Shloka 74
Śama-prāptiḥ — Gautamī–Lubdhaka–Pannaga–Mṛtyu–Kāla-saṃvāda
Restraint through the Analysis of Karma and Time
यथा मृत्पिण्डत: कर्ता कुरुते यद् यदिच्छति । एवमात्मकृतं कर्म मानव: प्रतिपद्यते
yathā mṛtpiṇḍataḥ kartā kurute yad yad icchati | evam ātmakṛtaṃ karma mānavaḥ pratipadyate ||
Sebagaimana seorang pembuat tembikar membentuk dari segumpal tanah liat bejana apa pun yang ia kehendaki, demikian pula manusia mengalami buah yang dibentuk oleh perbuatannya sendiri.
काल उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches karma as moral causality: just as a potter deliberately shapes clay into chosen forms, a person’s experiences are shaped by one’s own actions; one reaps outcomes consistent with what one has done.
Kāla (Time) is speaking and illustrates his point with a craft analogy. By invoking the potter and clay, he explains that human beings come to their circumstances through self-made deeds, emphasizing responsibility rather than chance.