Devi Bhagavatam 4.21.22 — Devi as Supreme Shakti, Skandha 4, Adhyaya 21, Shloka 22

The Description of the Killing of Devaki's First Son by Kamsa

Devanagari script

बहुजन्मसमुत्थानि काले तिष्ठन्ति सर्वथा । पूर्वदेहं परित्यज्य जीवः कर्मवशानुगः

Transliteration

bahujanmasamutthāni kāle tiṣṭhanti sarvathā | pūrvadehaṃ parityajya jīvaḥ karmavaśānugaḥ

Translation

అనేక జన్మల నుండి పుట్టిన కర్మలు కాలంలో నిలిచి ఉంటాయి. జీవుడు పూర్వ దేహాన్ని వదిలి కర్మలకు లోబడి వెళ్తాడు.

Word by Word

• bahujanmasamutthāni: arisen from many births
• bahujanmasamutthāni: Kartṛ
• Type: Adjective
• Root: bahujanmasamuttha
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Plural

• kāle: in time
• kāle: Adhikaraṇa
• Type: Noun
• Root: kāla
• Form: Masculine, Locative, Singular

• tiṣṭhanti: they stay
• tiṣṭhanti: Kriya
• Type: Verb
• Root: sthā
• Form: Lat, Parasmaipada, 3rd Person, Plural

• sarvathā: in every way
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sarvathā
• Form: Adverb

• pūrvadeham: previous body
• pūrvadeham: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: pūrvadeha
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• parityajya: having abandoned
• parityajya: Pūrvakāla-kriyā
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: pari-tyaj
• Form: Lyap Pratyaya

• jīvaḥ: the soul
• jīvaḥ: Kartṛ
• Type: Noun
• Root: jīva
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• karmavaśānugaḥ: following the influence of karma
• karmavaśānugaḥ: Kartṛ
• Type: Adjective
• Root: karmavaśānuga
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

Speaker

Vasudeva

Shakti Theology

Tattva Discussed: Jiva

Vyasa-Janamejaya Dialogue

Narrator: Vyasa

Listener: Janamejaya

Dialogue Context: Journey of the Jiva

Narrative Layer: embedded

Philosophical Significance

Text: Explains the mechanics of Samsara. The physical body dies, but the karmic imprint is eternal until exhausted or destroyed by knowledge.

Characters & Entities

• Jiva
• Karma

FAQs

What happens to the karmas from past lives?

They are preserved perfectly within Time (Kala) and do not disappear even when the physical body dies.

What forces the soul to move to a new body?

The soul (Jiva) is 'karmavashanugah'—completely bound and driven by its accumulated karma, which forces it to leave the old body and seek a new one.