Shloka 24
Saṃsāra-cakra, Preta’s 12-day Transit to Yama, Re-embodiment, and Karma-Vipāka Catalog of Sins and Rebirths
कृमिः स्त्रीवधकर्ता च बालहन्ता च जायते / भोजनञ्चोरयित्वा तु मक्षिका जायते नरः
kṛmiḥ strīvadhakartā ca bālahantā ca jāyate / bhojanañcorayitvā tu makṣikā jāyate naraḥ
Pembunuh wanita dan pembunuh kanak-kanak akan lahir sebagai ulat. Dan lelaki yang mencuri makanan akan terlahir semula sebagai lalat.
Lord Vishnu (in dialogue with Garuda/Vinata-putra)
Afterlife Stage: Pretayoni
Concept: Grave hiṃsā (killing woman/child) yields worm rebirth; theft of food yields fly rebirth.
Vedantic Theme: Adharma intensifies tamas and binds the jīva to painful saṃsāra; karma is precise and inescapable.
Application: Uphold non-violence; safeguard women and children; maintain integrity around food/resources; avoid exploitation of the hungry.
Primary Rasa: bhayanaka
Secondary Rasa: karuna
Type: karmic adjudication sphere
Related Themes: Garuda Purana 1.225.23–27: contiguous karma-vipāka mapping of theft/violence to rebirth forms; Garuda Purana Pretakalpa: hiṃsā-doṣa discussions (theme-level)
FAQs
This verse states that specific grave harms—killing women or children, and stealing food—produce corresponding low births (worm or fly), emphasizing moral causality across lives.
It presents a post-death karmic outcome where the jīva, due to paapa, does not attain a favorable human rebirth but is compelled into lower embodied forms as a consequence.
Protect life (especially the vulnerable) and avoid taking others’ sustenance; cultivate non-violence and honesty as daily disciplines to prevent harmful karmic outcomes.