Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 28

The Characteristics of Devotion to Hari

Devanagari script

किं न पश्यसि देवर्षे ह्यायुषार्द्धं तु निद्र या । हतं च भोजनाद्यैश्च कियदायुः समाहृतम् ॥ २८ ॥

Transliteration

kiṃ na paśyasi devarṣe hyāyuṣārddhaṃ tu nidra yā | hataṃ ca bhojanādyaiśca kiyadāyuḥ samāhṛtam || 28 ||

Translation

神なる見者よ、見えぬのか。寿命の半ばは眠りによって失われる。さらに飲食などの耽溺によっても奪われる—かくして、至高の目的のために集め得る命は、いかにわずかであろう。

Word by Word

• kim: Why/What
• kim: Prashna (Question/प्रश्न)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: kim (सर्वनाम)
• Form: Interrogative Particle

• na: Not
• na: Nishedha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: Negative Particle

• paśyasi: Do you see
• paśyasi: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: dṛś (धातु)
• Form: Lat Lakara (Present/लट्), Parasmaipada, Madhyama Purusha (2nd Person), Singular

• devarṣe: O Divine Sage
• devarṣe: Sambodhya (Addressee/सम्बोध्य)
• Type: Noun
• Root: devarṣi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Vocative (Sambodhana/सम्बोधन), Singular

• hi: Indeed
• hi: Avadharana (Emphasis/अवधारण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: hi (अव्यय)
• Form: Particle

• āyuṣārddham: Half of life
• āyuṣārddham: Karma (Object/कर्म) in passive sense
• Type: Noun
• Root: āyuṣārdha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular. (āyuṣaḥ ardham - Shashthi Tatpurusha)

• tu: But/However
• tu: Vyairekya (Contrast/व्यतिरेक)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: Conjunction

• nidrayā: By sleep
• nidrayā: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nidrā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Instrumental (3rd/तृतीया), Singular

• hatam: Killed/Wasted
• hatam: Kriya (Action/क्रिया) in nominal sentence
• Type: Adjective
• Root: han (धातु)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular. (Kt Pratyaya - Past Passive Participle)

• ca: And
• ca: Samuccaya (Conjunction/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Conjunction

• bhojanādyaiḥ: By eating etc.
• bhojanādyaiḥ: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhojanādi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Instrumental (3rd/तृतीया), Plural. (bhojanam ādiḥ yeṣāṃ taiḥ)

• ca: And
• ca: Samuccaya (Conjunction/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Conjunction

• kiyat: How much/Some
• kiyat: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kiyat (सर्वनाम/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular

• āyuḥ: Life
• āyuḥ: Karma (Object/कर्म) in passive sense
• Type: Noun
• Root: āyus (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular

• samāhṛtam: Taken away/Occupied
• samāhṛtam: Kriya (Action/क्रिया) in nominal sentence
• Type: Adjective
• Root: samāhṛ (sam-ā-hṛ) (धातु)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular. (Kt Pratyaya - Past Passive Participle)

Speaker

Sanatkumara (addressing Narada)

Vrata Kalpa

Vrata: none

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: bhakti

Characters & Entities

• Narada

FAQs

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

It warns that a large portion of human life is consumed by sleep and bodily maintenance, urging urgency (saṁvega) and detachment (vairāgya) so that remaining time is used for sādhana and liberation-oriented living.

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

By highlighting time lost to sleep and indulgence, it indirectly instructs a bhakta to protect daily time for nāma-japa, smaraṇa, pūjā, and service—so devotion becomes steady rather than occasional.

What practical Vedic knowledge (Vedanga) is highlighted here?

Not a technical Vedāṅga lesson; it is practical dharma-śikṣā about disciplined lifestyle (niyama)—moderation in sleep and food—supporting study, mantra practice, and sustained spiritual routines.