Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 186
Nityā-paṭala-prakaraṇa
The Exposition of the Nityā-paṭala
हवनादपि तत्प्राप्तिर्भवत्येव न संशयः । विद्यां संसाध्य पूर्वं तु पस्चादुक्तानशेषतः ॥ १८६ ॥
havanādapi tatprāptirbhavatyeva na saṃśayaḥ | vidyāṃ saṃsādhya pūrvaṃ tu pascāduktānaśeṣataḥ || 186 ||
Selbst durch die havana wird jene Erlangung gewiss zuteil—ohne Zweifel. Doch zuerst muss man die vidyā, das erforderliche heilige Wissen, zur Vollendung bringen; danach sind alle genannten Vorschriften restlos auszuführen.
Sanatkumara (in instruction to Narada, within a Vedanga/ritual-technical discourse)
Vrata: none
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: vira
FAQs
It teaches that ritual results are real and attainable, but they depend on prior mastery of the relevant vidyā; only then should one perform the rite exactly as prescribed, without omissions.
By stressing disciplined preparation and faithful completion of prescribed acts, it frames devotional practice as sincere, rule-aligned worship—where correct knowledge supports steady, effective offering.
It highlights the need for mantra-vidyā and ritual-technical competence—skills aligned with Vedanga domains such as Śikṣā (proper recitation) and Kalpa (correct procedure)—before undertaking havana.