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Shloka 22

Saṃsāra-cakra, Preta’s 12-day Transit to Yama, Re-embodiment, and Karma-Vipāka Catalog of Sins and Rebirths

Devanagari script

शूद्रस्तु ब्राह्मणीं गत्वा कृमियोनौ प्रजायते / तस्यामपत्यमुत्पाद्य काष्ठान्तः कटीको भवेत्

Transliteration

śūdrastu brāhmaṇīṃ gatvā kṛmiyonau prajāyate / tasyāmapatyamutpādya kāṣṭhāntaḥ kaṭīko bhavet

Translation

أمّا الشودرَة (Śūdra) إذا اقتربَ من براهمَني (Brāhmaṇī) فيُولَدُ في رحمِ الديدان؛ وإن أنجبَ منها ولدًا صارَ كَطِيكَة (kaṭīka)، محكومًا عليه أن يقيمَ داخلَ الخشبِ في وجودٍ وضيعٍ لا حركةَ فيه.

Word by Word
शूद्रःa Śūdra man
शूद्रः:
Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
TypeNoun
Rootशूद्र (प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन
तुindeed/but
तु:
Sambandha (Discourse particle)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootतु (अव्यय)
Formनिपात (particle), अवधान/विरोधार्थ
ब्राह्मणीम्a Brahmin woman
ब्राह्मणीम्:
Karma (Object/कर्म)
TypeNoun
Rootब्राह्मणी (प्रातिपदिक)
Formस्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन
गत्वाhaving gone to/approached
गत्वा:
Kriya-vishesana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
TypeIndeclinable
Root√गम् (धातु)
Formक्त्वान्त अव्यय (gerund): ‘having gone/approached’
कृमियोनौin the womb/species of a worm
कृमियोनौ:
Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
TypeNoun
Rootकृमि + योनि (प्रातिपदिक)
Formस्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (kṛmeḥ yoniḥ)
प्रजायतेis born
प्रजायते:
Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
TypeVerb
Rootप्र-√जन् (धातु)
Formलट्, आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन
तस्याम्in her
तस्याम्:
Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
TypeNoun
Rootतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
Formस्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन; सर्वनाम (locative: ‘in her’)
अपत्यम्offspring/child
अपत्यम्:
Karma (Object/कर्म)
TypeNoun
Rootअपत्य (प्रातिपदिक)
Formनपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन
उत्पाद्यhaving produced
उत्पाद्य:
Kriya-vishesana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootउत्-√पद्/√पाद् (धातु)
Formक्त्वान्त अव्यय (gerund): ‘having produced/caused to be born’
काष्ठान्तःthe inside of wood
काष्ठान्तः:
Karta (Predicate nominative/कर्ता-रूप)
TypeNoun
Rootकाष्ठ + अन्त (प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (kāṣṭhasya antaḥ)
कटीकःa wood-boring insect (kaṭīka)
कटीकः:
Karta (Predicate nominative/कर्ता-रूप)
TypeNoun
Rootकटीक (प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन
भवेत्would become
भवेत्:
Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
TypeVerb
Root√भू (धातु)
Formविधिलिङ् (Optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन
Speaker

Lord Vishnu (in instruction to Garuda/Vinata-putra)

Pretakalpa Layer

Afterlife Stage: Pretayoni

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Violation of prescribed sexual boundaries (as presented here) produces severe karmic contraction into low, constrained embodiments; producing offspring intensifies the karmic entanglement.

Vedantic Theme: Karma-bandha through adharma and saṃskāra multiplication; actions that disturb perceived social-ritual order deepen bondage and tamas.

Application: Within the text’s framework: uphold socially prescribed marital boundaries; more broadly: avoid exploitative/forbidden relationships and the harms they cause; cultivate responsibility and restraint.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: bibhatsa

Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana discussions of varṇa-saṅkara anxieties and sexual transgressions leading to low births (thematic); Adjacent yoni-phala verses 1.225.18–21

Characters & Entities
S
Shudra
B
Brahmani
K
Kṛmi (worms)

FAQs

This verse frames prohibited sexual relations as a serious breach of dharma with tangible karmic consequences, emphasizing moral restraint as essential to avoid degraded rebirths.

It presents karma as shaping future embodiment: the offender is said to fall into extremely low births (worm-womb) and further degraded states, illustrating the Purana’s cause-and-effect ethic.

Treat relationships as a domain of dharma—practice consent, fidelity, and ethical conduct, and avoid exploitative or socially harmful behavior that the text classifies as adharma.

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