Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 84

गङ्गामाहात्म्य — The Greatness of the Gaṅgā

Devanagari script

महते वीतरागाय तुभ्यं भूयो नमो नमः । सागरैः पीडितानस्मांस्त्रायस्व शरणागतान् ॥ ८४ ॥

Transliteration

mahate vītarāgāya tubhyaṃ bhūyo namo namaḥ | sāgaraiḥ pīḍitānasmāṃstrāyasva śaraṇāgatān || 84 ||

Translation

হে মহান, বীতৰাগ! তোমাক পুনঃ পুনঃ নমস্কাৰ। সাগৰসম দুঃখে পীড়িত শৰণাগত আমি; আমাক ৰক্ষা কৰি উদ্ধাৰ কৰা।

Word by Word

• mahate: to the great one
• mahate: Sampradāna (सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mahat (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga (Masculine), Caturthī vibhakti (Dative, 4th), Ekavacana (Singular)

• vīta-rāgāya: to the dispassionate one
• vīta-rāgāya: Sampradāna (सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vīta (कृदन्त; vi-√i/√vā? here as adjective ‘gone’, क्त) + rāga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga (Masculine), Caturthī vibhakti (Dative, 4th), Ekavacana (Singular); tatpuruṣa: vītaḥ rāgaḥ yasya (with passion gone; effectively ‘free from attachment’)

• tubhyam: to you
• tubhyam: Sampradāna (सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tvad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Sarvanāma (Pronoun), Caturthī vibhakti (Dative, 4th), Ekavacana (Singular)

• bhūyaḥ: again, further
• bhūyaḥ: Kriyā-viśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: bhūyas (अव्यय/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Kriyā-viśeṣaṇa (adverb), punar-artha (again/more)

• namaḥ: salutation
• namaḥ: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/उपपद-प्रयोग)
• Type: Noun
• Root: namas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napुंसakaliṅga (Neuter), Prathamā vibhakti (Nominative, 1st), Ekavacana (Singular); salutation-usage (नमस्कारार्थे)

• namaḥ: salutation
• namaḥ: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/उपपद-प्रयोग)
• Type: Noun
• Root: namas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napुंसakaliṅga (Neuter), Prathamā vibhakti (Nominative, 1st), Ekavacana (Singular); repetition for emphasis

• sāgaraiḥ: by oceans (waves)
• sāgaraiḥ: Karaṇa (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sāgara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga (Masculine), Tṛtīyā vibhakti (Instrumental, 3rd), Bahuvacana (Plural)

• pīḍitān: afflicted
• pīḍitān: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pīḍita (कृदन्त; √pīḍ, क्त)
• Form: Puṃliṅga (Masculine), Dvitīyā vibhakti (Accusative, 2nd), Bahuvacana (Plural); past passive participle used adjectivally

• asmān: us
• asmān: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Sarvanāma (Pronoun), Dvitīyā vibhakti (Accusative, 2nd), Bahuvacana (Plural)

• trāyasva: protect (save)
• trāyasva: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: trā (धातु)
• Form: Loṭ-lakāra (Imperative), Ātmanepada, Madhyama-puruṣa (2nd person), Ekavacana (Singular)

• śaraṇa-āgatān: those who have taken refuge
• śaraṇa-āgatān: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śaraṇa (प्रातिपदिक) + āgata (कृदन्त; ā-√gam, क्त)
• Form: Puṃliṅga (Masculine), Dvitīyā vibhakti (Accusative, 2nd), Bahuvacana (Plural); tatpuruṣa: śaraṇam āgatāḥ (those who have come for refuge)

Speaker

Supplicants seeking refuge (addressing the Supreme Lord, commonly understood as Vishnu/Narayana in Narada Purana context)

Vrata Kalpa

Vrata: none

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: karuna

Secondary Rasa: bhakti

Characters & Entities

• Vishnu
• Narayana
• Sagara

FAQs

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

It presents śaraṇāgati—taking refuge in the Lord who is vītarāga (beyond attachment)—as the sure response to overwhelming suffering, symbolized here by being “afflicted by the oceans.”

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

Bhakti is expressed as repeated namaskāra (namo namaḥ) and wholehearted surrender (śaraṇāgata), asking the Lord directly for protection and deliverance rather than relying on one’s limited power.

What practical Vedic knowledge (Vedanga) is highlighted here?

No specific Vedāṅga technique is taught in this verse; the practical takeaway is devotional prayoga—using concise stuti and śaraṇāgati-vākya (words of surrender) as a prayerful method in संकट (distress).