Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 43
Hari-nāma Mahimā and Caraṇāmṛta: The Redemption of the Hunter Gulika
Uttaṅka Itihāsa
धर्माधर्मार्जितैर्द्रव्यैः पोषिता येन ये नराः । मृतमग्निमुखे हुत्वा घृतान्नं भुंजते हि ते ॥ ४३ ॥
dharmādharmārjitairdravyaiḥ poṣitā yena ye narāḥ | mṛtamagnimukhe hutvā ghṛtānnaṃ bhuṃjate hi te || 43 ||
Diejenigen, die Menschen mit Reichtum nähren, der durch Dharma wie auch durch Adharma erworben wurde—nach dem Tod, als wären sie in den Mund des Feuers geopfert, genießen sie wahrlich Speise, mit Ghee vermengt, als ihr jenseitiges Los.
Sanatkumara (teaching Narada)
Vrata: none
Primary Rasa: karuna
Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka
FAQs
It warns that livelihood supported by mixed righteous and unrighteous earnings shapes one’s post-death experience; the verse frames afterlife fruition through the imagery of being “offered into Agni,” emphasizing karmic accountability.
Indirectly, it supports bhakti-based purity by stressing ethical foundations: devotion is strengthened when one’s sustenance and offerings are not tainted by adharma, since karma conditions the soul’s experience beyond death.
Ritual reasoning tied to yajña: Agni is described as the ‘mouth’ receiving offerings (homa), reflecting a core Śrauta/Smārta ritual principle rather than a technical point of grammar or astrology.