Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 28

The Characteristics of Devotion to Hari

Devanagari script

किं न पश्यसि देवर्षे ह्यायुषार्द्धं तु निद्र या । हतं च भोजनाद्यैश्च कियदायुः समाहृतम् ॥ २८ ॥

Transliteration

kiṃ na paśyasi devarṣe hyāyuṣārddhaṃ tu nidra yā | hataṃ ca bhojanādyaiśca kiyadāyuḥ samāhṛtam || 28 ||

Translation

Do you not see, O divine seer, that fully half of one’s lifespan is destroyed by sleep? And by eating and other indulgences as well—how little life, then, is actually gathered for higher purpose!

Word by Word

• kim: Why/What
• kim: Prashna (Question/प्रश्न)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: kim (सर्वनाम)
• Form: Interrogative Particle

• na: Not
• na: Nishedha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: Negative Particle

• paśyasi: Do you see
• paśyasi: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: dṛś (धातु)
• Form: Lat Lakara (Present/लट्), Parasmaipada, Madhyama Purusha (2nd Person), Singular

• devarṣe: O Divine Sage
• devarṣe: Sambodhya (Addressee/सम्बोध्य)
• Type: Noun
• Root: devarṣi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Vocative (Sambodhana/सम्बोधन), Singular

• hi: Indeed
• hi: Avadharana (Emphasis/अवधारण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: hi (अव्यय)
• Form: Particle

• āyuṣārddham: Half of life
• āyuṣārddham: Karma (Object/कर्म) in passive sense
• Type: Noun
• Root: āyuṣārdha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular. (āyuṣaḥ ardham - Shashthi Tatpurusha)

• tu: But/However
• tu: Vyairekya (Contrast/व्यतिरेक)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: Conjunction

• nidrayā: By sleep
• nidrayā: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nidrā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Instrumental (3rd/तृतीया), Singular

• hatam: Killed/Wasted
• hatam: Kriya (Action/क्रिया) in nominal sentence
• Type: Adjective
• Root: han (धातु)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular. (Kt Pratyaya - Past Passive Participle)

• ca: And
• ca: Samuccaya (Conjunction/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Conjunction

• bhojanādyaiḥ: By eating etc.
• bhojanādyaiḥ: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhojanādi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Instrumental (3rd/तृतीया), Plural. (bhojanam ādiḥ yeṣāṃ taiḥ)

• ca: And
• ca: Samuccaya (Conjunction/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Conjunction

• kiyat: How much/Some
• kiyat: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kiyat (सर्वनाम/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular

• āyuḥ: Life
• āyuḥ: Karma (Object/कर्म) in passive sense
• Type: Noun
• Root: āyus (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular

• samāhṛtam: Taken away/Occupied
• samāhṛtam: Kriya (Action/क्रिया) in nominal sentence
• Type: Adjective
• Root: samāhṛ (sam-ā-hṛ) (धातु)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular. (Kt Pratyaya - Past Passive Participle)

Speaker

Sanatkumara (addressing Narada)

Vrata Kalpa

Vrata: none

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: bhakti

Characters & Entities

• Narada

FAQs

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

It warns that a large portion of human life is consumed by sleep and bodily maintenance, urging urgency (saṁvega) and detachment (vairāgya) so that remaining time is used for sādhana and liberation-oriented living.

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

By highlighting time lost to sleep and indulgence, it indirectly instructs a bhakta to protect daily time for nāma-japa, smaraṇa, pūjā, and service—so devotion becomes steady rather than occasional.

What practical Vedic knowledge (Vedanga) is highlighted here?

Not a technical Vedāṅga lesson; it is practical dharma-śikṣā about disciplined lifestyle (niyama)—moderation in sleep and food—supporting study, mantra practice, and sustained spiritual routines.