History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v5.c71.s1.673
History of Dharmaśāstra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v5.c71.s1.673
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The Smṛtis had evolved the doctrine, as stated above, that if a sinner did not undergo prāyaścitta, he had to suffer torments in hell, thereafter he became born as some insect or lower animal or a tree on account of some remnants of his sins and that he was born as a human being afflicted with certain diseases or with defects.⁴¹¹ These last two consequences are described under the title *karmavipāka* (the fruition of evil deeds). Śātātapa (I. 1–5) asserts that men guilty of grave sins that have not undergone prāyaścitta are, after undergoing the torments of Hell, born with bodies marked with certain condemned signs. One guilty of grave sins bears such signs for seven births, one guilty of *upapātaka* for five births and one guilty of *pāpa* for three births. These marks indicative of their having committed a particular sin are observed in each life and only disappear after they repent and perform prāyaścitta. Similarly, the diseases arising from sinful deeds subside by adopting the remedies of the recitation of Vedic texts, worship of gods, *homas* and gifts.' Verses 6-10 specify the diseases that arise in consequence of sins such as leprosy, tuberculosis, gonorrhœa, dysentery, kidney trouble, stone in the bladder, cough, fistula &c. A man may commit sins of three kinds *viz.* by the body, in words and mentally (Manu XII. 3). Really speaking, it is the mind that is the spring of all actions (Manu XII 4), but for the sake of convenience, this threefold division is made.
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Coveting another's wealth by unfair means, desiring that evil should befall another and persistence in false ideas (such as the one that there is no soul, but that the body is the soul)—these three are mental sins (Manu XII. 5). Harshness of speech, falsehood, backbiting and irrelevant prattling—these four are vocal sins (*ibid* XII. 6). Appropriating to oneself another's wealth without his consent, injury to sentient beings against the injunctions of *śāstra*, sexual intercourse with another's wife—these three are bodily sins (*ibid* XII. 7). Manu provides that bodily sins reduce a man to the state of a fixed object (tree &c.), vocal sins reduce him to the state of birds and beasts and mental sins to the lowest castes (Cāṇḍāla and the like). Hārīta (q. by Par. M )⁴¹² speaks of 18 evil actions that lead to hell, of which six are mental, four vocal and the rest are bodily sins. Manu XII. 54-59 and 62-68, Yāj. III. 131, 135-136, 207-208 and 213-215, Viṣṇu Dh. S. Chap. 44, Atri Chap. 4 5-14, 17-44 (in prose) state into what animals, trees and creepers sinners are born after undergoing hell torments. The statements of Yāj being concise are set out here. 'This soul enters into hundreds of bodies in this *saṁsāra*, viz. as one of the lowest castes, bird or fixed object (tree &c ) on account of his lapses springing from the mind, speech and body (Yāj. III 131);
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a man who tells lies, who is a back-biter, whose speech is harsh and who babbles what is irrelevant is reduced to being a bird or a beast (*ibid* III. 135) ; one who is addicted to misappropriating another's wealth and to sexual intercourse with another's wife, who injures another against *śāstric* rules is born as a fixed object; the murderer of a brāhmaṇa becomes born in the body of a beast (deer &c ), a dog, a pig or a camel; the drinker of *surā* is born as an ass, a *pulkasa* (one born from śūdra woman of a *niṣāda*), or a *vena* (one born of an Ambaṣṭha woman from a *vaidehaka*); the thief of gold reaches the state of a worm, an insect (an ant &c ) or a moth and one guilty of incest becomes grass, a bush or a creeper (Yāj. III 207-208). On stealing leafy vegetables one is born as a peacock, on stealing perfumes one is born a *chuchundarī* (musk-rat), the thief of corn, of a vehicle, fruits, water, milk, domestic utensils (like pestle), honey, flesh, a cow, fire, cloth, juice (of sugarcane or the like) and salt is born respectively as a mouse, a camel, a monkey, a *plava* (duck), a crow, a sparrow, bee, vulture, *godhā* (iguana), crane, a man suffering from white leprosy, a dog, *cīrī* (cricket bird).
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The Brahmapurāṇa (chap 217 verses 37-110) contains a long disquisition on the different kinds of animal births that sinners of various kinds have to undergo Vide also Garuḍapurāṇa (Pretakhaṇḍa) 2 60-88, Agni 371 30-32 (which latter states that the murderer of a brāhmaṇa is born as a beast or deer or a dog, hog, or camel, the drinker of wine as an ass or pukkasa or mleccha, the thief of gold as a worm or pest or moth, one guilty of incest as grass or a bush).