Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 43
Hari-nāma Mahimā and Caraṇāmṛta: The Redemption of the Hunter Gulika
Uttaṅka Itihāsa
धर्माधर्मार्जितैर्द्रव्यैः पोषिता येन ये नराः । मृतमग्निमुखे हुत्वा घृतान्नं भुंजते हि ते ॥ ४३ ॥
dharmādharmārjitairdravyaiḥ poṣitā yena ye narāḥ | mṛtamagnimukhe hutvā ghṛtānnaṃ bhuṃjate hi te || 43 ||
Those who sustain others with wealth gained through both Dharma and Adharma—after death, as though offered into the mouth of fire, they indeed partake of food mixed with ghee as their post-mortem lot.
Sanatkumara (teaching Narada)
Vrata: none
Primary Rasa: karuna
Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka
FAQs
It warns that livelihood supported by mixed righteous and unrighteous earnings shapes one’s post-death experience; the verse frames afterlife fruition through the imagery of being “offered into Agni,” emphasizing karmic accountability.
Indirectly, it supports bhakti-based purity by stressing ethical foundations: devotion is strengthened when one’s sustenance and offerings are not tainted by adharma, since karma conditions the soul’s experience beyond death.
Ritual reasoning tied to yajña: Agni is described as the ‘mouth’ receiving offerings (homa), reflecting a core Śrauta/Smārta ritual principle rather than a technical point of grammar or astrology.