Shloka 21
Karma, Varṇa-Dharma, and Dāna as the Soul’s True Companion on the Path to Yama
देहं परित्यज्य यदा गतायुः पक्षिन् स्थितो ऽहं कृमिकीटसंस्थितः / सरीसृपो ऽहं मशको विनिर्मितश्चतुष्पदो ऽहं वनसूकरो ऽहम्
dehaṃ parityajya yadā gatāyuḥ pakṣin sthito 'haṃ kṛmikīṭasaṃsthitaḥ / sarīsṛpo 'haṃ maśako vinirmitaścatuṣpado 'haṃ vanasūkaro 'ham
ఆయువు తీరినప్పుడు ఈ దేహాన్ని విడిచిన నేను పక్షిగా అవుతాను; కృమి-కీటాలలోనూ నిలుపబడుతాను. సరిసృపంగా అవుతాను, దోమగా కూడా రూపుదిద్దుకుంటాను; నాలుగు కాళ్ల జంతువుగా అవుతాను, అడవి పందిగా కూడా అవుతాను.
Lord Vishnu (in instruction to Garuda/Vinata-putra)
Afterlife Stage: Pretayoni
Concept: Karmic momentum drives rebirth into diverse yonis; identity is fluid under saṃsāra.
Vedantic Theme: Anātman/impermanence of embodied states; bondage through avidyā and karma leading to repeated embodiment.
Application: Cultivate restraint and merit; reduce harmful actions that propel lower births; intensify spiritual practice while human.
Primary Rasa: bhayanaka
Secondary Rasa: bibhatsa
Related Themes: Garuda Purana Pretakalpa passages on yoni-bheda and karmic rebirth (general internal parallel)
FAQs
This verse emphasizes karmic consequence: after death, the jiva can be propelled into non-human births (birds, insects, reptiles, animals) according to prior actions, reinforcing ethical restraint and dharmic living.
It presents transmigration as a sequence of post-death placements—once the life-term ends and the body is left, the jiva may assume various embodied states, illustrating that the afterlife can culminate in immediate rebirth rather than a single fixed destination.
Live with compassion and self-control, avoid harmful actions that degrade consciousness, and support ancestral rites (e.g., śrāddha/pinda offerings where appropriate) as reminders of responsibility toward the departed and one’s own future trajectory.