Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 88
Bharata’s Attachment and the Palanquin Teaching on ‘I’ and ‘Mine’
पुमान्स्त्री गौरजा बाजी कुंजरो विहगस्तरुः । देहेषु लोकसंज्ञेयं विज्ञेया कर्महेतुषु ॥ ८८ ॥
pumānstrī gaurajā bājī kuṃjaro vihagastaruḥ | deheṣu lokasaṃjñeyaṃ vijñeyā karmahetuṣu || 88 ||
Mann und Frau; Kuh, Ziege und Pferd; Elefant, Vogel und Baum—solche weltlichen Benennungen sind als auf die Körper bezogen zu verstehen und als aus den Ursachen des Karma hervorgegangen zu erkennen.
Sanatkumara (teaching Narada)
Vrata: none
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: none
FAQs
It teaches viveka (discernment): labels like man, animal, or tree belong to the body and are produced by karma; the seeker should loosen identification with such temporary designations to move toward moksha.
By showing that bodily status is karma-born and impermanent, it redirects the mind from pride or despair about birth toward surrender to Vishnu, whose bhakti purifies karma and stabilizes the devotee beyond worldly identities.
The verse aligns with dharma-śāstra reasoning and Vyākaraṇa-style precision in saṁjñā (designation): it clarifies that terms (names/classes) apply at the level of deha (body) and should be interpreted through the causality of karma.