Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 114
Jīva–Ātman Inquiry; Kṣetrajña Doctrine; Karma-based Varṇa; Four Āśramas and Sannyāsa Discipline
अपि चात्र यज्ञक्रियाभिर्देवताः प्रीयंते निवापेन पितरो । विद्याभ्यासश्रवणधारणेन ऋषयः अपत्योत्पादनेन प्रजापतिरिति ॥ ११४ ॥
api cātra yajñakriyābhirdevatāḥ prīyaṃte nivāpena pitaro | vidyābhyāsaśravaṇadhāraṇena ṛṣayaḥ apatyotpādanena prajāpatiriti || 114 ||
Ferner gilt in diesem Zusammenhang: Die Devas werden durch die Ausführung der Opferhandlungen des Yajña erfreut; die Pitṛ, die Ahnen, durch die Speise-Oblation (nivāpa); die Ṛṣis durch das Üben, Hören und Bewahren heiligen Wissens; und Prajāpati durch die Zeugung von Nachkommenschaft.
Sanatkumara (in dialogue with Narada)
Vrata: none
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: bhakti
FAQs
It maps four core obligations (to Devas, Pitṛs, Ṛṣis, and Prajāpati) to four concrete practices—ritual worship, ancestral offerings, Vedic learning, and responsible household life—showing how dharma harmonizes cosmic order and personal spiritual progress.
While not naming a single deity, it frames devotion as disciplined service: honoring divine powers through yajña, honoring lineage through Pitṛ-kārya, honoring the seers through svādhyāya, and honoring creation through progeny—actions that purify the heart and support steady bhakti.
The verse emphasizes svādhyāya in three steps—abhyāsa (practice), śravaṇa (listening/recitation), and dhāraṇa (retention/memorization)—which aligns with Vedāṅga disciplines like Śikṣā (phonetics/recitation) and Vyākaraṇa (grammar) that preserve accurate transmission.