2. Sarva-sal-laksananvitah - He is endowed with all good features - BRS 2.1.47-51

- 2. He is endowed with all good features -

Jiva Goswamipad elaborates on the meaning of this verse. The seven passionately red features are the corners of his eyes, the soles of his feet, the palms of his hands, his palate, lips, tongue, and nails; the six high features are his chest, shoulders, nails, nose, waist and mouth; the three broad features are his waist, forehead and chest; the three slender features are his neck, ankle and penis; the three deep features are his navel, voice and intellect; the five long features are his nose, arms, eyes, chin and knees; and the five fine features are his skin, hair, teeth, fingers and joints. All of these are characteristic of a mahapurusha; the sight of such is the cause of astonishment in the verse - how is it that such a remarkable soul would take birth among the simple cowherd folk instead of an aristocratic family of rulers or priests?





These marks are undoubtedly a famous uddIpana among all who seek the path he has treaded into the vast forests of Vraja. I'll be posting more on the marks as I find the time for it.

Srimati Radhika has declared :

"Ah - seven features of this boy are are passionately red, six are high, three are broad, three are slender, three are deep, five are long, and five are very fine. Oh friend, how is it that these thirty-two features are found appearing among the cowherd folk?"

The seven passionately red features are the corners of his eyes, the soles of his feet, the palms of his hands, his palate, lips, tongue, and nails.

Corners of his eyes:

"Krishna's eyes shine with crimson splendour on the edges, are white all over and blue in the middle. Has the Creator kindly made these eyes like wonderful, beautiful restless balls (to hit the gopis' pride)?" (Govinda Lilamrita 16.99)

Soles of his feet:

"With a glance, Vrinda engaged the parrot Kalokti, who scented her tongue with the description of Krishna's lotus feet. She sang: 'The hot crimson rays of the sun have scorched Aruna, who took shelter of the cool shade of Krishna's feet. That's why Krishna's footsoles are pervaded with their reddish luster. This is the example of the poets, but I think that the strong passion of Radhika's heart has colored His lotusfeet red, making them her abode.'" (GL 16.16.)

Palms of his hands:

"The poets may compare Hari's hands with blue lotuses (the top sides) coupled to red lotuses (palms) crowned with a crest of full moons (the nails) on sharp edges of Cupid's arrows (the fingertips). The petals (fingers) of these lotuses sometimes entwine each other." (GL 16. 70)

Lips:

"Krishna's lips defeat the beauty of Bimba-fruits and small lines in the middle naturally make one forget all other attachments. He scents these lips even more with the nectar of his fine, long flute-playing with wich he attracts the whole world." (GL 16.89)

Tongue:

"Hari's tongue flavours the whole world, properly relishing the nectar of Radha's lips, is the birthplace of various jewellike poems and is expert in relishing the six mellows untirigly. Thus it is justly called rasajna, the knower of taste." (GL 16.96)

Sorry, palate and nails are still missing.

kara-caraNa-saroje kAntiman-netra-mIne
zrama-muSi bhuja-vIci-vyAkule'gAdha-mArge/
hari-sarasi vighAhyApIya tejo-jalaughaM
bhava-maru-parikhinnah klezam-adya tyajAmi//

I now abandon the fatigue and affliction of traversing the barren desert of transmigratory existance, after immersion and drinking deep the glistening waters of the lake Hari with the lovely lotuses of his hands and feet, bright flashing fish in the shape of eyes and the fathomless depths of which are moved with the current of his rippling arms.

Mukunda Mala

katham apratItam adhipadyase priye
kalayezvaro'smi nahi nety adIdRzah/
sva-padANka-sampad idAM kiM AgrahAn na
tathApi labdha dara-gauravo'pyabhuh//

A certain parrot perched on the leafy bough addresses Krsna with Radha and the sakhis;

You eagerly show these signs of the lotus etc., to your beloved, saying; " Mark! my beloved how these signs adorn my foot soles. I am the lord, why don't you believe me?"
But still she wont give you the proper respect. ( the gopis conjecture that " we also bear many signs on our feet, that does'nt make us god.)

Sri Krsna Bhavanamrta 12, 54

Sri Kaviraja Goswami gives the list of laksanas in more concise terms;

paNcadIrghah paNcasukSmah
saptaraktah saDunnatah/
trihrasva-pRthu-gambhiro
dvAtriMzallakSaNo mahAn//

Five are exceptionally long, five are fine,
seven are red and six are prominent.
Three are particularly short, three are bulky and
three are depressed or deep. These are
the thirty two laksanas of the (a) mahapurusa.

Also could you say that gunottha means features in regard to proportion and apperance and ankitthota refers to the particular markings, which in English the idiomatic would be simply " birth marks"?
"prod" means the elephant goad I suppose?

"Ah - seven features of this boy are are passionately red, six are high, three are broad, three are slender, three are deep, five are long, and five are very fine. Oh friend, how is it that these thirty-two features are found appearing among the cowherd folk?"

