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Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 121

The Greatness of the Gaṅgā (Gaṅgā-māhātmya): Saudāsa/Kalmāṣapāda’s Curse and Release

अवहाय हरेर्नाम घोरसंसारभेषजम् । केनोपायेन लभ्येत मुक्तिः सर्वत्र दुर्लभा ॥ २१ ॥

avahāya harernāma ghorasaṃsārabheṣajam | kenopāyena labhyeta muktiḥ sarvatra durlabhā || 21 ||

Wenn man den Namen Haris—das Heilmittel gegen die schreckliche Krankheit des Saṃsāra—beiseite wirft, durch welches Mittel könnte dann Befreiung, die überall schwer zu erlangen ist, je erreicht werden?

avahāyahaving abandoned
avahāya:
Kriya (क्रिया/Non-finite)
TypeVerb
Rootava-√hā (हा धातु, त्यागे)
FormAbsolutive/Gerund (क्त्वा/ल्यप् form), with उपसर्ग ava; ‘having abandoned’
hareḥof Hari
hareḥ:
Sambandha (षष्ठी-सम्बन्ध/Possessor)
TypeNoun
Roothari (प्रातिपदिक)
FormMasculine, Genitive (6th/षष्ठी), Singular
nāmathe name
nāma:
Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
TypeNoun
Rootnāman (प्रातिपदिक)
FormNeuter, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular; subject of implied clause
ghora-saṃsāra-bheṣajamthe medicine for dreadful worldly existence
ghora-saṃsāra-bheṣajam:
Karta (कर्ता/Subject-apposition)
TypeNoun
Rootghora (प्रातिपदिक) + saṃsāra (प्रातिपदिक) + bheṣaja (प्रातिपदिक)
FormNeuter, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular; apposition to nāma; समासः: घोरः संसारः (कर्मधारय) + तस्य भेषजम् (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष)
kenaby what
kena:
Karana (करण/Instrument)
TypeNoun
Rootkim (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
FormInterrogative pronoun, Masculine/Neuter, Instrumental (3rd/तृतीया), Singular
upāyenameans/method
upāyena:
Karana (करण/Instrument)
TypeNoun
Rootupāya (प्रातिपदिक)
FormMasculine, Instrumental (3rd/तृतीया), Singular
labhyetacould be obtained
labhyeta:
Kriya (क्रिया/Verb)
TypeVerb
Root√labh (लभ् धातु, प्राप्तौ)
FormOptative passive (विधिलिङ्, कर्मणि), 3rd person (प्रथम), Singular
muktiḥliberation
muktiḥ:
Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
TypeNoun
Rootmukti (प्रातिपदिक)
FormFeminine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular
sarvatraeverywhere
sarvatra:
Adhikarana (अधिकरण/Location)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootsarvatra (अव्यय)
FormAdverb (देशवाचक-अव्यय)
durlabhāhard to obtain
durlabhā:
Karta (कर्ता/Subject-complement)
TypeAdjective
Rootdurlabha (प्रातिपदिक)
FormFeminine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular; predicate adjective of muktiḥ

Sanatkumara (addressing Narada in the teaching dialogue on moksha through Hari-bhakti)

Vrata: none

Primary Rasa: bhakti

Secondary Rasa: shanta

H
Hari
V
Vishnu

FAQs

The verse declares Hari-nāma as the direct remedy for the terror of saṃsāra; abandoning it leaves no effective means for attaining the otherwise rare goal of moksha.

It prioritizes devotion expressed as nāma-japa (remembering/chanting Hari’s name) as the most accessible and potent upāya, implying that bhakti is not secondary but central to liberation.

No specific Vedanga (like Vyākaraṇa or Jyotiṣa) is taught here; the practical takeaway is sādhana-focused—regular recitation and remembrance of Hari-nāma as a disciplined spiritual practice.