Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 31
Janaka’s Quest for Liberation; Pañcaśikha’s Sāṅkhya on Renunciation, Elements, Guṇas, and the Deathless State
प्रेतभूतप्रियश्चैव देवता ह्युपयाचनम् । मृतकर्मनिवत्तिं च प्रमाणमिति निश्चयः ॥ ३१ ॥
pretabhūtapriyaścaiva devatā hyupayācanam | mṛtakarmanivattiṃ ca pramāṇamiti niścayaḥ || 31 ||
പ്രേതഭൂതങ്ങളെ പ്രിയപ്പെടുന്ന ദേവത, ആ ദേവതയുടെ അർപ്പണത്തിനായുള്ള ഉപയാചനം, കൂടാതെ മരിച്ചവർക്കുള്ള കർമങ്ങളുടെ പ്രോത്സാഹനം—ഇവയാണ് ലക്ഷണങ്ങൾ; ഇതേയാണ് പ്രമാണമെന്ന് നിശ്ചയം.
Sanatkumara (teaching Narada in Moksha-dharma context)
Vrata: none
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka
FAQs
It gives discernment: worship that centers on pretas/bhūtas, demands offerings through solicitation, and leans toward dead-rites is presented as a recognizable sign of a lower, binding ritual tendency rather than a liberating (moksha-oriented) path.
By contrast, it implies that sāttvika bhakti is not driven by fear of spirits or transactional begging for offerings; it turns the seeker toward higher devotion and inner purification rather than preta-centered propitiation.
Ritual discernment (kalpa-oriented practical judgment) is implied—how to evaluate the character of a worship practice by its stated focus (preta/bhūta), its mode (upayācana), and its ritual aim (mṛtakarma).