Shloka 68
Post-cremation Ripening of Karma and the Principal Narakas
रुधिरान्धे पतन्त्येते पतन्त्येते एवमाहुर्मनीषिणः / उपविष्टन्त्वेकपङ्क्त्यां विषं सम्भोजयन्ति ये
rudhirāndhe patantyete patantyete evamāhurmanīṣiṇaḥ / upaviṣṭantvekapaṅktyāṃ viṣaṃ sambhojayanti ye
يُعلن الحكماء أنّ أمثال هؤلاء يسقطون—نعم، يسقطون—في الجحيم المسمّى «رودهيراندها». وهم الذين يجلسون في صفٍّ واحدٍ للطعام ثم يُلزمون الآخرين بتناول السُّمّ.
Lord Vishnu (in instruction to Garuda/Vinata-putra)
Afterlife Stage: Naraka
Concept: Harming others through deceitful poisoning—especially in shared social/ritual eating—ripens as severe naraka-phala.
Vedantic Theme: Karma-phala-niyama (inexorable causality) and adharma as bondage-producing action.
Application: Maintain ahiṃsā and integrity in food-sharing; never adulterate, poison, or coerce consumption; cultivate responsibility for others’ wellbeing.
Primary Rasa: bhayanaka
Secondary Rasa: bibhatsa
Type: naraka (hell)
Related Themes: Garuda Purana Pretakalpa: naraka-catalogue passages describing specific sins leading to named hells (adjacent verses 2.3.69–72)
FAQs
In this verse, Rudhirāndha is presented as a specific hell assigned to the karma of deliberately harming others through poisoning—showing the Purana’s precise mapping of sins to post-death consequences.
It teaches karmic causality: those who commit severe harm (here, poisoning within a communal meal setting) are said to “fall” into a particular naraka, implying an after-death trajectory governed by moral action.
Treat food and hospitality as sacred responsibilities—avoid deceit or harm through what you serve, and uphold non-violence and integrity in communal settings.