Shloka 84
Post-cremation Ripening of Karma and the Principal Narakas
मुहुर्गर्भे वसन्त्येव म्रियन्ते च मुहुर्मुहुः / अवशिष्टेन पापेन पुण्येन च समन्वितः
muhurgarbhe vasantyeva mriyante ca muhurmuhuḥ / avaśiṣṭena pāpena puṇyena ca samanvitaḥ
พวกเขาอยู่ในครรภ์ครั้งแล้วครั้งเล่า และตายครั้งแล้วครั้งเล่า; เพราะสัตว์ผู้มีร่างกายยังถูกผูกไว้ด้วยเศษบาป และมีบุญกุศลประกอบอยู่ด้วย
Lord Vishnu (speaking to Garuda/Vinata-putra)
Afterlife Stage: Pretayoni
Concept: Residual sin and accompanying merit propel repeated gestation and death; mixed karma sustains transmigration.
Vedantic Theme: Anādi karma and vāsanā bind the jīva to repeated embodiment; liberation requires exhaustion/cessation of karmic seeds through knowledge and devotion.
Application: Reduce papa through restraint and atonement, increase sattvic punya through service and worship, and pursue practices that cut the root of identification (ātma-vicāra/bhakti).
Primary Rasa: bhayanaka
Secondary Rasa: karuna
Type: womb
Related Themes: Garuda Purana Pretakalpa: womb and rebirth sequences; karma residues (śeṣa-pāpa/śeṣa-puṇya) discussed around 2.3.83–87
FAQs
This verse states that the being repeatedly enters the womb and dies because leftover (residual) sin and merit continue to accompany it, driving further births.
It implies continuity: after death the jīva does not become free automatically; the remaining balance of pāpa-puṇya persists and leads to repeated embodiment (garbha-vāsa) and renewed death.
Live ethically and reduce harmful actions while increasing merit through dharma and charity, recognizing that actions leave residues that shape future suffering or well-being.