Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 37
Saṃsāra-duḥkha: Karmic Descent, Garbhavāsa, Life’s Anxieties, Death, and the Call to Jñāna-Bhakti
ततश्च हस्तपादाकर्षणे न तु क्षमो रुद्रद्भिबंधुजनैर्वेष्टितो वक्तुमक्षमः स्वार्जितधनादिकं कस्य भविष्यतीति चिंतापरो बाष्पाविलविलोचनः कंठे वुरघुरायमाणे सति शरीरान्निष्क्रांतप्राणो यमदूतैर्भर्त्स्यमानः पाशयंत्रितो नरकादीन्पूर्ववदश्नुते ॥ ३७ ॥
tataśca hastapādākarṣaṇe na tu kṣamo rudradbhibaṃdhujanairveṣṭito vaktumakṣamaḥ svārjitadhanādikaṃ kasya bhaviṣyatīti ciṃtāparo bāṣpāvilavilocanaḥ kaṃṭhe vuraghurāyamāṇe sati śarīrānniṣkrāṃtaprāṇo yamadūtairbhartsyamānaḥ pāśayaṃtrito narakādīnpūrvavadaśnute || 37 ||
Then, unable even to endure the pulling of his hands and feet, surrounded by weeping relatives and incapable of speaking, he becomes absorbed in worry—“Who will now possess my self-earned wealth and belongings?” His eyes are blurred with tears; his throat rattles; and as the life-breath departs from the body, he is rebuked by Yama’s messengers, bound and restrained by their noose, and he experiences the hells and other torments just as described before.
Narada (teaching in dialogue tradition with Sanatkumara lineage context)
Vrata: none
Primary Rasa: bhayanaka
Secondary Rasa: karuna
FAQs
It warns that clinging to self-earned wealth and family ties at death intensifies fear and confusion, while the departing soul must face Yama’s judgment according to karma; therefore, one should cultivate detachment and dharma before death arrives.
By showing the helplessness of worldly attachments at the final moment, the verse indirectly urges reliance on remembrance of the Divine rather than possessions—supporting the bhakti principle that only spiritual refuge, not property, accompanies the soul.
No specific Vedanga (like Vyakarana, Jyotisha, or Kalpa) is taught here; the practical takeaway is ethical discipline (dharma) and preparation for death through right living and reduced attachment.