Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 5
Sṛṣṭi-pralaya-kathana: Mahābhūta-guṇāḥ, Vṛkṣa-indriya-vādaḥ, Prāṇa-vāyu-vyavasthā
सनंदन उवाच । श्रृणु नारद वक्ष्यामि चेतिहासं पुरातनम् । भृगुणाभिहितं शास्त्रं भरद्वाजाय पृच्छते ॥ ५ ॥
sanaṃdana uvāca | śrṛṇu nārada vakṣyāmi cetihāsaṃ purātanam | bhṛguṇābhihitaṃ śāstraṃ bharadvājāya pṛcchate || 5 ||
Sanandana sprach: „Höre, o Nārada. Ich will ein uraltes Itihāsa erzählen — die heilige Lehre (śāstra), die der Weise Bhṛgu aussprach, als Bharadvāja ihn befragte.“
Sanandana
Vrata: none
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shanta
FAQs
It establishes the authority and lineage of the teaching: Sanandana frames the moksha-oriented instruction as an ancient itihāsa delivered by Bhṛgu in response to a sincere seeker’s question, emphasizing learning through reverent listening (śravaṇa) and inquiry.
Though it does not directly define bhakti, it highlights the foundational bhakti practice of attentive hearing from a realized teacher—śravaṇa—by inviting Nārada to listen to a time-tested teaching transmitted through saintly succession.
The verse foregrounds the method of śāstra transmission—question and answer (praśna–uttara) and disciplined listening—rather than a specific Vedāṅga; it models how technical and spiritual knowledge is traditionally learned and preserved.