Shloka 10
Āyuḥ-kṣaya by Vikarma; Impermanence of the Body; Aśauca and Child Śrāddha Procedures; Dāna as Remedy
मानुषः शतजीवीति पुरा वेदेन भाषितम् / विकर्मणः प्रभावेण शीघ्रं चापि विनश्यति
mānuṣaḥ śatajīvīti purā vedena bhāṣitam / vikarmaṇaḥ prabhāveṇa śīghraṃ cāpi vinaśyati
Die Veden verkündeten seit alters, der Mensch sei bestimmt, hundert Jahre zu leben; doch unter der Macht des Vikarma—unrechten, dem Dharma widersprechenden Tuns—geht er rasch zugrunde.
Lord Vishnu (in instruction to Garuda/Vinata-putra)
Concept: Vikarma (forbidden/wrong action) accelerates decay and premature death, undermining the śata-āyuḥ ideal.
Vedantic Theme: Karma-phala as niyati within saṃsāra; adharma veils sattva and hastens kṣaya of prāṇa/āyuḥ.
Application: Avoid prohibited acts; cultivate sattvic conduct, restraint, and daily self-audit of actions to protect health, longevity, and clarity.
Primary Rasa: karuna
Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka
Related Themes: Garuda Purana (Preta-kalpa): repeated linkage of pāpa with āyuḥ-kṣaya and duḥkha after death (general thematic parallel)
FAQs
This verse highlights vikarma (forbidden or unrighteous action) as a direct cause of ruin, implying that moral transgression can cut short the natural, Veda-described human lifespan.
By stressing that wrongdoing hastens death, it frames the after-death journey as strongly conditioned by karma: a life shortened by vikarma leads more quickly into the post-mortem stages described in the Preta Kanda.
Live by dharma—avoid harmful, prohibited actions—because ethical conduct is presented as protective of longevity and as reducing the karmic burdens that shape one’s death and afterlife.