Garuda Purana

मानुषत्वं पशुत्वं च पक्षित्वाद्यतिदुः खदम् । कर्मणां तारतम्येन भवतीह खगेश्वर ॥ २,२.

Becoming human, animal, or bird, brings great suffering; by the gradation of actions, this occurs, O lord of birds.

अत्र ते कीर्तयिष्यामि विपाकं कर्मणामहम् । वैचित्र्यस्य स्पुटत्वाययैर्जोवः संसरत्ययम् ॥ २,२.

Here I will tell you the result of actions, so that the variety may be made clear, by which this being wanders in existence.

महापातकजान्घोरान्नरकान्प्राप्य दारुणान् । कर्मक्षयात्प्रजायन्ते महापातकिनः क्षितौ ॥ २,२.

Having reached dreadful hells born from great sins, when their actions are exhausted, great sinners are born on earth.

जायन्ते लक्षणैर्यैस्तुतानि मे शृणु सत्तम । मृगाश्वसूकरोष्ट्राणां ब्रह्महा योनिमृच्छति ॥ २,२.

They are born with the marks I have praised; listen, O noble one: the killer of a Brahmin attains the womb of deer, horses, pigs, or camels.

कृमिकीटपतङ्गत्वं स्वर्णहारी समाप्नुयात् । तृणगुल्मतात्वं च क्रमशो गुरुतल्पगः ॥ २,२.

One who steals gold becomes a worm, insect, or flying creature; one who violates his teacher's bed becomes grass or a bush, step by step.

ब्रह्महा क्षयरोगी स्यात्सुरापः श्यावदन्तकः । हेमहारी तु कुनखी दुश्चर्मा गुरुतल्पगः ॥ २,२.

The killer of a Brahmin becomes afflicted with consumption; the drinker of liquor has dark teeth; the gold thief has bad nails and skin; the violator of his teacher's bed likewise.

यो येन संवसत्येषां स तल्लिङ्गोऽभिजायते । संवत्सरेण पतति पतितेन सहाचरन् ॥ २,२.

Whoever lives with any of these, is born with their marks; within a year, he falls, accompanying the fallen.

संलापस्पर्शनिः श्वाससहयानाशनासनात् । याजनाध्यापनाद्यौनात्पापं संक्रमते नृणाम् ॥ २,२.

Sin passes to people through conversation, touch, breathing together, sharing food and drink, performing rituals, teaching, and sexual union.

गत्वा दारान्परेषाञ्च ब्रह्मस्वमपहृत्य च । अरण्ये निर्जने देशे जायते ब्रह्मराक्षसः ॥ २,२.

One who goes to another's wife or takes the property of Brahmins, is born as a Brahma-rakshasa in a lonely wilderness.

हीनजातौ प्रजायेत रत्नानामपहारकः । पत्रं च शाखिनो हृत्वा गन्धांश्छुच्छुन्दरी पुमान् ॥ २,२.

A thief of jewels is born in a low caste; one who steals leaves from a tree becomes a shucchundari; a man who steals fragrance is born as a shucchundari.

मूषको धान्यहारी स्याद्यानमुष्ट्रः फलं कपिः । निर्मन्त्रभोजनात्काको गृध्रो हृत्वा ह्युपस्करम् ॥ २,२.

A mouse is born from stealing grain; a camel from stealing a vehicle; a monkey from stealing fruit; a crow from eating food without mantra; a vulture from stealing utensils.

मधुदंशः फलं गृध्रो गां गोधाग्निं बकस्तथा । स्याच्छ्वेतकुष्ठी स्त्रीवस्त्र ह्यरुची रसहारकः ॥ २,२.

A bee is born from stealing honey; a vulture from stealing fruit; a cow from stealing earth; a monitor lizard from stealing fire; a crane from stealing water; one with white leprosy from stealing women's clothes; one with tastelessness from stealing flavor.

कांस्यहारी तु हंसः स्यात्परस्वस्य च हारकः । अपस्मारी गुरोर्हन्ता क्रूरकृद्वामनो भवेत् ॥ २,२.

A swan is born from stealing bronze; a dwarf from stealing others' property; an epileptic from killing a teacher; a cruel person from committing violence.

धर्मपत्नीं त्यजञ्छब्दवेधी प्राणी भवेत्क्षितौ । देवविप्रस्वापहारी पाण्डुरः परमांसभुक् ॥ २,२.

One who abandons his lawful wife becomes a creature sensitive to sound; one who steals the property of gods or Brahmins becomes pale and eats excessive meat.

भक्ष्याभक्ष्यो गण्डमाली महारोगी प्रजायते । न्यासापहारी काणः स्यास्त्रीजीवः खञ्जको भवेत् ॥ २,२.

