Shloka 6
Karma-vipāka: Rebirths and Bodily Marks Resulting from Specific Sins
गुच्छं चुचुन्दरी हृत्वा धान्यहृन्मूषको भवेत् / फलं कपिः पशून्हृत्वा त्वजा काकः पयस्तथा
gucchaṃ cucundarī hṛtvā dhānyahṛnmūṣako bhavet / phalaṃ kapiḥ paśūnhṛtvā tvajā kākaḥ payastathā
गुच्छं हृत्वा चुचुन्दरी भवति, धान्यं हृत्वा मूषको भवेत्। फलं हृत्वा कपिर्भवति, पशून् हृत्वा काकः; पयः हृत्वा अपि तथैव अधमां योनिं प्राप्नोति॥
Lord Vishnu (in instruction to Garuda)
Afterlife Stage: Pretayoni
Concept: Specific acts of theft yield corresponding degraded rebirths (tiryak-yoni) by karmic correspondence.
Vedantic Theme: Karma-phala and saṃskāra shaping embodiment; bondage through adharma.
Application: Practice asteya (non-stealing), cultivate contentment, make restitution/charity if wrongdoing occurred, and restrain acquisitive impulses.
Primary Rasa: bibhatsa
Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka
Related Themes: Garuda Purana Pretakalpa: karma-phala lists for theft and resultant yonis (adjacent verses in 1.104)
FAQs
This verse frames theft as a direct cause of lower rebirths, mapping specific stolen items (grain, fruit, cattle, milk) to specific animal embodiments, emphasizing moral causality.
It presents karmic retribution operating through rebirth: harmful acquisition creates tendencies and debts that mature into an embodied experience matching the act—here, degraded animal births.
Practice scrupulous non-stealing (including misappropriation or exploitation), make restitution where possible, and cultivate honest livelihood to avoid karmic decline.