Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 20
Saṃsāra-duḥkha: Karmic Descent, Garbhavāsa, Life’s Anxieties, Death, and the Call to Jñāna-Bhakti
आत्मानमाश्वास्य उत्पत्तेरनंतरं सत्संगेन विष्णोश्चरितश्रवणेन च विशुद्धमना भूत्वा सत्कर्माणि निर्वर्त्य अखिलजगदंतरात्मनः सत्यज्ञानानंदमयस्य शक्तिप्रभावानुष्टितविष्टपवर्गस्य लक्ष्मीपतेर्नारायणस्य सकलसुरासुरयक्षगंधर्वराक्षसपन्न गमुनिकिन्नरसमूहार्चितचरणकमलयुगं भक्तितः समभ्यर्च्य दुःसहः संसारच्छेदस्यकारणभूतं वेदरहस्योपनिषद्भिः परिस्फुटं सकललोकपरायणं हृदिनिधाय दुःखतरमिमं संस्कारागारमतिक्रमिष्यामीति मनसि भावयति ॥ २० ॥
ātmānamāśvāsya utpatteranaṃtaraṃ satsaṃgena viṣṇoścaritaśravaṇena ca viśuddhamanā bhūtvā satkarmāṇi nirvartya akhilajagadaṃtarātmanaḥ satyajñānānaṃdamayasya śaktiprabhāvānuṣṭitaviṣṭapavargasya lakṣmīpaternārāyaṇasya sakalasurāsurayakṣagaṃdharvarākṣasapanna gamunikinnarasamūhārcitacaraṇakamalayugaṃ bhaktitaḥ samabhyarcya duḥsahaḥ saṃsāracchedasyakāraṇabhūtaṃ vedarahasyopaniṣadbhiḥ parisphuṭaṃ sakalalokaparāyaṇaṃ hṛdinidhāya duḥkhataramimaṃ saṃskārāgāramatikramiṣyāmīti manasi bhāvayati || 20 ||
Puis, après sa naissance, il se consola lui-même; par la sainte compagnie (satsaṅga) et par l’écoute des hauts faits de Viṣṇu, son esprit devint pur. Ayant accompli des actions justes, il adora avec bhakti la paire de pieds de lotus de Nārāyaṇa, Seigneur de Lakṣmī, Soi intérieur de l’univers entier, dont la nature est vérité, connaissance et béatitude, et dont la puissance manifeste l’ordre des mondes—pieds vénérés par les troupes de dieux et d’asuras, yakṣas, gandharvas, rākṣasas, serpents, sages et kinnaras. Plaçant dans son cœur le secret du Veda, rendu clair par les Upaniṣads—refuge de tous les mondes et cause qui tranche l’insupportable saṃsāra—il résolut: «Je franchirai cette demeure des conditionnements (saṃskāras), si douloureuse».
Narrator (Purāṇic narration within the Narada Purana; dialogue context commonly framed around Narada’s instruction to the Sanatkumāras)
Vrata: none
Primary Rasa: bhakti
Secondary Rasa: shanta
FAQs
It presents a complete inner progression: satsanga and hearing Viṣṇu’s līlā purify the mind, righteous action stabilizes it, devotion anchors it in Nārāyaṇa, and Upaniṣadic Veda-essence becomes the heart’s refuge—culminating in the resolve to cut saṃsāra and transcend saṃskāras.
Bhakti is shown as practical and transformative: one listens to Viṣṇu’s deeds (śravaṇa), keeps saintly company (satsaṅga), worships the Lord’s lotus feet with devotion, and holds the Upaniṣadic truth inwardly—making devotion the direct cause of breaking the cycle of worldly suffering.
Rather than a specific Vedāṅga technique (like Vyākaraṇa or Jyotiṣa), the verse highlights Upaniṣadic discernment—the “Veda-rahasya” that clarifies the ultimate refuge—and frames it as applied knowledge that supports sādhana aimed at ending saṃsāra.