महाभारतः mahābhārataḥ - book-12, chapter-174, verse-16

यथा धेनुसहस्रेषु वत्सो विन्दति मातरम् ।
तथा पूर्वकृतं कर्म कर्तारमनुगच्छति ॥१६॥

16. yathā dhenusahasreṣu vatso vindati mātaram ,
tathā pūrvakṛtaṁ karma kartāramanugacchati.

16. yathā dhenusahasreṣu vatso vindati mātaram
tathā pūrvakṛtam karma kartāram anugacchati

16. yathā vatso dhenusahasreṣu mātaram vindati,
tathā pūrvakṛtam karma kartāram anugacchati

16. Just as a calf finds its own mother among thousands of cows, similarly, the (karma) performed previously inevitably follows its doer.

Words meanings summery:

• यथा (yathā) - just as (just as, as, how)

• धेनुसहस्रेषु (dhenusahasreṣu) - among thousands of cows

• वत्सो (vatso) - a calf

• विन्दति (vindati) - finds (finds, obtains, knows)

• मातरम् (mātaram) - its mother (mother)

• तथा (tathā) - similarly, so too (so, thus, similarly)

• पूर्वकृतम् (pūrvakṛtam) - previously performed (karma) (previously done, formerly performed)

• कर्म (karma) - action, deed (karma) (action, deed, work, ritual action, fate)

• कर्तारम् (kartāram) - the doer (of the action) (the doer, the agent)

• अनुगच्छति (anugacchati) - follows (follows, goes after, conforms to)

Words meanings and morphology

यथा (yathā) - just as (just as, as, how)

(indeclinable)

धेनुसहस्रेषु (dhenusahasreṣu) - among thousands of cows

(noun)

Locative, neuter, plural of dhenusahasra

dhenusahasra - a thousand cows

Compound type : ṣaṣṭhī-tatpuruṣa (dhenu+sahasra)

• dhenu – cow, milch cow
  noun (feminine)
• sahasra – thousand
  noun (neuter)

वत्सो (vatso) - a calf

(noun)

Nominative, masculine, singular of vatsa

vatsa - calf, offspring, child

विन्दति (vindati) - finds (finds, obtains, knows)

(verb)

3rd person , singular, active, present (lat) of vid

Root: vid (class 6)

मातरम् (mātaram) - its mother (mother)

(noun)

Accusative, feminine, singular of mātṛ

mātṛ - mother

तथा (tathā) - similarly, so too (so, thus, similarly)

(indeclinable)

पूर्वकृतम् (pūrvakṛtam) - previously performed (karma) (previously done, formerly performed)

(adjective)

Nominative, neuter, singular of pūrvakṛta

pūrvakṛta - previously done, formerly performed

Past Passive Participle

Compound type : tatpuruṣa (pūrva+kṛta)

• pūrva – previous, former, prior
  adjective (masculine)
• kṛta – done, made, performed
  adjective (neuter)
  Past Passive Participle
  From root kṛ
  Root: kṛ (class 8)

कर्म (karma) - action, deed (karma) (action, deed, work, ritual action, fate)

(noun)

Nominative, neuter, singular of karman

karman - action, deed, work, duty, fate, ritual action, consequence of actions

From root kṛ

Root: kṛ (class 8)

कर्तारम् (kartāram) - the doer (of the action) (the doer, the agent)

(noun)

Accusative, masculine, singular of kartṛ

kartṛ - doer, maker, agent, creator

Agent noun

From root kṛ

Root: kṛ (class 8)

अनुगच्छति (anugacchati) - follows (follows, goes after, conforms to)

(verb)

3rd person , singular, active, present (lat) of anugam

Prefix: anu

Root: gam (class 1)