Stories from Hindu Scriptures: Markandeya Purana: Unveiling Karma's Rebirth Cycles (Part 4)

Links to Part 1 Part 2 and Part 3

The Cycle of Rebirths: Consequences of Karma

The birds continued telling Jaimini what the attendant of Yama was telling the King of Videha. They continued,

"'The attendant of Yama said, "I will now tell you about rebirths that people take after their punishments in hell are over. When a person of spiritual authority accepts gifts or offerings from someone who is morally or ritually degraded, that person becomes complicit in that adharma and is reborn as an ass. This shows his degradation. Performing sacred rituals for an unworthy or impure patron compromises the ritual’s sanctity, and a person who officiated this is reborn as a worm. If a spiritual person lusts for their teacher’s wife or desires the teacher's wealth, it pollutes the sanctity of this relationship. The punishment is to be reborn as a dog.'"

Rebirths Based on Dishonour and Disrespect

"'A person who dishonours one’s parents breaks sacred duties in ethics. Such a person is reborn as a donkey. A person who abuses their parents is reborn as a Myna bird. The person who disrespects their sister-in-law is reborn as a pigeon. A person who oppresses her is reborn as a tortoise.'"

Rebirths from Betrayal and Malice

"'A person who eats their master's food but abuses the master behind their back is reborn as a monkey. A person who breaks trust is reborn as a worm. A person who indulges in malicious slander and false accusations is reborn as a worm. A person who breaks social or spiritual obligations is reborn as a fish. A person who steals agricultural produce is reborn as a rat or a mongoose.'"

Rebirths from Sexual Misconduct and Moral Breaches

"'A person who has sex with another's spouse is reborn as a wolf and undergoes spiritual degradation, then is reborn as a dog, then as a jackal, a crane, a vulture, a snake, and then as a heron. A person who rapes their brother's spouse is reborn as a male cuckoo. A person who commits the sin of raping their friend's wife, teacher's wife, or king's wife breaks personal, societal, and spiritual dharma. He is reborn as a pig.'"

"'A person who blocks dharmic acts like sacrifices, charity, or marriage, out of envy, malice, or selfishness, is reborn as a worm. A person who gives away a daughter in marriage more than once and commits a breach of marital sanctity is reborn as a worm. A person who eats without making offerings to gods, ancestors, and Brahmins is reborn as a crow, an eater of leftovers. A person who disrespects their elder brother is reborn as a heron. If a person has intercourse with a person of higher stature, they are first reborn as a wood-boring insect, then as a worm, pig, a tribal, and then as a chandala. A person who harmed those who did them good is reborn first as a worm, then an insect, scorpion, fish, a crow, a tortoise, and then a chandala. A person who kills an unarmed person is reborn as a donkey. A person who performed the heinous act of killing a woman or child will be reborn as a worm.'"

Rebirths Based on Theft of Provisions and Goods

"'There is a distinction in rebirths based on the type of food that a person steals. A person who steals food is reborn as a fly. A person who steals milk pudding is reborn as a cat. A person who steals ritual offerings is reborn as a rat. A person who steals ghee is reborn as a mongoose. A person who steals cooked meat meant for rituals is reborn as a crow. A person who steals fish or uncooked meat is reborn as a hawk. A person who steals salt is reborn as a tern. A person who steals curd is reborn as a worm. A person who steals milk is reborn as a pond heron. Oil is needed for lighting lamps, and a person who steals this is reborn as a cockroach. A person who steals honey is reborn as a horsefly. A person who steals sweets is reborn as an ant. A person who steals food to be used for rituals is reborn as a lizard. A person who steals spirits is reborn as a partridge.'"

Rebirths from Theft of Valuables and Resources

"'A person who steals iron is reborn as a crow. A person who steals brass is reborn as a green bird. A person who steals silver is reborn as a pigeon. A thief of gold is reborn as a worm. A thief of spun silk is reborn as a partridge. Someone who steals a silken garment is reborn as a silk worm. A person who steals a cloth belt is reborn as a peacock. A person who steals fine garments is reborn as a parrot. A person who steals garments made of wool or fur is reborn as a bear. A person who steals cotton cloth is reborn as a heron. A person who steals red garments is reborn as a partridge. A person who steals dyes or herbs used in rituals is reborn as a peacock. A person who steals a garment is reborn as a rabbit.'"

