Shloka 4

Karma-vipāka: Rebirths and Bodily Marks Resulting from Specific Sins

Devanagari script

धान्यहार्यतिरिक्ताङ्गः पिशुनः पूतिनासिकः / तैलाहारी तैलपायी पूतिवक्त्रस्तु सूचकः

Transliteration

dhānyahāryatiriktāṅgaḥ piśunaḥ pūtināsikaḥ / tailāhārī tailapāyī pūtivaktrastu sūcakaḥ

Translation

Pencuri gandum dan harta lahir dengan anggota tubuh cacat atau berlebih. Pemfitnah lahir berhidung busuk. Pencuri minyak—atau yang meminumnya karena loba—lahir bermulut busuk; dan si pengadu/penyulut pengkhianatan pun bertanda aib serupa.

Word by Word

• dhānya-hārya-atirikta-aṅgaḥ: having extra limbs (due to stealing grain etc.)
• dhānya-hārya-atirikta-aṅgaḥ: Pratipādya (Predicate-adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dhānya (प्रातिपदिक) + hārya (प्रातिपदिक) + atirikta (कृदन्त; ati-√ric) + aṅga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; बहुपद-तत्पुरुष; ‘अतिरिक्ताङ्ग’ = having extra limbs

• piśunaḥ: a slanderer
• piśunaḥ: Pratipādya (Predicate-noun/प्रत्ययार्थ)
• Type: Noun
• Root: piśuna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• pūti-nāsikaḥ: foul-nosed
• pūti-nāsikaḥ: Pratipādya (Predicate-adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pūti (प्रातिपदिक) + nāsikā/nāsika (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; ‘foul-nosed’

• taila-āhārī: oil-eater
• taila-āhārī: Pratipādya (Predicate-noun/प्रत्ययार्थ)
• Type: Noun
• Root: taila (प्रातिपदिक) + āhārin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; ‘one who consumes oil’

• taila-pāyī: oil-drinker
• taila-pāyī: Pratipādya (Predicate-noun/प्रत्ययार्थ)
• Type: Noun
• Root: taila (प्रातिपदिक) + pāyin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; ‘one who drinks oil’

• pūti-vaktraḥ: foul-mouthed
• pūti-vaktraḥ: Pratipādya (Predicate-adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pūti (प्रातिपदिक) + vaktra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• tu: but/indeed
• tu: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधारण/विरोध (particle: but/indeed)

• sūcakaḥ: an informer; one who points out (others’ faults)
• sūcakaḥ: Pratipādya (Predicate-noun/प्रत्ययार्थ)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sūcaka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

Speaker

Lord Vishnu (in instruction to Garuda/Vinata-putra)

Pretakalpa Layer

Afterlife Stage: Pretayoni

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Stealing grain/valuables yields bodily deformity/extra limbs; slander yields foul nose; stealing/drinking oil greedily yields putrid mouth; informing/betraying yields stigmatizing marks.

Vedantic Theme: Karma shapes both gross body and social experience; misuse of speech (pāruṣya, paiśunya) binds one to suffering.

Application: Practice honest livelihood, refrain from slander and betrayal, cultivate truthful and beneficial speech; repair harm through restitution and apology.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: bibhatsa

Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka

Geographic Context

Type: social-ethical arena and rebirth outcome

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana: condemnations of paiśunya (slander) and para-droha (betrayal); Garuda Purana: karma signs in body and social standing

Characters & Entities

• Vishnu
• Garuda

FAQs

What is the importance of bodily marks described for sins in the Garuda Purana?

This verse uses bodily deformity and foul features as karmic indicators, teaching that unethical acts like theft and slander leave consequences that manifest across births and are recognized in Yama’s moral order.

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

By linking specific misdeeds to specific outcomes, it frames the soul’s journey as governed by precise karma: actions accompany the jiva beyond death and shape future embodiment and suffering.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

Avoid theft (including small misappropriations), refrain from slander and betrayal, and practice truthful, non-harmful speech—seeing ethics as spiritually consequential, not merely social.