Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 15

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

Devanagari script

पित्तपानं महाघोरं तथैवःश्लेष्मभोजनम् । वृक्षाग्रात्पातनंचैव जलान्तर्मज्जनं तथा ॥ १५ ॥

Transliteration

pittapānaṃ mahāghoraṃ tathaivaḥśleṣmabhojanam | vṛkṣāgrātpātanaṃcaiva jalāntarmajjanaṃ tathā || 15 ||

Translation

Boire la bile —terrible au plus haut point— et de même manger du flegme; être précipité du sommet d’un arbre; et être contraint de sombrer sous l’eau — tout cela est aussi décrit comme d’effroyables tourments.

Word by Word

• pitta-pānam: drinking bile
• pitta-pānam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pitta (प्रातिपदिक) + pāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषसमासः (पित्तस्य पानम्)

• mahā-ghoram: very dreadful
• mahā-ghoram: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mahā (प्रातिपदिक) + ghora (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; कर्मधारयसमासः (महच्च तत् घोरम्) विशेषणम् (qualifier of pittapānam)

• tathā: likewise
• tathā: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: रीत्यर्थक-अव्यय (adverb)

• eva: indeed
• eva: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारणार्थक-अव्यय (particle)

• śleṣma-bhojanam: eating phlegm
• śleṣma-bhojanam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śleṣman (प्रातिपदिक) + bhojana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषसमासः (श्लेष्मणः भोजनम्)

• vṛkṣa-agrāt: from the top of a tree
• vṛkṣa-agrāt: Apadana (अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vṛkṣa (प्रातिपदिक) + agra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषसमासः (वृक्षस्य अग्रात्) अपादान (ablative)

• pātanam: throwing down / causing to fall
• pātanam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pat (धातु) + lyuṭ प्रत्यय → pātana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; कृदन्त-भाववाचक (causative sense: 'causing to fall')

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• eva: indeed
• eva: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारणार्थक-अव्यय (particle)

• jala-antar-majjanaṃ: submersion under water
• jala-antar-majjanaṃ: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: jala (प्रातिपदिक) + antara (प्रातिपदिक) + majjana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषसमासः (जलस्य अन्तरे मज्जनम्)

• tathā: likewise
• tathā: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: रीत्यर्थक-अव्यय (adverb)

Speaker

Sanatkumara (teaching Narada in a catalog of karmic sufferings)

Vrata Kalpa

Vrata: none

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: bhayanaka (fear)

Secondary Rasa: bibhatsa (disgust)

Characters & Entities

• Narada
• Sanatkumara

FAQs

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

It underscores the Purana’s karmic ethic: actions that violate purity and dharma lead to correspondingly horrific experiences, intended to deter wrongdoing and prompt repentance and righteous living.

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

Indirectly, it frames bhakti and dharmic conduct as protective: by turning the mind toward the Lord and living ethically, one avoids degrading acts and the painful karmic results described here.

What practical Vedic knowledge (Vedanga) is highlighted here?

No specific Vedanga (like Vyakarana, Jyotisha, or Kalpa) is taught in this verse; it functions as a dharma-oriented warning about karmic consequences rather than a technical instruction.