In the sacred Garuḍa Purāṇa, it is taught that the forest-dweller, devoted to self-study and meditation, lives for the welfare of all beings. He sets aside what was performed during Āśvayuja, carefully observing the proper times for vows and disciplines. During the Cāndrāyaṇa vow, he sleeps upon the ground and sustains himself with fruits and similar offerings. In winter, he wears wet garments, spends his days in yogic practice, remains free from anger, and finds contentment with all people and circumstances. Thus concludes the chapter describing the duties of the forest-dweller as taught by Yājñavalkya. Yājñavalkya then proclaims the duties of the mendicant. Even after completing the prājāpatya rite, he internalizes the sacred fire and, renouncing all attachments, wanders freely. For alms, he may seek refuge in a village. Yet, among beggars, those greedy for impure things pursue only food. In contrast, the perfected yogi, transcending the body, attains immortality here itself. So ends the teaching on the duties of both the forest-dweller and renunciate. Next, the Purāṇa reveals the results of actions. From the banner of hell arises the destruction of sinful deeds. One who steals gold becomes a worm or insect; one who violates the teacher’s wife is reborn as grass or similar forms. Killing a Brāhmaṇa brings various consequences, which may even befall a child. Those who steal grain, possess extra limbs, slander others, or have a foul-smelling nose meet their own fates. Stealing a Brāhmaṇa’s wealth or buying a maiden leads to rebirth as a demon in the forest or as an ox. A thief of cucumbers becomes a field mouse that steals grain; a meat thief becomes a vulture; one who steals cloth is reborn as a leper; and a salt thief as a partridge. Those lacking good marks are born poor and as the lowest of men, while those with good marks are born with wealth and grain. Thus ends the explanation of the results of actions. The Purāṇa then teaches: From neglecting prescribed duties and engaging in forbidden acts, sin arises. Therefore, atonement must be diligently performed for purification. Through such expiation, the world is pleased and sin is destroyed. Otherwise, sinners descend to hells such as Mahāraurava and Raurava. The path leads to the river Sañjīvanī, swan-like and with red waters. The sinful, lacking merit, are sent to Avīci and Kumbhīpāka. Certain acts are equal in sin to killing a Brāhmaṇa: reviling the teacher or the Veda, and tasting the mouth of a menstruating woman, which is likened to drinking liquor. Relations with a friend’s wife, a maiden, one’s own kin, or outcast women; with one’s father’s sister, mother’s sister, maternal uncle’s wife, or even daughter-in-law; approaching the wife of a teacher or one’s own daughter—all these transgressions mark one as a violator of the teacher’s bed. Killing a cow, becoming an outcaste, theft, neglecting debts, receiving instruction from a servant, teaching for hire, living off condemned means among Śūdras, Vaiśyas, or Kṣatriyas, abandoning one’s father, mother, or friend, selling ponds or gardens, improperly giving away a maiden, acting crookedly, breaking a vow, abandoning one’s own study, sacred fire, or relatives—these are declared as minor sins. Now, listen to the expiation: a Brahmin-killer attains purity in twelve years by eating little. Thus, the Garuḍa Purāṇa, through Yājñavalkya’s teachings, lovingly guides seekers on the duties of forest-dwellers and renunciates, the results of actions, and the means of purification, illuminating the path toward righteousness and liberation.