Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 124
Jyotiṣa-saṅgraha: Varga-vibhāga, Bala-nirṇaya, Garbha-phala, Āyuḥ-gaṇanā
हानिद्वयेऽधिकाः कार्या यदा क्रूरस्तनौ तदा । विहायारीनंशाद्यैर्हन्यादायुर्लवान् भजेत् ॥ १२४ ॥
hānidvaye'dhikāḥ kāryā yadā krūrastanau tadā | vihāyārīnaṃśādyairhanyādāyurlavān bhajet || 124 ||
Steht man vor zweierlei Verlust, so wähle man den geringeren. Und wenn ein grausamer Angreifer den eigenen Leib bedrängt, dann — ohne Zögern — darf man solche Feinde und dergleichen niederwerfen, um die verbleibende Lebensspanne zu bewahren.
Sanatkumara (teaching Narada in Moksha-dharma context)
Vrata: none
Primary Rasa: vira
Secondary Rasa: shanta
FAQs
It teaches dharmic discernment (viveka): when all options involve harm, one should choose the lesser harm, and preserving life in the face of a cruel aggressor can be a legitimate dharmic duty.
Bhakti is grounded in dharma; protecting one’s life and capacity for sādhana (practice) is presented as valid when threatened by cruelty, so devotion is supported by wise, duty-based action rather than passivity.
It reflects dharma-nīti reasoning used in smṛti-style decision rules (choosing the lesser harm), a practical framework often applied alongside śāstra interpretation (vyākaraṇa/nyāya-style clarity of meaning) rather than a ritual or astrology instruction.