Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 42
Varṇāśrama Saṁskāras, Upanayana Windows, Brahmacārin Ācāra, and Anadhyāya Prohibitions
प्रत्येकं तु नमस्कारो हंति पुण्यं पुराकृतम् । श्राद्धं व्रतं तथा दानं देवताभ्यार्चनं तथा ॥ ४२ ॥
pratyekaṃ tu namaskāro haṃti puṇyaṃ purākṛtam | śrāddhaṃ vrataṃ tathā dānaṃ devatābhyārcanaṃ tathā || 42 ||
لكن كلَّ سجودٍ أو تحيةٍ على غير وجهها تُهلكُ ما جُمِعَ من ثوابٍ سابقًا؛ وكذلك تُضعِف ثمرات طقوس الشرادها (śrāddha)، والنذور والرياضات (vrata)، والصدقة (dāna)، وأيضًا عبادة الآلهة.
Sanatkumara (teaching Narada in a dharma-instruction context)
Vrata: vrata (general)
Primary Rasa: bhayanaka
Secondary Rasa: shanta
FAQs
It warns that certain faulty forms of conduct—here framed around repeated/incorrect salutations—can negate previously earned spiritual merit and reduce the efficacy of major dharmic acts like śrāddha, vrata, dāna, and deity-worship.
Bhakti is not only emotion but also reverent discipline: devotion expressed through worship and salutations must be done with proper respect and correctness, otherwise the intended devotional fruit is diminished.
It points to ritual correctness (kalpa/ācāra in the wider Vedāṅga-ritual domain): the verse emphasizes that procedural or behavioral faults can obstruct the results of śrāddha, vows, charity, and devatā-arcana.