Shloka 2
Śravaṇa-Mahātmya: The Śravaṇas, Cosmic Testimony, and the Paths of the Puruṣārthas
मानुषैश्च कृतं कर्म कस्माज्जानन्ति ते प्रभो / कथं शृण्वन्ति ते सर्वे कस्माज्ज्ञानं समागतम्
mānuṣaiśca kṛtaṃ karma kasmājjānanti te prabho / kathaṃ śṛṇvanti te sarve kasmājjñānaṃ samāgatam
“O Panginoon, paano nila nalalaman ang mga gawa (karma) na ginawa ng mga tao? Paano silang lahat nakaririnig tungkol dito? Saan nagmula ang kaalamang iyon?”
Garuda (Vinata-putra) addressing Lord Vishnu
Afterlife Stage: Yamaloka Journey
Concept: Karma is intelligible and reportable in the post-mortem order; there exists a mechanism by which actions are known and heard by relevant beings.
Vedantic Theme: Karma as niyati within īśvara-sṛṣṭi: the moral law is not arbitrary; it is structured, knowable, and administered.
Application: Live transparently and responsibly; treat every act as consequential and ‘recorded’ in the moral order, encouraging integrity and timely repentance.
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shanta
Type: realm
Related Themes: Garuda Purana Pretakalpa descriptions of karmic accounting (records, messengers, judgment hall procedures); Garuda Purana discussions of Yama’s agents and how they apprehend deeds
FAQs
This verse raises the core doctrinal question of accountability: it asks how deeds done in the human realm become known in the post-death realm, setting up the Purana’s explanation of karmic record and judgment.
Indirectly, it introduces the mechanism behind post-death consequences—before describing journeys, messengers, or Yama’s court, it asks how the departed’s earthly actions are known and reported.
Live with integrity even in private: the verse emphasizes that actions have knowable consequences beyond immediate human observation, encouraging ethical conduct and mindful karma.