Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 49

Sṛṣṭi-pralaya-kathana: Mahābhūta-guṇāḥ, Vṛkṣa-indriya-vādaḥ, Prāṇa-vāyu-vyavasthā

Devanagari script

पुरास्तिमितमाकाशमनंतमचलोपमम् । नष्टचंद्रार्कपवनं प्रसुप्तमिव संबभौ ॥ ४९ ॥

Transliteration

purāstimitamākāśamanaṃtamacalopamam | naṣṭacaṃdrārkapavanaṃ prasuptamiva saṃbabhau || 49 ||

Translation

അപ്പോൾ ആകാശം പൂർണ്ണമായി നിശ്ചലമായി—അനന്തവും പർവ്വതസമമായ അചലതയും; ചന്ദ്രൻ, സൂര്യൻ, കാറ്റ് എന്നിവ അപ്രത്യക്ഷമായി, സർവ്വജഗത്ത് നിദ്രിച്ചപോലെ തോന്നി॥ ൪൯ ॥

Word by Word

• पुरा: formerly, at first
• पुरा: कालाधिकरण (Time adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुरा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (Indeclinable), कालवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (temporal adverb)

• स्तिमितम्: still, motionless
• स्तिमितम्: विशेषण (Adjectival to आकाशम्)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्तिमित (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), प्रथमा/द्वितीया (Nom./Acc.), एकवचन (Singular); विशेषण (adjective)

• आकाशम्: sky, space
• आकाशम्: कर्ता (Karta/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आकाश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

• अनन्तम्: endless
• अनन्तम्: विशेषण (Adjectival to आकाशम्)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अनन्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), प्रथमा/द्वितीया (Nom./Acc.), एकवचन (Singular); विशेषण (adjective)

• अचल-उपमम्: like an unmoving mountain
• अचल-उपमम्: विशेषण (Adjectival to आकाशम्)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अचल (प्रातिपदिक) + उपम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), प्रथमा/द्वितीया (Nom./Acc.), एकवचन (Singular); विशेषण (adjective)

• नष्ट-चन्द्र-अर्क-पवनम्: with moon, sun, and wind absent
• नष्ट-चन्द्र-अर्क-पवनम्: विशेषण (Adjectival to आकाशम्)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: नष्ट (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक) + चन्द्र (प्रातिपदिक) + अर्क (प्रातिपदिक) + पवन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), प्रथमा/द्वितीया (Nom./Acc.), एकवचन (Singular); विशेषण (adjective)

• प्रसुप्तम्: as if asleep
• प्रसुप्तम्: विशेषण (Adjectival to आकाशम्)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्रसुप्त (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; √स्वप्)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (past participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), प्रथमा/द्वितीया (Nom./Acc.), एकवचन (Singular); विशेषण

• इव: like, as if
• इव: सम्बन्ध (Comparative marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (Indeclinable), उपमानवाचक निपात (particle of comparison)

• संबभौ: appeared, was
• संबभौ: क्रिया (Verb/Action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम् + भू (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular), परस्मैपद (Parasmaipada)

Speaker

Suta (narrator) describing the cosmic condition within the Moksha-Dharma discourse

Vrata Kalpa

Vrata: none

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: adbhuta

Characters & Entities

• Chandra
• Arka
• Pavana
• Akasha

FAQs

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

It uses pralaya-like stillness to point to impermanence: when even sun, moon, and wind subside, worldly supports vanish—prompting dispassion (vairagya) and a turn toward liberation (moksha).

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

By showing the cosmos as sleep-like and transient, it indirectly urges reliance on the eternal—bhakti to the imperishable Lord—rather than dependence on changing cosmic functions.

What practical Vedic knowledge (Vedanga) is highlighted here?

It alludes to jyotiṣa (Vedic astronomy/astrology) through the cessation of the sun and moon as time-markers, emphasizing that even calendrical order and measurable time are contingent within cosmic cycles.