Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 12

The Description of the Index/Summary of the Garuḍa

Purāṇa

Devanagari script

श्राद्धं विनायकस्यार्चा ग्रहयज्ञस्तथआ श्रमाः । जननाख्यं प्रेतशौचं नीतिशास्त्रं व्रतोक्तयः ॥ १२ ॥

Transliteration

śrāddhaṃ vināyakasyārcā grahayajñastathaā śramāḥ | jananākhyaṃ pretaśaucaṃ nītiśāstraṃ vratoktayaḥ || 12 ||

Translation

Dieser Abschnitt beschreibt auch: die Śrāddha-Riten; die Verehrung Vināyakas (Gaṇeśa); Opfergaben und Yajñas an die Grahas (Planeten); vorgeschriebene Disziplinen und Askesen; das als „Janana“ bekannte Geburtsritual; die Reinheitsregeln in Bezug auf den Verstorbenen (preta-śauca); die Lehren des Nīti-Śāstra über Ethik und Staatskunst; sowie die Gebote zu den Gelübden (vratas).

Word by Word

• śrāddham: Śrāddha rite (ancestral offering)
• śrāddham: Karta (कर्ता) / Uddeshya (उद्देश्य) in list
• Type: Noun
• Root: śrāddha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative singular

• vināyakasya: of Vināyaka (Gaṇeśa)
• vināyakasya: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध) / Genitive relation
• Type: Noun
• Root: vināyaka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Genitive (षष्ठी) singular

• arcā: worship/adoration
• arcā: Karta (कर्ता) / Uddeshya (उद्देश्य) in list
• Type: Noun
• Root: arcā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Nominative singular

• graha-yajñaḥ: sacrifice/rite for the planets
• graha-yajñaḥ: Karta (कर्ता) / Uddeshya (उद्देश्य) in list
• Type: Noun
• Root: graha (प्रातिपदिक) + yajña (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative singular; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: 'grahāṇāṃ yajñaḥ'

• tathā: and also
• tathā: Samuccaya (समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya; conjunction/adverb meaning 'also/and likewise'

• śramāḥ: austerities/efforts
• śramāḥ: Karta (कर्ता) / Uddeshya (उद्देश्य) in list
• Type: Noun
• Root: śrama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative plural

• janana-ākhyam: (topic) called ‘janana’ (birth-related)
• janana-ākhyam: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण) / Uddeshya in list
• Type: Adjective
• Root: janana (प्रातिपदिक) + ākhyā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative singular; adjective used predicatively in list; षष्ठी/कर्मधारय-like sense: 'jananaṃ nāma/ākhyam' = 'called birth/pertaining to birth'

• preta-śaucam: purificatory rites for the departed (preta)
• preta-śaucam: Karta (कर्ता) / Uddeshya (उद्देश्य) in list
• Type: Noun
• Root: preta (प्रातिपदिक) + śauca (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative singular; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: 'pretasya śaucam'

• nīti-śāstram: treatise on polity/ethics
• nīti-śāstram: Karta (कर्ता) / Uddeshya (उद्देश्य) in list
• Type: Noun
• Root: nīti (प्रातिपदिक) + śāstra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative singular; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: 'nīteḥ śāstram'

• vrata-uktayaḥ: statements/instructions on vows
• vrata-uktayaḥ: Karta (कर्ता) / Uddeshya (उद्देश्य) in list
• Type: Noun
• Root: vrata (प्रातिपदिक) + ukti (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Nominative plural; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: 'vratānām uktayaḥ'

Speaker

Narada (cataloguing topics to Sanatkumara in an Anukramanika-style chapter)

Vrata Kalpa

Vrata: vrata (general category; specific names not given)

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: bhakti

Characters & Entities

• Vinayaka (Ganesha)
• Grahas (planetary deities)
• Pitrs (ancestors)

FAQs

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

The verse functions as a contents-marker, showing that dharma in the Narada Purana includes both inner discipline and outer ritual order—ancestral duties (śrāddha), purity rules (śauca), ethical conduct (nīti), and vow-based practice (vrata).

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

By listing worship practices—especially Vināyaka-arcā and vrata-ukti—it implies that devotion is lived through regulated observances that remove obstacles, sustain purity, and support steady worship alongside broader dharmic duties.

What practical Vedic knowledge (Vedanga) is highlighted here?

Grahayajña points to applied Jyotiṣa (Vedic astrology) through planetary propitiation and timing-sensitive rites, while śrāddha and śauca indicate procedural ritual knowledge used in domestic and funerary observances.