Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 7
Janaka Instructs Śuka: Āśrama-Sequence, Guru-Dependence, and Marks of Liberation
शुक उवाच । पित्राहमुक्तो भद्रं ते मोक्षधर्मार्थकोविदः । विदेहराजोह्याद्योमे जनको नाम विश्रुतः ॥ ७ ॥
śuka uvāca | pitrāhamukto bhadraṃ te mokṣadharmārthakovidaḥ | videharājohyādyome janako nāma viśrutaḥ || 7 ||
Śuka dit : «Mon père m’a instruit — que l’auspice soit sur toi — lui qui connaît le sens et les principes du mokṣa-dharma. Le roi de Videha, renommé sous le nom de Janaka, fut pour moi l’exemple le plus éminent.»
Śuka
Vrata: none
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
FAQs
It establishes a lineage of instruction—Śuka guided by his father—and presents King Janaka as a living model of mokṣa-dharma, implying liberation is grounded in right understanding of dharma’s inner purport.
While the verse is framed in mokṣa-dharma and jñāna language, it supports bhakti indirectly by valuing authentic guidance (guru-paramparā) and exemplary saints/kings; such models orient the seeker toward single-pointed spiritual life.
No specific Vedāṅga (like Vyākaraṇa, Jyotiṣa, or Kalpa) is taught in this verse; the practical takeaway is the primacy of understanding artha (meaning/purport) of dharma—i.e., interpretive discernment applied to mokṣa teachings.