Shloka 14
Karma-vipāka: Truth, Yama’s Judgment, and the Marks of Sin in Rebirth
अयाज्ययाजको याति ग्राहमसूकरतां द्विजः / खरो वै बहुयाजी स्यात्काको निर्मन्त्रभोजनात्
ayājyayājako yāti grāhamasūkaratāṃ dvijaḥ / kharo vai bahuyājī syātkāko nirmantrabhojanāt
A twice-born man (dvija) who performs yajña for one unfit to receive it is said to be reborn as a crocodile or a hog. One who conducts many sacrifices in a blameworthy, showy manner becomes a donkey; and one who eats without being duly invited becomes a crow.
Lord Vishnu (teaching Garuda/Vainateya)
Concept: Ritual acts (yajña, bhojana) require adhikara (fitness), proper intention, and proper invitation; misuse yields adverse rebirth.
Vedantic Theme: Karma shaped by intention and dharmic conformity; ritual without dharma becomes binding rather than liberating.
Application: Perform rites only with proper eligibility and motive; avoid showy/proliferative ritualism; accept food only when duly invited and in proper context.
Primary Rasa: bhayanaka
Secondary Rasa: bibhatsa
Related Themes: Garuda Purana 2.46 (lists of ritual/ethical faults and corresponding rebirths)
FAQs
This verse warns that performing yajña services for an unqualified or ritually ineligible patron is a serious breach of dharma, bringing a degrading rebirth (such as crocodile or hog), emphasizing that ritual acts must be aligned with purity and right qualification.
It links specific unethical actions to karmic outcomes in future embodiment: misconduct in sacred rites and social-religious norms ripens into lower births, showing the Garuda Purana’s moral causality governing the jīva’s post-death trajectory.
Observe integrity in religious duties: priests and practitioners should uphold eligibility and propriety in ceremonies, avoid performative or improper ritual excess, and follow respectful social-religious etiquette such as accepting meals only when duly invited.