Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 45
The Characteristics of Devotion to Hari
जन्मनो मरणं नॄणां जन्म वै मृत्युसाधनम् । उभे ते निकटे विद्धि तन्नाशो हरिसेवया ॥ ४५ ॥
janmano maraṇaṃ nṝṇāṃ janma vai mṛtyusādhanam | ubhe te nikaṭe viddhi tannāśo harisevayā || 45 ||
For human beings, death follows upon birth, and birth itself is indeed the cause that leads to death. Know that these two stand very close together; their destruction is achieved through service to Hari (Viṣṇu).
Sanatkumara (teaching Narada)
Vrata: none
Primary Rasa: karuna
Secondary Rasa: shanta
FAQs
It frames birth and death as an inseparable pair within saṃsāra and declares that their ultimate cessation is possible through Hari-sevā—devotional service to Vishnu that leads toward mokṣa.
Bhakti is presented as the decisive remedy: not merely improving life within the cycle, but dissolving the very bondage of repeated birth and death through sustained service and surrender to Hari.
No specific Vedāṅga (like Vyākaraṇa, Jyotiṣa, or Kalpa) is taught in this verse; the practical takeaway is devotional discipline (sevā/upāsanā) as the applied method for transcendence.