Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 97

Nityā-paṭala-prakaraṇa

The Exposition of the Nityā-paṭala

Devanagari script

त्रिसप्तरात्रादायाति प्रोक्तरूपा मदाकुला । यावच्छरीरपातः स्याच्छापो वानपगास्य सा ॥ ९७ ॥

Transliteration

trisaptarātrādāyāti proktarūpā madākulā | yāvaccharīrapātaḥ syācchāpo vānapagāsya sā || 97 ||

Translation

Nach drei mal sieben Nächten kehrt sie zurück — in der zuvor verkündeten Gestalt — vom Rausch verwirrt. Und jener Fluch bleibt auf ihr, unabwendbar, bis zum Sturz des Leibes, das heißt bis zum Tod.

Word by Word

• tri-sapta-rātrāt: after twenty-one nights
• tri-sapta-rātrāt: Apādāna (अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tri (प्रातिपदिक) + sapta (प्रातिपदिक) + rātra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napumsakaliṅga, Pañcamī (5th/पञ्चमी), Ekavacana; द्विगु-समासः—'tri-sapta = 21' nights; ablative 'after/from (the lapse of)'

• āyāti: comes/arrives
• āyāti: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ā-√yā (धातु)
• Form: Laṭ (लट्, present), Prathama-puruṣa (3rd), Ekavacana; parasmaipada

• prokta-rūpā: having the stated form
• prokta-rūpā: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: prokta (कृदन्त, √vac/वच् 'said'—past passive participle) + rūpā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga, Prathamā (1st), Ekavacana; कर्मधारयः—'proktaṃ rūpaṃ yasyāḥ sā' (having the described form)

• mada-ākulā: agitated with intoxication
• mada-ākulā: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mada (प्रातिपदिक) + ākula (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga, Prathamā, Ekavacana; तत्पुरुषः—'madena ākulā' (agitated by intoxication)

• yāvat: until/as long as
• yāvat: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yāvat (अव्यय)
• Form: Avadhi-avyaya (अवधि-अव्यय), 'as long as/until'

• śarīra-pātaḥ: the fall of the body (death)
• śarīra-pātaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śarīra (प्रातिपदिक) + pāta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Pumliṅga, Prathamā, Ekavacana; तत्पुरुषः—'śarīrasya pātaḥ' (falling of the body; death)

• syāt: may be/should be
• syāt: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √as (धातु)
• Form: Vidhi-liṅ (optative), Prathama-puruṣa (3rd), Ekavacana; parasmaipada

• śāpaḥ: the curse
• śāpaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śāpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Pumliṅga, Prathamā, Ekavacana

• vā: or
• vā: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vā (अव्यय)
• Form: Vikalpa-nipāta (विकल्प-निपात), disjunctive particle 'or'

• anapagā: not ceasing
• anapagā: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: an-apa-gā (प्रातिपदिक; from √gam/गम् with negation)
• Form: Strīliṅga, Prathamā, Ekavacana; 'not departing/not ceasing'

• asya: of him/of this (person)
• asya: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: idam (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Pumliṅga/napuṃsaka, Ṣaṣṭhī (6th/षष्ठी), Ekavacana; pronoun 'of him/its'

• sā: she/that (one)
• sā: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga, Prathamā, Ekavacana; demonstrative pronoun

Speaker

Narada (narrating within the Adhyaya’s technical-ethical account)

Vrata Kalpa

Vrata: none

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: bhayanaka

Secondary Rasa: adbhuta

FAQs

What is the spiritual significance of this verse in Narada Purana?

It underscores karmic inevitability: a specific consequence (a non-removable śāpa) persists until death, showing that certain actions or transgressions can create long-lasting bondage until the body’s end.

How does this verse explain the path of devotion (Bhakti)?

Indirectly, it highlights the need for purity and self-control as supportive disciplines for bhakti; intoxication (mada) is shown as a condition that clouds discernment and can lock one into suffering until karmic exhaustion.

What practical Vedic knowledge (Vedanga) is highlighted here?

The verse uses precise time-counting (trisaptarātra—twenty-one nights), reflecting the Vedanga concern with calendrical/ritual time-reckoning (kalā/gaṇanā used in jyotiṣa-oriented practice) even within moral narrative.