Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 36
Saṃsāra-duḥkha: Karmic Descent, Garbhavāsa, Life’s Anxieties, Death, and the Call to Jñāna-Bhakti
व्याधिपीडितोऽन्तस्तापार्तः क्षणं शय्यायां क्षणं मंचे च ततस्ततः पर्यटन् क्षुत्तृटूपरिपूडितः किंचिन्मात्रमुदकं देहीत्यतिकार्पण्येन याचमानस्तत्रापि ज्वराविष्टानामुदकं न श्रेयस्करमिति ब्रुवतो मनसातिद्वेषं कुर्वन्मंद चैतन्यो भवति ॥ ३६ ॥
vyādhipīḍito'ntastāpārtaḥ kṣaṇaṃ śayyāyāṃ kṣaṇaṃ maṃce ca tatastataḥ paryaṭan kṣuttṛṭūparipūḍitaḥ kiṃcinmātramudakaṃ dehītyatikārpaṇyena yācamānastatrāpi jvarāviṣṭānāmudakaṃ na śreyaskaramiti bruvato manasātidveṣaṃ kurvanmaṃda caitanyo bhavati || 36 ||
Von Krankheit gepeinigt und von innerer Glut gequält, findet er keine Ruhe: bald auf dem Bett, bald auf der Pritsche, dann irrt er unruhig von Ort zu Ort. Von Hunger und Durst zermalmt, bittet er in äußerster Not: „Gebt mir nur ein wenig Wasser.“ Doch wenn man sagt: „Für vom Fieber Ergriffene ist Wasser nicht heilsam“, entsteht in seinem Geist heftiger Hass, und sein Bewusstsein wird stumpf und verdunkelt.
Sanatkumāra (teaching Nārada in the dialogue on dharma and the consequences of embodied suffering)
Vrata: none
Primary Rasa: karuna
Secondary Rasa: bibhatsa
FAQs
It portrays how bodily affliction (vyādhi) can trigger mental agitation and hatred (dveṣa), leading to dulled awareness—showing that inner discipline is essential for dharma and progress toward mokṣa even amid suffering.
By highlighting how distress can produce anger and aversion, it indirectly teaches that a devotee must protect the mind from dveṣa and maintain steadiness—so remembrance and surrender do not collapse under pain.
No specific Vedāṅga is taught directly; the practical takeaway is dharmic self-restraint—avoiding mental hostility when advised about regimen during fever (jvara), and cultivating clarity of mind (caitanya) through disciplined conduct.