Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 11
Śokanivāraṇa: Non-brooding, Impermanence, Contentment, and Śuka’s Renunciation
प्रज्ञया मानसं दुःखं हन्याच्छारीरमौषधैः । एतद्विज्ञाय सामर्थ्यं न वान्यैः समतामियात् ॥ ११ ॥
prajñayā mānasaṃ duḥkhaṃ hanyācchārīramauṣadhaiḥ | etadvijñāya sāmarthyaṃ na vānyaiḥ samatāmiyāt || 11 ||
With discerning wisdom one should destroy mental sorrow, and with medicines one should remove bodily ailments. Knowing the true capacity of each remedy in its proper sphere, one should not confuse them by seeking equivalence between the two.
Sanatkumara (teaching Narada in Moksha-Dharma context)
Vrata: none
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: none
FAQs
It teaches discernment (prajñā): inner suffering is cured by right understanding and spiritual insight, while bodily disease is treated by appropriate physical means—each remedy has its proper domain.
By implying that inner distress is resolved through awakened understanding, it supports bhakti as an inner transformation—devotion steadies the mind and removes grief, rather than treating spiritual pain as merely a physical problem.
It reflects applied discernment rather than a specific Vedāṅga: use proper means for proper ends—spiritual inquiry for mental affliction and medical/ayurvedic remedies for bodily illness, without conflating categories.