पितरं मातरं चैव यस् तु पुत्रो ऽवमन्यते सो ऽपि विप्रा मृतो जन्तुः पूर्वं जायेत गर्दभः
If a son disrespects his father and mother, O Brahmins, after dying, that creature is first born as a donkey.
गर्दभत्वं तु संप्राप्य दश वर्षाणि जीवति संवत्सरं तु कुम्भीरस् ततो जायेत मानवः
Having attained the state of a donkey, he lives for ten years; then, for one year as a crocodile, after which he is born as a human.
पुत्रस्य मातापितरौ यस्य रुष्टाव् उभाव् अपि गुर्वपध्यानतः सो ऽपि मृतो जायेत गर्दभः
If both parents of a son are angry due to the disrespect of the teacher, after dying, he is born as a donkey.
खरो जीवति मासांश् च दश चापि चतुर्दश बिडालः सप्त मासांस् तु ततो जायेत मानवः
The donkey lives for ten and fourteen months; the cat lives for seven months, after which he is born as a human.
मातापितराव् आक्रुश्य सारीकः संप्रजायते ताडयित्वा तु ताव् एव जायते कच्छपो द्विजाः
By shouting at his mother and father, a person is born as a starling; but by striking them, O twice-born, he is born as a turtle.
कच्छपो दश वर्षाणि त्रीणि वर्षाणि शल्यकः व्यालो भूत्वा तु षण् मासांस् ततो जायेत मानुषः
The turtle lives for ten years, the porcupine for three years; then, after becoming a snake for six months, he is born as a human.
भर्तृपिण्डम् उपाश्नीनो राजद्विष्टानि सेवते सो ऽपि मोहसमापन्नो मृतो जायेत वानरः
One who eats the food offered to the husband and serves those hated by the king, being deluded, is born as a monkey after death.
वानरो दश वर्षाणि सप्त वर्षाणि मूषकः श्वा च भूत्वा तु षण् मासांस् ततो जायेत मानवः
The monkey lives for ten years, then for seven years as a mouse; after being a dog for six months, he is then born as a human.
न्यासापहर्ता तु नरो यमस्य विषयं गतः संसाराणां शतं गत्वा कृमियोनौ प्रजायते
A man who steals from those who have renounced, having gone to Yama's realm and passed through a hundred cycles of rebirth, is born in the womb of worms.
तत्र जीवति वर्षाणि दश पञ्च च भो द्विजाः दुष्कृतस्य क्षयं कृत्वा ततो जायेत मानुषः
There, O twice-born, he lives for fifteen years; after exhausting his evil deeds, he is then born as a human.
असूयको नरश् चापि मृतो जायेत शार्ङ्गकः विश्वासहर्ता च नरो मीनो जायेत दुर्मतिः
A man who is envious is born as a heron after death; and one who betrays trust, being wicked-minded, is born as a fish.
भूत्वा मीनो ऽष्ट वर्षाणि मृगो जायेत भो द्विजाः मृगस् तु चतुरो मासांस् ततश् छागः प्रजायते
Having been a fish for eight years, he is born as a deer, O twice-born; the deer lives for four months, then is born as a goat.
छागस् तु निधनं प्राप्य पूर्णे संवत्सरे ततः कीटः संजायते जन्तुस् ततो जायेत मानुषः
When the goat dies after a full year, then it is born as an insect; after that, the creature is born as a human.
धान्यान् यवांस् तिलान् माषान् कुलित्थान् सर्षपांश् चणान् कलायान् अथ मुद्गांश् च गोधूमान् अतसीस् तथा
He who steals grains, barley, sesame, black gram, horse gram, mustard, chickpeas, peas, green gram, wheat, or flax—
सस्यान्य् अन्यानि हर्ता च मर्त्यो मोहाद् अचेतनः संजायते मुनिश्रेष्ठा मूषिको निरपत्रपः
—or any other crops, O best of sages, such a heedless mortal is born as a shameless mouse.
