Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 51
Janaka’s Quest for Liberation; Pañcaśikha’s Sāṅkhya on Renunciation, Elements, Guṇas, and the Deathless State
सर्वमुच्छेदनिष्टस्यात्पश्य चैतद्द्विजोत्तम । अप्रमत्तः प्रमत्तो वा किं विशेषं करिष्यति ॥ ५१ ॥
sarvamucchedaniṣṭasyātpaśya caitaddvijottama | apramattaḥ pramatto vā kiṃ viśeṣaṃ kariṣyati || 51 ||
Vois ceci, ô meilleur des deux‑fois‑nés : quand l’on est voué à l’anéantissement total, quelle différence y a‑t‑il entre vigilance et négligence ?
Sanatkumara (teaching Narada in the Moksha-Dharma dialogue)
Vrata: none
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka
FAQs
It highlights the stark truth of mortality: if destruction is certain, worldly distinctions like carefulness versus carelessness cannot ultimately secure permanence—prompting a turn toward moksha-oriented living.
By showing the limits of merely managing worldly outcomes, it indirectly points to taking refuge in the imperishable (often expressed in the Purana as devotion to Vishnu) rather than relying on fragile, temporary safeguards.
No specific Vedanga (like Vyakarana, Jyotisha, or Kalpa) is taught in this verse; the takeaway is ethical-spiritual: cultivate urgency and detachment, since technical control cannot override the certainty of time and death.