Kāraṇa-vyākhyā: Cosmic Agents, Rudra-Forms, Sense-Purity, and Ānanda-Tāratamya
स्मृत्वास्मृत्वा वासुदेवस्य मायां रुरोद चौर्वो भयकंपिताङ्गः / अतीव कष्टेन च लोकवृत्त्या श्रिता दैन्यं स्वीयकार्यं विहाय
smṛtvāsmṛtvā vāsudevasya māyāṃ ruroda caurvo bhayakaṃpitāṅgaḥ / atīva kaṣṭena ca lokavṛttyā śritā dainyaṃ svīyakāryaṃ vihāya
เมื่อระลึกถึงมายาของวาสุเทวะครั้งแล้วครั้งเล่า โจรก็ร่ำไห้ด้วยกายสั่นสะท้านเพราะความกลัว ครั้นถูกความลำบากยิ่งและวิถีโลกอันกระด้างกดทับ เขาจึงตกอยู่ในความทุกข์ ละทิ้งกิจที่ตนตั้งใจไว้
Lord Vishnu (Vāsudeva) narrating to Garuda (Vinata-putra) in the Preta Kanda context
Concept: Worldly patterns (loka-vṛtti) and māyā generate fear and derail one’s chosen path; without higher refuge, suffering forces abandonment of dharmic intention.
Vedantic Theme: Saṃsāra as duḥkha under guṇa-mayī māyā; the need for stable sādhana to prevent collapse under adversity.
Application: Build resilience in practice: fixed daily japa/meditation, ethical routines, and supportive community so hardship does not cause abandonment of one’s higher aims.
Primary Rasa: bhayanaka
Secondary Rasa: karuna
Related Themes: Garuda Purana: māyā as binding force; bhakti as stabilizer amid fear and duḥkha (general); Narrative continuity with 3.18.57-59: remembrance → lament → plea → trembling fear
It shows how worldly delusion drives sinful choices and later collapses into fear and grief when consequences become unavoidable, revealing dependence on Vāsudeva’s divine order.
By portraying a sinner’s trembling remorse, it supports the text’s broader teaching that karmic actions mature into inner terror and suffering, which later mirrors the after-death accountability described in the Preta Kanda.
Avoid unethical livelihood, especially theft or exploitation; choose dharmic means of earning, and correct wrongdoing early through restraint, restitution, and sincere repentance.