Rebirths from Theft of Nature's Bounty and Other Possessions

"'A person who steals fire is reborn as a crane or as a donkey. A person who steals fragrances used in rituals is reborn as a mole. Straw is essential for animals and rural life. A person who steals this is born crippled. A wood thief is reborn as a woodworm. Flower thieves are born poor. A vehicle thief is born lame. Vegetable thieves are reborn as green pigeons. A water thief is reborn as a pied cuckoo. Land thieves are reborn as grass, plants, reeds, and trees after returning from hell.'"

Further Consequences: Mutilation and Impious Acts

"'Mutilating a bull by cutting off its testicles and castrating it makes the culprit reborn as a eunuch, then as a worm, insect, deer, cow, and after that a lame and blind chandala who suffers from multiple diseases. The same goes for those who steal cattle, gold, and knowledge; they go through these rebirths. A person who shares their spouse with other people suffers in hell and is then reborn as a eunuch. A person who is in a hurry to offer food to fire before ensuring that the fire is burning properly suffers from indigestion.'"

Recognizing Karma in Rebirth

"'If one sees a person who is fraudulent, cruel, shameless, practices adultery, and abuses everything good, understand that this person has just emerged from hell. Then again, if you see a compassionate person who is nice in speech and is friendly, know that the time of hell for that person is over. This is how people take rebirth based on their karma. I have answered your questions. Your punishment was to visit hell, and now that you have done so, your duty here is over. Follow me, and I will take you away from here.'"

Some more on this

The doctrine is pedagogical and reformative rather than punitive. It is designed not merely to punish but to correct and purify the jiva (individual soul). By experiencing the symbolic opposite of their former pride, transgression, or neglect, the soul learns and progresses. For example, one who steals food becomes a crow or a rat, forced to survive off waste; a deceitful speaker is reborn with a divided tongue or as a worm.

Every act, especially adharmic (unrighteous) ones, leads to specific consequences.

The rebirth is not general but specific—a sin has a precisely tailored punishment and form.

The rebirth reflects the gravity of the moral breach (e.g. a worm for breaking trust; a pig for violating sacred relations).

The system serves as moral instruction, using horror and transformation to caution the living.

Protects ritual purity, especially involving fire, offerings, and teachers.

Establishes sacred kin relationships—parental, marital, fraternal—as non-negotiable moral duties.

Theft (even minor or symbolic like salt, fire, garments) disrupts social trust and leads to spiritual decay.

Hell is not just a place but a state of mind: These signs reflect internal consciousness, not just external action.

Emergence from hell doesn’t mean transformation is complete: A person may still carry past impressions.

Transformation happens gradually through practice of virtues, association with the wise, and purification.

The path from tamas to sattva is marked by observable moral and emotional shifts—this verse serves as a diagnostic tool.

