Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 141
Pāpa-bheda, Naraka-yātanā, Mahāpātaka-vicāra, Atonement Limits, Daśa-vidhā Bhakti, and Gaṅgā as Final Remedy
योऽर्चयेत्कैतवधिया स्वैरिणी स्वपतिं यथा । नारायणं जगन्नाथं तामसी मध्यमा तु सा ॥ १४१ ॥
yo'rcayetkaitavadhiyā svairiṇī svapatiṃ yathā | nārāyaṇaṃ jagannāthaṃ tāmasī madhyamā tu sā || 141 ||
Celui qui adore Nārāyaṇa, Seigneur de l’univers, avec une intention trompeuse—comme une femme infidèle s’approchant de son propre époux—cette adoration est tāmasī, de degré moyen.
Sanatkumara (teaching Narada in a gradation-of-bhakti context)
Vrata: none
Primary Rasa: bibhatsa
Secondary Rasa: bhakti
FAQs
It teaches that the inner motive (bhāva) behind worship is decisive: devotion mixed with deceit and self-serving intent is considered tāmasī and spiritually inferior.
Bhakti is not merely an external act of arcana (ritual worship); it must be aligned with sincerity and purity. Deceptive worship—done for manipulation, display, or selfish gain—falls into a lower, tamasic grade.
A practical takeaway is ritual discernment in arcana: beyond correct procedure, one must examine intention (saṅkalpa/bhāva). This aligns with dharma-focused ritual ethics rather than a technical Vedanga like Vyākaraṇa or Jyotiṣa.