Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 9
Saṃsāra-duḥkha: Karmic Descent, Garbhavāsa, Life’s Anxieties, Death, and the Call to Jñāna-Bhakti
मनुष्यत्वेऽपि यदा स्त्रीपुरुषयोर्व्यवायस्तत्समयेरेतो यदा जरायुं प्रविशति तदैव कर्मवशाज्जंतुः शुक्रेण सह जरायुं प्रविश्य शुक्रशोणितकलले प्रवर्त्तते ॥ ९ ॥
manuṣyatve'pi yadā strīpuruṣayorvyavāyastatsamayereto yadā jarāyuṃ praviśati tadaiva karmavaśājjaṃtuḥ śukreṇa saha jarāyuṃ praviśya śukraśoṇitakalale pravarttate || 9 ||
Selbst bei der menschlichen Geburt, wenn sich Mann und Frau vereinigen, genau zu dem Zeitpunkt, an dem der Samen in den Schoß eintritt, tritt das verkörperte Wesen, getrieben von seinen vergangenen Taten (Karma), zusammen mit dem Samen in den Schoß ein und beginnt seinen Lauf innerhalb des aus Samen und Blut gebildeten Embryos.
Sanatkumara (in instruction to Narada)
Vrata: none
Primary Rasa: karuna
Secondary Rasa: shanta
FAQs
It frames conception as a karmic event: the jīva’s entry into embodiment is not random but governed by prior actions, reinforcing responsibility and the moral law of karma across births.
While the verse is primarily about rebirth through karma, it sets the problem Bhakti resolves: bondage to repeated embodiment. Devotion to the Lord is taught elsewhere in the Narada Purana as the means to transcend karmic compulsion and saṃsāra.
It aligns most closely with traditional garbha/śārīra reflection used in Dharma and śāstra instruction (ethical motivation through awareness of saṃsāra), rather than a specific Vedāṅga like Vyākaraṇa or Jyotiṣa.