आसीत् तपोवने का चिद् ऋषेः कन्या महात्मनः ॥
विलग्नमध्या सुश्रोणी सुभ्रूः सर्वगुणान्विता ॥
कर्मभिः स्वकृतैः सा तु दुर्भगा समपद्यत ॥
नाध्यगच्छत् पतिं सा तु कन्या रूपवती सती ॥
तपस् तप्तुम् अथारेभे पत्यर्थम् असुखा ततः ॥
तोषयाम् आस तपसा सा किलोग्रेण शंकरम् ॥
āsīt tapovane kā cid ṛṣeḥ kanyā mahātmanaḥ ||
vilagnamadhyā suśroṇī subhrūḥ sarvaguṇānvitā ||
karmabhiḥ svakṛtaiḥ sā tu durbhagā samapadyata ||
nādhyagacchat patiṃ sā tu kanyā rūpavatī satī ||
tapas taptum athārebhe patyartham asukhā tataḥ ||
toṣayām āsa tapasā sā kilogreṇa śaṃkaram ||
"There was in an ascetic grove a certain daughter of a great sage -- slender-waisted, fair-hipped, fair-browed, endowed with every virtue. But by deeds done by herself in a past life, she became unfortunate: that maiden did not find a husband, though beautiful and virtuous. Then, unhappy, she began to practice austerity for a husband's sake and pleased Shiva with fierce asceticism."
1bf55ca16afe · published Jul 12, 2026, 5:19:51 PM UTC
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Here the power of past deeds over present lot is revealed. It is telling that the maiden, beautiful and virtuous, is nonetheless unfortunate "by deeds done by herself": past karma overtakes even the worthy, and beauty with virtue does not annul it. In this is seen the law of retribution: one's present fate is the fruit of past deeds, and one's sorrows must therefore be met without complaint. Telling too is the means the maiden resorts to -- austerity: where earthly power fails, one turns to the higher. Thus scripture shows that karma governs destiny, yet it can be overcome by striving toward the gods; and the maiden's tapas will open a path that birth alone could not give.