Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 42

Bharata’s Attachment and the Palanquin Teaching on ‘I’ and ‘Mine’

Devanagari script

कारितः क्षेत्रकर्मादि कदन्नाहारपोषितः । सरूक्षपीनावयवो जडकारी च कर्मणि ॥ ४२ ॥

Transliteration

kāritaḥ kṣetrakarmādi kadannāhārapoṣitaḥ | sarūkṣapīnāvayavo jaḍakārī ca karmaṇi || 42 ||

Translation

農作業などの苦役に駆り立てられ、粗末で劣った食に養われ、手足は乾き痩せ衰え、働きにおいて鈍く遅くなっていった。

Word by Word

• kāritaḥ: made to work; compelled
• kāritaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण) of implied subject
• Type: Adjective
• Root: √kṛ (धातु) + kārita (कृदन्त, क्त-प्रत्यय)
• Form: Puṃliṅga (Masculine), Prathamā (Nominative, 1st), Ekavacana (Singular); Past passive participle (क्त), ‘caused to be made/done’

• kṣetra-karma-ādi: field-work and the like
• kṣetra-karma-ādi: Karma (कर्म) with kāritaḥ (object of being made to do)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kṣetra (प्रातिपदिक) + karma (प्रातिपदिक) + ādi (अव्यय/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), Prathamā/ द्वितीयā (Nom./Acc., 1st/2nd), Ekavacana (Singular); samāsa: ‘kṣetre karma’ (field-work) + ādi ‘etc.’

• kadanna-āhāra-poṣitaḥ: nourished on coarse food
• kadanna-āhāra-poṣitaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण) of implied subject
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kadanna (प्रातिपदिक) + āhāra (प्रातिपदिक) + poṣita (कृदन्त, क्त-प्रत्यय from √puṣ)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Prathamā, Ekavacana; PPP (क्त) from √puṣ (पुष्) ‘to nourish’; samāsa: ‘kadannena āhāreṇa poṣitaḥ’ (nourished by coarse food as diet)

• sa-rūkṣa-pīna-avayavaḥ: having rough, stout limbs
• sa-rūkṣa-pīna-avayavaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण) of implied subject
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sa- (उपसर्ग/अव्यय) + rūkṣa (प्रातिपदिक) + pīna (प्रातिपदिक) + avayava (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Prathamā, Ekavacana; bahuvrīhi: ‘yasya avayavāḥ rūkṣāḥ pīnās ca santi’ (whose limbs are rough and stout)

• jaḍa-kārī: behaving dull; sluggish-acting
• jaḍa-kārī: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण) of implied subject
• Type: Adjective
• Root: jaḍa (प्रातिपदिक) + kārī (कृदन्त, णिनि from √kṛ)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Prathamā, Ekavacana; agent-noun/participle (णिनि) ‘one who does/makes’; karmadhāraya: ‘jaḍaḥ kārī’ (acting dull)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध) / conjunction
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya; conjunction (समुच्चय-बोधक)

• karmaṇi: in work; while working
• karmaṇi: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: karman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napुंसकलिङ्ग, Saptamī (Locative, 7th), Ekavacana; ‘in work/at work’

Speaker

Sanatkumara (teaching Narada in the Moksha-Dharma dialogue)

Vrata Kalpa

Vrata: none

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: karuna

Secondary Rasa: shanta

FAQs

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

It portrays a symptom of bondage: when one is driven by circumstance and karma into harsh toil and poor sustenance, the body and mind become depleted, illustrating the suffering inherent in samsara and the need for liberation-oriented living.

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

Indirectly, it contrasts worldly compulsion and exhaustion with the inner freedom sought through Vishnu-bhakti: devotion reorients life from forced, degrading struggle toward sattvic discipline, remembrance, and liberation.

What practical Vedic knowledge (Vedanga) is highlighted here?

No specific Vedanga is taught in this verse; it is primarily an ethical-philosophical observation used in Moksha-Dharma to diagnose the consequences of karmic entanglement.