Shloka 22
Karmic Causality, Fate, and the Supremacy of Food-Charity
within Guru-tīrtha Glorification
उपतिष्ठति तिष्ठंतं गच्छं तमनुगच्छति । करोति कुर्वतः कर्मच्छायेवानु विधीयते
upatiṣṭhati tiṣṭhaṃtaṃ gacchaṃ tamanugacchati | karoti kurvataḥ karmacchāyevānu vidhīyate
ನಿಂತವನ ಬಳಿಗೆ ಅದು ನಿಂತಿರುತ್ತದೆ; ಹೋಗುವವನನ್ನು ಅದು ಅನುಸರಿಸುತ್ತದೆ; ಮಾಡುವವನ ಕರ್ಮಾನುಸಾರವೇ ಕಾರ್ಯವನ್ನು ನಡೆಸುತ್ತದೆ. ನೆರಳಿನಂತೆ ಅದು ಕರ್ಮದ ಹಿಂದೆ ಅನಿವಾರ್ಯವಾಗಿ ಬರುತ್ತದೆ.
Unspecified (context needed to identify the dialogue speaker in Bhūmi-khaṇḍa 94)
Concept: Karma/daiva accompanies every posture and action like a shadow, shaping results in strict accordance with deeds.
Application: Treat every small act as consequential: keep vows, avoid hypocrisy, and cultivate consistent sāttvika habits (japa, charity, restraint) because nothing is ‘unseen’.
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A figure stands, walks, and works in three overlapping vignettes, while a single dark-gold shadow labeled ‘karma’ perfectly mirrors each movement. The shadow subtly transforms into a ledger of deeds, suggesting that every gesture is recorded and will ripen.","primary_figures":["a human figure in three poses (standing, walking, acting)","personified Karma as a shadow-figure","optional: Yama’s scribe Chitragupta as a faint background motif"],"setting":"sunlit courtyard with a threshold leading to a temple corridor, implying daily life under sacred scrutiny","lighting_mood":"golden dawn","color_palette":["warm ochre","burnt umber","sunlit gold","deep teal","ivory"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: triptych-like composition—standing, walking, and offering/working—each mirrored by a gold-edged shadow figure; ornate temple pillars, gold leaf sun disc, jewel-toned borders, traditional iconographic symmetry.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: three sequential moments along a garden path; the shadow is rendered as a delicate wash that clings to the feet; soft hills and a small shrine in the distance, refined faces, cool greens and blues.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: bold outlined central figure with an attached stylized shadow-serpent of karma; temple corridor backdrop, flat yet vibrant pigments, rhythmic patterning of movement.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: circular mandala of daily actions around a central sun; each action has an accompanying floral-shadow vine; lotus borders, intricate motifs, deep blue ground with gold highlights."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"meditative","suggested_raga":"Yaman","pace":"moderate-narrative","voice_tone":"reverent-soft","sound_elements":["tanpura drone","soft footsteps","temple bells at intervals","morning birds"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: तमनुगच्छति = तम् + अनुगच्छति. कर्मच्छायेव = कर्मच्छाया + इव (आकारलोप/सन्धि).
FAQs
It teaches that karma is inseparable from the doer—our actions inevitably follow us and shape consequences, just as a shadow accompanies the body.
A shadow is constant and unavoidable under normal conditions; similarly, the results and moral force of actions adhere to a person and accompany them through different situations.
Personal responsibility: one cannot escape the effects of one’s conduct, so one should choose dharmic actions knowing they will accompany and define one’s future experience.