Garuda Purana — Preta Kalpa, Shloka 15

Bhūmi-dāna, Satya-dharma, and the Non-cancellation of Sin by Charity

Devanagari script

स्वदत्तां परदत्तां वा यो हरेच्च वसुन्धराम् / षष्टिवर्षसहस्राणि विष्ठायां जायते कृमिः

Transliteration

svadattāṃ paradattāṃ vā yo harecca vasundharām / ṣaṣṭivarṣasahasrāṇi viṣṭhāyāṃ jāyate kṛmiḥ

Translation

جو اپنی دی ہوئی یا دوسرے کی دی ہوئی زمین چھین لے، وہ ساٹھ ہزار برس تک گندگی میں کیڑا بن کر پیدا ہوتا ہے۔

Word by Word

• sva-dattām: one's own (land) given
• sva-dattām: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sva (प्रातिपदिक) + datta (कृदन्त, √dā-दान)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (f.), द्वितीया विभक्ति (Acc. 2), एकवचन (sg.); विशेषण (adjectival)

• para-dattām: given by another
• para-dattām: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: para (प्रातिपदिक) + datta (कृदन्त, √dā-दान)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (f.), द्वितीया विभक्ति (Acc. 2), एकवचन (sg.); विशेषण

• vā: or
• vā: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vā (अव्यय)
• Form: विकल्पार्थक अव्यय (disjunctive particle: 'or')

• yaḥ: who (he who)
• yaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (m.), प्रथमा विभक्ति (Nom. 1), एकवचन (sg.); सम्बन्धसूचक सर्वनाम

• haret: should take away/steal
• haret: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √hṛ (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन (sg.)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक अव्यय (conjunction: 'and')

• vasundharām: the earth/land
• vasundharām: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vasundharā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (f.), द्वितीया विभक्ति (Acc. 2), एकवचन (sg.)

• ṣaṣṭi-varṣa-sahasrāṇi: for sixty thousand years
• ṣaṣṭi-varṣa-sahasrāṇi: Kāla-adhikaraṇa (कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ṣaṣṭi (प्रातिपदिक) + varṣa (प्रातिपदिक) + sahasra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (n.), द्वितीया विभक्ति (Acc. 2) (कालपरिमाणे), बहुवचन (pl.); कालपरिमाणवाचक (duration)

• viṣṭhāyām: in excrement
• viṣṭhāyām: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: viṣṭhā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (f.), सप्तमी विभक्ति (Loc. 7), एकवचन (sg.)

• jāyate: is born/arises
• jāyate: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √jan (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन (sg.)

• kṛmiḥ: a worm
• kṛmiḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kṛmi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (m.), प्रथमा विभक्ति (Nom. 1), एकवचन (sg.)

Speaker

Lord Vishnu (in dialogue with Garuda/Vinata-putra)

Pretakalpa Layer

Afterlife Stage: Pretayoni

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Land-grabbing/land-theft yields severe long-duration karmic retribution: rebirth as a worm in filth for sixty thousand years.

Vedantic Theme: Karma-niyati: actions bind the jīva to degrading births; attachment and greed (lobha) drive descent into tamasic yonis.

Application: Respect property and land grants; avoid dispossession, fraud, coercive acquisition; practice restitution and ethical stewardship.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: bibhatsa

Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka

Geographic Context

Type: impure place

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana 2.42.16 (brahmasva burns lineage); Garuda Purana Pretakalpa sections describing papa leading to low births and narakas (general thematic link)

FAQs

What is the importance of land (bhūmi/vasundharā) ethics in the Garuda Purana?

This verse treats land-seizure—especially taking back donated land or usurping another’s grant—as a severe adharma, carrying heavy karmic consequences after death.

How does this verse explain the working of karma after death?

It presents a concrete karmaphala: wrongful appropriation of land leads to a degrading rebirth condition (as a worm in filth), illustrating that specific actions yield specific post-death results in the Preta Kanda’s moral framework.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

Avoid encroachment, fraudulent transfers, and revoking gifts; respect lawful and ethical ownership—especially donated or pledged property—and rectify harm through restitution where possible.