ततः प्रेत्य मुनिश्रेष्ठा मृतो जायेत शूकरः शूकरो जातमात्रस् तु रोगेण म्रियते पुनः
Then, O best of sages, after dying, he is born as a pig; and the pig, as soon as it is born, dies from disease again.
श्वा ततो जायते मूकः कर्मणा तेन मानवः भूत्वा श्वा पञ्च वर्षाणि ततो जायेत मानवः
After that, he is born as a mute dog; by that action, he becomes a human. Having been a dog for five years, he is then born as a human.
परदाराभिमर्शं तु कृत्वा जायेत वै वृकः श्वा शृगालस् ततो गृध्रो व्यालः कङ्को बकस् तथा
By committing adultery, one is born as a wolf, then as a dog, a jackal, a vulture, a snake, a heron, and a crane.
भ्रातुर् भार्यां तु पापात्मा यो धर्षयति मोहितः पुंस्कोकिलत्वम् आप्नोति सो ऽपि संवत्सरं द्विजाः
A sinful man who, deluded, violates his brother's wife attains the state of a male cuckoo, O twice-born, for one year.
सखिभार्यां गुरोर् भार्यां राजभार्यां तथैव च प्रधर्षयित्वा कामात्मा मृतो जायेत शूकरः
He who, driven by desire, violates the wife of a friend, a teacher, or a king, after death is born as a pig.
शूकरः पञ्च वर्षाणि दश वर्षाणि वै बकः पिपीलिकस् तु मासांस् त्रीन् कीटः स्यान् मासम् एव च
The pig lives for five years, the heron for ten years; the ant for three months, and the insect for just one month.
एतान् आसाद्य संसारान् कृमियोनौ प्रजायते तत्र जीवति मासांस् तु कृमियोनौ चतुर्दश
Having passed through these existences, he is born in the womb of worms, where he lives for fourteen months.
नरो ऽधर्मक्षयं कृत्वा ततो जायेत मानुषः पूर्वं दत्त्वा तु यः कन्यां द्वितीये दातुम् इच्छति
A man, having committed a decline in righteousness, is born as a human; but one who, after giving his daughter in marriage once, wishes to give her again—
सो ऽपि विप्रा मृतो जन्तुः क्रिमियोनौ प्रजायते तत्र जीवति वर्षाणि त्रयोदश द्विजोत्तमाः
That person, O Brahmins, upon death, is born as a creature in the worm species, and lives there for thirteen years.
अधर्मसंक्षये मुक्तस् ततो जायेत मानुषः देवकार्यम् अकृत्वा तु पितृकार्यम् अथापि वा
When the decline of righteousness is exhausted, he is released and then born as a human; but if he has not performed duties to the gods or to the ancestors—
अनिर्वाप्य पितॄन् देवान् मृतो जायेत वायसः वायसः शतवर्षाणि ततो जायेत कुक्कुटः
Without satisfying the ancestors and gods, upon death, he is born as a crow; as a crow for a hundred years, then he is born as a rooster.
जायते व्यालकश् चापि मासं तस्मात् तु मानुषः ज्येष्ठं पितृसमं चापि भ्रातरं यो ऽवमन्यते
He is born as a snake for a month, and then as a human; one who disregards his eldest brother or one equal to his father—
सो ऽपि मृत्युम् उपागम्य क्रौञ्चयोनौ प्रजायते क्रौञ्चो जीवति वर्षाणि दश जायेत जीवकः
That person, upon encountering death, is born in the crane species; the crane lives for ten years, then is born as a jivaka bird.
ततो निधनम् आप्नोति मानुषत्वम् अवाप्नुयात् वृषलो ब्राह्मणीं गत्वा कृमियोनौ प्रजायते
Afterwards, he meets his end and attains human birth; a shudra who approaches a Brahmin woman is born in the worm species.
ततः संप्राप्य निधनं जायते शूकरः पुनः शूकरो जातमात्रस् तु रोगेण म्रियते द्विजाः
Then, upon reaching death, he is born again as a pig; the pig, immediately upon birth, dies from disease, O Brahmins.