Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 21
Saṃsāra-duḥkha: Karmic Descent, Garbhavāsa, Life’s Anxieties, Death, and the Call to Jñāna-Bhakti
यतस्तन्मातुः प्रसूतिसमये सति गर्भस्थोदेही नारदमुने वायुनापरिपीडितो मातुश्चापि दुःखं कुर्वन्कर्मपाशेन बलाद्योनिमार्गान्निष्क्रामन्सकलयातनाभोगमेककालभवमनुभवति ॥ २१ ॥
yatastanmātuḥ prasūtisamaye sati garbhasthodehī nāradamune vāyunāparipīḍito mātuścāpi duḥkhaṃ kurvankarmapāśena balādyonimārgānniṣkrāmansakalayātanābhogamekakālabhavamanubhavati || 21 ||
ゆえに、聖仙ナーラダよ、母の出産の時、胎内にある有身の者は生命の風に押し迫られ、責め苦を受ける。母にも痛みを与えつつ、業の縄により強いて産道から出され、一瞬のうちにあらゆる苦悩と激痛を味わうのである。
Sanatkumara (teaching Narada)
Vrata: none
Primary Rasa: karuna
Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka
FAQs
It highlights the jīva’s helplessness under karma-pāśa at the very moment of birth, urging vairāgya (detachment) and a liberation-oriented life that seeks freedom from saṁsāra’s inevitable suffering.
By stressing that birth itself is driven by karma and pain, the verse indirectly motivates taking refuge in the Lord through bhakti as a means to loosen karma’s bondage and aim for mokṣa rather than repeated embodiment.
The verse references vāyu (prāṇa-vāyu), aligning with traditional Vedic/Āyurvedic and yogic physiology rather than a specific Vedāṅga; the practical takeaway is awareness of embodiment’s frailty, supporting disciplines like yoga and vrata as aids toward self-control and liberation.