Shloka 28

Devanagari script

कार्पासिके हृते क्रौञ्चो वह्रिहर्ता बकस्तथा / मयूरो वर्णकं हृत्वा शाकपत्रञ्च जायते

Transliteration

kārpāsike hṛte krauñco vahrihartā bakastathā / mayūro varṇakaṃ hṛtvā śākapatrañca jāyate

Translation

Whoever steals cotton cloth is reborn as a krauñca bird; the thief of fire is reborn as a crane. And one who steals dye or pigment is reborn as a peacock, and also as a leafy vegetable for food.

Word by Word

• कार्पासिके: in/with cotton (cloth)
• कार्पासिके: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कार्पासिक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; अधिकरणे (locative of place/occasion)

• हृते: when (it is) stolen / having been stolen
• हृते: Kriya-visheshaṇa (Circumstantial/भाव)
• Type: Verb
• Root: हृ (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; ‘हृत’ = ‘stolen/taken away’ (locative absolute sense with कार्पासिके)

• क्रौञ्चः: a crane (krauñca bird)
• क्रौञ्चः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्रौञ्च (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन

• वह्रिहर्ता: fire-stealer
• वह्रिहर्ता: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वह्रि (प्रातिपदिक) + हर्तृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (genitive determinative): ‘वह्रेः हर्ता’; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• बकः: a heron
• बकः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• तथा: likewise
• तथा: Sambandha/Avyaya (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रकारवाचक (adverb: ‘likewise/so’)

• मयूरः: a peacock
• मयूरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मयूर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• वर्णकम्: color/dye/paint
• वर्णकम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वर्णक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन

• हृत्वा: having stolen
• हृत्वा: Kriya (पूर्वकाल/पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: हृ (धातु) + त्वा (क्त्वान्त)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (gerund/absolutive): ‘having stolen/taken’

• शाकपत्रम्: a vegetable-leaf
• शाकपत्रम्: Karta/Predicative (Result state)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शाक (प्रातिपदिक) + पत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: ‘शाकस्य पत्रम्’; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक अव्यय (conjunction)

• जायते: is born/becomes
• जायते: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: जन् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present/लट्), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

Speaker

Lord Vishnu (narrating to Garuda/Vinata-putra)

Pretakalpa Layer

Afterlife Stage: Pretayoni

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Specific thefts yield specific rebirths (yoni) matching the act’s guṇa and social harm.

Vedantic Theme: Karma-bandha and saṃsāra: actions imprint vāsanā leading to embodied consequences.

Application: Cultivate asteya (non-stealing), respect others’ property and livelihood; practice restitution and restraint over acquisitive impulses.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: bibhatsa

Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana Pretakalpa: yoni-bheda lists for thieves and misappropriators (adjacent verses 1.225.xx)

Characters & Entities

• Garuda

FAQs

What is the importance of theft-related karma in the Garuda Purana?

This verse links specific acts of theft (cloth, fire, dye) to precise rebirth outcomes, reinforcing that karma is ethically specific and produces corresponding results.

How does this verse explain the path of the soul after sinful actions?

It presents a karmic mechanism where wrongdoing shapes future embodiment—here, theft leads to lower births such as birds or even plant/food forms, indicating degradation of status through adharma.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

Avoid even “small” forms of stealing (goods, resources, utilities), cultivate honesty and restitution, and treat communal resources like fire/energy as sacred responsibilities.