Shloka 125

The Account of Kāṣṭhīlā (Kāṣṭhīlā-ākhyāna) within the Mohinī Narrative

Devanagari script

स्वर्णन्यासापहरणे मेदिनीहरणे च या । आत्मनो हनने या हि विहिता मुनिभिर्द्विज ॥ १२५ ॥

Transliteration

svarṇanyāsāpaharaṇe medinīharaṇe ca yā | ātmano hanane yā hi vihitā munibhirdvija || 125 ||

Translation

ഹേ ദ്വിജാ! ഏൽപ്പിച്ച സ്വർണം മോഷ്ടിക്കൽ, ഭൂമി കവർച്ച, കൂടാതെ ആത്മഹത്യ—ഇവയ്ക്കായി മുനിമാർ വിധിച്ച പ്രായശ്ചിത്തം തന്നെയാണ് ഇവിടെ പ്രയോഗ്യം.

Word by Word

• स्वर्ण-न्यास-अपहरणे: in the theft of deposited gold
• स्वर्ण-न्यास-अपहरणे: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्वर्ण (प्रातिपदिक) + न्यास (प्रातिपदिक) + अपहरण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; अधिकरण (locative) ‘in the stealing of deposited gold’

• मेदिनी-हरणे: in the stealing of land
• मेदिनी-हरणे: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मेदिनी (प्रातिपदिक) + हरण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; अधिकरण

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक (conjunction)

• या: which
• या: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• आत्मनः: of oneself
• आत्मनः: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आत्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• हनने: in killing
• हनने: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हनन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; अधिकरण

• या: which
• या: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; पुनरुक्त-सम्बन्धक

• हि: indeed
• हि: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle)

• विहिता: ordained
• विहिता: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वि + धा (धातु) → विहित (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त (past passive participle), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (गतिः—अनुक्ता)

• मुनिभिः: by sages
• मुनिभिः: Karana (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मुनि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; करण/कर्तृ-निर्देश (agent in passive sense)

• द्विज: O twice-born
• द्विज: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्विज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-प्रथमा, एकवचन

Speaker

Suta (narrating the Purana’s discourse; legal-dharmic instruction attributed to the sages)

Vrata Kalpa

Vrata: none

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka

FAQs

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

It equates the moral gravity of betraying trust (stealing deposited gold), dispossessing others of land, and self-destruction, stressing that these acts severely violate dharma and therefore demand the highest level of purification (prāyaścitta).

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

Indirectly: by insisting on ethical purity and accountability, it frames prāyaścitta as a prerequisite for steady devotion—one restores inner clarity and fitness for worship by correcting grave breaches of dharma.

What practical Vedic knowledge (Vedanga) is highlighted here?

This is primarily Dharmaśāstra-style prāyaścitta instruction (aligned with Kalpa: ritual and legal procedure), focusing on how specific transgressions are matched with specific expiations.