Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 47
Threefold Suffering, Twofold Knowledge, and the Definition of Bhagavān (Vāsudeva); Prelude to Keśidhvaja–Janaka Yoga
वेत्त्येक एव त्वच्छत्रुः खांडिक्यो यो जितस्त्वया । स चाह तं व्रजाम्येष प्रष्टुमात्मरिपुं मुने ॥ ४५ ॥
vettyeka eva tvacchatruḥ khāṃḍikyo yo jitastvayā | sa cāha taṃ vrajāmyeṣa praṣṭumātmaripuṃ mune || 45 ||
तुम्हारे शत्रु को केवल एक ही जानता है—खाण्डिक्य, जिसे तुमने जीत लिया था। वह बोला—“हे मुने, मैं अभी जाकर उस आत्मरिपु, भीतर के शत्रु, के विषय में उससे पूछूँगा।”
Narrator within the Narada–Sanatkumara dialogue (Moksha-dharma context)
Vrata: none
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: vira
FAQs
It shifts attention from external opponents to the true obstacle to moksha—the ātma-ripu, the inner enemy such as desire, anger, delusion, and ego—showing that victory is completed only by self-inquiry.
By highlighting the “enemy within,” the verse supports bhakti as inner purification: devotion becomes steady when one identifies and questions the forces that disrupt remembrance of the Divine.
The practical takeaway is not a technical Vedanga rule but a disciplined method akin to śāstric inquiry: praṣṭum (to question) indicates reflective investigation (vicāra) as a tool for inner mastery alongside dharma.
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