The six high features are his chest, shoulders, nails, nose, waist and mouth;

Chest:

"Krishna's chest resembles the beautiful net of the hunter Cupid to trap the wagtail birds of the gopi's eyes, and the beauty of Laksmi and Srivatsa on it are the bait. The storeroom of Krishna's chest is like a sapphire door to the treasury of the mind of Sri Radhika, the jewel of young girls, with little knobs on each side, that are known as his nipples." (GL 16. 59-60)

Shoulders:

"Some people say that Krishna's shoulders defeat the high humps on the backs of the bulls and they show the signs of the Supreme Person, Purusottama. But my opinion is that they became so raised out of ecstasy from being always embraced by Sri Radhika's lotus-stem arms." (GL 16. 71)

Nails:

"Paurnamasi Devi blessed Purva-ragavati Radha (who had just fallen in love with Krishna), saying: 'O Radhe! May one indescribable boy, whose complexion resembles fresh fresh monsoon clouds, who is a wonderful ocean of fortunate pastimes, who destroys the beauty of all Cupids when they merely see the shining of his toenails, who enchants the hearts of all the people of the world with the expert dancing of his sidelong glances and who is the jewel of fortune for all young girls in the three worlds, make you happy!'" (Ujjvala Nilamani)

Nose:

"The tip of Krishna's raised nose is as beautiful as a downward turned sapphire sesame-flower or Cupid's sapphire arrow, and defeats the lustre of the sapphire bill of a parrot." (GL 16.97)

Waist:

"When the lions saw the beauty of Krishna's thin waist they feared that their own waist would lose their glories in comparison, so they fled into the fort-like caves of the Himalayas." (GL 16.44)

Mouth:

"the corners of Krishna's mouth, that form the borders of his lips, are like whirlpools in the nectsr-river of sweetness, his teeth sprinkle these lips with their rays, which are more effulgent than fresh sprouts (his lips) that are sprinkled with milk (the effulgent teeth)."(GL 16.87)

What about palate and nails?

BhP 11.16.30. "Of jewels I am the ruby." Jiva: This is to show that the supreme jewel, the Kaustubha-mani, is a ruby, as confirmed in the Krama-dipika (3.11), where it is compared to the shining sun. In the Narayana-vyuha-stava it is stated that the kaustubha mani is a sapphire, but this is an exceptional understanding.

"Ah - seven features of this boy are are passionately red, six are high, three are broad, three are slender, three are deep, five are long, and five are very fine. Oh friend, how is it that these thirty-two features are found appearing among the cowherd folk?"

The three broad features are his waist, forehead and chest;

Waist:

"Krishna's waist is the throne on which the Queen of Radha's heart sits. For her pleasure the Creator has covered it with a thick blue cloth as a wonderful moonlike cushion." (GL 16. 37)

Forehead:

"I praise Hari's forehead, which is bordered by his curly locks above and his eyebrow-vines under. It is shaped like a halfmoon, adorned with pictures of mountain pigments, beautified by vermilion-tilaka and it is Cupid's instrument to trap the deer of Radha's mind." (GL 16.105)

Chest:

"Krishna's beautiful broad chest has the Srivatsa-mark on it's right side, while the goddess of fortune took shelter on it's left side in the form of a stripe. The effulgent Kaustubha-jewel hangs on it from Krishna's neck and a garland of forest flowers always plays on it. Krishna's broad chest is the object of the beautiful gopis' heart desires and the emerald lion-throne for the queen of Radha's mind, and it's sweetness enchants all the young girls in the three worlds." (GL 16. 55-56)

Marks on Radha and Krsna's lotus feet

"Ah - seven features of this boy are are passionately red, six are high, three are broad, three are slender, three are deep, five are long, and five are very fine. Oh friend, how is it that these thirty-two features are found appearing among the cowherd folk?"

The three slender features are his neck, ankles and penis:

Neck:

"Mukunda's neck defeats the pride of a lions neck in sweetness, being thick, tapering towards its roots and providing a round play-throne for Mukunda's beautiful locks." (GL 16.74)

Ankles:

Krishna's ankles shine like very glossy globules of waves of natural beauty, or like the blue lotus buds coming up half on the surface of the Yamuna. They are like wonderful Tamala-leaf cups filled with the honey of fresh natural beauty. Whoever licks this honey even once with the bee-like tip of the tongue at once spins around in intoxication." (GL 16.20-21)

The six high features are his chest, shoulders, nails, nose, waist and mouth;

(These were missing in the original post, I have now added them also there.)

Mouth:

"the corners of Krishna's mouth, that form the borders of his lips, are like whirlpools in the nectsr-river of sweetness, his teeth sprinkle these lips with their rays, which are more effulgent than fresh sprouts (his lips) that are sprinkled with milk (the effulgent teeth)."(GL 16.87)

Nails:

"Paurnamasi Devi blessed Purva-ragavati Radha (who had just fallen in love with Krishna), saying: 'O Radhe! May one indescribable boy, whose complexion resembles fresh fresh monsoon clouds, who is a wonderful ocean of fortunate pastimes, who destroys the beauty of all Cupids when they merely see the shining of his toenails, who enchants the hearts of all the people of the world with the expert dancing of his sidelong glances and who is the jewel of fortune for all young girls in the three worlds, make you happy!'" (Ujjvala Nilamani)

"Ah - seven features of this boy are are passionately red, six are high, three are broad, three are slender, three are deep, five are long, and five are very fine. Oh friend, how is it that these thirty-two features are found appearing among the cowherd folk?"

