Shloka 79
The Extent of Questions: Deathbed Rites, Kāla (Time), and Karma-Vipāka Rebirths
अग्न्युत्सादी तु कुष्ठी स्याददत्ताऽदानतो वृषः / सर्पो गोहारको ऽन्नस्य हारकः स्यादजीर्णवान्
agnyutsādī tu kuṣṭhī syādadattā'dānato vṛṣaḥ / sarpo gohārako 'nnasya hārakaḥ syādajīrṇavān
Quem extingue ou estraga o fogo sagrado torna-se leproso. Quem toma o que nunca lhe foi dado renasce como touro. O ladrão de vacas renasce como serpente; e o ladrão de alimento fica afligido por indigestão.
Lord Vishnu (in dialogue with Garuda/Vinata-putra)
Concept: Desecration of sacred fire yields bodily decay (kuṣṭha); theft yields corresponding rebirth/affliction: taking ungiven → bull; cow theft → serpent; food theft → indigestion.
Vedantic Theme: Ritual and ethical order (ṛta/dharma) sustains life; violating sustenance symbols (agni, go, anna) rebounds as disease and degraded embodiment.
Application: Protect sacred/communal resources (fire, food, livestock); practice non-stealing (asteya); maintain reverence for ritual supports and household duties.
Primary Rasa: bhayanaka
Secondary Rasa: bibhatsa
Type: domestic altar / ritual hearth
Related Themes: Garuda Purana 2.2 (agni-apacāra, steya, and their vipāka)
FAQs
This verse treats adatta-adana as a serious violation of dharma with tangible karmic results, even leading to non-human rebirth, showing that unethical acquisition directly shapes one’s future embodiment.
It links specific misdeeds—harming sacred fire, stealing, cow-theft, and food-theft—to specific sufferings or rebirth-forms, illustrating the Garuda Purana’s cause-and-effect mapping of actions to post-death consequences.
Protect what is sacred (especially ritual fire and offerings), never take what is not freely given, and treat food and cows (livelihood and sustenance) with reverence—ethical restraint is presented as the simplest prevention of future suffering.