Garuda Purana — Preta Kalpa, Shloka 50
Vṛṣotsarga (Bull-Release Gift): Procedure, Merit, and Narratives on Dharma, Karma, and Liberation
विपश्चिदुवाच / पूर्वजन्मनि वैश्यो ऽयं विश्वम्भर इति श्रुतः / विराधनगरे विप्र द्विजदेवविभूषिते
vipaściduvāca / pūrvajanmani vaiśyo 'yaṃ viśvambhara iti śrutaḥ / virādhanagare vipra dvijadevavibhūṣite
Vipaścit dit : «Dans une naissance antérieure, cet homme était connu comme un vaiśya nommé Viśvambhara. Ô brāhmaṇa, il demeurait dans la cité de Virādhana, ornée de brāhmaṇas—dieux parmi les deux-fois-nés.»
Vipaścit (a narrator/teacher figure in the dialogue)
Concept: Punarjanma (rebirth) and identity across lives; present conditions are intelligible through prior conduct and social role (varna) in former birth.
Vedantic Theme: Karma-vāsanā continuity across births; jīva’s journey through samsāra until knowledge/devotion matures.
Application: Reflect on long-term consequences of conduct; cultivate dharmic habits now as they shape future circumstances and tendencies.
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shanta
Type: city
Related Themes: Garuda Purana 2.6.51–52 (details of the Vaiśya’s conduct)
FAQs
This verse begins a karmic backstory—identifying the soul’s prior identity and social setting—so later consequences (merit/sin and post-death outcomes) can be understood as causally grounded.
By naming the prior birth (Viśvambhara) and his place of life, the text frames the narrative that typically precedes descriptions of post-mortem experiences, judgment, and the results of karma.
Live with awareness that actions create long-term consequences; cultivate dharma in community settings—especially through respect for learning, ethics, and spiritual guidance symbolized here by “dvija-devas.”