Shloka 4

The Account of the Fruits of Bathing at Particular Sacred Places

Tīrtha-viśeṣa-snāna-phala

Devanagari script

षण्मासमेककालाशी सकृदेवोत्तरायणे । सोऽपि विष्णुपदं याति कुलानां शतमुद्धरन् ॥ ४ ॥

Transliteration

ṣaṇmāsamekakālāśī sakṛdevottarāyaṇe | so'pi viṣṇupadaṃ yāti kulānāṃ śatamuddharan || 4 ||

Translation

Selbst wer sechs Monate lang nur einmal am Tag isst und dies nur ein einziges Mal während des Uttarāyaṇa tut, gelangt zur Viṣṇupada—der Wohnstatt Viṣṇus—und erlöst hundert Generationen seiner Familie.

Word by Word

• ṣaṇ-māsam: for six months
• ṣaṇ-māsam: Kāla-adhikaraṇa (काल-अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ṣaṭ (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक) + māsa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; द्विगु-समासः (six-month period)

• eka-kāla-āśī: one who eats once (a day)
• eka-kāla-āśī: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: eka (प्रातिपदिक) + kāla (प्रातिपदिक) + āśin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषणम्; समासः: तत्पुरुष (ekakāle āśī = eating once (a day))

• sakṛt: once
• sakṛt: Kriyā-viśeṣaṇa (क्रिया-विशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sakṛt (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय, क्रियाविशेषणम् (adverb)

• eva: indeed/only
• eva: Sambandha/Emphasis (सम्बन्ध/निश्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, निपात (particle)

• uttarāyaṇe: during the uttarāyaṇa (northern solstice half-year)
• uttarāyaṇe: Kāla-adhikaraṇa (काल-अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: uttarāyaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (अधिकरण), एकवचन

• saḥ: he
• saḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; संकेत-सर्वनाम (demonstrative pronoun)

• api: also/even
• api: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, निपात (particle)

• viṣṇu-padam: Vishnu’s abode/position
• viṣṇu-padam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: viṣṇu (प्रातिपदिक) + pada (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (कर्म), एकवचन; समासः षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (viṣṇoḥ padam)

• yāti: goes
• yāti: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: yā (धाातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार, परस्मैपद, प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन

• kulānām: of families/lineages
• kulānām: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kula (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (सम्बन्ध), बहुवचन

• śatam: a hundred
• śatam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śata (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; संख्यावाचक (numeral)

• uddharan: lifting up/saving
• uddharan: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ud-√hṛ (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त: शतृ-प्रत्यय (Present active participle), परस्मैपदी; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; क्रियाविशेषण-भावे (concomitant action)

Speaker

Sanatkumara (in dialogue with Narada, Uttara-Bhaga teaching context)

Vrata Kalpa

Vrata: none

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: bhakti

Secondary Rasa: vira

Characters & Entities

• Vishnu
• Uttarayana

FAQs

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

It teaches that even a limited but sincere vow—single-meal discipline observed in the sacred period of Uttarāyaṇa—can lead to Viṣṇu’s abode and extend merit to one’s lineage (kula-uddhāra).

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

The austerity is framed as Viṣṇu-oriented (viṣṇupada-prāpti), implying that disciplined living becomes bhakti when dedicated to Viṣṇu, yielding both personal liberation and ancestral uplift.

What practical Vedic knowledge (Vedanga) is highlighted here?

It relies on Jyotiṣa-style sacred timekeeping: observing during Uttarāyaṇa (a calendrical/astronomical division) shows how auspicious timing supports vrata practice in Narada Purana rituals.