Shloka 15

Skanda–Mātṛgaṇa-janma: Kumārakāḥ, Kanyāgaṇāḥ, and the Vīrāṣṭaka (स्कन्द-मातृगण-सम्भवः)

Devanagari script

कर्मदोषेण विषमां गतिमाप्रोति दारुणाम्‌

Transliteration

karmadoṣeṇa viṣamāṃ gatim āpnoti dāruṇām

Translation

The Brahmin said: Through the fault of one’s own actions, a person comes to a harsh and uneven fate—an afflicted course of life shaped by misdeeds rather than by right conduct.

Word by Word

• कर्मदोषेण: by the fault of (one's) actions
• कर्मदोषेण: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: कर्मदोष
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Singular

• विषमाम्: uneven; adverse
• विषमाम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: विषम
• Form: Feminine, Accusative, Singular

• गतिम्: course; fate; state
• गतिम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: गति
• Form: Feminine, Accusative, Singular

• आप्नोति: attains; reaches
• आप्नोति: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: आप्
• Form: Present (Lat), Third, Singular

• दारुणाम्: terrible; harsh
• दारुणाम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दारुण
• Form: Feminine, Accusative, Singular

Speaker

ब्राह्मण उवाच

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Misfortune and painful outcomes are presented as consequences of one’s own flawed actions (karmadoṣa). The verse emphasizes moral causality: ethical conduct shapes one’s future course, while wrongdoing leads to a harsh destiny.

What is happening in the narrative?

A Brahmin speaker delivers a reflective statement on karma, explaining that an individual’s adverse condition or fate arises from defects in their own deeds, framing the surrounding discussion in terms of ethical responsibility and consequence.