Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 77

Maṅgalācaraṇa, Naimiṣāraṇya-Sabhā, Sūta-Āhvāna, and Narada Purāṇa-Māhātmya

Devanagari script

किं सुखं प्राप्यते लोके पुंसा संभ्रान्तचेतसा । तस्मात्सर्वं परित्यज्य कामं दुःखस्य साधनम् ॥ ७६ ॥

Transliteration

kiṃ sukhaṃ prāpyate loke puṃsā saṃbhrāntacetasā | tasmātsarvaṃ parityajya kāmaṃ duḥkhasya sādhanam || 76 ||

Translation

What happiness is ever attained in this world by a man whose mind is agitated? Therefore, renouncing everything, abandon kāma—desire—for it is the very instrument that produces sorrow.

Word by Word

• kim: What
• kim: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kim (किम्)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular

• sukham: Happiness
• sukham: Karma (Object in Passive construction)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sukha (सुख)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular

• prāpyate: Is obtained
• prāpyate: Kriya (Action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: āp (आप्) + pra (प्र)
• Form: Lat Lakara (Present), Prathama Purusha (3rd), Singular, Passive (Karmani)

• loke: In the world
• loke: Adhikarana (Location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: loka (लोक)
• Form: Masculine, Locative (7th/सप्तमी), Singular

• puṃsā: By a man
• puṃsā: Karta (Agent in Passive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pums (पुंस्)
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental (3rd/तृतीया), Singular

• saṃbhrāntacetasā: By one of confused mind
• saṃbhrāntacetasā: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: saṃbhrāntacetas (संभ्रान्तचेतस्)
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental (3rd/तृतीया), Singular

• tasmāt: Therefore
• tasmāt: Hetu (Cause/Reason)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tad (तद्)
• Form: Used as adverb (Ablative of tad)

• sarvam: All / Entire
• sarvam: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (सर्व)
• Form: Masculine, Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular

• parityajya: Having abandoned
• parityajya: Purvakalika Kriya (Prior Action)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tyaj (त्यज्) + pari (परि)
• Form: Lyap Pratyaya (Gerund)

• kāmam: Desire / Lust
• kāmam: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kāma (काम)
• Form: Masculine, Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular

• duḥkhasya: Of sorrow/misery
• duḥkhasya: Sambandha (Relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: duḥkha (दुःख)
• Form: Neuter, Genitive (6th/षष्ठी), Singular

• sādhanam: The means / cause
• sādhanam: Visheshana (Qualifier to kāmam)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sādhana (साधन)
• Form: Neuter, Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular

Speaker

Sanatkumara (teaching Narada; didactic instruction on renunciation and inner discipline)

Vrata Kalpa

Vrata: none

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: bhakti

FAQs

What is the spiritual significance of this verse in Narada Purana?

It teaches that worldly happiness cannot be stable when the mind is restless, and identifies kāma (craving) as a direct cause of duḥkha; liberation-oriented life begins with renouncing desire.

How does this verse explain the path of devotion (Bhakti)?

By urging the abandonment of self-centered craving, it prepares the heart for pure devotion—bhakti becomes steady when the mind is no longer driven by desire and agitation.

What practical Vedic knowledge (Vedanga) is highlighted here?

No specific Vedanga (like Vyākaraṇa or Jyotiṣa) is directly taught; the practical takeaway is yogic-ethical discipline—manonigraha (restraint of mind) and vairāgya (dispassion) as prerequisites for higher study and spiritual practice.