Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 20
The Narration of the Brāhma Purāṇa’s Account
Brāhma Purāṇānukramaṇikā
पुराणबीजमाख्यहि मह्यं शुश्रूषवे पितः । लक्षणं च प्रमाणं च चं वक्तारं पृच्छकं तथा ॥ २० ॥
purāṇabījamākhyahi mahyaṃ śuśrūṣave pitaḥ | lakṣaṇaṃ ca pramāṇaṃ ca caṃ vaktāraṃ pṛcchakaṃ tathā || 20 ||
Ô père vénérable, daigne m’enseigner—moi qui brûle d’écouter—la semence (l’essence) d’un Purāṇa : ses marques distinctives, son fondement d’autorité (moyen de validation), et aussi qui est l’orateur et qui est le questionneur.
Narada (addressing his father, Brahma, in the anukramanika-style inquiry)
Vrata: none
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: bhakti
FAQs
It frames Purāṇic teaching as a disciplined transmission: the seeker asks for the Purāṇa’s essence along with its marks of authenticity, ensuring spiritual instruction rests on recognizable standards rather than mere storytelling.
By presenting the listener as śuśrūṣu (devoted, eager to hear), it highlights śravaṇa—reverent listening—as a foundational bhakti practice through which Purāṇic wisdom is received from an authorized speaker.
The verse emphasizes pramāṇa (valid authority/means of knowledge), a key epistemic principle used across śāstric disciplines; it supports proper scriptural interpretation rather than a specific Vedāṅga like vyākaraṇa or jyotiṣa.