Shloka 2
अग्निनाम-वंश-निरूपणम् | Agni-Names and Lineage Enumeration
विधिस्तु बलवान ब्रह्मन् दुस्तरं हि पुरा कृतम् । पुरा कृतस्य पापस्य कर्मदोषो भवत्ययम्
vidhis tu balavān brahman dustaraṁ hi purā kṛtam | purā kṛtasya pāpasya karmadoṣo bhavaty ayam ||
“Wahai Brahmin, takdir (vidhi/daiva) sungguh kuat; apa yang telah dilakukan dahulu sukar dilampaui. Inilah cela yang melekat pada tindakan: dari dosa yang dilakukan di masa lampau, akibat karmanya niscaya muncul.”
मार्कण्डेय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that destiny (vidhi) is forceful because past actions are difficult to undo; wrongdoing committed earlier ripens into consequences, illustrating the inescapable moral causality of karma.
Mārkaṇḍeya, speaking to a Brahmin interlocutor, explains why present suffering or difficulty can persist: it is driven by the momentum of deeds done long ago, especially sinful acts whose karmic results now manifest.