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.
श्वा च वै जायते मूढः कर्मणा तेन भो द्विजाः श्वा भूत्वा कृतकर्मासौ जायते मानुषस् ततः
He is born as a foolish dog because of that deed, O Brahmins; after being a dog and performing actions, he is then born as a human.
तत्रापत्यं समुत्पाद्य मृतो जायेत मूषिकः कृतघ्नस् तु मृतो विप्रा यमस्य विषयं गतः
There, after producing offspring, upon death he is born as a mouse; but one who is ungrateful, O Brahmins, upon death, goes to the realm of Yama.
यमस्य विषये क्रूरैर् बद्धः प्राप्नोति वेदनाम् दण्डकं मुद्गरं शूलम् अग्निदण्डं च दारुणम्
In the realm of Yama, bound by cruel beings, he experiences suffering: the club, the hammer, the spear, and the fierce fire-rod.
असिपत्त्रवनं घोरं वालुकां कूटशाल्मलीम् एताश् चान्याश् च बहवो यमस्य विषयं गताः
The dreadful sword-leaf forest, sand, and the spiked silk-cotton tree—these and many others are found in the realm of Yama.
यातनाः प्राप्य घोरास् तु ततो याति च भो द्विजाः संसारचक्रम् आसाद्य क्रिमियोनौ प्रजायते
After enduring these terrible torments, then, O Brahmins, he enters the cycle of rebirth and is born in the worm species.
क्रिमिर् भवति वर्षाणि दश पञ्च च भो द्विजाः ततो गर्भं समासाद्य तत्रैव म्रियते नरः
He becomes a worm for fifteen years, O Brahmins; then, upon entering a womb, he dies there as a human.
ततो गर्भशतैर् जन्तुर् बहुशः संप्रपद्यते संसारान् सुबहून् गत्वा ततस् तिर्यक् प्रजायते
Then, through hundreds of wombs, the creature repeatedly attains birth; after passing through many existences, he is born as an animal.
ततो दुःखम् अनुप्राप्य बहुवर्षगणानि वै स पुनर्भवसंयुक्तस् ततः कूर्मः प्रजायते
Afterwards, experiencing suffering for many years, he is again bound to rebirth; then he is born as a tortoise.
दधि हृत्वा बकश् चापि प्लवो मत्स्यान् असंस्कृतान् चोरयित्वा तु दुर्बुद्धिर् मधुदंशः प्रजायते
Stealing curds, a crane, or a heron; stealing uncooked fish, a person of wicked mind is born as a honeybee.
फलं वा मूलकं हृत्वा पूपं वापि पिपीलिकः चोरयित्वा तु निष्पावं जायते फलमूषकः
Stealing fruit or roots, or even a cake, he becomes an ant; stealing peas, he is born as a fruit-mouse.