Shloka 20
Arrival at Yama’s cities: Citragupta’s scrutiny, Dharmadhvaja’s gate, and the necessity of dāna
अपि जानन्वृथा धर्मं दुः खमायाति याति च
api jānanvṛthā dharmaṃ duḥ khamāyāti yāti ca
ധർമ്മം അറിഞ്ഞിട്ടും അതിനെ വ്യർത്ഥമെന്നു കരുതുന്നവൻ ദുഃഖം പ്രാപിക്കുന്നു; വീണ്ടും വീണ്ടും ദുഃഖത്തിലേക്കേ പോകുന്നു।
Lord Vishnu (in instruction to Garuda/Vinata-putra)
Concept: Knowing dharma without honoring it leads to repeated duhkha; knowledge must become conduct.
Vedantic Theme: Avidya as practical non-alignment with dharma; karma-bandha through willful neglect despite viveka.
Application: Treat ethical insight as actionable: keep small daily vows (truthfulness, non-harm, restraint) and review lapses to prevent repeating the same suffering-pattern.
Primary Rasa: karuna
Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka
Related Themes: Garuda Purana (Preta-khanda/Pretakalpa): recurring emphasis that jnana without acharana yields papa and duhkha; Garuda Purana: dharma-tyaga leading to naraka and repeated birth (general theme)
FAQs
This verse stresses that mere knowledge of dharma is insufficient; neglecting it brings inevitable sorrow, reinforcing dharma as the practical basis for avoiding karmic suffering.
By linking ignored dharma to recurring sorrow, it implies that adharma shapes painful outcomes after death and beyond, consistent with the Purana’s broader cause-and-effect view of karmic destiny.
Convert moral understanding into daily conduct—truthfulness, restraint, compassion, and duty—so that knowledge does not become “vṛthā” (wasted) and lead to preventable suffering.