists, knees, testicles, loins, hands, feet and thighs); has four canine teeth, has four gaits ( resembling those of lion, bull, elephant and tiger); has heavy lips, jaws and nose; has five aspects smooth ( speech, face, teeth, skin and hair); has ten features resembling lotus ( face, eyes, mouth, tongue, palate, lips, breasts, nails, hands and legs); has ten broad limbs ( head, fore head, ears, neck, chest, heart, abdomen, hands and legs); he is renowned for three of his qualities ( brilliance, fame and wealth); he is white ( pure) in two aspects (paternal and maternal ancestry); six of his limbs are elevated ( sides, chest, abdomen, nose, shoulders and forehead); nine of his limbs are thin, sharp or smooth ( hair on the head, moustache, beard, body-hair, skin, nails, finger joints, genital and intellect); He attends to dharma,artha and kama in three parts of the day ( morning, forenoon and afternoon ). [
1.Valmiki has constructed these verses like a riddle for his future commentators to unravel and the commentators seem to have successfully done their job. They extensively quote from Samudrikashastra to support their unravelling. 2. There are some inconsistencies in the above description. Commentators take pains to explain them.]
यकृत्प्लीहमथोत्पीडं हृदयं च सबन्धनम् ।
अन्त्राण्यपि तथा शीर्षं खादेयमिति मे मतिः ॥५/२४/४०॥
I think I should eat the liver, spleen, the heart with its connections, the intestines and the head.
सत्यनामानि पद्मानि स्त्रीणामुक्तानि लक्षणैः ।
तान्यद्य निहते रामे वितथानि भवन्ति मे ॥
केशाः सूक्ष्माः समा नीला भ्रुवौ चासंहते मम ।
वृत्ते चारोमशे जङ्घे दन्ताश्चाविरला मम ॥
शङ्खे नेत्रे करौ पादौ गुल्फौ ऊरू च मे चितौ ।
अनुवृत्तनखाः स्निग्धाः समाश्चाङ्गुलयो मम ॥
स्तनौ चाविरलौ पीनौ ममेमौ मग्नचूचुकौ ।
मग्ना चोत्सङ्गिनी नाभिः पार्श्वोरस्काश्च मे चिताः ॥
ममवर्णो मणिनिभः मृदून्यङ्गरुहाणि च ।
प्रतिष्ठितां द्वादशभिः मामूचुः शुभलक्षणाम् ॥
समग्रयवमच्छिद्रं पाणिपादं च वर्णवत् ।
मन्दस्मितेत्येव च मां कन्यालक्षणिनो द्विजाः ॥६/४८/८-१३॥
The truthful lotus marks for a (divine) woman have become false now that Rama is dead. My hair is fine dark and uniform, my eye-brows are not joined, my shanks are hairless and round, me teeth are closely set, the forehead bones, eyes, hands, feet, ankles and thighs are even shaped, my nails are rounded and my fingers are glossy and even. My breasts are heavy and close together and my nipples are depressed. The navel is deep and my breasts and flanks are well developed. My colour is that of a pearl and my body-hair is very soft. The Brahmins who know the marks of girls told me that I have very auspicious marks and would be smiling as my toes and the sole of the feet touch the ground evenly.
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