FULL TABLE OF ANIMALS AND THEIR ASSOCIATED SINS

Rebirth Form	Sin	Symbolic Significance	Ethical/Philosophical Meaning
Ass	Accepting offerings from degraded patrons	Symbol of burden, lowliness	Spiritual authority degraded
Worm	Performing rituals for unworthy patrons, false accusations, trust-breaking, rape, etc.	Lowly, invisible, lives in filth	Loss of spiritual and social merit
Dog	Lust for teacher’s wife or wealth; adultery	Greedy, unclean, domesticated but despised	Violating sacred boundaries
Donkey	Dishonoring parents; killing unarmed person	Dull, laborious, disregarded	Ingratitude, cruelty
Mynah bird	Abusing one’s parents	Mimics speech	Echoes disrespect
Pigeon	Disrespecting sister-in-law	Weak, cooing, communal	Ignoring dharmic relationships
Tortoise	Oppressing sister-in-law	Withdrawn, enduring	Burden of suppressed guilt
Monkey	Abusing one's master while eating their food	Mischievous, untrustworthy	Betrayal of hospitality
Fish	Breaking dharmic/social obligations	Watery, instinct-driven	Moral drift, uncontrolled senses
Rat	Stealing grain	Hoarder, stealthy	Disruption of communal resources
Mongoose	Stealing ghee	Lives in holes, aggressive	Polluting sacred offerings
Wolf	Adultery	Predatory, dangerous	Breach of marital fidelity
Jackal	Next stage after adultery	Opportunistic scavenger	Further descent in moral nature
Crane	Same cycle after adultery	Deceptively calm predator	Hypocrisy in spiritual appearance
Vulture	Same cycle after adultery	Feeds on death	Destruction of family honour
Snake	Same cycle after adultery	Deceitful, venomous	Cunning sexual sin
Heron	Same cycle; also, elder disrespect	Feigns serenity, eats life	False calm hides internal vice
Male cuckoo	Incestuous rape (brother's wife)	Lays eggs in others' nests	Breach of kinship dharma
Pig	Raping teacher’s/friend’s/king’s wife	Filthy, indiscriminate	Loss of all moral discernment
Crow	Eating without offering; stealing ritual meat or iron	Eats refuse	Spiritual unworthiness
Wood-boring insect	Sex with higher-status woman	Consumes hidden structures	Subtle undermining of order
Insect, scorpion	Harming benefactor	Venomous, hidden	Betrayal of goodness
Cat	Stealing milk pudding	Sly, thief-like	Greedy gratification
Fly	Stealing food	Buzzing nuisance	Petty greed, annoyance
Hawk	Stealing fish or raw meat	Fierce predator	Devouring what feeds others
Tern	Stealing salt	Lives on coastlines	Taking essentials from life
Pond heron	Stealing milk	Fake meditative pose	Feigned spirituality
Cockroach	Stealing oil	Hides in darkness	Polluting sacred light
Horsefly	Stealing honey	Annoying, persistent	Corrupting sweetness
Ant	Stealing sweets	Small, industrious	Secretive greed
Lizard	Stealing ritual food	Cold-blooded	Desecrating sacred matter
Partridge	Stealing spirits, red garments, silk	Beautiful but vain	Desires without responsibility
Green bird	Stealing brass	Attractive but shallow	Greed for base metals
Pigeon	Stealing silver	Covetous but timid	Material greed
Silkworm	Stealing silk garment	Consumes itself	Trapped in material cravings
Peacock	Stealing cloth belt/dye/herbs	Proud, vain	Desires for ritual beauty
Parrot	Stealing fine clothes	Repeats words	Mimicry of status
Bear	Stealing wool or fur	Rough, wild	Primitive desires
Rabbit	Stealing garments	Gentle, weak	Vulnerability of stolen modesty
Crane or Donkey	Stealing fire	Fake stillness / dull	Disrupting sacred transformation
Mole	Stealing fragrance	Burrows in dark	Sensory corruption
Woodworm	Stealing wood	Eats from within	Devouring dharmic structure
Green pigeon	Stealing vegetables	Looks pleasing	Taking from community
Pied cuckoo	Stealing water	Seasonal bird	Stealing life-sustaining essence
Grass, plants, trees	Stealing land	Rooted, trampled	Held in place by karmic burden
Deer, cow	Castrating a bull	Gentle, vulnerable	Suffering passed to innocent life
Eunuch	Castrating bull, sharing spouse	Gender ambiguity	Loss of sexual and dharmic control
Chandala (outcaste)	Final form of many sin-cycles	Outcast, degraded	End of dharmic exclusion cycle
Lame, blind, diseased human	Same (cattle/gold/knowledge theft)	Powerless	Ultimate loss of agency
Crippled human	Stealing straw	Paralyzed by karmic burden	Weakness from harming basics
Lame human	Stealing vehicle	Impeded movement	Loss of life direction
Poor human	Stealing flowers	Empty of grace	Loss of prosperity and inner beauty
Indigestion	Offering food without proper fire	Inner disorder	Misalignment of sacrifice

