Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 46

Janaka Instructs Śuka: Āśrama-Sequence, Guru-Dependence, and Marks of Liberation

Devanagari script

न बंधुषु निबंधस्ते न भयेष्वस्ति ते भयम् । पश्यामित्वां महाभाग तुल्यनिंदात्मसंस्तुतिम् ॥ ४६ ॥

Transliteration

na baṃdhuṣu nibaṃdhaste na bhayeṣvasti te bhayam | paśyāmitvāṃ mahābhāga tulyaniṃdātmasaṃstutim || 46 ||

Translation

Tu n’as d’entrave même envers les proches, et au milieu des situations effrayantes tu n’éprouves aucune crainte. Ô très fortuné, je te vois tenir pour égales le blâme et l’éloge de toi-même.

Word by Word

• na: not
• na: Pratiṣedha (प्रतिषेध/negation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: Niṣedha (negation particle/निषेध)

• bandhuṣu: among relatives
• bandhuṣu: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण/Locative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bandhu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga (Masculine), Saptamī (Locative, 7th), Bahuvacana (Plural)

• nibandhaḥ: attachment / bondage
• nibandhaḥ: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nibandha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga (Masculine), Prathamā (Nominative, 1st), Ekavacana (Singular)

• te: for you / of you
• te: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Possessor)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tvad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Ṣaṣṭhī (Genitive, 6th), Ekavacana (Singular)

• na: not
• na: Pratiṣedha (प्रतिषेध/negation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: Niṣedha (negation particle/निषेध)

• bhayeṣu: in fears / in fearful situations
• bhayeṣu: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण/Locative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), Saptamī (Locative, 7th), Bahuvacana (Plural)

• asti: is / exists
• asti: Kriyā (क्रिया/Verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √as (धातु)
• Form: Laṭ-lakāra (Present), Parasmaipada, Prathama-puruṣa (3rd person), Ekavacana (Singular)

• te: for you / of you
• te: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Possessor)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tvad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Ṣaṣṭhī (Genitive, 6th), Ekavacana (Singular)

• bhayam: fear
• bhayam: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), Prathamā (Nominative, 1st), Ekavacana (Singular)

• paśyāmi: I see
• paśyāmi: Kriyā (क्रिया/Verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √paś (धातु)
• Form: Laṭ-lakāra (Present), Parasmaipada, Uttama-puruṣa (1st person), Ekavacana (Singular)

• tvām: you
• tvām: Karma (कर्म/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tvad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga (Masculine) (addressed person), Dvitīyā (Accusative, 2nd), Ekavacana (Singular)

• mahā-bhāga: O greatly fortunate one
• mahā-bhāga: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन/Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā (प्रातिपदिक) + bhāga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga (Masculine), Sambodhana (Vocative), Ekavacana (Singular); karmadhāraya: ‘mahān bhāgaḥ yasya’ (O greatly fortunate one)

• tulya-nindā-ātma-saṃstutim: equal (in attitude) to blame and self-praise
• tulya-nindā-ātma-saṃstutim: Karma (कर्म/Object complement to ‘paśyāmi tvām’)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tulya (प्रातिपदिक) + nindā (प्रातिपदिक) + ātman (प्रातिपदिक) + saṃstuti (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga (Feminine) as qualifying implied ‘vṛttiḥ/avasthā’; Dvitīyā (Accusative, 2nd), Ekavacana (Singular); multi-member tatpuruṣa: ‘nindāyāḥ saṃstuteś ca ātmani tulyaḥ’ = equal (attitude) toward blame and self-praise

Speaker

Sanatkumara (addressing Narada)

Vrata Kalpa

Vrata: none

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta (peace)

Secondary Rasa: vira (heroic)

Characters & Entities

• Narada
• Sanatkumara

FAQs

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

It marks the liberated temperament: freedom from binding attachment (even to relatives), fearlessness in danger, and equal-mindedness toward censure and self-praise—key indicators of Moksha-dharma.

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

Bhakti matures into steadiness (niṣṭhā): when the mind rests in the Lord, one is not shaken by social approval/disapproval or worldly threats. This equanimity supports unwavering Vishnu-bhakti and single-pointed remembrance.

What practical Vedic knowledge (Vedanga) is highlighted here?

No specific Vedanga (like Vyākaraṇa, Jyotiṣa, or Kalpa) is taught here; the practical takeaway is ethical-spiritual discipline—cultivating samatva (evenness) and vairāgya (non-attachment) as daily practice.