Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 16

The Description of the Glory of the Purāṇa

Purāṇa-Māhātmya

Devanagari script

वटं कालाभ्रसदृशं ददर्श शतयोजनम् । तस्याधस्तात्समासीनं योगिमण्डलमध्यगम् ॥ १६ ॥

Transliteration

vaṭaṃ kālābhrasadṛśaṃ dadarśa śatayojanam | tasyādhastātsamāsīnaṃ yogimaṇḍalamadhyagam || 16 ||

Translation

Il aperçut un banian (vaṭa), sombre comme un amas de nuées d’orage, s’étendant sur cent yojanas; et, sous lui, il vit un être assis, établi au centre même d’un cercle de yogins.

Word by Word

• vaṭam: a banyan tree
• vaṭam: Karma (कर्म/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vaṭa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Accusative (द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन)

• kāla-abhra-sadṛśam: resembling dark clouds
• kāla-abhra-sadṛśam: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kāla (प्रातिपदिक) + abhra (प्रातिपदिक) + sadṛśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Accusative (द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन); karmadhāraya: ‘like dark clouds’ (कालाभ्रवत् सदृशम्) qualifying vaṭam

• dadarśa: (he) saw
• dadarśa: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √dṛś (धातु; दर्शने)
• Form: Perfect (लिट्), 3rd Person (प्रथमपुरुष), Singular (एकवचन); Parasmaipada (परस्मैपद)

• śata-yojanam: (measuring) a hundred yojanas
• śata-yojanam: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śata (प्रातिपदिक) + yojana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Accusative (द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन); dvigu: numeral compound ‘(measuring) a hundred yojanas’ qualifying vaṭam

• tasya: of it (that tree)
• tasya: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine/Neuter (पुं/नपुंसक), Genitive (षष्ठी), Singular (एकवचन)

• adhastāt: below
• adhastāt: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण/Location)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: adhastāt (अव्यय)
• Form: Adverb (देशवाचक अव्यय)

• samāsīnam: seated
• samāsīnam: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: samāsīna (कृदन्त; √ās आसीने with sam-)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Accusative (द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन); Past Active Participle (क्त) ‘seated’

• yogi-maṇḍala-madhya-gam: situated in the midst of a circle of yogis
• yogi-maṇḍala-madhya-gam: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: yogin (प्रातिपदिक) + maṇḍala (प्रातिपदिक) + madhya (प्रातिपदिक) + ga (प्रातिपदिक; from √gam गत्यर्थे)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Accusative (द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन); tatpuruṣa: ‘gone/placed in the middle of the circle of yogis’ (योगिमण्डलस्य मध्ये गतः) qualifying the seated one

Speaker

Narada (narrative voice within the Purva Bhaga dialogue tradition)

Vrata Kalpa

Vrata: none

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: adbhuta

Secondary Rasa: shanta

Characters & Entities

• Yogins

FAQs

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

The verse uses a vast, cloud-dark banyan tree and a yogic circle to signal a concentrated field of tapas and realization—where a central adept (or teacher) embodies steadiness and authority amid disciplined seekers.

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

While the verse is primarily yogic in imagery, it aligns with Bhakti narrative patterns in the Narada Purana by portraying reverent approach to a realized center—suggesting that guidance, surrender, and association with the spiritually established are gateways to higher realization.

What practical Vedic knowledge (Vedanga) is highlighted here?

No specific Vedanga (like Vyakarana, Jyotisha, or Kalpa) is taught directly in this shloka; the practical takeaway is about satsaṅga—seeking instruction in a disciplined spiritual setting (yogi-maṇḍala) under a recognized locus of practice.