Patterns and Insights:

Animal Form = Symbolic Mirror: The form reflects the inner qualities of the sinner. For example, slander = worm, false calm = heron, greed = rat/ant.
Repetition of Forms: Worms, herons, crows, and donkeys appear repeatedly—these may symbolize especially degraded or common karmic fallouts.
Cascading Rebirths: For grave sins (e.g., adultery, incest, betrayal), there is a chain of rebirths showing progressive degeneration of consciousness.
Elements of Nature: Rebirth as plants or water creatures (fish, grass) signifies being fixed in place—punishment for theft of land or sustenance.
Objects Turned into Life: Theft of ritual objects results in rebirth into animals associated with the item’s essence (stealing oil → cockroach; fragrance → mole).

Signs of a Person Recently Emerged from Hell

Trait	Description	Moral/Philosophical Meaning	Symbolic Interpretation
Indulgence in calumny	Spreading slander and defamation	Negative speech binds one to harmful karma	Still tainted by tamas (darkness)
Ingratitude	Failure to acknowledge help or kindness	Breaks reciprocity, shows egoism	Cut off from dharmic relationships
Causing internal pain	Inflicting deep emotional/physical harm	Violates the principle of ahimsa	Violent tendencies remain
Cruelty	Enjoyment or disregard for others' suffering	Lack of empathy; hellish residue	Heart remains hardened by past
Shamelessness	Lack of guilt for wrongdoing	No inner moral compass	Spiritual numbness
Adultery	Intercourse with another’s spouse	Breach of sacred boundaries	Still ruled by lust
Covetousness	Desire for another's property	Craving rooted in greed	Envy manifests materially
Blasphemy	Abuse of the gods	Rejection of cosmic order	Anti-dharmic arrogance
Deceptive speech	Manipulative words	Speech used as weapon	Sign of distorted intellect
Miserliness	Hoarding wealth, not giving	Blocking circulation of dharma	Material bondage
Murder	Killing humans	Ultimate violation of ahimsa	Karmic residue of blood-guilt
Praising adharmic acts	Glorifying vice and wrongdoing	Normalizing sin	Inversion of moral order

These traits reflect a soul still under the sway of the residual impressions of hell. They imply that the soul may be in a human form but is still carrying the vibration of darkness and moral inversion.

Signs of a Person Ascending from Hell (Moving Toward Liberation)

Trait	Description	Moral/Philosophical Meaning	Symbolic Interpretation
Compassion toward creatures	Kindness to all living beings	Foundation of dharma (ahimsa)	Heart is becoming sattvic (pure)
Virtuous speech	Speaking truth, kindly and with restraint	Reflects internal clarity	Sign of refined inner fire
Hankering for after world	Desire for spiritual progress	Orientation toward moksha	Emerging from material entrapment
Truthfulness	Upholding truth in thought, speech, action	Direct path to dharmic rebirth	Aligned with dharma
Welfare of beings	Acting for the benefit of others	charity	Merging with divine will
Faith in Vedas and sages	Trust in revealed knowledge	Opening to wisdom and grace	Soul turns to divine instruction
Service to teachers and seers	Humility and reverence	Dissolves ego	Bhakti and surrender awakened
Company of the virtuous	Seeking noble company	Company purifies mind	Climbing toward higher realms
Practice of auspicious deeds	Charity, puja, penance, yajna, etc.	Cultivating positive karma	Building light-body for next life
Friendliness	Goodwill without selfishness	Ethical maturity	Radiating divine qualities
Practice of dharma	Full alignment with cosmic law	Dharma as liberation path	Step into higher existential plane

These qualities indicate that the soul is rising from hell towards a higher birth, potentially on the path virtuous actions and liberation.

Stories from Hindu Scriptures

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Friday, June 13, 2025

Markandeya Purana: Unveiling Karma's Rebirth Cycles (Part 4)

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