Shloka 23

Viṣṇv-ekapūjya-nirṇaya; Gaṅgā-Viṣṇupadī-māhātmya; Kali-yuga doṣa; Puṣkara-dharma of Viṣṇu-smaraṇa

Devanagari script

सुपीडनं सर्वदा भर्तृवर्गे गृहस्थितव्रीहिवस्त्रादिचौर्यात् / प्रकीर्णभूतान्मूर्धजान्संदधानं करैर्युतं देवकलिप्रियं च

Transliteration

supīḍanaṃ sarvadā bhartṛvarge gṛhasthitavrīhivastrādicauryāt / prakīrṇabhūtānmūrdhajānsaṃdadhānaṃ karairyutaṃ devakalipriyaṃ ca

Translation

بسبب تعذيب أهل زوجها على الدوام، وبسبب سرقة الأرزّ والملابس وسائر المتاع المحفوظ في البيت، يُجبر الآثم على جمع الشعر المتناثر من رأسه وخياطته بيديه—وهو عذابٌ تحبه رسل يَما، ربّ الموت.

Word by Word

• su-pīḍanam: great oppression/torment
• su-pīḍanam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: su (उपसर्ग/अव्यय) + pīḍana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative/Accusative, Singular

• sarvadā: always
• sarvadā: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sarvadā (अव्यय)
• Form: Adverb (कालवाचक अव्यय)

• bhartṛ-varge: in the group of husbands
• bhartṛ-varge: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhartṛ (प्रातिपदिक) + varga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Locative (सप्तमी), Singular; ‘bhartṝṇāṃ varge’ (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष)

• gṛha-sthita-vrīhi-vastra-ādi-cauryāt: from theft of rice, clothes, etc. kept in the house
• gṛha-sthita-vrīhi-vastra-ādi-cauryāt: Apadana (अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gṛha (प्रातिपदिक) + sthita (कृदन्त) + vrīhi (प्रातिपदिक) + vastra (प्रातिपदिक) + ādi (अव्यय/प्रातिपदिक) + caurya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Ablative (5th/पञ्चमी), Singular; multi-member determinative: ‘gṛhe sthitānāṃ vrīhi-vastrādīnām cauryāt’ (समासबहुल)

• prakīrṇa-bhūtān: scattered beings/spirits
• prakīrṇa-bhūtān: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pra + √kṝ (धातु) → kīrṇa (कृदन्त) + bhūta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Accusative (द्वितीया), Plural; ‘scattered’ (कृदन्त) qualifying ‘bhūtān’

• mūrdhajān: hairs (of the head)
• mūrdhajān: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mūrdha (प्रातिपदिक) + ja (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural; ‘mūrdhni jāyante’ = hairs (तत्पुरुष)

• saṃdadhānam: joining/arranging
• saṃdadhānam: Kriya-visheshana (क्रियाविशेषण/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sam + √dhā (धातु) → saṃdadhāna (कृदन्त)
• Form: Present active participle (शतृ), Neuter, Nominative/Accusative, Singular (agreeing with implied act/thing)

• karaiḥ: with hands
• karaiḥ: Karana (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental (3rd/तृतीया), Plural

• yutam: endowed/connected
• yutam: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: √yuj (धातु) → yuta (कृदन्त)
• Form: Past passive participle (क्त), Neuter, Nominative/Accusative, Singular

• deva-kali-priyam: dear to the divine Kali
• deva-kali-priyam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: deva (प्रातिपदिक) + kali (प्रातिपदिक) + priya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative/Accusative, Singular; ‘devasya kaleḥ priyaṃ’ (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Conjunction

Speaker

Lord Vishnu (narrating to Garuda/Vinata-putra)

Pretakalpa Layer

Afterlife Stage: Naraka

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Karma-phala: domestic cruelty and theft lead to humiliating, painful retribution administered by Yama’s agents.

Vedantic Theme: Moral causality governs embodied experience beyond death; actions imprint consequences that must be exhausted unless purified by dharma/bhakti.

Application: Practice non-violence and fairness within family systems; avoid theft and coercion; seek restitution and ethical reform before habits harden into karmic debt.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: bhayanaka

Secondary Rasa: bibhatsa

Geographic Context

Type: court/penal realm (implied)

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana 3.29.21-22 (Kali-age degradation as background); Garuda Purana Pretakalpa sections describing Yamadūta punishments (general thematic linkage)

Characters & Entities

• Yama
• Yamadutas

FAQs

What is the importance of describing punishments for theft in the Garuda Purana?

This verse uses a vivid, specific punishment to teach that even “domestic” theft (rice, clothes, stored goods) is a karmic offense with consequences in Yama’s realm, reinforcing ethical restraint and honesty within the household.

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

In the Preta Kanda context, the departed soul experiences results of actions through Yama’s administration; here, the sinner is forced into a humiliating, painful labor (stitching scattered hairs), illustrating retributive karmic fruition after death.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

Maintain integrity in shared family property, avoid exploiting household resources, and cultivate harmony with one’s spouse’s family—seeing domestic conduct as spiritually consequential, not merely social.