FolioCorpusŚrīmad-Bhāgavatam

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.64.39

स्वदत्तां परदत्तां वा ब्रह्मवृत्तिं हरेच्च य: । षष्टिवर्षसहस्राणि विष्ठायां जायते कृमि: ॥ ३९ ॥
sva-dattāṁ para-dattāṁ vā
[sva-dattaam para-dattaam vaa]
brahma-vṛttiṁ harec ca yaḥ
[brahma-vrittim harech cha yah]
ṣaṣṭi-varṣa-sahasrāṇi
[shashti-varsha-sahasraani]
viṣṭhāyāṁ jāyate kṛmiḥ
[vishthaayaam jaayate krimih]
Word-for-word
sva — by himself dattām — given para — by another dattām — given vā — or brahma - vṛttim — a brāhmaṇa’s property haret — steals ca — and yaḥ — who ṣaṣṭi — sixty varṣa — of years sahasrāṇi — thousands viṣṭhāyām — in feces jāyate — is born kṛmiḥ — a worm .
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
sva-dattāṁ para-dattāṁ vā
sva
by himself
dattām
given
para
by another
dattām
given
vā
or
brahma-vṛttiṁ harec ca yaḥ
brahma - vṛttim
a brāhmaṇa’s property
haret
steals
ca
and
yaḥ
who
ṣaṣṭi-varṣa-sahasrāṇi
ṣaṣṭi
sixty
varṣa
of years
sahasrāṇi
thousands
viṣṭhāyāṁ jāyate kṛmiḥ
viṣṭhāyām
in feces
jāyate
is born
kṛmiḥ
a worm .
Important Words
  • sva - dattām para - dattām vā — given by oneself or by another
    Sva (own) + datta (given) + para (another). The poet closes the loophole: even taking back what one originally gave the brāhmaṇa is theft. Once given, brāhmaṇa-property cannot be revoked — a doctrinal point the chapter wants ironclad.
  • brahma - vṛttim — a brāhmaṇa's means of livelihood
    Brahma (brāhmaṇa) + vṛtti (livelihood, source of support). The verse's term widens brahma-sva to include not only present possessions but livelihood-streams (lands, cows, sponsored sacrifices). Stealing income is named theft.
  • ṣaṣṭi varṣa sahasrāṇi — sixty thousand years
    Ṣaṣṭi (sixty) + varṣa (year) + sahasra (thousand). The precise duration of the worm-birth. The Bhāgavata gives numbers because the indeterminacy of 'a long time' would let the offender bargain himself down.
  • viṣṭhāyām jāyate kṛmiḥ — is born as a worm in feces
    Viṣṭhā (feces) + √jan (to be born) + kṛmi (worm). The form is graphic — and intentional. Gauḍīyas read it as the inverse-symmetry of theft: one who consumed brāhmaṇa-property becomes that which consumes the worst material substance.
Whether it be his own gift or someone else’s, a person who steals a brāhmaṇa’s property will take birth as a worm in feces for sixty thousand years.
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
Whether it be his own gift or someone else's, a person who steals a brāhmaṇa's property will take birth as a worm in feces for sixty thousand years.
Jīva Gosvāmī Gauḍīya
Commentary

Even after the hellish punishment, his life is miserable. Particulars of the theft are given. For sixty thousand years he will again and again be born as a worm.

Related values & verses
Concepts
Jiva
Related lectures
Personal Guidance
Whether it be his own gift or another's, a stealer of brāhmaṇa property becomes a worm in feces for sixty thousand years. The duration is not punitive only; it expresses the depth of degradation involved.
Reflection Questions
  • Where am I gambling long futures for short conveniences?
  • How does the Lord's stark imagery wake me up where polite warnings failed?
Analogy

Sixty thousand years as a worm in feces — the Bhāgavatam's reckoning of the offence does not soften with time. The image is grotesque on purpose: the body chosen for the thief matches what he stole, by some inverse symmetry only Kṛṣṇa fully sees.

📝 My note

Source: vedabase.io

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