Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 44

Dharmopadeśa-Śānti: Rules of Impurity, Expiations, and Ancestor Rites

Devanagari script

सर्वव्याधिप्रनष्टानां प्रायश्चित्तं न विद्यते । कष्टलोष्टाश्मभिर्गावः शस्त्रैर्वा निहता यदि ॥ ४४ ॥

Transliteration

sarvavyādhipranaṣṭānāṃ prāyaścittaṃ na vidyate | kaṣṭaloṣṭāśmabhirgāvaḥ śastrairvā nihatā yadi || 44 ||

Translation

Für jene, die durch allerlei schwere Leiden zugrunde gegangen sind, ist kein prāyaścitta (Sühneritus) vorgeschrieben—erst recht, wenn Kühe getötet wurden, sei es mit Holz, Erdklumpen, Steinen oder mit Waffen.

Word by Word

• sarva-vyādhi-pranaṣṭānām: of those ruined by all diseases
• sarva-vyādhi-pranaṣṭānām: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक) + vyādhi (प्रातिपदिक) + pranaṣṭa (कृदन्त: प्र-नश् + क्त)
• Form: Masculine, Genitive (6th/षष्ठी), Plural; बहुपद-तत्पुरुष: ‘of those destroyed by all diseases’ (pranaṣṭa used as adjectival head)

• prāyaścittam: expiation
• prāyaścittam: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: prāyaścitta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular

• na: not
• na: Pratiṣedha (निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: Negation particle (निषेध निपात)

• vidyate: exists / is found
• vidyate: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vid (धातु: विद्)
• Form: Present (लट्), Ātmanepada, 3rd person, Singular; existential sense ‘is found/exists’

• kaṣṭa-loṣṭa-aśmabhiḥ: with sticks, clods, and stones
• kaṣṭa-loṣṭa-aśmabhiḥ: Karaṇa (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kaṣṭa (प्रातिपदिक) + loṣṭa (प्रातिपदिक) + aśman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine/Neuter collective, Instrumental (3rd/तृतीया), Plural; द्वन्द्व-समास ‘with sticks, clods, and stones’

• gāvaḥ: cows
• gāvaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: go (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Plural

• śastraiḥ: with weapons
• śastraiḥ: Karaṇa (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śastra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Instrumental (3rd/तृतीया), Plural

• vā: or
• vā: Vikalpa (विकल्प)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vā (अव्यय)
• Form: Disjunctive particle (विकल्पार्थक निपात)

• nihatāḥ: killed
• nihatāḥ: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa/Predicate (विशेषण-रूपेण विधेय)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ni-han (धातु: नि-हन्)
• Form: Past passive participle (क्त), Masculine, Nominative, Plural; agrees with gāvaḥ

• yadi: if
• yadi: Śarti (शर्त)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yadi (अव्यय)
• Form: Conditional indeclinable (शर्तसूचक अव्यय)

Speaker

Sanatkumara (in instruction to Narada)

Vrata Kalpa

Vrata: none

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: raudra

Secondary Rasa: karuna

Characters & Entities

• Narada
• Sanatkumara
• Gāvaḥ (Cows)

FAQs

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

It stresses that certain acts—especially killing cows—create a karmic ruin so severe that ordinary expiations are said to be ineffective, urging strict adherence to ahimsa and dharma.

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

By warning against extreme adharma, it indirectly supports bhakti as a dharmic life of restraint and compassion; devotion to Vishnu is traditionally grounded in non-violence and protection of sacred life such as cows.

What practical Vedic knowledge (Vedanga) is highlighted here?

It reflects Dharmaśāstra-style ritual jurisprudence (rules of prāyaścitta and sin-classification), a practical framework used alongside Vedic ritual discipline rather than a technical Vedāṅga like Vyākaraṇa.