Shloka 4
Karma, Subtle-Body Formation, and the Route of Departure (Ūrdhva-mārga)
श्रीकृष्ण उवाच / परस्य योषितं हृत्वा ब्रह्मस्वमपहृत्य च
śrīkṛṣṇa uvāca / parasya yoṣitaṃ hṛtvā brahmasvamapahṛtya ca
Śrī Kṛṣṇa said: “One who abducts another man’s wife, and who also steals the property belonging to a brāhmaṇa…”
Śrī Kṛṣṇa (as the instructing divine speaker, aligned with the Viṣṇu–Garuda dialogue tradition)
Afterlife Stage: Yamaloka Journey
Concept: Severe pāpa arises from violating others’ marital/sexual integrity and from stealing brāhmaṇa-property (brahmasva), leading to painful karmaphala.
Vedantic Theme: Karma-bandha through adharma; moral causality governing saṃsāra.
Application: Guard sexual ethics and property ethics; treat brahmasva as inviolable; cultivate restraint (dama) and honesty (ārjava).
Primary Rasa: raudra
Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka
Related Themes: Garuda Purana Pretakalpa: lists of sins (pāpa) and corresponding births/hells in adjacent adhyāyas; Garuda Purana: brahmasva-apahāra as mahāpātaka theme across dharma sections
FAQs
This verse flags two major violations of dharma—taking another’s wife and stealing brāhmaṇa-property—setting up the text’s broader teaching that such acts create heavy pāpa (sin) with severe post-death consequences.
By listing specific grave sins, the Garuda Purana links moral actions to karmic outcomes that shape the preta’s suffering and the type of punishment described in Yama’s domain in the surrounding narrative.
Uphold marital integrity, avoid exploitation, and treat sacred/learned communities’ resources with strict honesty—ethical restraint is presented as direct protection against severe karmic fallout.