Chapter CIV - Signs of sinful souls

Yajnavalkya said:—The soul of a sinner, after enduring the pangs of hell, is necessitated to revert to the lower plain of animal existence, and to incarnate in succession therein till the final extinction of the effects of his prior sinful acts. The killer of a Brahmana, after passing through the bodies of a dog, an ass and a camel, in succession, shall again work up its way to the plane of human life, and shall be born deaf and dumb in his first incarnation therein. A stealer of gold, shall take birth as a worm or an insect in his next existence. A person defiling the bed of his own preceptor or superior, shall vegetate as a blade of grass in his next incarnation. A killer of a Brahmana will be afflicted with an attack of Pthysis in his next life, a gold-stealer will have black teeth, and one seducing the wife of one’s own preceptor, will have an attack of whitlow in his next birth. He who steals food-grain in this life, will be deprived of food in his next, while he who breaks the music at a duet, will be born dumb in his next existence. A grain-stealer is born with an additional limb, and is tormented with a foetid smell in his nostrils, and a crooked nature, which can not bear the good fortune of others. An oil-stealer will be born as an insect known as oil worm in his next life, or as a mean, malicious person with fetour in his mouth. Those who have auspicious marks on their persons, will be rich and happy, while the opposite may be predicted of those possessed of contrary features.