Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 48
Bharata’s Attachment and the Palanquin Teaching on ‘I’ and ‘Mine’
जातिस्मरोऽसौ पापस्य क्षयकाम उवाह ताम् । ययौ जडगतिस्तत्र युगमात्रावलोकनम् ॥ ४८ ॥
jātismaro'sau pāpasya kṣayakāma uvāha tām | yayau jaḍagatistatra yugamātrāvalokanam || 48 ||
Se souvenant de ses naissances antérieures et désirant l’anéantissement de ses fautes, il l’épousa. Puis, se mouvant comme engourdi et inerte, il demeura là, ne faisant que regarder, comme durant l’espace d’un yuga.
Narada (narrating to the Sanatkumara brothers)
Vrata: none
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: karuna
FAQs
It shows that awakening to past-life memory (jātismaratā) can intensify the urge for pāpa-kṣaya (the ending of sin), yet mere external life-events (like marriage) do not guarantee inner transformation; true purification requires conscious spiritual effort and detachment.
Indirectly, it contrasts inner awakening with outward action: without turning the awakened mind toward Bhagavān through remembrance and surrender, one may remain a passive observer. In Mokṣa-dharma narratives, such inertia is overcome by purposeful devotion and disciplined practice.
No specific Vedāṅga (like Vyākaraṇa or Jyotiṣa) is taught in this verse; the practical takeaway is ethical-spiritual: pāpa-kṣaya is sought through deliberate dharma and sādhana, not merely by social rites.