Shloka 62

Saṅkara-jāti-nirṇaya and Gṛhastha-ācāra: Daily Rites, Purity, Anadhyāya, and Food Discipline

Devanagari script

क्रूरोग्रपतितव्रात्यदाम्भिकोच्छिष्टभोजिनाम् / शास्त्रविक्रयिणश्चैव स्त्रीजितग्रामयाजिनाम्

Transliteration

krūrograpatitavrātyadāmbhikocchiṣṭabhojinām / śāstravikrayiṇaścaiva strījitagrāmayājinām

Translation

Meide die Grausamen und von wilder Härte; die Gefallenen und die Vrātyas (vom vedischen Brauch Abgeirrte); die Heuchler; jene, die die Reste anderer essen; und die Verkäufer heiliger Schriftgelehrsamkeit. Meide auch die von Frauen Beherrschten und die Dorfpriester, die für ein ganzes Dorf Riten um des Brotes willen vollziehen, nicht um der Dharma willen.

Word by Word

krūra-ugra-patita-vrātya-dāmbhika-ucchiṣṭa-bhojināmof the cruel, fierce, fallen, outcast, hypocritical, and eaters of leftovers

śāstra-vikrayiṇaḥof sellers of scriptures

caand

evaindeed/also

strī-jita-grāma-yājināmof those conquered by women and village-priests (who officiate for villages)

Speaker

Lord Vishnu (in instruction to Garuda/Vinata-putra, within the Preta Khanda dialogue frame)

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Dharma declines through cruelty, apostasy from Vedic discipline, hypocrisy, impurity in food-sharing, and commercialization of śāstra/ritual.

Vedantic Theme: Protection of sattva and śraddhā by honoring sacred knowledge as non-commodity; purity of anna and intention (bhāva).

Application: Avoid hypocritical mentors and transactional spirituality; keep food practices clean; seek teachers who transmit knowledge as dharma, not merchandise.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: bibhatsa

Secondary Rasa: raudra

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana 1.96.60–64 (avoidance lists)

FAQs

What is the importance of listing such behaviors in the Garuda Purana?

This verse functions as an ethical diagnostic: it names conduct considered dharma-violating, used in the text to explain how specific character traits and professions corrupted by greed lead to negative karmic outcomes after death.

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

By categorizing adharmic lifestyles (cruelty, hypocrisy, ritual impurity, and commodifying sacred knowledge), the Garuda Purana links one’s habitual actions to post-death suffering and lower destinations, emphasizing moral causality rather than randomness.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

Avoid cruelty and perform religious practice without hypocrisy or greed; treat sacred learning as a responsibility (not a commodity), maintain purity in food and conduct, and ensure rituals are done with sincerity rather than mere livelihood.