Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 78
Śreyas and Paramārtha: The Ribhu–Nidāgha Teaching on Non-Dual Self
Advaita
निदाध उवाच । गजोयोऽयमधो ब्रह्मन्नुपर्यस्यैष भूपतिः । वाह्यवाहकसंबंधं को न जानाति वै द्विज ॥ ७८ ॥
nidādha uvāca | gajoyo'yamadho brahmannuparyasyaiṣa bhūpatiḥ | vāhyavāhakasaṃbaṃdhaṃ ko na jānāti vai dvija || 78 ||
Nidādha said: “O Brahmin, this is the elephant below, and above it sits this king. Who indeed, O twice-born, does not know the relation between the carrier and the one who is carried?”
Nidādha
Vrata: none
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: hasya
FAQs
The verse uses a simple, worldly example—elephant and rider—to point toward discernment (viveka): knowing relational identities (carrier/carried) is easy, but the deeper spiritual task is to similarly discern the Self from the body and roles.
Indirectly, it supports Bhakti by encouraging clarity about embodied identity; when one recognizes the limitations of body-based roles (like rider/ride), devotion can be directed more purely to the Supreme (often Vishnu in Narada Purana) rather than to egoic status.
No specific Vedanga (like Vyakarana, Jyotisha, or Kalpa) is taught here; the practical takeaway is logical discernment and correct usage of relational categories (sambandha) as a tool for philosophical inquiry.