Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 66
Dīkṣā, Mantra-Types, Mantra-Doṣas, and Qualifications of Ācārya–Śiṣya
निरपेक्षो मुनिर्दांतो हितवादी विचक्षणः । तत्त्वनिष्कासने दक्षो विनयी च सुवेषवान् ॥ ६६ ॥
nirapekṣo munirdāṃto hitavādī vicakṣaṇaḥ | tattvaniṣkāsane dakṣo vinayī ca suveṣavān || 66 ||
ينبغي للمُني أن يكون غيرَ متعلّقٍ ولا مُعتمدٍ على غيره، مُروَّضَ النفس، لا ينطق إلا بما فيه نفع؛ بصيرًا، ماهرًا في استخراج لبّ الحقيقة، متواضعًا، حسنَ الهيئة نظيفَ المظهر.
Sanatkumara (in instruction to Narada)
Vrata: none
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: none
FAQs
It lists the inner and outer qualifications of a genuine seeker-teacher: detachment, restraint, beneficial speech, discernment, capacity to state the essence (tattva), humility, and disciplined conduct—traits that stabilize knowledge and support liberation-oriented life.
Though not naming bhakti directly, it defines the temperament that makes devotion steady: freedom from selfish expectation, gentle and beneficial speech, humility, and purity of conduct—qualities that prevent bhakti from becoming ego-centered or merely performative.
The phrase “tattvaniṣkāsane dakṣaḥ” points to the Vedanga-style skill of analysis—distilling the essential meaning from texts and disciplines (like Vyākaraṇa and Nirukta), rather than getting lost in mere technicalities.