Shloka 49
Mohinī-prashna
The Question about Mohinī
क्षीणदेहे हरिदिने कथं संयमयिष्यति । अन्नात्प्रभवति प्राणः प्राणाद्देहविचेष्टनम् ॥ ४९ ॥
kṣīṇadehe haridine kathaṃ saṃyamayiṣyati | annātprabhavati prāṇaḥ prāṇāddehaviceṣṭanam || 49 ||
When the body is weakened—especially on Hari’s sacred day—how can one maintain self-restraint? Vital breath (prāṇa) arises from food, and from vital breath comes the body’s power to act.
Narada
Vrata: none
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: bhakti
FAQs
It teaches that dharmic self-restraint (saṃyama) depends on a body supported by prāṇa, and prāṇa is sustained by appropriate food; devotion should be practiced with wise discipline, not self-harm.
By calling the observance a “Hari-dina,” it frames devotional practice as practical: one should keep the body fit enough to sustain japa, worship, vows, and good conduct—so bhakti is steady rather than weakened by extreme austerity.
It reflects applied Dharma-śāstra reasoning used in vrata-nirṇaya (rules of vows): regulating āhāra (diet) to preserve prāṇa and maintain saṃyama, a key practical principle in Narada Purana rituals.