Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 20
The Exposition of Spiritual Knowledge
Jñāna-pradarśanam
अहो मन्ये महाकष्टं समस्तक्लेशसाधनम् । सर्वान्कामानवाप्नोति पुनरन्यच्च कांक्षति ॥ २० ॥
aho manye mahākaṣṭaṃ samastakleśasādhanam | sarvānkāmānavāpnoti punaranyacca kāṃkṣati || 20 ||
¡Ay!, lo considero una gran miseria—fuente de toda aflicción—que aun después de alcanzar todo lo deseado, el hombre vuelve a anhelar otra cosa.
Sanatkumara (one of the Sanatkumara brothers), instructing Narada
Vrata: none
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: karuna
FAQs
It diagnoses saṁsāric bondage: desire is self-renewing, so even fulfilled wishes do not end craving; recognizing this fuels vairāgya (detachment) and turns the seeker toward mokṣa.
By showing the futility of endless acquisition, it redirects the heart from temporary objects to steadfast devotion to the Supreme (often taught in the Purana as Viṣṇu-bhakti), where longing becomes single-pointed rather than scattered.
No specific Vedāṅga (like Vyākaraṇa, Jyotiṣa, or Kalpa) is taught here; the practical takeaway is psychological discernment—observing how kāma persists even after fulfillment.