Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 54
Ekādaśī Vrata-Vidhi and the Galava–Bhadrashīla Itihāsa
Dharmakīrti before Yama
भद्रशील उवाच । अहमासं पुरा तात राजा सोमकुलोद्भवः । धर्मकीर्तिरिति ख्यातो दत्तात्रेयेण शासितः ॥ ५४ ॥
bhadraśīla uvāca | ahamāsaṃ purā tāta rājā somakulodbhavaḥ | dharmakīrtiriti khyāto dattātreyeṇa śāsitaḥ || 54 ||
Bhadraśīla dit : «Mon cher, jadis j’étais un roi né de la dynastie lunaire. J’étais renommé sous le nom de Dharmakīrti, et j’ai été instruit et discipliné par Dattātreya.»
Bhadraśīla
Vrata: none
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: bhakti
FAQs
It establishes the speaker’s past-life identity and authority: a dharmic king (Dharmakīrti) shaped by a realized guru (Dattātreya), emphasizing that true righteousness is grounded in proper guidance.
Indirectly, it frames devotion as disciplined learning under a teacher—bhakti and dharma mature when one accepts instruction from a spiritually competent guide like Dattātreya.
No specific Vedāṅga (Śikṣā, Vyākaraṇa, Chandas, Nirukta, Jyotiṣa, Kalpa) is named; the practical takeaway is the primacy of śāsana (training/instruction) and adherence to dharma in one’s role (especially kingship).