Shloka 10
Karma, Subtle-Body Formation, and the Route of Departure (Ūrdhva-mārga)
कुर्यात्सर्वाणि कर्माणि निर्धनो ऽपि हि मानवः / देहे यत्र वसेज्जन्तुस्तत्र भुङ्क्ते शुभाशुभम्
kuryātsarvāṇi karmāṇi nirdhano 'pi hi mānavaḥ / dehe yatra vasejjantustatra bhuṅkte śubhāśubham
Even if a man is poor, he should perform all prescribed duties; for the embodied being experiences the results—both auspicious and inauspicious—right in the very body in which he dwells.
Lord Vishnu (speaking to Garuda/Vinata-putra)
Concept: Even poverty is not a license to abandon prescribed duties; the jīva experiences auspicious and inauspicious results in the very embodied condition where actions are done.
Vedantic Theme: Karma-phala within saṃsāra; embodiment as the locus of experience (bhoga) and responsibility.
Application: Keep core dharmic practices (truthfulness, non-harm, worship, charity within capacity, daily duties) even under financial constraint; avoid rationalizing adharma as ‘necessity’.
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: vira
Related Themes: Garuda Purana dharma passages stressing nitya/naimittika karma and consequences; Pretakalpa teachings on papa leading to suffering and punya to uplift
FAQs
It teaches that one should not abandon prescribed duties due to poverty, because the jīva inevitably experiences the fruits of actions—good and bad—through embodied life.
By stressing that karmic results are ‘bhuṅkte’ (experienced) in embodiment, it underlines why one’s conduct in life shapes later post-death experiences described in the Preta-kāṇḍa.
Keep up ethical duties, truthfulness, self-control, and simple daily worship/charity within your means; lack of wealth is not a reason to abandon dharma.