Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 69

The Recitation of the Thousand Names of Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa (Yugala-Sahasranāma) and Śaraṇāgati-Dharma

Devanagari script

व्यंगधर्मप्रवक्ता च गोपीमण्डलमोहनः । रासक्रीडारसास्वादी रसिको राधिकाधवः ॥ ६९ ॥

Transliteration

vyaṃgadharmapravaktā ca gopīmaṇḍalamohanaḥ | rāsakrīḍārasāsvādī rasiko rādhikādhavaḥ || 69 ||

Translation

Il est le maître qui enseigne le dharma par une instruction subtile et indirecte; l’enchanteur du cercle des gopīs; celui qui goûte le nectar du Rāsa‑līlā; le Rasika suprême — Śrī Kṛṣṇa, le Seigneur bien‑aimé de Rādhikā.

Word by Word

• व्यङ्ग-धर्म-प्रवक्ता: expounder of subtle/implicit dharma
• व्यङ्ग-धर्म-प्रवक्ता: Karta (कर्ता/Subject—स्तुत्य-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: व्यङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक) + धर्म (प्रातिपदिक) + प्रवक्तृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (व्यङ्गधर्मं प्रवक्ति/प्रवक्तृ)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-अव्ययम् (conjunction)

• गोपी-मण्डल-मोहनः: enchanter of the circle of gopīs
• गोपी-मण्डल-मोहनः: Karta (कर्ता/Subject—स्तुत्य-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: गोपी (प्रातिपदिक) + मण्डल (प्रातिपदिक) + मोहन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (गोपीनां मण्डलं मोहयति इति/गोपिमण्डलस्य मोहनः)

• रास-क्रीडा-रस-आस्वादी: taster/enjoyer of the rasa of the rāsa-dance play
• रास-क्रीडा-रस-आस्वादी: Karta (कर्ता/Subject—स्तुत्य-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: रास (प्रातिपदिक) + क्रीडा (प्रातिपदिक) + रस (प्रातिपदिक) + आस्वादिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; बहुपद-तत्पुरुषः (रासक्रीडायाः रसः तं आस्वादयति इति)

• रसिकः: connoisseur; enjoyer of rasa
• रसिकः: Karta (कर्ता/Subject—स्तुत्य-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: रसिक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• राधिका-अधवः: husband/beloved of Rādhikā
• राधिका-अधवः: Karta (कर्ता/Subject—नाम/उपाधि)
• Type: Noun
• Root: राधिका (प्रातिपदिक) + धव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (राधिकायाः धवः = पति/वल्लभः)

Speaker

Narada

Vrata Kalpa

Vrata: none

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shringara

Secondary Rasa: bhakti

Characters & Entities

• Krishna
• Radhika
• Gopis

FAQs

What is the spiritual significance of this verse in Narada Purana?

It praises Śrī Kṛṣṇa as the supreme rasika who reveals dharma not only through rules but through lived divine play (līlā), showing that the highest spiritual realization culminates in loving devotion (bhakti) saturated with rasa.

How does this verse explain the path of devotion (Bhakti)?

By calling Kṛṣṇa the enchanter of the gopīs and the savorer of the Rāsa, the verse points to intimate, selfless love as a valid and exalted mode of bhakti—where devotion becomes an experiential relish of the Divine rather than mere obligation.

What practical Vedic knowledge (Vedanga) is highlighted here?

The verse implicitly uses the aesthetic theory of “rasa” and the idea of suggestive teaching (vyaṅga), aligning with refined interpretive tools used in śāstric study—how meaning can be conveyed indirectly and tasted as spiritual experience.