Shloka 40

Mohinī-prashna

The Question about Mohinī

Devanagari script

निजधर्मं परित्यज्य परधर्मे व्यवस्थितः । विधावानां यतीनां च युज्यते व्रतसेवनम् ॥ ४० ॥

Transliteration

nijadharmaṃ parityajya paradharme vyavasthitaḥ | vidhāvānāṃ yatīnāṃ ca yujyate vratasevanam || 40 ||

Translation

സ്വധർമ്മം ഉപേക്ഷിച്ച് പരധർമ്മത്തിൽ നിലകൊണ്ട് വ്രതം അനുഷ്ഠിക്കുന്നത്—വിധവകൾക്കും യതികൾക്കും (സന്ന്യാസികൾക്കും) യുക്തമാണെന്ന് പറയുന്നു.

Word by Word

• nijadharmam: one’s own duty
• nijadharmam: Karma (कर्म/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nija + dharma (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Tatpuruṣa compound (‘one’s own dharma’); Puṃliṅga (Masculine), Dvitīyā (Accusative, 2nd), Ekavacana (Singular)

• parityajya: having abandoned
• parityajya: Pūrvakāla-kriyā (पूर्वकालक्रिया/Gerundial action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pari-√tyaj (धातु)
• Form: Absolutive/Gerund (त्वान्त/ल्यप्): ‘having abandoned’

• paradharme: in another’s duty
• paradharme: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण/Location-state)
• Type: Noun
• Root: para + dharma (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Tatpuruṣa compound (‘another’s dharma’); Puṃliṅga (Masculine), Saptamī (Locative, 7th), Ekavacana (Singular)

• vyavasthitaḥ: situated/engaged
• vyavasthitaḥ: Karta (कर्ता/Subject qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vyavasthita (कृदन्त; vi-ava-√sthā (धातु) + kta)
• Form: Puṃliṅga (Masculine), Prathamā (Nominative, 1st), Ekavacana (Singular); kta-participle used predicatively

• vidhāvānām: of widows
• vidhāvānām: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vidhavā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga (Feminine), Ṣaṣṭhī (Genitive, 6th), Bahuvacana (Plural)

• yatīnām: of ascetics
• yatīnām: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yati (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga (Masculine), Ṣaṣṭhī (Genitive, 6th), Bahuvacana (Plural)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Samuccaya-nipāta (conjunction)

• yujyate: is appropriate/is enjoined
• yujyate: Kriyā (क्रिया/Verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √yuj (धातु)
• Form: Laṭ-lakāra (Present), Ātmanepada, Prathama-puruṣa (3rd person), Ekavacana (Singular); passive/impersonal sense ‘is proper/fits’

• vratasevanam: observance of vows
• vratasevanam: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vrata + sevana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Tatpuruṣa compound (‘observance/service of a vow’); Napuṃsakalिङ्ग (Neuter), Prathamā (Nominative, 1st), Ekavacana (Singular)

Speaker

Narada (teaching in the Uttara-Bhaga context on vrata-dharma)

Vrata Kalpa

Vrata: none (general 'vrata-sevana')

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: none

FAQs

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

It stresses adhikāra (eligibility) and propriety in religious practice: vows are not merely personal preference but are to be undertaken in harmony with one’s life-stage and discipline, especially for those oriented to restraint such as widows and renunciants.

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

By framing vrata-sevā as a disciplined practice, it supports bhakti as regulated devotion—vows become a structured means of steadiness, purity, and sustained worship rather than impulsive or socially imitative practice.

What practical Vedic knowledge (Vedanga) is highlighted here?

It reflects dharma-nirṇaya (rule-based determination of practice) rather than a specific Vedāṅga; practically, it points to proper ritual eligibility and conduct—core to Smārta/kalpa-style guidance often used to implement vrata observances.