Shloka 126
An exposition on the fruits of charity and on entry into a body
Garbhotpatti, Piṇḍa-śarīra, and Antya-kāla-kriyā
पञ्चैतानि हि सृज्यन्ते गर्भस्थस्यैव देहिनः / कर्मणा जायते जन्तुः कर्मणैव प्रलीयते
pañcaitāni hi sṛjyante garbhasthasyaiva dehinaḥ / karmaṇā jāyate jantuḥ karmaṇaiva pralīyate
ഈ അഞ്ചും ഗർഭസ്ഥനായ ദേഹിയ്ക്കായി തന്നെ സൃഷ്ടിക്കപ്പെടുന്നു. ജീവൻ കർമത്താൽ ജനിക്കുന്നു; കർമത്താലേ ലയത്തിലേക്ക് പോകുന്നു.
Lord Vishnu (speaking to Garuda/Vinata-putra)
Concept: Key life-determinants are fashioned for the embodied being even in the womb; karma is the cause of both birth and dissolution.
Vedantic Theme: Karma as upādhi-conditioning for embodied existence; saṃsāra’s causal chain (hetu-phala) governing embodiment.
Application: Take responsibility for present actions as seeds shaping future conditions; cultivate wholesome karma through ethical living and devotion.
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
Type: bodily interior (prenatal)
Related Themes: Garuda Purana: garbha and karma discussions; repeated formula ‘karmaṇā jāyate… karmaṇā praliyate’ style statements
FAQs
This verse states that karma is the decisive cause behind birth and dissolution, framing the afterlife narrative around ethical causality rather than chance.
It presents the embodied being as entering life and leaving it under the force of accumulated actions, implying that post-death experiences described in the Preta Kanda follow karmic law.
Live with accountability—cultivate dharma, restraint, charity, and truthfulness—since actions are portrayed as shaping both one’s birth conditions and one’s end.