Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 88
Threefold Suffering, Twofold Knowledge, and the Definition of Bhagavān (Vāsudeva); Prelude to Keśidhvaja–Janaka Yoga
श्रूयतां चाप्यविद्यायाः स्वरूपं कुलनंदन । अनात्मन्यात्मबुद्धिर्या ह्यस्वे स्वविषया मतिः ॥ ८६ ॥
śrūyatāṃ cāpyavidyāyāḥ svarūpaṃ kulanaṃdana | anātmanyātmabuddhiryā hyasve svaviṣayā matiḥ || 86 ||
Hear also the true nature of ignorance (avidyā), O delight of your lineage: it is the notion of “I” in what is not the Self (Ātman), and the conviction of “mine” regarding what is not one’s own.
Sanatkumara (teaching Narada)
Vrata: none
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: bhakti
FAQs
It defines avidyā (ignorance) as misidentification: taking the non-Self to be ‘I’ (ātmabuddhi in anātman) and taking what is not truly ours to be ‘mine’ (mamatā). This diagnosis is central to Moksha Dharma because liberation begins by dissolving these two errors.
Bhakti becomes steady when the devotee stops clinging to body-based ‘I’ and worldly ‘mine.’ By reducing ego (ahaṅkāra) and possessiveness (mamakāra), devotion can be offered purely to the Lord (often Vishnu in Narada Purana) rather than being mixed with self-interest.
No specific Vedanga (like Vyākaraṇa, Jyotiṣa, or Kalpa) is taught in this verse; it is a Moksha-Dharma definition. Practically, it supports self-inquiry and discernment (viveka) as the method to detect ‘I’ and ‘mine’ superimpositions.