Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 41

Dharma-ākhyāna (Discourse on Dharma): Worthy Charity, Fruitless Gifts, and the Merit of Building Ponds

Devanagari script

धर्मा कीदृग्विधाः प्रोक्ताः के लोका धर्मशालिनाम् । कियत्यो यातनाः प्रोक्ताः केषां ताः परिकीर्तिताः ॥ ४२ ॥

Transliteration

dharmā kīdṛgvidhāḥ proktāḥ ke lokā dharmaśālinām | kiyatyo yātanāḥ proktāḥ keṣāṃ tāḥ parikīrtitāḥ || 42 ||

Translation

What kinds of dharmas have been taught? What worlds are attained by those established in dharma? How many punishments and torments have been described, and for which people are those torments specifically declared?

Word by Word

• dharmāḥ: dharmas (duties/laws)
• dharmāḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dharma (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Plural (बहुवचन)

• kīdṛk-vidhāḥ: of what kinds
• kīdṛk-vidhāḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kīdṛś (प्रातिपदिक) + vidhā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Karmadhāraya (कर्मधारय) ‘kīdṛśāḥ vidhāḥ’, Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• proktāḥ: are declared
• proktāḥ: Kriya-samānādhikaraṇa (समानााधिकरण/प्रेडिकेट)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: prokta (कृदन्त) < pra-√vac (धातु)
• Form: Past passive participle (क्त), Masculine, Nominative, Plural; predicate with ‘dharmāḥ’

• ke: which/what
• ke: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kim (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Interrogative pronoun, Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• lokāḥ: worlds/realms
• lokāḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: loka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• dharma-śālinām: of the righteous (those endowed with dharma)
• dharma-śālinām: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Genitive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dharma (प्रातिपदिक) + śālin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Tatpuruṣa (तत्पुरुष) ‘dharme śālinaḥ’, Masculine, Genitive (6th/षष्ठी), Plural

• kiyatyaḥ: how many/how great (in number)
• kiyatyaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kiyant (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Plural; interrogative adjective qualifying ‘yātanāḥ’

• yātanāḥ: torments/punishments
• yātanāḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yātanā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Plural

• proktāḥ: are stated
• proktāḥ: Kriya-samānādhikaraṇa (समानााधिकरण/प्रेडिकेट)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: prokta (कृदन्त) < pra-√vac (धातु)
• Form: Past passive participle (क्त), Feminine, Nominative, Plural (agreeing with ‘yātanāḥ’)

• keṣām: of whom
• keṣām: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Genitive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kim (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Interrogative pronoun, Genitive (6th/षष्ठी), Plural (common gender usage)

• tāḥ: those
• tāḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Plural; refers to ‘yātanāḥ’

• parikīrtitāḥ: are described/mentioned
• parikīrtitāḥ: Kriya-samānādhikaraṇa (समानााधिकरण/प्रेडिकेट)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: parikīrtita (कृदन्त) < pari-√kīrt (धातु)
• Form: Past passive participle (क्त), Feminine, Nominative, Plural; predicate with ‘tāḥ’

Speaker

Narada

Vrata Kalpa

Vrata: none

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: jijnasa (inquisitive/reflective)

Secondary Rasa: shanta

Characters & Entities

• Narada

FAQs

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

This verse frames a dharma-inquiry: it links righteous living with specific higher realms (lokas) and warns that adharma yields defined consequences (yātanās), emphasizing karma’s moral precision.

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

Indirectly, it sets the groundwork for bhakti-based dharma by asking which practices lead to auspicious destinations; in Narada Purana, devotion to Vishnu is presented as a dharma that elevates one’s loka and purifies karmic outcomes.

What practical Vedic knowledge (Vedanga) is highlighted here?

No specific Vedanga (like Vyakarana or Jyotisha) is taught in this verse; it functions as a doctrinal prompt for later sections that classify dharma, sins, and their results in a systematic, almost “catalogued” manner.