Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 156

The Recitation of the Thousand Names of Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa (Yugala-Sahasranāma) and Śaraṇāgati-Dharma

Devanagari script

कोटिसूर्यप्रभा कोटिचन्द्रबिंबाधिकच्छविः । कोमलामृतवागाद्या वेदाद्या वेददुर्लभा ॥ १५६ ॥

Transliteration

koṭisūryaprabhā koṭicandrabiṃbādhikacchaviḥ | komalāmṛtavāgādyā vedādyā vedadurlabhā || 156 ||

Translation

Su resplandor es como diez millones de soles, y su hermosura supera a diez millones de lunas llenas. Su palabra es suave y como néctar; es la primera entre todos, arraigada en los Vedas—y, sin embargo, difícil de alcanzar incluso por los Vedas.

Word by Word

• कोटि-सूर्य-प्रभा: having the radiance of ten million suns
• कोटि-सूर्य-प्रभा: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कोटि (प्रातिपदिक) + सूर्य (प्रातिपदिक) + प्रभा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; समासः—कोटिसूर्याणां प्रभा इव/तुल्या (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष, उपमानार्थे)

• कोटि-चन्द्र-बिम्ब-अधिक-छविः: whose beauty surpasses ten million moon-discs
• कोटि-चन्द्र-बिम्ब-अधिक-छविः: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कोटि (प्रातिपदिक) + चन्द्र (प्रातिपदिक) + बिम्ब (प्रातिपदिक) + अधिक (प्रातिपदिक) + छवि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; समासः—कोटिचन्द्रबिम्बेभ्यः अधिका छविः यस्याः सा (पञ्चमी/तुलनार्थ-तत्पुरुष)

• कोमल-अमृत-वाक्-आद्या: foremost in gentle, nectar-like speech
• कोमल-अमृत-वाक्-आद्या: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कोमल (प्रातिपदिक) + अमृत (प्रातिपदिक) + वाच् (प्रातिपदिक) + आद्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्मधारयः—कोमला अमृततुल्या वाक् यस्याः; ‘आद्या’ = प्रमुखा/प्रथमा

• वेद-आद्या: foremost in the Vedas / Veda-origin
• वेद-आद्या: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वेद (प्रातिपदिक) + आद्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; समासः—वेदेषु आद्या/वेदप्रमुखा

• वेद-दुर्लभा: hard to attain even through the Vedas
• वेद-दुर्लभा: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वेद (प्रातिपदिक) + दुर्लभ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; समासः—वेदेन/वेदैः दुर्लभा (तृतीया-तत्पुरुष; ‘hard to obtain even through the Vedas’)

Speaker

Sanatkumara (teaching to Narada in the Vedanga-focused discourse)

Vrata Kalpa

Vrata: none

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: adbhuta

Secondary Rasa: bhakti

FAQs

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

It portrays the supreme, Veda-rooted reality (or highest wisdom) as dazzling, sweetly revealing through “nectar-like speech,” yet ultimately transcending mere textual mastery—pointing beyond scholarship to direct realization.

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

By stressing that the highest is “difficult to attain even through the Vedas,” it implies that devotion, grace, and inner transformation are required in addition to learning—Bhakti complements Vedic knowledge by making it lived and realized.

What practical Vedic knowledge (Vedanga) is highlighted here?

The verse underscores the Vedanga ethos: refined speech and correct expression (Śikṣā/phonetics and Vyākaraṇa/grammar) as vehicles of Vedic meaning—yet it warns that technical perfection alone does not guarantee attainment of the highest truth.