Shloka 91
Vṛṣotsarga (Bull-Release Gift): Procedure, Merit, and Narratives on Dharma, Karma, and Liberation
निबद्धाः कर्मपशैस्ते भुञ्जन् भोगान् पृथग्विधान् / देवत्वं याति सत्त्वेन रजसा च मनुष्यताम्
nibaddhāḥ karmapaśaiste bhuñjan bhogān pṛthagvidhān / devatvaṃ yāti sattvena rajasā ca manuṣyatām
Gebunden durch die Schlingen des eigenen Karma erfahren sie vielfältige Genüsse und Leiden. Durch das Überwiegen von sattva gelangt man zur Götterwürde, durch rajas zur menschlichen Existenz.
Lord Vishnu (speaking to Garuda/Vinata-putra)
Afterlife Stage: Yamaloka Journey
Concept: Karma-pāśa: beings are bound by their actions and experience varied bhogas; guṇa predominance shapes rebirth—sattva to devatva, rajas to manuṣyatā.
Vedantic Theme: Guṇa-traya conditioning of jīva; saṃsāra as experiential consequence of action and disposition; uplift through sattva.
Application: Reduce rajasic agitation (greed, restlessness) and cultivate sattva (clarity, compassion, discipline) through diet, conduct, study, and devotion.
Primary Rasa: bhayanaka
Secondary Rasa: shanta
Related Themes: Garuda Purana 2.6.92 (tamas leading to animal birth; repeated death and rebirth)
FAQs
This verse frames karma as a binding ‘noose’ that compels the jīva to undergo specific results (bhoga), making moral action and purification central to shaping one’s post-death trajectory and future birth.
It teaches that the soul’s experiences are not random: bound by its past deeds, it undergoes varied karmic outcomes, and its next state is determined by the predominance of qualities—sattva elevates toward deva-status, while rajas leads toward human rebirth.
Cultivate sattva—truthfulness, compassion, self-control, purity, and dharmic living—while reducing rajasic agitation and selfish striving, so that actions create uplifting karmic tendencies rather than binding ones.