Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 138

Graha–Ketu–Utpāta Lakṣaṇas: Solar/Lunar Omens, Comets, Eclipses, and Calendar Rules

Devanagari script

तिथयः पक्षरंध्राख्या ह्यतिरूक्षा प्रकीर्तिताः । समुद्र मनुरंध्रांकतत्त्वसंख्यास्तुनाडिकाः ॥ १३८ ॥

Transliteration

tithayaḥ pakṣaraṃdhrākhyā hyatirūkṣā prakīrtitāḥ | samudra manuraṃdhrāṃkatattvasaṃkhyāstunāḍikāḥ || 138 ||

Translation

قيل إنّ التِّثيّات بالغةُ اللُّطف والدقّة، ولذلك سُمّيت «رَنْدهرا (الفتحات) لنصف الشهر (pakṣa)». وأمّا النّاديكا (مقادير الزمن) فتُحسَب وفق التسميات العددية الموروثة مثل «سَمُدْرا (المحيط)»، و«مانو»، و«رَنْدهرا»، و«أَنْكا (رقم/خانة)»، و«تَتْتْفا»، وهي ألفاظ تُستعمل للدلالة على الأعداد.

Word by Word

• तिथयः: tithis
• तिथयः: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तिथि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• पक्ष-रन्ध्र-आख्याः: named ‘pakṣa-randhra’
• पक्ष-रन्ध्र-आख्याः: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पक्ष (प्रातिपदिक) + रन्ध्र (प्रातिपदिक) + आख्या (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुषसमास; स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; ‘called “pakṣa-randhra”’

• हि: indeed
• हि: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात (emphatic/causal particle)

• अति-रूक्षाः: very harsh/inauspicious
• अति-रूक्षाः: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अति (अव्यय) + रूक्ष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभावसमास; स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; ‘very harsh’

• प्रकीर्तिताः: are declared
• प्रकीर्तिताः: Kriyā (क्रिया as predicate participle)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्र + कीर्त् (धातु) + क्त (कृत्)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle); स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; ‘are proclaimed’

• समुद्र: ‘ocean’ (denoting 4)
• समुद्र: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण/Number-word)
• Type: Noun
• Root: समुद्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; संख्या-शब्द (4)

• मनु: ‘Manu’ (denoting 14)
• मनु: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण/Number-word)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मनु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; संख्या-शब्द (14)

• रन्ध्र-अङ्क-तत्त्व-संख्याः: with numbers denoted by ‘randhra/aṅka/tattva’
• रन्ध्र-अङ्क-तत्त्व-संख्याः: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: रन्ध्र (प्रातिपदिक) + अङ्क (प्रातिपदिक) + तत्त्व (प्रातिपदिक) + संख्या (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: बहुपद-तत्पुरुषसमास; स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; ‘having numbers (as per) randhra, aṅka, tattva’ (0,9,25 etc. in bhūta-saṅkhyā)

• तु: and/but
• तु: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात

• नाडिकाः: nāḍikās (time-units)
• नाडिकाः: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नाडिका (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

Speaker

Sanatkumara (in dialogue with Narada)

Vrata Kalpa

Vrata: none

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: adbhuta

Secondary Rasa: shanta

Characters & Entities

• Narada
• Sanatkumara
• Manu

FAQs

What is the spiritual significance of this verse in Narada Purana?

It frames sacred time as a subtle, precisely measured reality—so that vows (vratas), worship, and dharmic observances align with the correct tithi and paksha, supporting purity of practice and steady progress in Moksha-dharma.

How does this verse explain the path of devotion (Bhakti)?

Bhakti practices like Ekadashi, fasts, and festival worship depend on correct tithi reckoning; the verse emphasizes accurate time-knowledge so devotion is offered at the proper sacred moment, strengthening discipline and sincerity in Vishnu-bhakti oriented observances.

What practical Vedic knowledge (Vedanga) is highlighted here?

Jyotiṣa Vedāṅga: it highlights calendrical computation—tithi/paksha concepts, nāḍikā as a time-unit, and the use of conventional number-words (bhūta-saṅkhyā) such as samudra and manu for encoding numerical values.