Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 144
Pāpa-bheda, Naraka-yātanā, Mahāpātaka-vicāra, Atonement Limits, Daśa-vidhā Bhakti, and Gaṅgā as Final Remedy
यः सर्वलोकविख्यातकीर्तिमुद्दिश्य माधवम् । अर्चयेत्परया भक्त्या सा मध्या राजसी मता ॥ १४४ ॥
yaḥ sarvalokavikhyātakīrtimuddiśya mādhavam | arcayetparayā bhaktyā sā madhyā rājasī matā || 144 ||
Wer Mādhava mit höchster Bhakti verehrt, jedoch mit dem Ziel, Ruhm zu erlangen, der in allen Welten bekannt ist—dessen Hingabe gilt als mittlere und rājasa-artige.
Sanatkumāra (teaching Nārada on gradations of bhakti)
Vrata: none
Primary Rasa: bhakti
Secondary Rasa: vira
FAQs
It distinguishes outer devotion from inner intention, teaching that worship aimed at worldly renown is spiritually limited and classed as rājasic, not the highest form of bhakti.
It implies that bhakti is judged by motive: even intense worship becomes “middling” when driven by egoic goals like fame, whereas purer devotion seeks only Bhagavān’s pleasure and liberation.
No specific Vedāṅga technique is taught here; the practical takeaway is ethical-ritual discernment (why one performs pūjā/arcana), aligning intention with sāttvic worship rather than rājasic reward-seeking.