Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 27
The Exposition of Spiritual Knowledge
Jñāna-pradarśanam
आशाभिभूताः ये मर्त्या महामोहा महोद्धताः । अवमानादिकं दुःखं न जानन्ति कदाप्यहो ॥ २७ ॥
āśābhibhūtāḥ ye martyā mahāmohā mahoddhatāḥ | avamānādikaṃ duḥkhaṃ na jānanti kadāpyaho || 27 ||
Jene Sterblichen, die von Hoffnung (gieriger Erwartung) überwältigt sind—tief verblendet und hochmütig—erkennen niemals, ach, das Leid, das mit Schmach und Demütigung beginnt.
Narada
Vrata: none
Primary Rasa: karuna
Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka
FAQs
It diagnoses āśā (craving-driven hope) as a root of mahāmoha and pride, which blinds a person to the real duḥkha that follows—such as humiliation, conflict, and inner agitation—thereby obstructing vairāgya and mokṣa.
By exposing how craving and arrogance cloud discernment, the verse implicitly points to bhakti as the corrective: turning hope away from worldly validation toward steadfast reliance on Bhagavān, which softens ego and reduces the sting of avamāna.
No specific Vedāṅga procedure is taught in this verse; the practical takeaway is ethical self-discipline (nīti) and mental training—recognizing how desire-driven expectations distort judgment and generate avoidable suffering.