Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 18
Śokanivāraṇa: Non-brooding, Impermanence, Contentment, and Śuka’s Renunciation
अपयंत्ययमत्यंतं पक्षयोः शुक्लकृष्णयोः । जातं मर्त्यं जरयति निमिषं नावतिष्टते ॥ १८ ॥
apayaṃtyayamatyaṃtaṃ pakṣayoḥ śuklakṛṣṇayoḥ | jātaṃ martyaṃ jarayati nimiṣaṃ nāvatiṣṭate || 18 ||
يمضي الزمان بلا هوادة عبر النصفين: المضيء والمظلم من الشهر؛ يُشيّخ المولود من البشر، ولا يقف ولو لحظةً واحدة.
Sanatkumara (teaching Narada)
Vrata: none
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka
FAQs
It instills vairagya by stressing that kāla moves ceaselessly—measured even by the waxing and waning lunar fortnights—so one should not delay dharma and the pursuit of moksha.
By highlighting life’s brevity and inevitable decay, it urges immediate, steady remembrance and worship of the Lord rather than postponing bhakti to a later stage of life.
It points to Jyotiṣa-style time reckoning through śukla and kṛṣṇa pakṣa (lunar fortnights), a practical calendrical framework used to time vrata, worship, and disciplined spiritual routines.