Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 13
Saṃsāra-duḥkha: Karmic Descent, Garbhavāsa, Life’s Anxieties, Death, and the Call to Jñāna-Bhakti
अहोऽत्यंतपापोऽहंपूर्वजन्मनिभृत्यापत्यमित्रयोषिद्गृहक्षेत्रधनधान्यादिष्वत्यंतरागेण कलत्रपोषणार्थं परधनक्षेत्रादिकं पश्यतो हरणाद्युपायैरपह्यत्य कामांधतया परस्त्रीहरणादिकमनुभूय महापापान्याचरंस्तैः पापैरहमेक एवंविधनरकाननुभूय पुनः स्थावरादिषु महादुःखमनुभूय संप्रति जरायुणा परिवेष्टितोऽन्तर्दुखेन बहिस्तापेन च दह्यामि ॥ १३ ॥
aho'tyaṃtapāpo'haṃpūrvajanmanibhṛtyāpatyamitrayoṣidgṛhakṣetradhanadhānyādiṣvatyaṃtarāgeṇa kalatrapoṣaṇārthaṃ paradhanakṣetrādikaṃ paśyato haraṇādyupāyairapahyatya kāmāṃdhatayā parastrīharaṇādikamanubhūya mahāpāpānyācaraṃstaiḥ pāpairahameka evaṃvidhanarakānanubhūya punaḥ sthāvarādiṣu mahāduḥkhamanubhūya saṃprati jarāyuṇā pariveṣṭito'ntardukhena bahistāpena ca dahyāmi || 13 ||
Hélas, je suis extrêmement pécheur. Dans une naissance antérieure, par un attachement intense aux serviteurs, enfants, amis, femmes, maison, terre, richesse, grains et autres, et pour entretenir ma femme, j'ai volé la richesse et les biens d'autrui par divers moyens, même sous leurs yeux. Aveuglé par la luxure, j'ai commis des actes tels que l'enlèvement de la femme d'un autre homme. Pratiquant de si grands péchés, moi seul, par ces péchés, j'ai souffert de tels enfers ; et encore, après avoir éprouvé une grande misère parmi les formes de vie immobiles et inférieures, maintenant — enfermé dans l'utérus — brûlant d'angoisse intérieure et de tourments extérieurs, je suis consumé.
A suffering jīva (embodied soul) speaking in first person as a confession from within the womb (garbha)
Vrata: none
Primary Rasa: karuna
Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka
FAQs
It presents a direct karmic self-audit: intense attachment and transgressive acts (stealing, violating others’ spouses) lead to naraka, lower rebirths, and finally the anguish of womb-bound existence—urging vairāgya and a turn toward dharma.
By exposing the misery produced by kāma (desire) and possessiveness, the verse prepares the mind for bhakti: when one sees the futility of sense-driven life and its karmic aftermath, one becomes fit to seek refuge in the Lord and live by restraint and righteousness.
No specific Vedāṅga (like Vyākaraṇa or Jyotiṣa) is taught in this verse; the practical takeaway is dharma-śāstric ethics—avoid paradhana-haraṇa and para-strī-gamana/haraṇa, which are treated as mahāpāpa with severe karmic results.