Shloka 19

Karma-vipāka: Truth, Yama’s Judgment, and the Marks of Sin in Rebirth

Devanagari script

हरन्वस्त्रं भवेद्गोधा गरदः पवनाशनः / प्रवज्यागमनाद्राजन् भवेन्मरुपिशाचकः

Transliteration

haranvastraṃ bhavedgodhā garadaḥ pavanāśanaḥ / pravajyāgamanādrājan bhavenmarupiśācakaḥ

Translation

O King, one who steals clothing is reborn as an iguana; one who administers poison becomes a consumer of wind. And one who returns after having taken renunciation becomes a desert-dwelling piśāca.

Word by Word

• हरन्: stealing
• हरन्: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √हृ (धातु)
• Form: वर्तमानकृदन्त (शतृ/Present active participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• वस्त्रम्: cloth/garment
• वस्त्रम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वस्त्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• भवेत्: would become
• भवेत्: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √भू (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• गोधा: iguana/monitor lizard
• गोधा: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गोधा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• गरदः: poisoner / one dealing in poison
• गरदः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गरद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• पवन-आशनः: wind-eater (one who lives on air)
• पवन-आशनः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पवन (प्रातिपदिक) + आशन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; समासः—षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (पवनस्य आशनः)

• प्रवज्या-गमनात्: from going forth into renunciation (taking to ascetic life)
• प्रवज्या-गमनात्: Hetu (हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रवज्या (प्रातिपदिक) + गमन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/Ablative), एकवचन; समासः—षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (प्रवज्यायाः गमनम्)

• राजन्: O king
• राजन्: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: राजन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th/Vocative), एकवचन

• भवेत्: would become
• भवेत्: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √भू (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• मरु-पिशाचकः: desert-ghoul (a piśāca of the desert)
• मरु-पिशाचकः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मरु (प्रातिपदिक) + पिशाचक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; समासः—षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (मरौ पिशाचकः/मरु-सम्बद्धः पिशाचकः)

Speaker

Lord Vishnu (in instruction to Garuda; addressed within the verse as 'O King')

Pretakalpa Layer

Afterlife Stage: Pretayoni

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Violation of trust and vows (stealing, poisoning, abandoning renunciation) produces corresponding degraded embodiments and states.

Vedantic Theme: Saṅkalpa and vrata-bhaṅga bind the jīva; adharma thickens tamas leading to lower gati.

Application: Respect others’ necessities (clothing), never harm via toxins, and treat vows/renunciation with seriousness—do not adopt spiritual roles for convenience.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: bhayanaka

Secondary Rasa: raudra

Geographic Context

Type: region

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana Pretakalpa: vow-breaking and theft leading to tiryak/piśāca outcomes (adjacent karmic catalogues)

Characters & Entities

• Piśāca

FAQs

What is the importance of linking specific sins to specific rebirths in the Garuda Purana?

This verse exemplifies the Purana’s moral-ritual mapping of actions to consequences, warning that theft, poisoning, and violating renunciant vows generate distinct karmic results affecting one’s next embodiment.

How does this verse explain the path of the soul after death?

It presents a consequence-based trajectory: after death, the jīva is propelled by its karma into lower births or preta-like states—here, animal rebirth for theft, an afflicted ‘wind-eater’ condition for poisoning, and a piśāca state for breaking renunciation.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

Avoid even ‘small’ thefts, never harm through toxins or deceit, and treat vows/commitments—especially spiritual or ethical ones—as binding; integrity in conduct is presented as protection against degrading karmic outcomes.