Shloka 15

Bhūmi-dāna, Satya-dharma, and the Non-cancellation of Sin by Charity

Devanagari script

स्वदत्तां परदत्तां वा यो हरेच्च वसुन्धराम् / षष्टिवर्षसहस्राणि विष्ठायां जायते कृमिः

Transliteration

svadattāṃ paradattāṃ vā yo harecca vasundharām / ṣaṣṭivarṣasahasrāṇi viṣṭhāyāṃ jāyate kṛmiḥ

Translation

Whoever seizes land—whether it was given by oneself or granted by another—becomes a worm in filth for sixty thousand years.

Word by Word

• sva-dattām: one's own (land) given
• sva-dattām: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sva (प्रातिपदिक) + datta (कृदन्त, √dā-दान)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (f.), द्वितीया विभक्ति (Acc. 2), एकवचन (sg.); विशेषण (adjectival)

• para-dattām: given by another
• para-dattām: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: para (प्रातिपदिक) + datta (कृदन्त, √dā-दान)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (f.), द्वितीया विभक्ति (Acc. 2), एकवचन (sg.); विशेषण

• vā: or
• vā: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vā (अव्यय)
• Form: विकल्पार्थक अव्यय (disjunctive particle: 'or')

• yaḥ: who (he who)
• yaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (m.), प्रथमा विभक्ति (Nom. 1), एकवचन (sg.); सम्बन्धसूचक सर्वनाम

• haret: should take away/steal
• haret: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √hṛ (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन (sg.)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक अव्यय (conjunction: 'and')

• vasundharām: the earth/land
• vasundharām: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vasundharā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (f.), द्वितीया विभक्ति (Acc. 2), एकवचन (sg.)

• ṣaṣṭi-varṣa-sahasrāṇi: for sixty thousand years
• ṣaṣṭi-varṣa-sahasrāṇi: Kāla-adhikaraṇa (कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ṣaṣṭi (प्रातिपदिक) + varṣa (प्रातिपदिक) + sahasra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (n.), द्वितीया विभक्ति (Acc. 2) (कालपरिमाणे), बहुवचन (pl.); कालपरिमाणवाचक (duration)

• viṣṭhāyām: in excrement
• viṣṭhāyām: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: viṣṭhā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (f.), सप्तमी विभक्ति (Loc. 7), एकवचन (sg.)

• jāyate: is born/arises
• jāyate: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √jan (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन (sg.)

• kṛmiḥ: a worm
• kṛmiḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kṛmi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (m.), प्रथमा विभक्ति (Nom. 1), एकवचन (sg.)

Speaker

Lord Vishnu (in dialogue with Garuda/Vinata-putra)

Pretakalpa Layer

Afterlife Stage: Pretayoni

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Land-grabbing/land-theft yields severe long-duration karmic retribution: rebirth as a worm in filth for sixty thousand years.

Vedantic Theme: Karma-niyati: actions bind the jīva to degrading births; attachment and greed (lobha) drive descent into tamasic yonis.

Application: Respect property and land grants; avoid dispossession, fraud, coercive acquisition; practice restitution and ethical stewardship.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: bibhatsa

Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka

Geographic Context

Type: impure place

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana 2.42.16 (brahmasva burns lineage); Garuda Purana Pretakalpa sections describing papa leading to low births and narakas (general thematic link)

FAQs

What is the importance of land (bhūmi/vasundharā) ethics in the Garuda Purana?

This verse treats land-seizure—especially taking back donated land or usurping another’s grant—as a severe adharma, carrying heavy karmic consequences after death.

How does this verse explain the working of karma after death?

It presents a concrete karmaphala: wrongful appropriation of land leads to a degrading rebirth condition (as a worm in filth), illustrating that specific actions yield specific post-death results in the Preta Kanda’s moral framework.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

Avoid encroachment, fraudulent transfers, and revoking gifts; respect lawful and ethical ownership—especially donated or pledged property—and rectify harm through restitution where possible.