Shloka 21
Karma, Varṇa-Dharma, and Dāna as the Soul’s True Companion on the Path to Yama
देहं परित्यज्य यदा गतायुः पक्षिन् स्थितो ऽहं कृमिकीटसंस्थितः / सरीसृपो ऽहं मशको विनिर्मितश्चतुष्पदो ऽहं वनसूकरो ऽहम्
dehaṃ parityajya yadā gatāyuḥ pakṣin sthito 'haṃ kṛmikīṭasaṃsthitaḥ / sarīsṛpo 'haṃ maśako vinirmitaścatuṣpado 'haṃ vanasūkaro 'ham
جب عمر پوری ہو کر میں اس بدن کو چھوڑتا ہوں تو میں پرندہ بن جاتا ہوں؛ کیڑے مکوڑوں میں بھی رکھا جاتا ہوں۔ میں رینگنے والا جانور بنتا ہوں، مچھر کی صورت میں بھی ڈھلتا ہوں؛ میں چارپایہ بنتا ہوں، اور جنگل کا سور بھی بن جاتا ہوں۔
Lord Vishnu (in instruction to Garuda/Vinata-putra)
Afterlife Stage: Pretayoni
Concept: Karmic momentum drives rebirth into diverse yonis; identity is fluid under saṃsāra.
Vedantic Theme: Anātman/impermanence of embodied states; bondage through avidyā and karma leading to repeated embodiment.
Application: Cultivate restraint and merit; reduce harmful actions that propel lower births; intensify spiritual practice while human.
Primary Rasa: bhayanaka
Secondary Rasa: bibhatsa
Related Themes: Garuda Purana Pretakalpa passages on yoni-bheda and karmic rebirth (general internal parallel)
FAQs
This verse emphasizes karmic consequence: after death, the jiva can be propelled into non-human births (birds, insects, reptiles, animals) according to prior actions, reinforcing ethical restraint and dharmic living.
It presents transmigration as a sequence of post-death placements—once the life-term ends and the body is left, the jiva may assume various embodied states, illustrating that the afterlife can culminate in immediate rebirth rather than a single fixed destination.
Live with compassion and self-control, avoid harmful actions that degrade consciousness, and support ancestral rites (e.g., śrāddha/pinda offerings where appropriate) as reminders of responsibility toward the departed and one’s own future trajectory.