Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 40
Gaṅgā-māhātmya: Bāhu’s Envy, Defeat, Forest Exile, and Aurva’s Dharmic Consolation
निन्दितो बहुशो बाहुर्मृतवत्कानने स्थितः । निहत्य कर्म च यशो लोके द्विजवरोत्तम ॥ ४० ॥
nindito bahuśo bāhurmṛtavatkānane sthitaḥ | nihatya karma ca yaśo loke dvijavarottama || 40 ||
Muchas veces vituperado, Bāhu permaneció en el bosque como si estuviera muerto; y, tras arruinar sus propias obras (mérito) y su fama en el mundo, oh el más excelso de los nacidos dos veces.
Narada (addressing a Brahmin interlocutor, continuing the Adhyaya narrative)
Vrata: none
Primary Rasa: karuna
Secondary Rasa: shanta
FAQs
It highlights how censured behavior leads to social and inner death—loss of public honor (yaśas) and the wasting of one’s karmic merit—driving the person into isolation and spiritual stagnation.
By showing the collapse of karma and reputation, the verse implicitly points to the Narada Purana’s remedy: turning toward Hari/Vishnu through bhakti as a restorative path when worldly standing and merit are damaged.
The practical takeaway is ethical application of Dharma-śāstra principles—guarding conduct to preserve karma and yaśas; no specific Vedanga (like Vyākaraṇa or Jyotiṣa) is directly taught in this verse.