Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 142
Vāmana’s Advent, Aditi’s Hymn, Bali’s Gift, and the Mahatmya of Bhū-dāna
आसु पत्नीषु तस्यासञ्चत्वरिंशच्छतद्वयम् । पुत्राणामसुरश्रेष्ट सर्वे नित्यं बुभुक्षिताः ॥ ४२ ॥
āsu patnīṣu tasyāsañcatvariṃśacchatadvayam | putrāṇāmasuraśreṣṭa sarve nityaṃ bubhukṣitāḥ || 42 ||
De ces épouses, ô le meilleur des Asura, il eut deux cent quarante-deux fils, et tous demeuraient sans cesse affamés.
Narada
Vrata: none
Primary Rasa: karuna
Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka
FAQs
It frames asuric disposition through the motif of unending hunger—symbolizing insatiable craving (tṛṣṇā) and lack of inner contentment, a key contrast to sattvic restraint praised elsewhere in the Purana.
Indirectly, it highlights that beings driven by constant appetite and acquisition remain restless; bhakti to Vishnu is taught in the Narada Purana as the remedy that turns desire toward the Supreme and cultivates contentment and self-control.
This verse is primarily genealogical/cosmological narration (purāṇic sarga) rather than a Vedanga lesson; its practical takeaway is ethical—recognizing the pattern of unchecked desire that Vedic discipline seeks to regulate.