Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 45
Prāyaścitta for Mahāpātakas and the Sin-destroying Power of Viṣṇu-smaraṇa
प्राणायामद्वयं सम्यक् तेन शुद्धच्चति मानवः । प्राणायामत्रयं कुर्याद्धृत्वा निष्कप्रमाणकम् ॥ ४५ ॥
prāṇāyāmadvayaṃ samyak tena śuddhaccati mānavaḥ | prāṇāyāmatrayaṃ kuryāddhṛtvā niṣkapramāṇakam || 45 ||
By properly performing two rounds of prāṇāyāma, a person becomes purified. If one has stolen gold to the measure of a niṣka, one should perform three prāṇāyāmas, retaining the breath according to that measure.
Sanatkumara (in instruction to Narada)
Vrata: none
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: none
FAQs
It presents prāṇāyāma as a direct means of inner purification (śuddhi), indicating that regulated breath practice is a recognized purificatory discipline within Narada Purana’s dharmic sādhanā framework.
While not explicitly naming bhakti, it supports devotion indirectly by prescribing purification through prāṇāyāma—mental and bodily clarity are treated as supportive prerequisites for steady worship, japa, and focused remembrance of the Divine.
It reflects a technical, rule-based approach to practice—using traditional measures (pramāṇa such as “niṣka”) to standardize discipline, aligning with the broader Vedāṅga spirit of precise procedure and regulated method in ritual-yogic observance.