The three deep features are his navel, voice and intellect;

Navel:

"Hari's navel is like a hole where his belly-hairs dwell like a black snake-girl who, although she's very thin, eats the wind-like minds of all viewers." (GL 16. 48)

Still missing, and add to the list voice and intellect.

I am sure someone has something to write about these?

"Ah - seven features of this boy are are passionately red, six are high, three are broad, three are slender, three are deep, five are long, and five are very fine. Oh friend, how is it that these thirty-two features are found appearing among the cowherd folk?"

The five long features are his nose, arms, eyes, chin and knees;

Nose:

"His wonderful moon-like face on his beautiful body causes the lotus flowers of his charming eyes to blossom and his nose, which resembles the beak of a parrot, is smelling the bimba-fruits of his own lips. In this way powerful Gopala Raja is beautifully manifest on a throne on Govardhana Hill." (Sri-Sri Gopala Raja Stotra,2)

Arms:

"May Krishna's long, strong and elegant arms that are the desired objects of the hearts of all ladies in the world, like Laksmi, and that fulfil the desires of the Vraja-gopis, who have firm breasts, be manifest in my heart." (GL 16.63)

Eyes:

"May Hari's eyes that are very wide, big, glossy and reddish and that have big, pleasant, thick and restless, slowly rolling eyelids, intoxicated by the nectar of youth, always be manifest in my heart." (GL 16.101)

Chin:

Sri Hari's chin defeats the beauty of a blooming blue lotus petal in the moonshine. Its middle is slightly pressed in by his fondling mother's thumb in his childhood and the bottom is slightly raised by her two fingers to turn his face upwards (when he did something naughty). Who can describe the beauty of Hari's chin, which is like a flood of natural beauty." (GL 16.80-81)

Knees:

"Sri Hari's wonderfully charming knees are like two small sapphire chests filled with innumerable Cintamani-stones of the minds of the housewives of Vraja. May Hari's knees, that show lines when he walks and they contract, and that show no lines when they spread, when Krishna stands still, and that are always fondled by Sri Radhika's beautiful hands, fulfil our desires." (GL 16. 29-30)

"Ah - seven features of this boy are are passionately red, six are high, three are broad, three are slender, three are deep, five are long, and five are very fine. Oh friend, how is it that these thirty-two features are found appearing among the cowherd folk?"

The five fine features are his skin, hair, teeth, fingers and joints;

Hair:

"May Kesava's praiseworthy long hair, that is more glossy than the bumblebees, that is thin, dense, curly, equally trimmed, fragrant like a blue lotus anointed with musk, that resembles Cupid's blue flag, that is sometimes crowned, sometimes parted in the middle, sometimes tied, sometimes praided, sometimes half parted in a nice way and that is the deer mark on Radha's moon-like heart, be manifest on our hearts." (GL 16.107-108)

Teeth:

"With a mere drop of their luster Mukunda's teeth defeat the elegant form of the kunda flower-buds, diamonds, ripe pomegranate seeds and pearls, and they are the parrots, who relish the Bimba fruits of the fair-browed gopis' lips! Fortunate souls remember Sriman Mukunda's teeth, that are as beautiful as ripe pomegranate seeds simply by birth. They always relish the nectar of Priyaji's lips, which makes them turn red and they are Cupid's chisels that split Radhika's ruby-like lips." (GL 16.91-92)

Fingers:

"Hari's hand plams have all the signs of Sri Purusottama on them; the conch, half moon, goad, barleycorn, club, umbrella, flag, lotus, plough, bow, ladle, svastika, disc, sword, spade, a Bael-tree, a fish and an arrow, and have discs on each fingertip." (GL 16. 67)

lIlAravindam aravinda dRzAM karAbje
kaGkelli pallavam uroja suvarna kumbhe
raktotpalaM tad iha hRt sarasIdam IDe
pAdAravindam aravinda vilocanasya

"When Krishna's lotus feet are fondled by the lotus hands of the lotus eyed gopis they resemble blue lotus flowers, when they stand on the gopis' golden, pitcher-like breasts they resemble red Asoka-leaves and when they stand on the gopis' lake-like hearts they shine like red lotuses!"

(Govinda Lilamrita 16.17)

I like this one. Krishna's limbs are so sweet that even the limbs themselves want to touch each other.

"Krishna's luster is like a small stream of the Yamuna and his shanks are like waves of nectarean beauty in that stream. His anklebells resound like the sweetly warbling swans in the river. When Hari's shanks see each other's beauty and elegance they become eager to meet each other. When Krishna plays his flute and stands in his echanting threefold bending form, these shanks have a chance to meet and touch each other."

(Govinda Lilamrita 16.26-27)

In referance to Sri Hari's knees