Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 107

Graha–Ketu–Utpāta Lakṣaṇas: Solar/Lunar Omens, Comets, Eclipses, and Calendar Rules

Devanagari script

कृत्तिकासु भवो धूमकेतुर्नूनं प्रजाक्षयः । प्रासादवृक्षशैलेषु जातो राज्ञां विनाशकृत् ॥ १०७ ॥

Transliteration

kṛttikāsu bhavo dhūmaketurnūnaṃ prajākṣayaḥ | prāsādavṛkṣaśaileṣu jāto rājñāṃ vināśakṛt || 107 ||

Translation

Ein Komet, Dhūmaketu, der im Sternbild Kṛttikā erscheint, kündet gewiss den Untergang des Volkes an. Wird er über Palästen, Bäumen oder Bergen aufgehend gesehen, wird er zur Ursache des Verderbens der Könige.

Word by Word

• kṛttikāsu: in the Kṛttikās (Pleiades)
• kṛttikāsu: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण/Location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kṛttikā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga (Feminine/स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Saptamī vibhakti (Locative/सप्तमी), Bahuvacana

• bhavaḥ: arising/appearance; (one) born
• bhavaḥ: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhava (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Prathamā, Ekavacana (Singular/एकवचन)

• dhūma-ketuḥ: Dhūmaketu (smoke-comet)
• dhūma-ketuḥ: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dhūma (प्रातिपदिक) + ketu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Prathamā, Ekavacana; karmadhāraya: 'dhūmaḥ ketuḥ' (smoke-bannered comet)

• nūnam: surely, indeed
• nūnam: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Discourse particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: nūnam (अव्यय)
• Form: Nipāta (particle/निपात), niścaya-artha (certainly)

• prajā-kṣayaḥ: loss of people/subjects
• prajā-kṣayaḥ: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: prajā (प्रातिपदिक) + kṣaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Prathamā, Ekavacana; ṣaṣṭhī-tatpuruṣa: 'prajāyāḥ kṣayaḥ' (destruction of subjects/people)

• prāsāda-vṛkṣa-śaileṣu: in palaces, trees, and mountains
• prāsāda-vṛkṣa-śaileṣu: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण/Location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: prāsāda (प्रातिपदिक) + vṛkṣa (प्रातिपदिक) + śaila (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Saptamī, Bahuvacana; itaretara-dvandva (copulative): 'prāsādeṣu ca vṛkṣeṣu ca śaileṣu ca'

• jātaḥ: born, arisen
• jātaḥ: Karta (कर्ता/Subject predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: jan (जन् धातु)
• Form: Kta-participle (क्त/PPP), Puṃliṅga, Prathamā, Ekavacana; passive past participle: 'born/appeared'

• rājñām: of kings
• rājñām: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Genitive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rājan (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Ṣaṣṭhī vibhakti (Genitive/षष्ठी), Bahuvacana

• vināśa-kṛt: causing destruction
• vināśa-kṛt: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vināśa (प्रातिपदिक) + kṛ (कृ धातु)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Prathamā, Ekavacana; upapada-kr̥danta -kṛt (doer): 'vināśaṃ karoti'

Speaker

Sanatkumara (in dialogue with Narada)

Vrata Kalpa

Vrata: none

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: bhayanaka

Secondary Rasa: shanta

Characters & Entities

• Kṛttikā (nakṣatra)
• Dhūmaketu (comet)

FAQs

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

It frames celestial phenomena as nimittas (portents) that remind rulers and society to return to dharma; collective adharma is mirrored as collective suffering, prompting repentance, charity, and protective rites.

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

While the verse is primarily jyotiṣa-based, its implication supports bhakti indirectly: ominous signs are occasions to seek refuge in Bhagavān through prayer, nāma-japa, and sattvic conduct rather than panic or fatalism.

What practical Vedic knowledge (Vedanga) is highlighted here?

Jyotiṣa Vedāṅga—specifically nakṣatra-based omen reading: a comet’s appearance in Kṛttikā and its observed locus (over palaces/trees/mountains) is used to infer outcomes for subjects and kings.