Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 87
Jīva–Ātman Inquiry; Kṣetrajña Doctrine; Karma-based Varṇa; Four Āśramas and Sannyāsa Discipline
सुखं ह्यनित्यं भूतानामिह लोके परत्र च । राहुग्रस्तस्य सोमस्य यथा ज्योत्स्ना न भासते ॥ ८७ ॥
sukhaṃ hyanityaṃ bhūtānāmiha loke paratra ca | rāhugrastasya somasya yathā jyotsnā na bhāsate || 87 ||
Happiness is indeed impermanent for living beings—both in this world and in the next; just as moonlight does not shine when the moon is seized by Rāhu.
Sanatkumara (in instruction to Narada)
Vrata: none
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
FAQs
It teaches vairāgya: pleasure is unstable both here and in heaven-like afterlife states, so one should seek the steady good of mokṣa rather than depend on fleeting सुख.
By exposing the unreliability of worldly and otherworldly सुख, it turns the mind toward lasting refuge—single-minded devotion to Bhagavān, whose grace is not eclipsed like lunar light.
It uses an astronomical image—Rāhu ‘grasping’ Soma during an eclipse—echoing Jyotiṣa-style language to illustrate how even bright experiences can be temporarily obscured and thus cannot be the basis of spiritual security.