Shloka 3
Karma, Varṇa-Dharma, and Dāna as the Soul’s True Companion on the Path to Yama
सूत उवाच / श्रुत्वाथ देवो गरुडं त्ववोचत् स्मृत्वा वपुः कर्मभयञ्च रूपम् / सृष्टा धरा येन चराचरं जगत्स येन शस्ता विहितो यमो विभुः
sūta uvāca / śrutvātha devo garuḍaṃ tvavocat smṛtvā vapuḥ karmabhayañca rūpam / sṛṣṭā dharā yena carācaraṃ jagatsa yena śastā vihito yamo vibhuḥ
スータは言った。ガルダの言葉を聞き終えると、主はガルダに語りかけた。身を受けた形の性質と、業より生ずる恐れとを心に留めつつ。主によって大地は創られ、動くものと動かぬものの世界が現れた。また主によって大いなるヤマが स्थापितされ、懲らしめる者（裁き手）として定められた。
Sūta (narrator), introducing Lord Vishnu’s reply to Garuda
Afterlife Stage: Yamaloka Journey
Concept: Karma’s fear arises within embodiment; the Lord who creates the world also establishes Yama as the ordained chastiser, ensuring moral order and just recompense.
Vedantic Theme: Īśvara as jagat-kāraṇa and dharma-niyantā; karmaphala is administered within a divinely instituted system, not random chance.
Application: Replace fatalism with accountability: accept moral causality, act ethically, and approach death/afterlife teachings with seriousness and trust in order (not chaos).
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shanta
Type: cosmic/administrative realm reference
Related Themes: Garuda Purana 2.48 (opening of karmavipāka exposition; Yama’s role as śāstā)
FAQs
This verse frames Yama’s authority as divinely instituted, meaning karmic judgment is not arbitrary but part of a cosmic moral order (dharma) established by the Lord.
By highlighting “the fear arising from karma” tied to embodied existence, it introduces the Garuda Purana’s afterlife framework: the jīva’s post-death experience is shaped by karma, with Yama functioning as the appointed adjudicator.
Live with accountability: actions have consequences (karma-bhaya). Ethical conduct, truthfulness, and restraint reduce fear and confusion around death by aligning one’s life with dharma.