Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 138

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

Devanagari script

तिथयः पक्षरंध्राख्या ह्यतिरूक्षा प्रकीर्तिताः । समुद्र मनुरंध्रांकतत्त्वसंख्यास्तुनाडिकाः ॥ १३८ ॥

Transliteration

tithayaḥ pakṣaraṃdhrākhyā hyatirūkṣā prakīrtitāḥ | samudra manuraṃdhrāṃkatattvasaṃkhyāstunāḍikāḥ || 138 ||

Translation

Die Tithis, so heißt es, sind überaus subtil und werden daher als die „randhra (Öffnungen) der Monatshälfte (pakṣa)“ bezeichnet. Und die Nāḍikās (Zeitmaße) sind nach den überlieferten Zahlenbezeichnungen zu berechnen—wie „samudra“ (Ozean), „Manu“, „randhra“ (Öffnung), „aṅka“ (Ziffer) und „tattva“—die zur Zahlenausdrückung dienen.

Word by Word

• तिथयः: tithis
• तिथयः: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तिथि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• पक्ष-रन्ध्र-आख्याः: named ‘pakṣa-randhra’
• पक्ष-रन्ध्र-आख्याः: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पक्ष (प्रातिपदिक) + रन्ध्र (प्रातिपदिक) + आख्या (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुषसमास; स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; ‘called “pakṣa-randhra”’

• हि: indeed
• हि: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात (emphatic/causal particle)

• अति-रूक्षाः: very harsh/inauspicious
• अति-रूक्षाः: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अति (अव्यय) + रूक्ष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभावसमास; स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; ‘very harsh’

• प्रकीर्तिताः: are declared
• प्रकीर्तिताः: Kriyā (क्रिया as predicate participle)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्र + कीर्त् (धातु) + क्त (कृत्)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle); स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; ‘are proclaimed’

• समुद्र: ‘ocean’ (denoting 4)
• समुद्र: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण/Number-word)
• Type: Noun
• Root: समुद्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; संख्या-शब्द (4)

• मनु: ‘Manu’ (denoting 14)
• मनु: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण/Number-word)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मनु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; संख्या-शब्द (14)

• रन्ध्र-अङ्क-तत्त्व-संख्याः: with numbers denoted by ‘randhra/aṅka/tattva’
• रन्ध्र-अङ्क-तत्त्व-संख्याः: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: रन्ध्र (प्रातिपदिक) + अङ्क (प्रातिपदिक) + तत्त्व (प्रातिपदिक) + संख्या (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: बहुपद-तत्पुरुषसमास; स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; ‘having numbers (as per) randhra, aṅka, tattva’ (0,9,25 etc. in bhūta-saṅkhyā)

• तु: and/but
• तु: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात

• नाडिकाः: nāḍikās (time-units)
• नाडिकाः: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नाडिका (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

Speaker

Sanatkumara (in dialogue with Narada)

Vrata Kalpa

Vrata: none

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: adbhuta

Secondary Rasa: shanta

Characters & Entities

• Narada
• Sanatkumara
• Manu

FAQs

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

It frames sacred time as a subtle, precisely measured reality—so that vows (vratas), worship, and dharmic observances align with the correct tithi and paksha, supporting purity of practice and steady progress in Moksha-dharma.

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

Bhakti practices like Ekadashi, fasts, and festival worship depend on correct tithi reckoning; the verse emphasizes accurate time-knowledge so devotion is offered at the proper sacred moment, strengthening discipline and sincerity in Vishnu-bhakti oriented observances.

What practical Vedic knowledge (Vedanga) is highlighted here?

Jyotiṣa Vedāṅga: it highlights calendrical computation—tithi/paksha concepts, nāḍikā as a time-unit, and the use of conventional number-words (bhūta-saṅkhyā) such as samudra and manu for encoding numerical values.