Garuda Purana — Preta Kalpa, Shloka 9

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

Devanagari script

आकारप्रवर्तने पापं गोसहस्रवधैःसमम् / वृत्तिच्छेदे तथा वृत्तेः करणं लक्षधेनुकम्

Transliteration

ākārapravartane pāpaṃ gosahasravadhaiḥsamam / vṛtticchede tathā vṛtteḥ karaṇaṃ lakṣadhenukam

Translation

نقصان دہ رواج کو شروع کرنا (یا پھیلانا) ہزار گایوں کے ذبح کے برابر گناہ ہے؛ اور کسی کی روزی کاٹ دینا—اس کی معیشت برباد کرنا—لاکھ گایوں کے ذبح کے برابر ہے۔

Word by Word

• आकार-प्रवर्तने: in the act of initiating (a boundary/mark/form)
• आकार-प्रवर्तने: अधिकरण (Adhikaraṇa/Location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आकार (प्रातिपदिक) + प्रवर्तन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/अधिकरण), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (‘आकारस्य प्रवर्तनम्’ = initiating/setting in motion a form/mark)

• पापम्: sin
• पापम्: विधेय (Predicate complement)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन

• गो-सहस्र-वधैः: with (the sin of) killing a thousand cows
• गो-सहस्र-वधैः: करण/उपमान (Karaṇa/Standard of comparison)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गो (प्रातिपदिक) + सहस्र (प्रातिपदिक) + वध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/करण), बहुवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (‘गवां सहस्रस्य वधः’ = slaughter of a thousand cows)

• समम्: equal (to)
• समम्: विधेय (Predicate complement)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; तुल्यर्थक (equal)

• वृत्ति-च्छेदे: in cutting off (someone’s) livelihood
• वृत्ति-च्छेदे: अधिकरण (Adhikaraṇa/Location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वृत्ति (प्रातिपदिक) + छेद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/अधिकरण), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (‘वृत्तेः छेदः’ = cutting off livelihood)

• तथा: likewise
• तथा: सम्बन्ध/अन्वय (Adverbial relation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रकार/समुच्चयबोधक (adverb: likewise/so)

• वृत्तेः: of livelihood
• वृत्तेः: सम्बन्ध (Ṣaṣṭhī/Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वृत्ति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/सम्बन्ध), एकवचन

• करणम्: the act of doing/causing
• करणम्: विधेय (Predicate complement)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; ल्युट्-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त-नाम (action noun: ‘doing/making’)

• लक्ष-धेनुकम्: (equal to) a hundred-thousand cows (in value/merit)
• लक्ष-धेनुकम्: विधेय (Predicate complement)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: लक्ष (प्रातिपदिक) + धेनु (प्रातिपदिक) + क (तद्धित)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; द्विगु-समास (numeral compound) ‘लक्षधेनु’ + -क (taddhita, forming adjectival/noun)

Speaker

Lord Vishnu (in discourse to Garuda/Vinata-putra)

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Causing systemic harm (spreading harmful practice) and destroying livelihood accrues massive papa; social injury is heavy karma.

Vedantic Theme: Ahimsa and loka-saṅgraha: harming others’ sustenance thickens tamas and binds the doer to suffering.

Application: Avoid initiating exploitative norms; do not sabotage others’ employment, trade, or means of survival; build systems that protect livelihoods.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: raudra

Secondary Rasa: bibhatsa

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana dharma-nīti: repeated condemnation of go-himsā and of depriving others of sustenance; Garuda Purana Pretakalpa: papa measured by harm to beings and social order

Characters & Entities

• Vishnu
• Garuda
• Gau (cow)

FAQs

What is the importance of livelihood (vṛtti) in Garuda Purana ethics?

This verse treats vṛtti as dharmically protected: depriving someone of their means of living is counted among the gravest sins, with consequences compared to massive cow-slaughter.

How does this verse relate to karma and punishment in the Garuda Purana?

It quantifies the karmic weight of two acts—spreading harmful conduct and cutting off livelihood—by equating them to extreme violence (go-hatya), indicating severe afterlife consequences described in the Preta Kanda.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

Avoid actions that destroy others’ sustenance—unjust firing, exploitation, sabotaging work, or policies that intentionally impoverish—since the text frames such harm as a major adharma with heavy karmic fallout.