Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 58

Nirukta, Phonetic Variants, and Vedic Dhātu–Svara Taxonomy

Devanagari script

ऋष्युदात्तेज्जुषीपूर्वा अत्मनेपदिनोर्णवाः । व्रश्चादय उदात्तेतः प्रोक्ताः पंचाधिकं शतम् ॥ ५८ ॥

Transliteration

ṛṣyudāttejjuṣīpūrvā atmanepadinorṇavāḥ | vraścādaya udāttetaḥ proktāḥ paṃcādhikaṃ śatam || 58 ||

Translation

Beginnend mit der Gruppe Ṛṣyudātta und weiter mit jenen, die Juṣī als Präfix tragen, wird die Klasse beschrieben, die «Ozean der Ātmanepada‑Formen» heißt. Ebenso wird, von der Wurzel Vraśc an, die Zahl der dhātu mit udātta‑Akzent mit einhundertfünf angegeben.

Word by Word

• ṛṣi-udātta: ṛṣi-udātta (accent type)
• ṛṣi-udātta: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ṛṣi (प्रातिपदिक) + udātta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Karmadhāraya adjective; here used as qualifier in compound with following; stem sense ‘ṛṣi-udātta’ (ṛṣi-accented)

• juṣī-pūrvāḥ: having juṣī as the first (prefix/marker)
• juṣī-pūrvāḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: juṣī (प्रातिपदिक) + pūrva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural; tatpuruṣa: ‘juṣī pūrvāḥ’ = ‘having juṣī first/preceding’; agrees with (dhātavaḥ understood)

• ātmanepadinaḥ: ātmanepada (middle-voice) ones
• ātmanepadinaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ātmanepadin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Plural; ‘ātmanepada-using (roots)’

• ūrṇavāḥ: (the) Ūrṇava group/collection
• ūrṇavāḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ūrṇava (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural; lexical class-name/gaṇa-name (as in dhātu-class listing)

• vraśca-ādayaḥ: those beginning with vraśca
• vraśca-ādayaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vraśca (धातु-नाम/प्रातिपदिक) + ādi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural; tatpuruṣa: ‘vraścaḥ ādiḥ yeṣām’ (vraścādi)

• udātta-itaḥ: from (the) udātta
• udātta-itaḥ: Apādāna (अपादान)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: udātta (प्रातिपदिक) + itaḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyayībhāva adverbial: ‘udāttāt itaḥ’ = ‘from the udātta (accent)’; indeclinable

• proktāḥ: are stated
• proktāḥ: Karma (कर्म) / Predicative (विधेय)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √vac (वच् धातु) + kta (क्त)
• Form: Past passive participle, Masculine, Nominative, Plural; agrees with subject (vraścādayaḥ etc.)

• pañca-adhikam: five more (than)
• pañca-adhikam: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pañca (प्रातिपदिक) + adhika (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular; tatpuruṣa numeral phrase ‘five more (than)’ qualifying śatam

• śatam: a hundred
• śatam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śata (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular; numeral noun used as count-object

Speaker

Sanatkumara (teaching Narada in a technical/vedanga-oriented passage)

Vrata Kalpa

Vrata: none

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: none

Characters & Entities

• Narada
• Sanatkumara

FAQs

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

It emphasizes that correct Vedic sound—especially accent (udātta) and grammatical voice (Ātmanepada)—is part of disciplined sacred learning, supporting purity of recitation that traditionally undergirds dharma and inner clarity.

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

Indirectly: it shows that devotion is strengthened by precise śruti-based practice—careful chanting and correct forms—so that worship and mantra-recitation are performed without error.

What practical Vedic knowledge (Vedanga) is highlighted here?

Vedanga knowledge of Śikṣā (phonetics/accents like udātta) and Vyākaraṇa (verbal classification such as Ātmanepada), including enumerating specific root-groups (e.g., vraśc-ādi) and their accent properties.