One who eats forbidden food becomes afflicted with glandular disease and great illness; a thief of deposits becomes one-eyed; one who lives off women becomes lame.

कौमारदारत्यागी च दुर्भगोऽथै कमिष्टभुक् । वातगुल्मी विप्रयोषिद्गामी वा जम्बुको भवेत् ॥ २,२.

One who abandons a wife in youth becomes unfortunate and eats impure food; one afflicted with wind disease who goes to a Brahmin's wife becomes a jackal.

शय्याहर्ता क्षपणकः पतङ्गो वस्त्रहारकः । मात्सर्यादपि जात्यन्धो कपाली दीपहारकः ॥ २,२.

A thief of bedding becomes a mendicant; a thief of clothes becomes a moth; one blinded by envy becomes a skull-bearer; a thief of lamps becomes blind from birth.

कौशिको मित्रहन्ता च क्षयी पित्रादिनिन्दकः । स्खलद्वागनृतवादी कूटसाक्षी जलोदरी ॥ २,२.

A weaver becomes a killer of friends; one who wastes away insults his father and others; one who speaks faltering or false words becomes a false witness and suffers dropsy.

मशकः सोऽथ चछिन्नोष्ठो विवाहे विघ्नकृद्भवेत् । स्याद्वाथ वृषलः सोऽयं चत्वरे वै विण्मूत्रकृत् ॥ २,२.

A mosquito is born from causing obstacles in marriage; one with a split lip becomes a troublemaker; a low-caste person defecates and urinates in public squares.

मूत्रकृच्छ्री दूषकस्तु कन्यायाः क्लीबतामियात् । द्वीपी स्याद्वेदविक्रेता वराहोऽयाज्ययाजकः ॥ २,२.

One who pollutes urine becomes impotent towards women; a thief of Vedas becomes a jackal; one who performs unauthorized rituals becomes a boar.

यतस्ततोऽश्रन्मार्जारो खद्योतो वहदाहकः । कृमिः पर्युषितादः स्यान्मत्सरी भ्रमरो भवेत् ॥ २,२.

A cat is born from eating leftovers; a firefly from carrying fire; a worm from eating stale food; an envious person becomes a bee.

अग्न्युत्सादी तु कुष्ठी स्याददत्ताऽदानतो वृषः । सर्पो गोहारकोऽन्नस्य हारकः स्यादजीर्णवान् ॥ २,२.

One who destroys fire becomes a leper; one who takes what is not given becomes a bull; a thief of cows becomes a snake; a thief of food becomes one with indigestion.

जलहारी तु मत्स्यः स्यात्क्षीरहारी बलाकिका । अन्नं पर्युषितं विप्रे प्रददत्कुब्जतां व्रजेत् ॥ २,२.

A fish is born from stealing water; a heron from stealing milk; a Brahmin who gives stale food becomes hunchbacked.

फलानि हरते यस्तु सन्ततिर्म्रियते खग । अदत्त्वा भक्ष्यमश्राति ह्यनपत्यो भवेन्नरः ॥ २,२.

One who steals fruit causes the death of his offspring as a bird; one who eats without giving food becomes childless.

प्रवज्यागमनाद्राजन् भवेन्मरुपिशाचकः । चातको जलहर्ता स्याज्जन्मान्धः पुंस्तकं हरन् ॥ २,२.

O king, one who comes after renouncing becomes a ghost; a chataka is born from stealing water; one who steals a book becomes blind from birth.

प्रतिश्रुत्य द्विजेभ्योर्ऽथमददज्जम्बुको भवेत् । परिवादादिजातीनां लभते काच्छपीं तनुम् ॥ २,२.

If one promises wealth to Brahmins but does not give it, he becomes a jackal; those born of slander and similar faults obtain the body of a tortoise.

दुर्भगः फलविक्रेता वृकश्च वृषलीपतिः । मार्जारोऽग्निं पदा स्पृष्ट्वा रोगवान्परमांसभुक् ॥ २,२.

An unfortunate fruit seller, a wolf, the husband of a low-caste woman, a cat who touches fire with its foot, and one who eats the flesh of others—all become diseased.

जलप्रस्त्रवणं यस्तु भिन्द्यान्मत्स्यो भवेन्नरः । हरेः कथां न शृण्वन्ति ये न साधुजनस्तवम् ॥ २,२.

Whoever breaks a water channel becomes a fish; those who do not listen to the stories of Hari or praise of the virtuous are not counted among the good.

तान्नरान्कर्णमूलोऽयं व्याप्नुयान्नेतराञ्जनान् । परस्याननसंस्थं यो ग्रासं हरि मन्दधीः ॥ २,२.

This root of the ear afflicts those men who do not listen, while the dull-witted one who snatches food from another's mouth becomes a monkey.