Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 66

Anadhyaya and the Winds: From Vedic Recitation Protocol to Sanatkumara’s Moksha-Upadesha

Devanagari script

सरःपंकार्णवे मग्ना जीर्णा वनगजा इव । मोहजालसमाकृष्टान्पश्यजंतून्सुदुःखितान् ॥ ६६ ॥

Transliteration

saraḥpaṃkārṇave magnā jīrṇā vanagajā iva | mohajālasamākṛṣṭānpaśyajaṃtūnsuduḥkhitān || 66 ||

Translation

Vois les créatures : englouties dans l’océan de bourbe, tel un lac de vase, comme de vieux éléphants de la forêt ; happées par le filet de l’illusion et plongées dans une peine extrême.

Word by Word

• सरःपङ्कार्णवे: in the muddy mire (mud-ocean)
• सरःपङ्कार्णवे: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सरस् + पङ्क + अर्णव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (अधिकरण), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः: सरसः पङ्क-अर्णवः (ocean/lake of mud)

• मग्नाः: sunk
• मग्नाः: Kartṛ-viśeṣaṇa (कर्तृविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मग्न (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; ‘submerged/sunk’

• जीर्णाः: worn out
• जीर्णाः: Kartṛ-viśeṣaṇa (कर्तृविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: जीर्ण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; ‘worn out/decayed’

• वनगजाः: forest elephants
• वनगजाः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वन + गज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; तत्पुरुषः: वने गजाः (forest-elephants)

• इव: like
• इव: Upamā-dyotaka (उपमाद्योतक)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इव (अव्यय)
• Form: उपमानवाचक-अव्यय (simile marker)

• मोहजालसमाकृष्टान्: drawn in by the net of delusion
• मोहजालसमाकृष्टान्: Karma-viśeṣaṇa (कर्मविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मोह + जाल + सम् + आ + कृष् (धातु)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; तत्पुरुषः: मोहस्य जालम् (net of delusion) + समाकृष्ट (drawn/pulled)

• पश्य: see! behold!
• पश्य: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (आज्ञार्थ), मध्यम-पुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• जन्तून्: creatures
• जन्तून्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जन्तु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (कर्म), बहुवचन

• सुदुःखितान्: very miserable
• सुदुःखितान्: Karma-viśeṣaṇa (कर्मविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सु + दुःखित (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; कर्मधारयः: सुदुःखित = अत्यन्तं दुःखित (very miserable)

Speaker

Sanatkumara (in instruction to Narada)

Vrata Kalpa

Vrata: none

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: karuna (compassion)

Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka (fear)

FAQs

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

It portrays saṃsāra as a mire in which jīvas sink and grow exhausted, emphasizing that delusion (moha) is the binding force that drags beings into repeated grief—thereby urging dispassion and the pursuit of liberation.

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

By highlighting the “net of delusion,” the verse implies the need for a saving power that cuts bondage; in Narada Purana’s Moksha-Dharma frame, Viṣṇu-bhakti (hearing, chanting, remembrance) is presented as a practical means to loosen moha and relieve the jīva’s suffering.

What practical Vedic knowledge (Vedanga) is highlighted here?

No specific Vedāṅga technique is taught in this verse; it functions as a contemplative instruction (viveka) using vivid metaphor to diagnose the problem—moha and saṃsāric entanglement—before prescribing disciplines like jñāna, vairāgya, and bhakti elsewhere in the chapter.