Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 44

Dharma-ākhyāna (Discourse on Dharma): Worthy Charity, Fruitless Gifts, and the Merit of Building Ponds

Devanagari script

धर्मा बहुविधाः प्रोक्ताः पुण्यलोकप्रदायकाः । तथैव यातनाः प्रोक्ता असंख्या घोरदर्शताः ॥ ४५ ॥

Transliteration

dharmā bahuvidhāḥ proktāḥ puṇyalokapradāyakāḥ | tathaiva yātanāḥ proktā asaṃkhyā ghoradarśatāḥ || 45 ||

Translation

功徳の世界へ至らしめる多種多様なダルマが説かれ、また同様に、見るだに恐ろしい無数の責め苦も語られている。

Word by Word

• dharmāḥ: duties; dharmas
• dharmāḥ: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dharma (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन (Plural)

• bahu-vidhāḥ: of many kinds
• bahu-vidhāḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण/Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: bahu (प्रातिपदिक) + vidhā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन (Plural); विशेषण (adjective) to dharmāḥ

• proktāḥ: are said; have been declared
• proktāḥ: Kriyā (क्रिया/Predicative)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √vac (धातु) + प्र (उपसर्ग) ; prokta (कृदन्त, क्त-प्रत्यय)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (Past Passive Participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; कर्मणि-प्रयोगार्थ (passive sense)

• puṇya-loka-pradāyakāḥ: bestowing the meritorious worlds
• puṇya-loka-pradāyakāḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण/Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: puṇya (प्रातिपदिक) + loka (प्रातिपदिक) + pradāyaka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; विशेषण to dharmāḥ; (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष/सम्बन्ध) ‘puṇyasya lokaḥ’ + ‘tasya pradāyakaḥ’

• tathā: likewise; thus
• tathā: Kriyā-viśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण/Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (indeclinable), अव्यय-प्रकारः: क्रियाविशेषण (adverb)

• eva: indeed; just
• eva: Nipāta (निपात/Emphasis)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, निपात (particle) अवधारणार्थ (emphasis)

• yātanāḥ: torments; punishments
• yātanāḥ: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yātanā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine), प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन (Plural)

• proktāḥ: are said; are described
• proktāḥ: Kriyā (क्रिया/Predicative)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √vac (धातु) + प्र (उपसर्ग) ; prokta (कृदन्त, क्त-प्रत्यय)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (Past Passive Participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; (पाठानुसार) यātanāḥ इति स्त्रीलिङ्गे अपेक्षितं ‘proktāḥ’ छन्दो/पाठभेदेन; अर्थतः ‘proktāḥ/proktāḥ’ = ‘said’

• asaṃkhyāḥ: countless
• asaṃkhyāḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण/Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: a-saṃkhyā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/स्त्रीलिङ्ग-सम्भव (context: yātanāḥ स्त्रीलिङ्ग), प्रथमा, बहुवचन; नञ्-समास/उपसर्ग ‘a-’ (negation)

• ghora-darśatāḥ: of dreadful appearance
• ghora-darśatāḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण/Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ghora (प्रातिपदिक) + darśatā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; विशेषण to yātanāḥ; (कर्मधारय/तत्पुरुष-भाव) ‘ghorā darśatā yāsām’ = having dreadful appearance

Speaker

Sanatkumara (teaching Narada in dialogue)

Vrata Kalpa

Vrata: none

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka

Characters & Entities

• Narada

FAQs

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

It frames dharma as a structured path that yields higher realms through merit, while also warning that adharma leads to innumerable, terrifying sufferings—urging moral vigilance and responsibility for karma.

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

Indirectly, it sets the ethical foundation for bhakti: devotion is strengthened by dharmic living and detachment from sin, because the text emphasizes real consequences for actions and the need to choose a purifying way of life.

What practical Vedic knowledge (Vedanga) is highlighted here?

No specific Vedanga is taught in this verse; it functions as a dharma-śāstra style summary of karma-phala—linking prescribed conduct (dharma) with outcomes (puṇya-loka vs. yātanā).