Padma Purana — Bhumi Khanda, Shloka 54

Yayāti Episode: Indra’s Anxiety, the Messenger Motif, and a Discourse on Time (Kāla) and Karma

Devanagari script

प्राक्तनं बंधनं कर्म कोन्यथा कर्तुमर्हति । सुशीघ्रमपि धावंतं विधानमनुधावति

Transliteration

prāktanaṃ baṃdhanaṃ karma konyathā kartumarhati | suśīghramapi dhāvaṃtaṃ vidhānamanudhāvati

Translation

古来系缚之业，任何人都不能使之变异；纵使疾走如飞，亦为命运之法所追随。

Word by Word

• prāktanam: former, previous
• prāktanam: Karta (कर्ता) / viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: prāktana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napumsaka (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Prathamā (प्रथमा/Case 1), Ekavacana (एकवचन); viśeṣaṇa of ‘bandhanam/karma’

• bandhanam: bondage, binding
• bandhanam: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bandhana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napumsaka (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Prathamā (प्रथमा/Case 1), Ekavacana (एकवचन)

• karma: action; karma
• karma: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: karman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napumsaka (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Prathamā (प्रथमा/Case 1), Ekavacana (एकवचन); apposition to ‘bandhanam’

• kaḥ: who
• kaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kim (प्रातिपदिक/सर्वनाम)
• Form: Pumliṅga (पुंलिङ्ग), Prathamā (प्रथमा/Case 1), Ekavacana (एकवचन); interrogative pronoun

• anyathā: otherwise, differently
• anyathā: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: anyathā (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya; adverb (क्रियाविशेषण)

• kartum: to do
• kartum: Prayojana/Anukūla-kriyā (प्रयोजन)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kṛ (कृ धातु)
• Form: Tumun-anta infinitive (तुमुनन्त), ‘to do/make’

• arhati: is able/fit; deserves
• arhati: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: arh (अर्ह् धातु)
• Form: Laṭ-lakāra (लट्/Present), Prathama-puruṣa (प्रथमपुरुष), Ekavacana (एकवचन), Parasmaipada (परस्मैपद)

• suśīghram: very quickly
• suśīghram: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: su-śīghra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Avyaya used as adverb (क्रियाविशेषण); compound su + śīghra (intensifying)

• api: even, also
• api: Sambandha/Emphasis (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya; particle (निपात)

• dhāvantam: (one) running
• dhāvantam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Verb
• Root: dhāv (धाव् धातु)
• Form: Śatṛ-pratyaya present active participle (शतृ), Accusative (द्वितीया/Case 2), Ekavacana (एकवचन), Pumliṅga (पुंलिङ्ग); object of ‘anudhāvati’

• vidhānam: ordinance; destiny; rule
• vidhānam: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vidhāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napumsaka (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Prathamā (प्रथमा/Case 1), Ekavacana (एकवचन)

• anudhāvati: runs after; follows
• anudhāvati: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: anu-dhāv (अनु + धाव् धातु)
• Form: Laṭ-lakāra (लट्/Present), Prathama-puruṣa (प्रथमपुरुष), Ekavacana (एकवचन), Parasmaipada (परस्मैपद); upasarga ‘anu’

Speaker

Unspecified (narrative voice within the Adhyaya)

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: bhayanaka

Secondary Rasa: shanta

Sandhi Resolution Notes

Sandhi Resolution Notes: konyathā = kaḥ + anyathā; kartumarhati = kartum + arhati; suśīghramapi = suśīghram + api; vidhānamanudhāvati = vidhānam + anudhāvati.

FAQs

Does this verse teach that destiny is unavoidable?

It emphasizes the strong momentum of past (prāktana) karma: destiny (vidhāna) follows even the swift. The focus is on the binding power of prior actions rather than on human control over outcomes.

How does this relate to the doctrine of karma in the Padma Purana?

The verse frames karma as a binding continuity from the past that shapes present experience, portraying results as orderly (vidhāna) rather than random.

What ethical lesson does this verse convey?

It cautions against thinking one can simply outrun consequences; instead, it encourages responsibility for actions and acceptance of outcomes shaped by prior deeds.