Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 65
Dhvaja-Dhāraṇa Mahātmyam: Sumati–Satyamatī, Humility, and Deliverance by Hari’s Messengers
तर्काणाद्यविशेषेण नरकाध्यक्षतां गताः । यूयं किमर्थमद्यापि कर्त्तुं पापानि सोद्यमाः ॥ ६५ ॥
tarkāṇādyaviśeṣeṇa narakādhyakṣatāṃ gatāḥ | yūyaṃ kimarthamadyāpi karttuṃ pāpāni sodyamāḥ || 65 ||
তর্ক-বিতর্ক প্রভৃতিতে যথার্থ ভেদ না করে তোমরা নরকের অধ্যক্ষ হয়েছ। তবু এখনও কেন পাপকর্ম করতে উদ্যত?
Sanatkumara (one of the Sanaka brothers)
Vrata: none
Primary Rasa: raudra
Secondary Rasa: shanta
FAQs
It warns that mere clever argument (tarka) without true discernment (viveka) can harden one into adharma, leading to severe karmic consequences symbolized by association with naraka; it urges immediate cessation of pāpa.
By criticizing ego-driven disputation and continued sin, the verse indirectly supports bhakti’s foundation: humility, moral restraint, and turning away from pāpa so the mind becomes fit for sincere devotion to Bhagavan.
It highlights the practical limit of logic and debate: tarka must be guided by dharma and right understanding; otherwise, intellectual skill becomes a tool for adharma rather than a support for śāstra-based living.