Shloka 27
Nārāyaṇasya Guhya-nāmāni Niruktāni (Etymologies of Nārāyaṇa’s Secret Epithets) / नारायणस्य गुह्यनामानि निरुक्तानि
अहिते हितसंज्ञस्त्वमध्रुवे ध्रुवसंज्ञक: | अनर्थ चार्थसंज्ञस्त्वं किमर्थ नावबुद्धयसे,तुमने अहितमें ही हित-बुद्धि कर ली है, जो अध्रुव (विनाशशील) वस्तुएँ हैं, उन्हींको "ध्रुव" (अविनाशी) नाम दे रखा है और अनर्थमें ही तुम्हें अर्थका बोध हो रहा है। यह बात तुम्हारी समझमें क्यों नहीं आती है?
ahite hitasaṁjñas tvam adhruve dhruvasaṁjñakaḥ | anarthe cārthasaṁjñas tvaṁ kimarthaṁ nāvabuddhyase ||
Nārada said: You have mistaken what is harmful for what is beneficial; you label the impermanent as though it were permanent; and you perceive ‘profit’ where there is only ruin. Why do you not recognize this for what it is?
नारद उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches viveka: do not mislabel harm as benefit, the impermanent as permanent, or ruin as gain. Ethical clarity begins by correcting these false valuations and aligning one’s aims with lasting welfare (dharma and inner good) rather than transient, self-defeating pursuits.
Narada is admonishing the listener, pointing out a fundamental confusion in judgment: the person is attached to unstable, destructive goals and rationalizes them as if they were stable and beneficial. The verse functions as a sharp corrective meant to awaken self-awareness and reorientation toward dharmic understanding.