Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 1
Sṛṣṭi-pralaya-kathana: Mahābhūta-guṇāḥ, Vṛkṣa-indriya-vādaḥ, Prāṇa-vāyu-vyavasthā
श्रीनारद उवाच । कुतः सृष्टमिदं ब्रह्मञ्जगत्स्थावरजंगमम् । प्रलये च कमभ्येति तन्मे ब्रूहि सनन्दन ॥ १ ॥
śrīnārada uvāca | kutaḥ sṛṣṭamidaṃ brahmañjagatsthāvarajaṃgamam | pralaye ca kamabhyeti tanme brūhi sanandana || 1 ||
Śrī Nārada sprach: „O Brahmane, aus welcher Quelle ist diese ganze Welt—das Unbewegliche und das Bewegliche—erschaffen? Und zur Zeit der Auflösung (pralaya), in wen geht sie ein? Sage es mir, o Sanandana.“
Narada
Vrata: none
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shanta
FAQs
It frames the core Vedantic inquiry: identifying the ultimate cause of creation and the final ground into which all names and forms dissolve—knowledge central to Moksha-dharma.
By asking about the source and end of the cosmos, the verse prepares for devotion directed to the Supreme cause; Bhakti becomes steady when the devotee knows whom all beings ultimately depend upon and return to.
The verse is primarily philosophical rather than technical; it aligns with Vedic cosmological reasoning used in scriptural exegesis (nirukta-style inquiry into causes and meanings) rather than ritual procedure or astrology.