Padma Purana — Bhumi Khanda, Shloka 41
The Nature of Knowledge, the Guru as Living Tīrtha, and the Law of Final Remembrance
स्मृतं पूर्वकृतं कर्म स्वयमेव विचेष्टितम् । मया पापेन मूढेन किं कृतं ह्यकृतात्मना
smṛtaṃ pūrvakṛtaṃ karma svayameva viceṣṭitam | mayā pāpena mūḍhena kiṃ kṛtaṃ hyakṛtātmanā
Ta nhớ lại nghiệp đã làm thuở trước—một việc chính ta cố ý thực hiện. Ta, kẻ tội lỗi và mê muội, tâm không điều phục—đã làm điều gì vậy?
Unspecified (context-required speaker within Bhūmi-khaṇḍa narrative)
Primary Rasa: karuna
Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka
Sandhi Resolution Notes: स्वयम् + एव → स्वयमेव; हि + अकृतात्मना → ह्यकृतात्मना
FAQs
It expresses remorse and moral self-audit: the speaker recalls a past action done intentionally and laments having acted sinfully due to delusion and lack of self-mastery.
It indicates a person without inner discipline or self-formation—someone not governed by restraint, clarity, or cultivated virtue—thereby prone to harmful actions.
Intentional wrongdoing leaves a lasting moral imprint; recognizing one’s error is the first step toward accountability, self-restraint, and corrective conduct.