Garuda Purana

या गृह्णाति नरः सा स्यान्मोहेन ममतास्पदम् । शुभाशुभं कर्मफलं भुक्त्वा मुच्यते मानवः ॥ २,१०.

Whatever body a man assumes becomes the seat of delusion and attachment; after enjoying the fruits of good and bad actions, the human is released.

गरुड उवाच । तीर्त्वा दुः खभवाम्भोधिं भवन्तं कथमाप्नुयात् । बहुपातकयुक्तोऽपि तद्वदस्व दयानिधे ॥ २,१०.

Garuda said: Having crossed the ocean of suffering and existence, how does one attain you, O Lord, even if burdened with many sins? Please tell me, O ocean of compassion.

भूयो दुः खस्य संसर्गो नरस्य न भवेद्यथा । ब्रूहि शुश्रूषमाणस्य पृच्छतो मे रमापते ॥ २,१०.

So that a man may not again be associated with suffering, tell me, O consort of Rama, as I ask and listen attentively.

श्रीकृष्ण उवाच । स्वेस्वे कर्मण्यभिरतः संसिद्धिं लभते नरः । स्वकर्मनिरतः सिद्धिं यथा विन्दति तच्छृणु ॥ २,१०.

Śrī Kṛṣṇa said: A man devoted to his own duties attains perfection; listen to how one who is engaged in his own actions attains success.

कर्मविभ्रष्टकालुष्यो वासुदेवानुचिन्तया । बुद्ध्या विशुद्धया युक्तो धृत्यात्मानं नियम्य च ॥ २,१०.

One whose actions are corrupted and impure, by contemplating Vāsudeva, endowed with purified intellect and controlling himself with firmness,

शब्दादीन्विषयांस्त्यक्त्वा रागद्वेषौ व्युदस्य च । विरक्तसेवी लब्ध्वाशी यतवाक्कायमानसः ॥ २,१०.

Having renounced the objects of the senses such as sound, and having cast aside attachment and aversion, one who is devoted to detachment, content with what is obtained, and who restrains speech, body, and mind—

ध्यानयोगपरो नित्यं वैरग्यं समुपाश्रितः । अहङ्कारं बलं दर्पं कामं क्रोधं परिग्रहम् ॥ २,१०.

Always intent on the practice of meditation and yoga, firmly established in dispassion, having abandoned ego, strength, arrogance, desire, anger, and possessiveness—

विमुच्य निर्ममः शान्तो ब्रह्मभूयाय कल्पते । अतः परं नृणां कृत्यं नास्ति कश्यपनन्दन ॥ २,१०.

Freed from the sense of 'mine,' peaceful, such a person becomes fit for union with Brahman; beyond this, O son of Kaśyapa, there is nothing further to be done by humans.

श्रीगरुडमहापुराणम् ११ गरुड उवाच । मानुषत्वं लभेत्कस्मान्मृत्युमाप्नोति तत्कथम् । म्रियते कः सुरश्रेष्ठ देहमाश्रित्य कुत्रचित् ॥ २,११.

Garuḍa said: How does one obtain human birth, and how does one meet with death? Who dies, O best of the gods, taking on a body, and where?

इन्द्रियाणि कुतो यान्ति ह्यस्पृश्यः स कथं भवेत् । क्व कर्माणि कृतानीह कथं भुङ्क्ते प्रसर्पति ॥ २,११.

From where do the senses depart, and how does one become intangible? Where do the actions performed here go, and how are they experienced as they unfold?

प्रसादं कुरु मे मोहं छेत्तुमर्हस्यशेषतः । काश्यपोऽहं सुरश्रेष्ठ विनतागर्भ संभवः । यमलोकं कथं यान्ति विष्णुलोकं च मानवाः ॥ २,११.

Be gracious to me and cut away my delusion completely. I am Kaśyapa’s son, O best of the gods, born of Vinatā. How do humans go to the realm of Yama and to the world of Viṣṇu?

श्रीकृष्ण उवाच । परस्य योषितं हृत्वा ब्रह्मस्वमपहृत्य च ॥ २,११.

Śrī Kṛṣṇa said: Having stolen another’s wife or having taken the wealth of a brāhmaṇa—

अरण्ये निर्जने देशे जायते ब्रह्मराक्षसः । हीनजातौ प्रजायेत रत्नानामपहारकः ॥ २,११.

Such a one is born as a brahmarākṣasa in a lonely forest; one who steals jewels is born in a low caste.

यंयं काममभिध्यायेत्स तल्लिङ्गोऽभिजायते । नैनं छिन्दन्ति शस्त्राणि नैनं दहति पावकः ॥ २,११.

Whatever desire one dwells upon, one is born with that mark; weapons do not cut him, nor does fire burn him.

न चैनं क्लेदयन्त्यापो न शोषयति मारुतः । वाक्चक्षुर्नासिका कर्णौ गुदं मूत्रस्य सञ्चरः ॥ २,११.

