Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 71
गङ्गामाहात्म्य — The Greatness of the Gaṅgā
तद्बालभावं संदुष्टं ज्ञात्वा बाहुसुतो नृपः । चिन्तयामास विधिवत्पुत्रकर्म विगर्हितम् ॥ ७१ ॥
tadbālabhāvaṃ saṃduṣṭaṃ jñātvā bāhusuto nṛpaḥ | cintayāmāsa vidhivatputrakarma vigarhitam || 71 ||
فلما علم الملكُ—ابنُ باهو—أن طبعَ الطفل قد فسد، أخذ يتأمل على وجهٍ لائق وفق الدَّرما فيما ينبغي فعله تجاه ابنه، وإن كان الأمرُ مما يُلام عليه.
Narrator (Purana narrator voice)
Vrata: none
Primary Rasa: karuna
Secondary Rasa: shanta
FAQs
It highlights dharmic discernment: even when a situation involves one’s own child, a ruler must reflect on what is proper (vidhivat), acknowledging that some necessary actions may still be morally troubling (vigarhita).
Indirectly, it supports bhakti-based ethics: devotion to Dharma and to the Lord’s order implies self-control and impartial judgment, placing righteousness above personal attachment.
The verse points to adherence to vidhi (procedural propriety), aligning with Kalpa/Vedanga (ritual and rule-based conduct) as a general principle of acting according to prescribed norms rather than impulse.