Shloka 27
Sat-saṅga, Dharma-Nīti, Karma-Phala, Śauca, and Vairāgya
Overcoming Grief
न पितुः कर्मणा पुत्रः पिता वा पुत्रकर्मणा / स्वयं कृतेन गच्छन्ति स्वयं बद्धाः स्वकर्मणा
na pituḥ karmaṇā putraḥ pitā vā putrakarmaṇā / svayaṃ kṛtena gacchanti svayaṃ baddhāḥ svakarmaṇā
പിതാവിന്റെ കര്മ്മം കൊണ്ടു പുത്രന് ഫലം പ്രാപിക്കുകയില്ല; പുത്രന്റെ കര്മ്മം കൊണ്ടു പിതാവും അല്ല. ഓരോരുത്തനും താന് ചെയ്ത കര്മ്മം അനുസരിച്ചേ പോകൂ; സ്വകര്മ്മത്താല് തന്നേ ബന്ധിതനാകുന്നു.
Lord Vishnu (speaking to Garuda/Vinata-putra)
Concept: Karma-phala is non-transferable; each jīva is bound and liberated only by one’s own actions.
Vedantic Theme: Kartṛtva-bhoktṛtva (agency and enjoyership) under causal law; individual prārabdha cannot be outsourced through kinship.
Application: Avoid relying on family status or others’ merit; cultivate personal dharma, restraint, and devotion as one’s own spiritual capital.
Primary Rasa: shanta
Related Themes: Garuda Purana Pretakalpa: repeated emphasis that the preta reaps only svakṛta-karma; Garuda Purana Shraddha sections: rites aid the departed but do not erase the doer’s core karma-phala
FAQs
This verse states that karmic results are strictly individual: neither a parent nor a child can transfer their karmic merit or sin to the other; each soul is bound and carried forward by its own actions.
It frames the post-death journey as governed by one’s own deeds, implying that Yama’s assessment and the soul’s destination depend on personal conduct rather than family identity or lineage.
Live ethically and take responsibility for choices—good intentions for family are valuable, but spiritual outcomes ultimately depend on one’s own actions, discipline, and dharmic conduct.