Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 4
Saṃsāra-duḥkha: Karmic Descent, Garbhavāsa, Life’s Anxieties, Death, and the Call to Jñāna-Bhakti
स्थावरत्वेऽपि बहुकालं वानरादिभिर्भुज्यमाना हि च्छेदनदवाग्निदहनशीतातपादिदुःखमनुभूय म्रियते । ततश्च क्रिमयो भूत्वा सदादुःखबहुलाः क्षणार्ध्दं जीवंतः क्षणार्ध्दं म्रियमाणा बलवत्प्राणिपीडायां निवारयितुमक्षमाः शीतवातादिक्लेशभूयिष्ठा नित्यं क्षुधाक्षुधिता मलमूत्रादिषु सचरंतो दुःखमनुभवंति ॥ ४ ॥
sthāvaratve'pi bahukālaṃ vānarādibhirbhujyamānā hi cchedanadavāgnidahanaśītātapādiduḥkhamanubhūya mriyate | tataśca krimayo bhūtvā sadāduḥkhabahulāḥ kṣaṇārdhdaṃ jīvaṃtaḥ kṣaṇārdhdaṃ mriyamāṇā balavatprāṇipīḍāyāṃ nivārayitumakṣamāḥ śītavātādikleśabhūyiṣṭhā nityaṃ kṣudhākṣudhitā malamūtrādiṣu sacaraṃto duḥkhamanubhavaṃti || 4 ||
Même lorsqu’on obtient l’état d’être immobile, tel une plante ou un arbre, on est longtemps dévoré par les singes et autres; on endure la douleur de la coupe, l’embrasement des feux de forêt, le froid, la chaleur et bien d’autres peines, puis l’on meurt. Ensuite, devenu ver, on demeure sans cesse rempli de misère : vivant un demi-instant et mourant un demi-instant, incapable d’écarter le tourment violent infligé par des créatures plus fortes; accablé par le froid, le vent et d’autres épreuves; toujours affamé et pourtant affamé, rampant parmi les souillures, l’urine et autres immondices, on ne fait qu’éprouver la souffrance.
Sanatkumāra (in dialogue with Nārada)
Vrata: none
Primary Rasa: bibhatsa
Secondary Rasa: karuna
FAQs
It intensifies vairāgya (detachment) by describing how karmic bondage can lead to painful, helpless embodiments—urging the seeker to pursue dharma and liberation rather than sense-driven actions.
By showing the terror of saṁsāra and the fragility of embodied life, it prepares the mind for taking refuge in the Lord—bhakti as a saving orientation that redirects karma toward purification and mokṣa.
No specific Vedāṅga (like Vyākaraṇa or Jyotiṣa) is taught in this verse; the practical takeaway is ethical causality (karma) and the urgency of disciplined dharma as the foundation for higher knowledge.