Shloka 74

Devanagari script

यथा मृत्पिण्डत: कर्ता कुरुते यद्‌ यदिच्छति । एवमात्मकृतं कर्म मानव: प्रतिपद्यते,जैसे कुम्हार मिट्टीके लोंदेसे जो-जो बर्तन चाहता है वही बना लेता है। उसी प्रकार मनुष्य अपने किये हुए कर्मके अनुसार ही सब कुछ पाता है

Transliteration

yathā mṛtpiṇḍataḥ kartā kurute yad yad icchati | evam ātmakṛtaṃ karma mānavaḥ pratipadyate ||

Translation

جیسے کمہار مٹی کے لوتھڑے سے جیسا برتن چاہے ویسا بنا لیتا ہے، ویسے ہی انسان اپنے ہی کیے ہوئے کرم کے مطابق پھل بھگتتا ہے۔

Word by Word

यथाjust as

मृत्पिण्डतःfrom a lump of clay

कर्ताthe maker (potter/creator)

कुरुतेmakes

यत्whatever (that which)

यत्whatever

इच्छतिdesires

एवम्thus, in the same way

आत्मकृतम्done by oneself

कर्मdeed, action

मानवःa man, human

प्रतिपद्यतेattains, obtains, meets with

Speaker

काल उवाच

Characters & Entities

karta (potter/maker)

mṛtpiṇḍa (lump of clay)

mānava (human being)

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

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.

What is happening in the narrative?

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.