Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 18
Saṃsāra-duḥkha: Karmic Descent, Garbhavāsa, Life’s Anxieties, Death, and the Call to Jñāna-Bhakti
गर्भाग्निनानुदह्येयमिदानीमपि पापकृत् । कायेन मनसा वाचा परपीडामकारिषम्तेन पापेन दह्यामि त्वहमेकोऽतिदुःखितः ॥ १८ ॥
garbhāgninānudahyeyamidānīmapi pāpakṛt | kāyena manasā vācā parapīḍāmakāriṣamtena pāpena dahyāmi tvahameko'tiduḥkhitaḥ || 18 ||
ನಾನು ಪಾಪಕೃತನು; ಆದ್ದರಿಂದ ಈಗಲೂ ಗರ್ಭಾಗ್ನಿಯಿಂದ ದಹಿಸುತ್ತಿದ್ದೇನೆ. ದೇಹ-ಮನ-ವಾಕ್ಯಗಳಿಂದ ಪರರಿಗೆ ಪೀಡೆ ಮಾಡಿದೆ; ಆ ಪಾಪದಿಂದ ನಾನು ಒಬ್ಬನೇ ಅತಿದುಃಖದಲ್ಲಿ ಸುಡುತ್ತಿದ್ದೇನೆ.
A suffering jīva (the repentant soul speaking from within the womb), as narrated in the Narada–Sanatkumara dialogue context
Vrata: none
Primary Rasa: karuna
Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka
FAQs
It highlights karmic accountability: cruelty done through body, mind, and speech returns as intense suffering, prompting repentance and a turn toward dharma and purification.
By exposing the pain caused by pāpa, it prepares the heart for surrender and reform—key foundations for genuine bhakti, which requires compassion and non-injury toward others.
No specific Vedāṅga technique is taught in this verse; the practical takeaway is ethical discipline over the three instruments—kāya (action), manas (intention), and vāk (speech)—which supports all Vedic practice and prāyaścitta.