Garuda Purana — Preta Kalpa, Shloka 56
Post-cremation Ripening of Karma and the Principal Narakas
सूकरे ब्रह्महा मज्जेत्सुरापः स्वर्णतस्करः / ताले पतेत्क्षत्त्रहन्ता हत्वा वैश्यं च दुर्गतिः
sūkare brahmahā majjetsurāpaḥ svarṇataskaraḥ / tāle patetkṣattrahantā hatvā vaiśyaṃ ca durgatiḥ
杀害婆罗门者，沉入猪胎。饮酒成瘾者，转为盗金之人。杀害刹帝利者，堕为棕榈树之生（如被缚般不能动）。而杀害吠舍者，得极其悲惨的堕落。
Lord Vishnu (in dialogue instructing Garuda/Vinata-putra)
Afterlife Stage: Pretayoni
Concept: Mahāpātaka-like acts yield degraded rebirths: brahmahatyā leading to animal womb; other grave sins leading to ignoble conditions and immobilized birth.
Vedantic Theme: Saṁsāra-bandha through pāpa; embodiment as a pedagogic consequence; guṇa-tamas predominance leading to lower births.
Application: Cultivate ahimsa and reverence toward life; avoid intoxicants and theft; seek prāyaścitta and sattvic reform to prevent karmic downfall.
Primary Rasa: bibhatsa
Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka
Type: transitional karmic destinies (yoni/embodiment outcomes)
Related Themes: Garuda Purana: yoni-janma results for sins; lists of pāpa leading to animal/plant births in related chapters
FAQs
This verse links specific grave harms (killing members of varṇas, intoxication, theft) to concrete negative rebirth outcomes, reinforcing dharma through the doctrine of karmic consequence.
It indicates that unresolved pāpa can propel the jīva toward degraded or painful destinies—such as low births or immobilized states—consistent with Yama’s karmic adjudication described in the Preta Kanda.
Avoid violence, exploitation, and intoxication-driven harm; practice restitution and ethical restraint (ahiṃsā, satya, asteya) to prevent destructive karmic outcomes.