Nor do waters moisten him, nor does wind dry him. The mouth, eyes, nose, ears, anus, and the passage of urine—

अण्डजादिकजन्तूनां छिद्राण्येतानि सर्वशः । आनाभेर्मूर्धपर्यन्तमूर्ध्वच्छिद्राणि चाष्ट वै ॥ २,११.

These are the openings of all creatures born from eggs and otherwise; from the navel to the crown of the head, there are indeed eight upward openings.

सन्तः सुकृतिनो मर्त्या ऊर्ध्वच्छिद्रेण यान्ति वै । मृताहे वार्षिकं यावद्यथोक्तविधिना खग ॥ २,११.

The virtuous mortals depart through the upper opening; until the day of death or the annual ceremony, according to the prescribed rite, O bird—

कुर्यात्सर्वाणि कर्माणि निर्धनोऽपि हि मानवः । देहे यत्र वसेज्जन्तुस्तत्र भुङ्क्ते शुभाशुभम् ॥ २,११.

A person, even if destitute, should perform all actions; wherever the soul dwells in the body, there it experiences good and evil.

मनोवाक्कायजान्दोषांस्तथां भुङ्क्ते खगेश्वर । मृतः स सुखमाप्नोति मायापाशैर्न बध्यते । पाशबद्धो नरो यस्तु विकर्मनिरतो भवेत् ॥ २,११.

O lord of birds, one experiences the faults arising from mind, speech, and body in that way; when dead, he attains happiness and is not bound by the snares of illusion. But a man bound by the snares, who is devoted to unrighteous acts—

श्रीगरुडमहापुराणम् १२ श्रीकृष्ण उवाच । एवं ते कथितस्तार्क्ष्य जीवितस्य विनर्णयः । मानुषाणां हितार्थाय प्रेतत्वविनिवृत्तये ॥ २,१२.

Śrī Kṛṣṇa said: Thus, O Tārkṣya, the outcome of life has been explained to you, for the welfare of humans and to prevent their becoming ghosts.

चतुरशीतिलक्षाणि चतुर्भेदाश्च जन्तवः । अण्डजाः स्वेदजाश्चैव उद्भिज्जाश्च जारायुजाः ॥ २,१२.

There are eighty-four hundred thousand living beings of four kinds: those born from eggs, from sweat, from seeds, and from wombs.

एकविंशतिलक्षाणि अण्डजाः परिकीर्तिताः । स्वेदजाश्च तथा प्रोक्ता उद्भिज्जाश्च क्रमेण तु ॥ २,१२.

Twenty-one hundred thousand are said to be born from eggs; similarly, those born from sweat and from seeds are described in order.

जरायुजास्तथा प्रोक्ता मनुष्याद्यास्तथा परे । सर्वेषामेव जन्तूनां मानुषत्वं हि दुर्लभम् ॥ २,१२.

Those born from wombs are likewise described, such as humans and others; among all beings, human birth is indeed difficult to attain.

पञ्चेन्द्रियनिधानत्वं महापुण्यैरवाप्यते । ब्राह्मणाः क्षत्त्रिया वैश्याः शूद्रास्तत्परजातयः ॥ २,१२.

The possession of the five senses is attained through great merit; Brahmins, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas, Shudras, and their sub-castes are so distinguished.

रजकश्चर्मकारश्च नटो बुरुड एव च । कैवर्तमेदभिल्लाश्च सप्तैते ह्यन्त्यजाः स्मृताः ॥ २,१२.

The washerman, the leather-worker, the actor, the buruḍa, the boatman, the Meda, and the Bhilla—these seven are known as the lowest castes.

म्लेच्छतुम्बविभेदेन जातिभेदास्त्वनेकशः । जन्तूनामेव सर्वेषां जातिभेदाः सहस्रशः ॥ २,१२.

Due to differences among foreigners and others, there are many distinctions of caste; among all creatures, there are thousands of differences in birth.

जन्तूनामेव सर्वेषां भेदाश्चैव सहस्रशः । आहारो मैथुनं निद्रा भयं क्रोधस्तथैव च ॥ २,१२.

Among all creatures, there are also thousands of differences; food, sexual union, sleep, fear, and anger are common to all.

सर्वेषा मेव जन्तूनां विवेको दुर्लभः परः । एकपादादिरूपेण देहभेदास्त्वनेकशः ॥ २,१२.

For all creatures, true discernment is exceedingly rare; bodily forms are manifold, such as those with one foot and so on.

कृष्णसारो मृगो यत्र धर्मदशः स उच्यते । ब्रह्माद्या देवताः सर्वास्तत्र तिष्ठन्ति सर्वशः ॥ २,१२.

Where the black antelope dwells, that is called the place of righteousness; all the deities, beginning with Brahma, reside there completely.