Shloka 3

अध्याय ३३१: नारायणकथा-प्रशंसा तथा नारदस्य श्वेतद्वीप-निवृत्ति एवं बदरी-आगमनम् | Chapter 331: Praise of the Nārāyaṇa Narrative; Nārada’s Return from Śvetadvīpa and Arrival at Badarī

Devanagari script

तस्मादनिष्टनाशार्थमितिहासं निबोध मे | तिष्ठते चेद्‌ वशे बुद्धिर्लभते शोकनाशनम्‌,इसलिये अपने अनिष्टका नाश करनेके लिये मेरा यह उपदेश सुनो--यदि बुद्धि अपने वशमें रहे तो सदाके लिये शोकका नाश हो जाता है

Transliteration

tasmād aniṣṭa-nāśārtham itihāsaṁ nibodha me | tiṣṭhate ced vaśe buddhir labhate śoka-nāśanam ||

Translation

അതുകൊണ്ട് അനിഷ്ടനാശത്തിനായി എന്റെ ഈ ഇതിഹാസരൂപ ഉപദേശം കേൾക്കുക. ബുദ്ധി സ്വന്തം വശത്തിൽ നിലകൊള്ളുന്നുവെങ്കിൽ, ശോകനാശം ലഭിക്കുന്നു—സ്ഥിരമായി.

Word by Word

तस्मात्therefore/from that

अनिष्ट-नाश-अर्थम्for the purpose of destroying misfortune

इतिहासम्the narrative/itihasa

निबोधunderstand; learn

मेof me / my

तिष्ठतेstands; remains

चेत्if

वशेin control; under mastery

बुद्धिःintellect; understanding

लभतेobtains; attains

शोक-नाशनम्destruction/removal of sorrow

Speaker

नारद उवाच

Characters & Entities

Narada

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Mastery over one’s own intellect (buddhi) is presented as the direct means to eliminate sorrow; self-governed discernment prevents the rise of grief and leads to lasting inner steadiness.

What is happening in the narrative?

Nārada, as the speaker, introduces a didactic itihāsa (instructive traditional account) and urges the listener to hear it, stating that its purpose is the removal of misfortune and sorrow through the discipline of the intellect.