Shloka 9
Śvetadvīpa-varṇana and Śāstra-pravartana (Śānti Parva 322)
Devanagari script
उपतिष्ठति तिष्ठन्तं गच्छन्तमनुगच्छति । करोति कुर्वत: कर्म च्छायेवानुविधीयते
Transliteration
upatiṣṭhati tiṣṭhantaṃ gacchantam anugacchati | karoti kurvataḥ karma chāyevānuvidhīyate ||
Translation
毗湿摩说：业如影随人。人立则业近立，人行则业随行，人往则业同往。作者所作之事，其事本身连同其道德果报，步步相随，终不放舍。
Word by Word
उपतिष्ठतिapproaches, stands near
उपतिष्ठति:
Karta
TypeVerb
Rootउप-स्था (धातु: स्था)
Formलट्, परस्मैपद, प्रथम, एकवचन
तिष्ठन्तम्one who is standing
तिष्ठन्तम्:
Karma
TypeAdjective
Rootस्था (धातु: स्था)
Formशतृ (वर्तमान कृदन्त), पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन
गच्छन्तम्one who is going
गच्छन्तम्:
Karma
TypeAdjective
Rootगम् (धातु: गम्)
Formशतृ (वर्तमान कृदन्त), पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन
अनुगच्छतिfollows
अनुगच्छति:
Karta
TypeVerb
Rootअनु-गम् (धातु: गम्)
Formलट्, परस्मैपद, प्रथम, एकवचन
करोतिdoes, performs
करोति:
Karta
TypeVerb
Rootकृ (धातु: कृ)
Formलट्, परस्मैपद, प्रथम, एकवचन
कुर्वतःof (one) doing
कुर्वतः:
Adhikarana
TypeAdjective
Rootकृ (धातु: कृ)
Formशतृ (वर्तमान कृदन्त), पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग (प्रयोगे), षष्ठी, एकवचन
कर्मdeed, action
कर्म:
Karma
TypeNoun
Rootकर्मन्
Formनपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन
छाययाby/like a shadow
छायया:
Karana
TypeNoun
Rootछाया
Formस्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन
इवlike, as
इव:
TypeIndeclinable
Rootइव
अनुविधीयतेis followed/attends after
अनुविधीयते:
Karta
TypeVerb
Rootअनु-वि-धा (धातु: धा)
Formलट्, आत्मनेपद, प्रथम, एकवचन, कर्मणि (passive)
Speaker
भीष्म उवाच
Characters & Entities
B
BhīṣmaCharacter Dynamics
Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)
War Context
Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)
Philosophical Teaching
Political Layer
Geographic Context
Meter (Chandas)
Sandhi Notes
Educational Q&A
A person cannot escape the consequences of their actions: karma adheres to the doer as closely as a shadow, accompanying them in every state—standing, moving, or acting—until it bears fruit.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction on dharma, Bhishma delivers a moral maxim to Yudhiṣṭhira: he illustrates, through the image of a shadow, how deeds and their results inevitably follow the agent.