Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 26

Devanagari script

यथा धेनुसहस्रेषु वत्सो विन्दति मातरम् । तथा पूर्वकृतं कर्म कर्तारमुपगच्छति

Transliteration

yathā dhenusahasreṣu vatso vindati mātaram | tathā pūrvakṛtaṃ karma kartāramupagacchati

Translation

వేలకొలది ఆవులలో దూడ తన తల్లిని ఎలా కనుగొంటుందో, అలాగే పూర్వం చేసిన కర్మ కర్తను (చేసినవానిని) తప్పక చేరుతుంది.

Word by Word

• यथा: just as
• यथा: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (comparative conjunction)

• धेनु-सहस्रेषु: among thousands of cows
• धेनु-सहस्रेषु: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धेनु (प्रातिपदिक) + सहस्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (सहस्र), सप्तमी-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; अधिकरण (among thousands of cows)

• वत्सः: the calf
• वत्सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वत्स (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• विन्दति: finds
• विन्दति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: विद् (धातु; विन्दति)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• मातरम्: its mother
• मातरम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मातृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• तथा: so/likewise
• तथा: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (correlative adverb)

• पूर्व-कृतम्: done previously
• पूर्व-कृतम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पूर्व (प्रातिपदिक) + कृत (प्रातिपदिक; from √कृ)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (PPP) in compound, नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifying कर्म)

• कर्म: karma, deed
• कर्म: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कर्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• कर्तारम्: the doer
• कर्तारम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कर्तृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• उपगच्छति: approaches/reaches
• उपगच्छति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: उप-√गम् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

Speaker

Māṇḍavya Ṛṣi

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Rishis (collective)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Split-vision metaphor: foreground Māṇḍavya teaching; background vignette of a calf weaving through a herd to its mother, illustrating karma’s sure return.

Characters & Entities

• Māṇḍavya

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Karma is unfailing: it finds the doer without error, just as a calf recognizes its mother.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The broader setting is the Revā (Narmadā) sacred landscape, though this verse itself is an ethical illustration.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it conveys a moral certainty about karmic results.