Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 25
Śuka’s Origin, Mastery of Śāstra, and Testing at Janaka’s Court
अरण्यामेव सहसा तस्य शुक्रमवापतत् । शुक्रे निर्मथ्यमानेऽस्यां शुको जज्ञे महातपाः ॥ २५ ॥
araṇyāmeva sahasā tasya śukramavāpatat | śukre nirmathyamāne'syāṃ śuko jajñe mahātapāḥ || 25 ||
Plötzlich, dort im Wald, fiel sein Samen herab. Als dieser Same eben dort gleichsam gerührt und gekeltert wurde, wurde der große Asket Śuka geboren, reich an Tapas.
Narada (narrating a Purāṇic birth account within Mokṣa-dharma context)
Vrata: none
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: bibhatsa
FAQs
It presents Śuka’s extraordinary birth as a sign of tapas and destiny: a realized sage can manifest through non-ordinary causes, emphasizing that liberation-oriented life (mokṣa-dharma) is rooted in intense austerity and divine order rather than mere social convention.
Indirectly, it supports bhakti by showing that exalted saints arise through providence; such sages become transmitters of God-centered knowledge and detachment, which in Narada Purana is repeatedly tied to Viṣṇu-bhakti and the pursuit of mokṣa.
No specific Vedāṅga technique is taught in this verse; it mainly uses Purāṇic narrative style (janma-kathā) to establish a sage’s authority (ṛṣi-prāmāṇya) for subsequent mokṣa and dharma instruction.