Garuda Purana — Preta Kalpa, Shloka 22
Karma, Varṇa-Dharma, and Dāna as the Soul’s True Companion on the Path to Yama
सर्वं विजानाति हि गर्भसंस्थितो जातश्च सद्यस्तदिदञ्च विस्मरेत् / यच्चिन्तितं गर्भसमागतेन वै बालो युवा वृद्धवया बभूव
sarvaṃ vijānāti hi garbhasaṃsthito jātaśca sadyastadidañca vismaret / yaccintitaṃ garbhasamāgatena vai bālo yuvā vṛddhavayā babhūva
诚然，众生住于胎中之时，了知一切；然一旦出生，便立刻遗忘。入胎之际所曾思惟者，随生命阶段展开，遂成孩童、青年，继而老年。
Lord Vishnu (in discourse to Garuda/Vinata-putra)
Concept: Consciousness is veiled by birth; memory/knowledge fluctuates across embodiment; life proceeds through āśrama-like stages (bālya, yauvana, vṛddha).
Vedantic Theme: Avidyā as the cause of forgetfulness; saṃskāra and vāsanā persist though explicit memory is lost.
Application: Use contemplative practices (svādhyāya, meditation, japa) to counter forgetfulness and live intentionally through each stage of life.
Primary Rasa: karuna
Secondary Rasa: shanta
Type: bodily-inner-space
Related Themes: Garuda Purana and other Purāṇic accounts of garbha-śayana and birth-forgetfulness (general internal parallel)
FAQs
This verse states that the jiva, while in the womb, possesses clear knowing, but loses that awareness immediately upon birth—highlighting how embodied life veils spiritual knowledge.
It presents a samsaric pattern: the soul enters embodiment (womb), experiences a veil of forgetfulness at birth, and then proceeds through life-stages—childhood, youth, and old age—under the conditions of karma and bodily limitation.
Treat life as a brief, staged journey: cultivate remembrance through dharma, self-discipline, and spiritual study so that forgetfulness does not lead to careless action and further bondage.