Shloka 50

Description of the Origin of the Cosmic Egg (Brahmāṇḍa) and the Ocean as King of Tīrthas

Devanagari script

देहभूताः स्मृतास्तस्य तच्छक्तिः प्रकृतिर्मता । प्रधानप्रकृतिं प्राहुः कार्यकारणरूपिणीम् ॥ ५० ॥

Transliteration

dehabhūtāḥ smṛtāstasya tacchaktiḥ prakṛtirmatā | pradhānaprakṛtiṃ prāhuḥ kāryakāraṇarūpiṇīm || 50 ||

Translation

Man erinnert sich ihrer als dessen, was Seinen Leib bildet; diese Seine Kraft gilt als Prakṛti. Sie wird Pradhāna-Prakṛti genannt und besitzt die Gestalt sowohl von Ursache als auch von Wirkung.

Word by Word

• देह-भूताः: having become bodies / embodied
• देह-भूताः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: देह (प्रातिपदिक) + भूत (कृदन्त/PPP from भू धातु)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; तत्पुरुष: ‘देहः इव/देहत्वेन भूताः’ (become as bodies)

• स्मृताः: are considered/remembered
• स्मृताः: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्मृ (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त (PPP/क्त), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; कर्मणि/भावे (are remembered/considered)

• तस्य: of that (one)
• तस्य: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Genitive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• तत्-शक्तिः: his/that power
• तत्-शक्तिः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + शक्ति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: ‘तस्य शक्तिः’

• प्रकृतिः: prakṛti (nature)
• प्रकृतिः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रकृति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• मता: is regarded (as)
• मता: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Verb
• Root: मन् (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त (PPP/क्त), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘प्रकृतिः’ इत्यस्य विधेय (is held to be)

• प्रधान-प्रकृतिम्: the primary prakṛti
• प्रधान-प्रकृतिम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रधान (प्रातिपदिक) + प्रकृति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; कर्मधारय: ‘प्रधानैव प्रकृतिः’

• प्राहुः: they say/call
• प्राहुः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र-आह् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन; परस्मैपद

• कार्य-कारण-रूपिणीम्: having the form of cause and effect
• कार्य-कारण-रूपिणीम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कार्य (प्रातिपदिक) + कारण (प्रातिपदिक) + रूपिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; द्वन्द्व (कार्य + कारण) ततः तत्पुरुष: ‘कार्यकारणयोः रूपं यस्याः सा’

Speaker

Sanatkumara (teaching Narada in a doctrinal explanation of tattvas)

Vrata Kalpa

Vrata: none

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: none

Characters & Entities

• Prakriti
• Pradhana

FAQs

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

It identifies Prakṛti as the Lord’s own power and explains that the manifest world and its subtle source are not independent realities but arise as cause-and-effect within that divine potency, guiding the seeker toward discerning the Self beyond Prakṛti.

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

By calling Prakṛti “His power,” the verse supports a bhakti-oriented view that creation is sustained by the Supreme, encouraging devotion to the Lord as the ultimate ground of both the unmanifest (cause) and the manifest (effect).

What practical Vedic knowledge (Vedanga) is highlighted here?

The verse is primarily sāṅkhya-tattva instruction rather than a direct Vedāṅga rule; practically, it trains precise doctrinal vocabulary (pradhāna, prakṛti, kārya-kāraṇa), useful for clear interpretation (nirukta/semantic clarity) in scriptural study.