Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 3
The Outline (Anukramaṇī) of the Viṣṇu Purāṇa
आदिकारणसर्गश्च देवादीनां च संभवः । समुद्रमथनाख्यानं दक्षादीनां ततोऽन्वयः ॥ ३ ॥
ādikāraṇasargaśca devādīnāṃ ca saṃbhavaḥ | samudramathanākhyānaṃ dakṣādīnāṃ tato'nvayaḥ || 3 ||
It describes the primordial creation from the first cause, the origin of the gods and other beings, the account of the churning of the Ocean, and thereafter the genealogical lineages beginning with Dakṣa and others.
Suta (summarizing the Narada Purana’s contents in an anukramanika-style outline)
Vrata: none
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shanta
FAQs
This verse functions as a table-of-contents marker: it points the reader to core Purāṇic themes—creation from the first cause, the manifestation of divine orders, and sacred lineages—framing history and mythology as vehicles for dharma and right understanding of cosmic order.
Indirectly: by indexing episodes like Samudra-manthana and divine origins, it indicates the narrative foundations through which devotion is cultivated—hearing (śravaṇa) of the Lord’s cosmic governance and the devas’ dependence on higher reality strengthens bhakti in later sections.
The verse chiefly highlights Purāṇic anukrama (systematic indexing) and itihāsa-purāṇa style genealogy (anvaya). While not a direct Vedāṅga lesson, it supports traditional chronology and lineage-structure used alongside śāstric study and ritual context-setting.