Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 130

Pāpa-bheda, Naraka-yātanā, Mahāpātaka-vicāra, Atonement Limits, Daśa-vidhā Bhakti, and Gaṅgā as Final Remedy

Devanagari script

एतेषां यातनास्तीव्रा भवन्त्याचन्द्रतारकम् । उच्छिन्नपितॄदेवेज्या वेंदमार्गबहिःस्थिताः ॥ १३० ॥

Transliteration

eteṣāṃ yātanāstīvrā bhavantyācandratārakam | ucchinnapitṝdevejyā veṃdamārgabahiḥsthitāḥ || 130 ||

Translation

Pour de telles personnes, les tourments sont terribles et durent tant que subsistent la lune et les étoiles. Ayant rompu le culte dû aux ancêtres et aux dieux, elles demeurent hors de la voie du Veda.

Word by Word

• एतेषाम्: of these (people)
• एतेषाम्: सम्बन्ध (Genitive/षष्ठी-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), बहुवचन; सर्वनाम

• यातनाः: torments; punishments
• यातनाः: कर्ता (Karta/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यातना (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), बहुवचन

• तीव्राः: severe
• तीव्राः: कर्तृ-विशेषण (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तीव्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; विशेषण (यातनाः)

• भवन्ति: are; occur
• भवन्ति: क्रिया (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √भू (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), बहुवचन

• आ-चन्द्र-तारकम्: up to (as long as) the moon and stars (endure)
• आ-चन्द्र-तारकम्: अवधि (Limit/अवधि)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: आ (अव्यय) + चन्द्र (प्रातिपदिक) + तारक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव-समास; अव्ययत्वात् अविकारी; अर्थः—चन्द्रतारकपर्यन्तम् (up to the moon and stars)

• उच्छिन्न-पितृ-देवेज्याः: those whose rites to ancestors and gods are cut off/abandoned
• उच्छिन्न-पितृ-देवेज्याः: कर्तृ-विशेषण (Agent qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उच्छिन्न (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; उद्+√छिद् (धातु) + क्त) + पितृ (प्रातिपदिक) + देवेज्या (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; तत्पुरुष-समास (येषां पितृदेवेज्या उच्छिन्ना)

• वेद-मार्ग-बहिः-स्थिताः: standing outside the Vedic path
• वेद-मार्ग-बहिः-स्थिताः: कर्तृ-विशेषण (Agent qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वेद (प्रातिपदिक) + मार्ग (प्रातिपदिक) + बहिः (अव्यय) + स्थित (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; √स्था (धातु) + क्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; तत्पुरुष-समास (वेदमार्गस्य बहिः स्थिताः)

Speaker

Narada

Vrata Kalpa

Vrata: none

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: bhayanaka

Secondary Rasa: shanta

Characters & Entities

• Pitrs (ancestors)
• Devas (gods)
• Veda

FAQs

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

It stresses that rejecting Vedic dharma—especially the obligatory honoring of Devas and Pitṛs—creates heavy karmic consequences, described as prolonged suffering, and marks a person as ‘outside the Vedic path’.

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

It implies that authentic devotion is not mere sentiment but aligned with dharma: reverence to the divine (deva-ijyā) and gratitude to lineage (pitṛ-ijyā). Abandoning these duties is portrayed as a deviation from the Veda rather than true spiritual practice.

What practical Vedic knowledge (Vedanga) is highlighted here?

The verse points to the Vedic framework of obligatory rites (yajña/ijyā), especially Pitṛ-yajña and Deva-yajña, underscoring the practical dharma-śāstric principle that regular prescribed worship sustains social and spiritual order.