Shloka 26
Saṃsāra-cakra, Preta’s 12-day Transit to Yama, Re-embodiment, and Karma-Vipāka Catalog of Sins and Rebirths
मधु हृत्वा नरो दंश-पूपं हृत्वा पिपीलिकः / अपो हृत्वा तु पापात्मा वायसः सम्प्रजायते
madhu hṛtvā naro daṃśa-pūpaṃ hṛtvā pipīlikaḥ / apo hṛtvā tu pāpātmā vāyasaḥ samprajāyate
One who steals honey is reborn as a human afflicted by stings; one who steals sweet cakes becomes an ant; and the sinful person who steals water is reborn as a crow.
Lord Vishnu (speaking to Garuda/Vinata-putra)
Afterlife Stage: Pretayoni
Concept: Theft yields tailored consequences: honey theft leads to sting-affliction in human birth; cake theft to ant rebirth; water theft to crow rebirth.
Vedantic Theme: Karma operates through both suffering within human embodiment and descent into lower yonis; vāsanā and doṣa mature into fitting experiences.
Application: Do not exploit shared necessities; practice restraint and fairness in consumption; honor water as sacred/common good.
Primary Rasa: bhayanaka
Secondary Rasa: bibhatsa
Type: household and community resource space
Related Themes: Garuda Purana 1.225.25–27: theft-to-rebirth sequence; Garuda Purana Pretakalpa: steya and its vipāka (theme-level)
FAQs
This verse classifies specific acts of theft (honey, sweets, water) and links them to concrete rebirth outcomes, teaching that even seemingly minor stealing creates precise karmic consequences.
It presents a karmic mapping where wrongdoing conditions the next embodiment—here, theft leads to degraded or afflicted births—showing that moral choices shape future experience and form.
Avoid taking what is not freely given—especially basic necessities like food and water—and practice honesty and restitution, as everyday integrity is treated as spiritually consequential.