Karma-vipāka: Rebirths and Bodily Marks Resulting from Specific Sins
मांसं गृध्रः पटं श्वित्री चीरी लवणहारकः / यथाकर्म फलं प्राप्य तिर्यक्त्वं कालपर्ययात्
māṃsaṃ gṛdhraḥ paṭaṃ śvitrī cīrī lavaṇahārakaḥ / yathākarma phalaṃ prāpya tiryaktvaṃ kālaparyayāt
Trộm thịt thì thành kền kền; trộm vải thì thành người mắc bệnh phong (bạch biến). Kẻ lấy y phục thì thành người mặc áo rách; kẻ trộm muối thì thành kẻ trộm muối. Do quả báo của chính nghiệp mình, theo dòng thời gian, mỗi người nhận lấy một kiếp sinh phi nhân tùy theo karma.
Lord Vishnu (speaking to Garuda/Vinata-putra)
Afterlife Stage: Pretayoni
Concept: Yathākarma: actions ripen over time into corresponding births/conditions (animal birth, disease, poverty markers).
Vedantic Theme: Saṃsāra driven by karma and vāsanā; kāla (time) as the ripener of karma-phala.
Application: Adopt ethical livelihood (avoid theft and exploitation), purify conduct through confession, restitution, and disciplined restraint; cultivate compassion to counter predatory tendencies.
Primary Rasa: bhayanaka
Secondary Rasa: bibhatsa
Related Themes: Garuda Purana 1.104 (continuation of theft-to-yoni mapping)
This verse frames punishment as karmic fruition: specific unethical acts mature into corresponding forms of suffering, including lower births (tiryaktva), reinforcing moral restraint.
It indicates that after death, the jīva’s accumulated actions can ripen into non-human embodiments over time, showing rebirth as a consequence-driven continuation of the soul’s journey.
Avoid harm and theft—especially exploiting essentials like food and clothing—and cultivate honest livelihood, compassion, and respect for others’ property to prevent harmful karmic outcomes.