Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 9

Sṛṣṭi-varṇana, Bhārata-khaṇḍa-mahātmya, and Jagad-bhūgola

Creation, Glory of Bhārata, and World Geography

Devanagari script

एषं माया महाविष्णोर्भिन्ना संसारदायिनी । अभेदबुद्ध्या दृष्टा चेत्संसारक्षयकारिणी ॥ ९ ॥

Transliteration

eṣaṃ māyā mahāviṣṇorbhinnā saṃsāradāyinī | abhedabuddhyā dṛṣṭā cetsaṃsārakṣayakāriṇī || 9 ||

Translation

មាយានេះរបស់មហាវិષ્ણុ បើមើលថាផ្សេងពីព្រះអង្គ នឹងក្លាយជាអ្នកផ្តល់សង្សារចងក្រង; តែបើឃើញដោយបញ្ញាមិនខុសគ្នាពីព្រះអង្គ នោះវាក្លាយជាអ្នកបំផ្លាញសង្សារ។

Word by Word

• एषाम्: of these
• एषाम्: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन; सर्वनाम

• माया: māyā/illusion
• माया: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: माया (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• महाविष्णोः: of Mahāviṣṇu
• महाविष्णोः: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महाविष्णु (प्रातिपदिक: महा + विष्णु)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन; समासः—कर्मधारयः (महान् विष्णुः)

• भिन्ना: separate/different
• भिन्ना: Visheshana (विशेषण/Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: भिन्न (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; √भिद्)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; भूतकृदन्त (past passive participle)

• संसार-दायिनी: bestowing saṃsāra
• संसार-दायिनी: Visheshana (विशेषण/Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: संसार (प्रातिपदिक) + दायिनी (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; √दा)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (संसारं ददाति इति)

• अभेद-बुद्ध्या: by the understanding of non-difference
• अभेद-बुद्ध्या: Karana (करण/Instrument)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अभेद (प्रातिपदिक) + बुद्धि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (अभेदस्य बुद्धिः)

• दृष्टा: seen/considered
• दृष्टा: Karta (कर्ता/Subject complement)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दृष्ट (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; √दृश्)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; भूतकृदन्त (PPP)

• चेत्: if
• चेत्: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Condition marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: चेत् (अव्यय)
• Form: शर्तार्थक-अव्यय (conditional particle)

• संसार-क्षय-कारिणी: causing the destruction of saṃsāra
• संसार-क्षय-कारिणी: Pratijna (प्रतीज्ञा/Predicate adjective)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: संसार (प्रातिपदिक) + क्षय (प्रातिपदिक) + कारिणी (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; √कृ)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (संसारस्य क्षयं करोति इति)

Speaker

Sanatkumara (teaching Narada)

Vrata Kalpa

Vrata: none

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: adbhuta

Characters & Entities

• Mahavishnu
• Vishnu
• Maya
• Samsara

FAQs

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

It teaches that bondage and liberation hinge on vision: seeing Māyā as separate from Mahāviṣṇu produces saṃsāra, while seeing it as non-different from Him turns the same Māyā into a means for the cessation of saṃsāra.

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

By directing the mind to Mahāviṣṇu as the underlying reality of all experience, it supports Vishnu-bhakti: devotion matures into abheda-buddhi, where the devotee perceives the Lord’s presence even in the workings of Māyā, weakening fear, attachment, and worldly identification.

What practical Vedic knowledge (Vedanga) is highlighted here?

No specific Vedāṅga technique is taught here; the practical takeaway is discernment (viveka) in interpretation—training the intellect to shift from bheda (difference) to abheda (non-difference), which aligns with Vedāntic reasoning used alongside scriptural study.