Shloka 40

Mohinī-prashna

The Question about Mohinī

Devanagari script

निजधर्मं परित्यज्य परधर्मे व्यवस्थितः । विधावानां यतीनां च युज्यते व्रतसेवनम् ॥ ४० ॥

Transliteration

nijadharmaṃ parityajya paradharme vyavasthitaḥ | vidhāvānāṃ yatīnāṃ ca yujyate vratasevanam || 40 ||

Translation

Abandoning one’s own prescribed duty (svadharma) and taking one’s stand in another’s duty (paradharma), the observance of vows (vratas) is considered appropriate for widows and for ascetics (yatis).

Word by Word

• nijadharmam: one’s own duty
• nijadharmam: Karma (कर्म/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nija + dharma (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Tatpuruṣa compound (‘one’s own dharma’); Puṃliṅga (Masculine), Dvitīyā (Accusative, 2nd), Ekavacana (Singular)

• parityajya: having abandoned
• parityajya: Pūrvakāla-kriyā (पूर्वकालक्रिया/Gerundial action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pari-√tyaj (धातु)
• Form: Absolutive/Gerund (त्वान्त/ल्यप्): ‘having abandoned’

• paradharme: in another’s duty
• paradharme: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण/Location-state)
• Type: Noun
• Root: para + dharma (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Tatpuruṣa compound (‘another’s dharma’); Puṃliṅga (Masculine), Saptamī (Locative, 7th), Ekavacana (Singular)

• vyavasthitaḥ: situated/engaged
• vyavasthitaḥ: Karta (कर्ता/Subject qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vyavasthita (कृदन्त; vi-ava-√sthā (धातु) + kta)
• Form: Puṃliṅga (Masculine), Prathamā (Nominative, 1st), Ekavacana (Singular); kta-participle used predicatively

• vidhāvānām: of widows
• vidhāvānām: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vidhavā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga (Feminine), Ṣaṣṭhī (Genitive, 6th), Bahuvacana (Plural)

• yatīnām: of ascetics
• yatīnām: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yati (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga (Masculine), Ṣaṣṭhī (Genitive, 6th), Bahuvacana (Plural)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Samuccaya-nipāta (conjunction)

• yujyate: is appropriate/is enjoined
• yujyate: Kriyā (क्रिया/Verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √yuj (धातु)
• Form: Laṭ-lakāra (Present), Ātmanepada, Prathama-puruṣa (3rd person), Ekavacana (Singular); passive/impersonal sense ‘is proper/fits’

• vratasevanam: observance of vows
• vratasevanam: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vrata + sevana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Tatpuruṣa compound (‘observance/service of a vow’); Napuṃsakalिङ्ग (Neuter), Prathamā (Nominative, 1st), Ekavacana (Singular)

Speaker

Narada (teaching in the Uttara-Bhaga context on vrata-dharma)

Vrata Kalpa

Vrata: none (general 'vrata-sevana')

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: none

FAQs

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

It stresses adhikāra (eligibility) and propriety in religious practice: vows are not merely personal preference but are to be undertaken in harmony with one’s life-stage and discipline, especially for those oriented to restraint such as widows and renunciants.

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

By framing vrata-sevā as a disciplined practice, it supports bhakti as regulated devotion—vows become a structured means of steadiness, purity, and sustained worship rather than impulsive or socially imitative practice.

What practical Vedic knowledge (Vedanga) is highlighted here?

It reflects dharma-nirṇaya (rule-based determination of practice) rather than a specific Vedāṅga; practically, it points to proper ritual eligibility and conduct—core to Smārta/kalpa-style guidance often used to implement vrata observances.