Garuda Purana — Preta Kalpa, Shloka 82
Post-cremation Ripening of Karma and the Principal Narakas
एते चैकशफाः षट् च शृणु पञ्चनखानतः / अन्यासु बहुपापासु दुः खदासु च यो निषु
ete caikaśaphāḥ ṣaṭ ca śṛṇu pañcanakhānataḥ / anyāsu bahupāpāsu duḥ khadāsu ca yo niṣu
此等确为六种单蹄之类；今当听闻五爪之类。于其他诸胎亦然——多罪所重、能生苦恼者——灵魂随其业行而受生。
Lord Vishnu (in discourse to Garuda/Vinata-putra)
Afterlife Stage: Pretayoni
Concept: Rebirth follows karmic classification; many wombs are duḥkha-dā (suffering-giving) according to the weight and variety of papa.
Vedantic Theme: Karma as niyati (lawful order) within samsara; the jiva’s trajectory shaped by guna and action.
Application: Use discernment (viveka) to avoid actions that lead to duḥkha-dā births; cultivate dharma, charity, and devotion to purify tendencies.
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: karuna
Type: conceptual mapping of yonis (wombs/species)
Related Themes: Garuda Purana Pretakalpa: yoni-bheda (classification of births) following naraka accounts; Garuda Purana: lists of pañcanakha beings and further womb categories
FAQs
This verse links specific categories of birth (yonis) with karmic outcomes, emphasizing that sinful actions can lead to painful embodiments rather than favorable human or divine conditions.
In the Preta Kanda teaching flow, the soul’s post-death destiny is framed through karma: after judgment and consequences, it can be directed into various yonis—some marked by suffering—based on accumulated sins.
Live with restraint and dharma—avoid harmful actions that create heavy negative karma—since the text warns that such conduct ripens into suffering-bearing life conditions and lower, painful births.