Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 66

Dhvaja-Dhāraṇa Mahātmyam: Sumati–Satyamatī, Humility, and Deliverance by Hari’s Messengers

Devanagari script

स्वकर्मक्षयपर्यन्तं महापातकिनोऽपि च । तिष्टन्ति नरके घोरे यावच्चन्द्रार्कतारकम् ॥ ६६ ॥

Transliteration

svakarmakṣayaparyantaṃ mahāpātakino'pi ca | tiṣṭanti narake ghore yāvaccandrārkatārakam || 66 ||

Translation

Même les grands pécheurs (mahāpātakin) demeurent dans un enfer terrible jusqu’à l’épuisement des fruits de leurs propres actes—tant que subsistent la lune, le soleil et les étoiles.

Word by Word

• स्वकर्मक्षयपर्यन्तम्: up to the exhaustion of their own karma
• स्वकर्मक्षयपर्यन्तम्: अधिकरण (Adhikaraṇa; limit/extent)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: स्व + कर्म + क्षय + पर्यन्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (Avyaya), अव्ययीभाव-समास; अर्थे: ‘...पर्यन्तम्’ = ‘up to ...’; घटकाः: स्व(own)+कर्म(deed)+क्षय(destruction)+पर्यन्त(up to)

• महापातकिनः: great sinners
• महापातकिनः: कर्ता (Kartā; subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महापातकिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन (Plural); ‘महापातक’ + ‘-इन्’ (possessor)

• अपि: even
• अपि: सम्बन्ध/निपात (particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (particle); अर्थः ‘even/also’

• च: and
• च: समुच्चय (coordination)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (conjunction)

• तिष्ठन्ति: remain/stand
• तिष्ठन्ति: क्रिया (Kriyā; verbal action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्था (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), बहुवचन (Plural)

• नरके: in hell
• नरके: अधिकरण (Adhikaraṇa; location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नरक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), सप्तमी (Locative/7th), एकवचन (Singular)

• घोरे: terrible
• घोरे: विशेषण (qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: घोर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), सप्तमी (Locative/7th), एकवचन (Singular); विशेषणम् ‘नरके’

• यावत्: as long as
• यावत्: काल-अधिकरण (temporal extent marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यावत् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (correlative adverb); अर्थः ‘as long as/until’

• चन्द्रार्कतारकम्: (the time of) the moon, sun, and stars (i.e., as long as they last)
• चन्द्रार्कतारकम्: अधिकरण (Adhikaraṇa; temporal limit object with यावत्)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चन्द्र + अर्क + तारक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), द्वितीया (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular); इतरेतर-द्वन्द्वः (copulative): ‘moon, sun, and stars’ (collective)

Speaker

Sanatkumara (teaching Narada)

Vrata Kalpa

Vrata: none

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: bhayanaka

Secondary Rasa: shanta

Characters & Entities

• Chandra
• Arka
• Tārā (stars)

FAQs

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

It emphasizes karmic inevitability: severe wrongdoing leads to suffering in naraka until the accumulated karmic results are fully exhausted, underscoring the urgency of dharma and purification.

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

By highlighting the gravity of sin and its long-lasting consequences, it implicitly motivates turning toward Vishnu-bhakti and dharmic living as protective, purifying disciplines that prevent such downfall.

What practical Vedic knowledge (Vedanga) is highlighted here?

The verse uses cosmic time-markers (sun, moon, stars), aligning with Jyotiṣa-style reckoning of time and duration, to convey the vast scale of karmic fruition.