Shloka 4
Yamamārga, Antyeṣṭi-vidhi, and Daśāhika Piṇḍa-dāna
Road to Yama and Ten-Day Offerings
कुकृतं दुष्कृतं वापि भुक्त्वा लोके यथार्जितम् / कर्मयोगाद्यदा कश्चिद्व्याधिरुत्पद्यते खग
kukṛtaṃ duṣkṛtaṃ vāpi bhuktvā loke yathārjitam / karmayogādyadā kaścidvyādhirutpadyate khaga
Having experienced in this world the results of whatever good or evil one has earned, when—through the linkage of karma—some disease arises, O Bird (Garuḍa),
Lord Vishnu (addressing Garuda/Vinata-putra)
Afterlife Stage: Yamaloka Journey
Concept: Illness can arise as karma’s linkage (karmayoga/karma-bandha) ripens; worldly experiences are consumptions of earned results.
Vedantic Theme: Karma-phala-bhoga (enjoyment/suffering of results) within saṃsāra; embodiment as a field where past causes mature.
Application: Respond to illness with ethical introspection, compassion, and spiritual practice; avoid blaming mere externals alone; cultivate equanimity and remedial dharma (dāna, japa, service).
Primary Rasa: karuna
Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka
Related Themes: Garuda Purana: discussions of karma-phala, signs of impending death, and the preta’s condition after separation from the body
FAQs
This verse links the arising of disease to karma-yoga (the operative connection of past deeds), stating that illness manifests according to the fruits of merit and sin one has earned and must experience.
It frames embodied life as a field where karmic results are ‘consumed’ (bhuktvā). Disease is presented as one mode through which those results mature, shaping the jīva’s experience and future trajectory.
Treat health and hardship with responsibility and ethics: reduce harm (avoid duṣkṛta), cultivate virtue (kukṛta), and respond to illness with disciplined conduct, repentance, and constructive action rather than fatalism.