Shloka 8
Praise of Vṛṣotsarga (Bull-release), Worthy Dāna, and the Procedure for Kṣayāha & Ūrdhva-daihika Rites
धनं भूमिगतं यद्वत्स्वहस्तेन निवेशितम् / तद्वत्फलमवाप्नोति ह्यहं वच्मि खगेश्वर
dhanaṃ bhūmigataṃ yadvatsvahastena niveśitam / tadvatphalamavāpnoti hyahaṃ vacmi khageśvara
ดุจทรัพย์ที่ฝังไว้ในแผ่นดิน ย่อมถูกขุดคืนด้วยมือเดียวกับที่ฝังไว้ ฉันใด ผลแห่งกรรมก็ย่อมตกแก่ผู้กระทำเองฉันนั้น—ข้าพเจ้ากล่าวแก่ท่าน โอ้เจ้าแห่งนกทั้งหลาย।
Lord Vishnu
Concept: Karmaphala is personally owned and personally reaped: as one alone can retrieve what one buried, so one alone obtains the fruits of one’s deeds.
Vedantic Theme: Moral causality and personal responsibility; supports vairāgya and self-discipline by removing reliance on chance or external blame.
Application: Act with long-term accountability; keep ethical consistency even when unseen; reflect daily: ‘What I deposit by action, I will withdraw as result.’
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
Type: didactic dialogue setting (Hari–Garuḍa implied)
Related Themes: Garuda Purana: recurring ‘karma follows the soul’ doctrine; simile-driven instruction to Garuḍa in multiple adhyāyas
FAQs
This verse stresses personal accountability: the doer alone necessarily encounters the results of deeds, just as only the one who buried wealth can retrieve it.
In the Preta Kanda’s framework, the post-death journey is shaped by one’s accumulated karma; the soul meets consequences that correspond to its own actions, not another’s.
Live ethically and consciously—since outcomes follow the doer, cultivate dharma, avoid harmful acts, and perform duties with responsibility.