Shloka 11

Yamavākya

The Words of Yama

Devanagari script

विहाय सर्वधर्मांस्तु विहाय पितृपूजनम् । विहाय देवपूजां च तीर्थस्नानादिकव्सक्रियाम् ॥ ११ ॥

Transliteration

vihāya sarvadharmāṃstu vihāya pitṛpūjanam | vihāya devapūjāṃ ca tīrthasnānādikavsakriyām || 11 ||

Translation

Indem man alle anderen religiösen Pflichten aufgibt—die Verehrung der Pitṛs (Ahnen) aufgibt, sogar die Verehrung der Götter aufgibt und rituelle Handlungen wie das Bad an heiligen Tīrthas aufgibt—(soll man ausschließlich Zuflucht nehmen zum höchsten Weg, der hier gelehrt wird).

Word by Word

• विहाय: having abandoned
• विहाय: Purvakala-kriya (पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वि + हा (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (Absolutive/Gerund), अव्ययभाव; ‘having abandoned’

• सर्व-धर्मान्: all duties/religious observances
• सर्व-धर्मान्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्व + धर्म (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/कर्म), बहुवचन; Accusative plural

• तु: indeed/but
• तु: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; विरोध/अनुवादार्थक (emphatic/contrastive particle)

• विहाय: having abandoned
• विहाय: Purvakala-kriya (पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वि + हा (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (Absolutive/Gerund), अव्ययभाव

• पितृ-पूजनम्: worship of the ancestors
• पितृ-पूजनम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पितृ + पूजन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Accusative singular

• विहाय: having abandoned
• विहाय: Purvakala-kriya (पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वि + हा (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (Absolutive/Gerund), अव्ययभाव

• देव-पूजाम्: worship of the gods
• देव-पूजाम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव + पूजा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Accusative singular

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

• तीर्थ-स्नान-आदिक-क्रियाम्: acts such as bathing at sacred places, etc.
• तीर्थ-स्नान-आदिक-क्रियाम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ + स्नान + आदि + क्रिया (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Accusative singular; ‘ādi’ as ‘etc.’ within compound

Speaker

Narada (teaching in a renunciatory/bhakti-exclusive context; dialogue tradition commonly places Narada in instruction mode)

Vrata Kalpa

Vrata: none

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: bhakti

Characters & Entities

• Pitrs
• Devas
• Tirtha

FAQs

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

It stresses single-pointed spiritual pursuit: external rites (pitṛ-offerings, deva-worship, tīrtha-bathing) are secondary when the text is urging an exclusive, higher refuge aimed at liberation.

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

By implying exclusivity—leaving aside competing ritual obligations—so the practitioner can commit wholly to the supreme devotion being taught (the Narada-Purana style emphasis on single-minded bhakti over ritual accumulation).

What practical Vedic knowledge (Vedanga) is highlighted here?

It indirectly references Karma-kāṇḍa practice—ritual ‘kriyā’ like tīrtha-snāna, deva-pūjā, and pitṛ-yajña—showing that correct ritual performance (linked to Kalpa/Vedāṅga tradition) is acknowledged but deprioritized in favor of the higher soteriological aim.