Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 46

Bharata’s Attachment and the Palanquin Teaching on ‘I’ and ‘Mine’

Devanagari script

प्रष्टुं तं मोक्षधर्मज्ञं कपिलाख्यं महामुनिम् । उवाह शिबिकामस्य क्षत्तुर्वचनचोदितः ॥ ४६ ॥

Transliteration

praṣṭuṃ taṃ mokṣadharmajñaṃ kapilākhyaṃ mahāmunim | uvāha śibikāmasya kṣatturvacanacoditaḥ || 46 ||

Translation

Désireux d’interroger le grand muni nommé Kapila, versé dans le dharma de la délivrance (mokṣa), il porta le palanquin, pressé par l’ordre du kṣattā.

Word by Word

• praṣṭum: to ask
• praṣṭum: Prayojana (प्रयोजन)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √prach (धातु) + praṣṭum (तुमुन्-प्रत्यय)
• Form: Tumunanta infinitive (तुमुन्) from √prach (प्रच्छ्) ‘to ask’; purpose

• tam: him
• tam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Dvitīyā, Ekavacana

• mokṣa-dharma-jñam: knowing the path/dharma of liberation
• mokṣa-dharma-jñam: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण) of tam
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mokṣa (प्रातिपदिक) + dharma (प्रातिपदिक) + jña (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Dvitīyā, Ekavacana; tatpuruṣa: ‘mokṣasya dharmasya jñaḥ’ / ‘mokṣadharmān jānāti’ (knower of the dharma of liberation)

• kapila-ākhyam: named Kapila
• kapila-ākhyam: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण) of tam
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kapila (प्रातिपदिक) + ākhyā (प्रातिपदिक) / ākhyā (नाम)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Dvitīyā, Ekavacana; tatpuruṣa: ‘kapila-ākhyā yasya’ (named Kapila)

• mahā-munim: the great sage
• mahā-munim: Karma (कर्म) (appositional object with tam)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā (प्रातिपदिक) + muni (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Dvitīyā, Ekavacana; karmadhāraya: ‘mahān muniḥ’ (great sage)

• uvāha: carried
• uvāha: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √vah (धातु)
• Form: Liṭ (Perfect), Prathama-puruṣa (3rd), Ekavacana; parasmaipada; ‘carried/bore’

• śibikām: the palanquin
• śibikām: Karma (कर्म) of uvāha
• Type: Noun
• Root: śibikā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga (Feminine), Dvitīyā (Accusative), Ekavacana

• asya: of him; his
• asya: Ṣaṣṭhī-sambandha (genitive) to śibikām
• Type: Noun
• Root: idam (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Ṣaṣṭhī (Genitive), Ekavacana; pronoun

• kṣattuḥ-vacana-coditaḥ: urged by the attendant’s command
• kṣattuḥ-vacana-coditaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण) of implied subject (carrier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kṣattṛ (प्रातिपदिक) + vacana (प्रातिपदिक) + codita (कृदन्त, क्त from √cud/√cod)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Prathamā, Ekavacana; PPP (क्त) from √cud/√cod (चुद्/चोद्) ‘to impel’; tatpuruṣa: ‘kṣattuḥ vacanena coditaḥ’ (impelled by the attendant’s words)

Speaker

Suta (narrative voice within the Narada Purana’s dialogue framework)

Vrata Kalpa

Vrata: none

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: adbhuta

Secondary Rasa: shanta

Characters & Entities

• Kapila
• Kṣattṛ (chamberlain/attendant)

FAQs

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

It frames the approach to moksha as beginning with humility and inquiry—seeking a realized teacher (Kapila) and preparing oneself through service and readiness to ask the right questions about liberation.

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

While it does not name bhakti directly, it reflects a bhakti-like discipline: respectful service (sevā) and sincere questioning of a liberated sage, which are foundational attitudes for receiving higher teachings, including devotion to Vishnu in the broader Moksha-Dharma section.

What practical Vedic knowledge (Vedanga) is highlighted here?

No specific Vedanga (Śikṣā, Vyākaraṇa, Chandas, Nirukta, Jyotiṣa, Kalpa) is taught in this verse; the practical takeaway is the method of learning—approaching a qualified teacher and engaging in disciplined inquiry.