Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 30
Śokanivāraṇa: Non-brooding, Impermanence, Contentment, and Śuka’s Renunciation
देवानिष्ट्वा तपस्तप्त्वा कृपणैः पुत्रहेतुभिः । दशमासान्परिधृता जायते कुलपांसनाः ॥ ३० ॥
devāniṣṭvā tapastaptvā kṛpaṇaiḥ putrahetubhiḥ | daśamāsānparidhṛtā jāyate kulapāṃsanāḥ || 30 ||
Selbst wenn man die Götter verehrt und Askese übt—wenn der Geizige dies einzig um eines Sohnes willen tut—so wird nach zehn Monaten Tragen ein Kind geboren, das zum „Staub und Makel des Geschlechts“ wird.
Sanatkumara (teaching Narada in the Moksha-Dharma dialogue)
Vrata: none
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: bibhatsa
FAQs
It warns that ritual (deva-yajana) and austerity (tapas) performed with narrow, selfish intent—especially mere progeny-seeking—can yield spiritually barren results, producing outcomes that burden the family and obstruct dharma and moksha.
By implication, it contrasts desire-based worship with worship offered in a purified spirit. Bhakti is not bargaining for results; it is devotion aligned with dharma and inner transformation, not merely achieving worldly aims like a son.
It highlights the principle of ritual intentionality central to Vedic practice (yajna/tapas): the motive (hetu) and inner disposition (kṛpaṇatā vs. purity) determine the fruit, a key practical takeaway for conducting rites and vows in a dharmic way.