Shloka 18
Karma-vipāka: Truth, Yama’s Judgment, and the Marks of Sin in Rebirth
मृतो वानरतां याति तन्मुखो गण्डवान् भवेत् / अदत्त्वा भक्ष्यमश्राति अनपत्यो भवेत्तु सः
mṛto vānaratāṃ yāti tanmukho gaṇḍavān bhavet / adattvā bhakṣyamaśrāti anapatyo bhavettu saḥ
موت کے بعد وہ بندر کی یَونی میں جاتا ہے اور اس کا چہرہ پھوڑوں کی سوجن سے بھر جاتا ہے۔ جو بغیر دیے ہوئے کھانے کو کھاتا ہے وہ بے اولاد ہوتا ہے۔
Lord Vishnu (teaching Garuda/Vinata-putra)
Afterlife Stage: Pretayoni
Concept: Adharma in food-consumption/appropriation yields dehumanizing rebirth and bodily affliction; improper eating without rightful giving leads to loss of progeny.
Vedantic Theme: Karma-phala and saṃskāra shaping future embodiment; degradation of consciousness through tamasic acts.
Application: Accept food only when properly offered/earned; practice dana and honest livelihood; maintain śauca and restraint around consumption.
Primary Rasa: bhayanaka
Secondary Rasa: bibhatsa
Related Themes: Garuda Purana Pretakalpa: lists of pāpa and corresponding tiryak-yoni rebirths (adjacent verses 2.46.19–22)
FAQs
This verse treats eating what is not properly given as a moral breach with karmic consequences, showing that everyday conduct—especially around food—directly shapes post-death outcomes.
It links a specific wrongdoing (adatta-bhojana: consuming what is not given) to specific karmic results—lower rebirth (as a monkey) and bodily suffering (swollen boils)—illustrating the Garuda Purana’s cause-and-effect model of post-mortem destiny overseen in Yama’s moral order.
Avoid taking or consuming food without consent, practice respectful sharing and permission-based use, and treat food as a dharmic responsibility—supporting integrity, gratitude, and social trust.