Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 20

Gaṅgā-māhātmya: Bāhu’s Envy, Defeat, Forest Exile, and Aurva’s Dharmic Consolation

Devanagari script

मनोभिलाषं कुरुते यः समीक्ष्य परस्त्रियम् । स स्वसंपद्विनाशाय कुठारो नात्र संशयः ॥ २० ॥

Transliteration

manobhilāṣaṃ kurute yaḥ samīkṣya parastriyam | sa svasaṃpadvināśāya kuṭhāro nātra saṃśayaḥ || 20 ||

Translation

Quien, al mirar a la esposa de otro, alberga deseo en su mente, es un hacha para la ruina de su propia prosperidad; de ello no hay duda.

Word by Word

• मनः-अभिलाषम्: mental desire/longing
• मनः-अभिलाषम्: कर्म (Karma/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मनस् (प्रातिपदिक) + अभिलाष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; ‘desire of the mind’

• कुरुते: does/makes
• कुरुते: क्रिया (Verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √कृ (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present/लट्), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person/प्रथमपुरुष), एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

• यः: who
• यः: कर्ता (Karta/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक (relative pronoun)

• समीक्ष्य: having looked at/considered
• समीक्ष्य: पूर्वकाल-क्रिया (Prior action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम्-√ईक्ष् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (Gerund/अव्ययभाव-क्त्वा), ‘having looked/considered’

• पर-स्त्रियम्: another man’s wife
• पर-स्त्रियम्: कर्म (Karma/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पर (प्रातिपदिक) + स्त्री (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; ‘another’s woman’

• सः: he
• सः: कर्ता (Karta/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; तदर्थक (correlative pronoun)

• स्व-सम्पद्-विनाशाय: for the ruin of his own prosperity
• स्व-सम्पद्-विनाशाय: सम्प्रदान/प्रयोजन (Dative of purpose)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्व (प्रातिपदिक) + सम्पद् (प्रातिपदिक) + विनाश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; चतुर्थी (4th/चतुर्थी), एकवचन; प्रयोजन/सम्प्रदानार्थ (for the purpose of destruction of one’s own prosperity)

• कुठारः: an axe
• कुठारः: प्रथमा-सम्बन्ध (Predicate nominative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कुठार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन

• न: not
• न: निषेध (Negation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक-अव्यय (negation)

• अत्र: here/in this matter
• अत्र: अधिकरण (Adverbial locus)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (locative adverb ‘here/in this matter’)

• संशयः: doubt
• संशयः: कर्ता (Karta/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: संशय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन

Speaker

Narada (teaching in a dharma-instruction context)

Vrata Kalpa

Vrata: none

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka

FAQs

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

It teaches that inner desire itself is spiritually destructive: craving for another’s wife undermines one’s dharma and therefore cuts down one’s own śrī (prosperity and well-being).

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

Bhakti is sustained by purity and restraint; by warning against adulterous desire, the verse protects the devotee’s mind from agitation, making it fit for steady remembrance and worship.

What practical Vedic knowledge (Vedanga) is highlighted here?

No specific Vedanga (like Vyākaraṇa, Jyotiṣa, or Kalpa) is taught here; the practical takeaway is ethical discipline (sadācāra) and indriya-nigraha as prerequisites for effective dharmic practice.