Padma Purana — Bhumi Khanda, 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
جو کھڑا رہے، تقدیر اس کے پاس حاضر رہتی ہے؛ جو چلے، اس کے ساتھ چلتی ہے؛ اور جو عمل کرے، اسی کے مطابق نتیجہ بناتی ہے—سائے کی طرح لازماً اعمال کے پیچھے لگتی ہے۔
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.