Shloka 13

Brahmā’s Curse, Four Births, and the Dharma of Shared Embodiment

Draupadī/Kṛṣṇā

Devanagari script

जन्मन्याद्ये चतुर्थे च नान्यगात्वमवाप्स्यथ / तथा स्वभर्तृसंयोगं नावाप्स्यथ च सर्वशः

Transliteration

janmanyādye caturthe ca nānyagātvamavāpsyatha / tathā svabhartṛsaṃyogaṃ nāvāpsyatha ca sarvaśaḥ

Translation

في الولادة الأولى، ثم في الولادة الرابعة أيضًا، لن تنالي اقترانًا بغيره (شريكٍ آخر). وكذلك، على أيّ وجهٍ كان، لن تنالي اجتماعًا من جديد بزوجكِ نفسه.

Word by Word

• janmani: in the birth
• janmani: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: janman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Locative (7th/सप्तमी), Singular

• ādye: first
• ādye: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ādya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Locative (7th/सप्तमी), Singular

• caturthe: fourth
• caturthe: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: caturtha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Locative (7th/सप्तमी), Singular

• ca: and
• ca: null
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Conjunction (समुच्चयबोधक)

• na: not
• na: null
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: Negative Particle (निषेध)

• anyagātvam: state of going to another (infidelity)
• anyagātvam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: anyagātva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular

• avāpsyatha: you will attain/incur
• avāpsyatha: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: av-āp (धातु)
• Form: Lrt Lakara (Future/लृट्), Madhyama Purusha (2nd), Plural

• tathā: similarly/so
• tathā: null
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: Adverb (क्रियाविशेषण)

• svabhartṛsaṃyogam: union with one's own husband
• svabhartṛsaṃyogam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: svabhartṛsaṃyoga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular

• na: not
• na: null
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: Negative Particle (निषेध)

• avāpsyatha: you will attain
• avāpsyatha: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: av-āp (धातु)
• Form: Lrt Lakara (Future/लृट्), Madhyama Purusha (2nd), Plural

• ca: and
• ca: null
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Conjunction (समुच्चयबोधक)

• sarvaśaḥ: completely/by all means
• sarvaśaḥ: Kriya Visheshana (Adverb/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sarvaśas (अव्यय)
• Form: Adverb (Taddhita suffix 'śas')

Speaker

Lord Vishnu (addressing Garuda/Vinata-putra in the Preta Kanda discourse)

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Certain karmic results are fixed across specific births: no ‘other-union’ in some lives and no reunion with one’s husband at all.

Vedantic Theme: Prārabdha’s rigidity; saṃsāric bonds as sources of duḥkha when governed by adharma; impetus toward vairāgya.

Application: Accept consequences without self-deception; use suffering as motivation to reform conduct and pursue steadier spiritual aims.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: karuna

Secondary Rasa: shanta

Geographic Context

Type: world/plane

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana 3.17.10-12 (curse and birth-by-birth relational fruits)

Characters & Entities

• Vishnu
• Garuda

FAQs

What is the importance of karmic marriage destiny in the Garuda Purana?

This verse frames marital union and separation as outcomes that can unfold across specific births, indicating that relationship bonds are governed by karma rather than mere desire.

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

By pointing to consequences that manifest in future births, it links post-death moral causality (karma) with rebirth conditions, including whether reunion with a spouse is possible.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

Cultivate dharma and integrity in relationships; the text implies that harmful actions can shape long-term relational outcomes beyond a single lifetime.