Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 10
Janaka Instructs Śuka: Āśrama-Sequence, Guru-Dependence, and Marks of Liberation
किं कार्यं ब्राह्मणेनेह मोक्षार्थश्च किमात्मकः । कथं च मोक्षः कर्तव्यो ज्ञानेन तपसापि वा ॥ १० ॥
kiṃ kāryaṃ brāhmaṇeneha mokṣārthaśca kimātmakaḥ | kathaṃ ca mokṣaḥ kartavyo jñānena tapasāpi vā || 10 ||
¿Cuál es, en verdad, el deber de un brāhmaṇa en este mundo? ¿Cuál es la naturaleza real de la meta llamada mokṣa, la liberación? ¿Y cómo debe alcanzarse la liberación: por el conocimiento, o también por la austeridad (tapas)?
Narada (questioning, in dialogue with Sanatkumara)
Vrata: none
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: none
FAQs
This verse frames the core Moksha-Dharma inquiry: defining a brāhmaṇa’s true obligation as oriented toward liberation, and asking for clarity on mokṣa’s nature and the valid means to attain it.
Bhakti is not named directly here; the verse functions as a preliminary question that typically leads the teaching toward the most effective sādhana for mokṣa—often integrating knowledge and discipline with devotion to the Supreme (commonly expressed in the Narada Purana as Viṣṇu-bhakti).
No specific Vedāṅga (like Śikṣā, Vyākaraṇa, or Jyotiṣa) is taught in this line; instead it emphasizes soteriological method—jñāna (right understanding) and tapas (disciplined practice)—as the practical tools under discussion.