Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 36
Saṃsāra-duḥkha: Karmic Descent, Garbhavāsa, Life’s Anxieties, Death, and the Call to Jñāna-Bhakti
व्याधिपीडितोऽन्तस्तापार्तः क्षणं शय्यायां क्षणं मंचे च ततस्ततः पर्यटन् क्षुत्तृटूपरिपूडितः किंचिन्मात्रमुदकं देहीत्यतिकार्पण्येन याचमानस्तत्रापि ज्वराविष्टानामुदकं न श्रेयस्करमिति ब्रुवतो मनसातिद्वेषं कुर्वन्मंद चैतन्यो भवति ॥ ३६ ॥
vyādhipīḍito'ntastāpārtaḥ kṣaṇaṃ śayyāyāṃ kṣaṇaṃ maṃce ca tatastataḥ paryaṭan kṣuttṛṭūparipūḍitaḥ kiṃcinmātramudakaṃ dehītyatikārpaṇyena yācamānastatrāpi jvarāviṣṭānāmudakaṃ na śreyaskaramiti bruvato manasātidveṣaṃ kurvanmaṃda caitanyo bhavati || 36 ||
病に苦しめられ内なる熱に焼かれて、彼は安らげない。ある時は床に、ある時は寝台に移り、そこからまた落ち着かずにあちこち彷徨う。飢えと渇きに押し潰され、極度の哀れさで「ほんの少しの水をください」と乞う。だが人々が「熱病に取りつかれた者には水は益にならぬ」と言うと、心に激しい憎しみを起こし、意識は鈍く曇ってゆく。
Sanatkumāra (teaching Nārada in the dialogue on dharma and the consequences of embodied suffering)
Vrata: none
Primary Rasa: karuna
Secondary Rasa: bibhatsa
FAQs
It portrays how bodily affliction (vyādhi) can trigger mental agitation and hatred (dveṣa), leading to dulled awareness—showing that inner discipline is essential for dharma and progress toward mokṣa even amid suffering.
By highlighting how distress can produce anger and aversion, it indirectly teaches that a devotee must protect the mind from dveṣa and maintain steadiness—so remembrance and surrender do not collapse under pain.
No specific Vedāṅga is taught directly; the practical takeaway is dharmic self-restraint—avoiding mental hostility when advised about regimen during fever (jvara), and cultivating clarity of mind (caitanya) through disciplined conduct.