Shloka 81
Post-cremation Ripening of Karma and the Principal Narakas
गत्वा वनगजाढ्येषु गोष्वषु तथैव च / खरो ऽश्वो ऽश्वतरो गौरः शरभश्चमरी तथा
gatvā vanagajāḍhyeṣu goṣvaṣu tathaiva ca / kharo 'śvo 'śvataro gauraḥ śarabhaścamarī tathā
เมื่อไปเกิดในฝูงที่อุดมด้วยช้างป่า และเช่นเดียวกันในหมู่โค เขาย่อมเป็นลา ม้า ล่อ วัวผู้ อีกทั้งเป็นศรภะและจามรีด้วย।
Lord Vishnu (speaking to Garuda/Vinata-putra)
Afterlife Stage: Pretayoni
Concept: Specific karmic residues yield specific animal embodiments—burden-bearing and constrained lives among single-hoofed and related creatures.
Vedantic Theme: Embodiment as limitation; jiva’s identification with body leads to repeated births; karma shapes the field of experience.
Application: Avoid exploitation, cruelty, and deceit that lead to lives of servitude and suffering; cultivate compassion and dharmic livelihood.
Primary Rasa: karuna
Secondary Rasa: bibhatsa
Type: wilderness (vana) and cattle-herds (goṣṭha)
Related Themes: Garuda Purana Pretakalpa: detailed yoni lists following naraka; Garuda Purana: classification of ekashapha and pañcanakha beings
FAQs
This verse highlights tiryak-yoni (animal birth) as a karmic outcome, showing that the soul can descend into non-human forms when actions and tendencies ripen into lower embodiments.
In the Preta Kanda narrative, Vishnu explains to Garuda that after death and judgment of karma, the jiva may be directed into specific wombs; here, the result is rebirth among various animal species.
Cultivate dharma—non-violence, truthfulness, restraint, and compassion—so that one’s tendencies elevate rather than degrade, shaping a higher future birth and a clearer spiritual path.