Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 23
Saṃsāra-duḥkha: Karmic Descent, Garbhavāsa, Life’s Anxieties, Death, and the Call to Jñāna-Bhakti
तं तु बाह्यवायुः समुज्जीवयति । बाह्यवायुस्पर्शसमनंतरमेव नष्टस्मृतिपूर्वानुभूताखिलदुःखानि वर्त्तमानान्यपि ज्ञानाभावदविज्ञायात्यंतदुःखमनुभवति ॥ २३ ॥
taṃ tu bāhyavāyuḥ samujjīvayati | bāhyavāyusparśasamanaṃtarameva naṣṭasmṛtipūrvānubhūtākhiladuḥkhāni varttamānānyapi jñānābhāvadavijñāyātyaṃtaduḥkhamanubhavati || 23 ||
Mais l’air extérieur le ranime. Dès le contact du souffle du dehors, ayant perdu la mémoire, il ne reconnaît pas toutes les souffrances jadis éprouvées—ni même celles du présent—faute de vraie connaissance; ainsi endure-t-il une détresse extrême.
Sanatkumara (teaching Narada in dialogue)
Vrata: none
Primary Rasa: karuna
Secondary Rasa: shanta
FAQs
It highlights that mere revival of bodily life (through prana/air) does not end suffering; without jnana (true knowledge), the being fails to recognize the pattern of pain and remains bound to intense misery.
Indirectly, it implies that liberation from repeated misery needs inner awakening—bhakti to Vishnu, supported by right understanding, is a means to replace ignorance with God-centered awareness rather than merely continuing bodily existence.
No specific Vedanga is taught in this verse; the practical takeaway is discernment (viveka) about prana and embodied cognition—life-breath can restore activity, but only jnana removes the root cause of duhkha.