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
On dit que le dvija qui accomplit des yajña pour celui qui n’est pas digne d’être honoré renaît en crocodile ou en porc. Celui qui multiplie les yajña d’une manière blâmable devient un âne; et celui qui mange sans avoir été dûment invité devient un corbeau.
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.