Shloka 155

Prayaga-mahatmya

Glory of Prayaga and the Magha Bath at Triveni

Devanagari script

अप्सरोगणसंकीर्णे सुप्तोऽसौ प्रतिबुध्यते । ततः स्वर्गादिहायातः क्षीणकर्मा विरंचिजे ॥ १५५ ॥

Transliteration

apsarogaṇasaṃkīrṇe supto'sau pratibudhyate | tataḥ svargādihāyātaḥ kṣīṇakarmā viraṃcije || 155 ||

Translation

അപ്സരാഗണങ്ങൾ നിറഞ്ഞിടത്ത് അവൻ നിദ്രിച്ചു പിന്നെ ഉണർന്നു; തുടർന്ന് പുണ്യം ക്ഷയിച്ചപ്പോൾ സ്വർഗ്ഗത്തിൽ നിന്ന് ഇറങ്ങി ഇവിടെ വിരഞ്ചി (ബ്രഹ്മാ) ലോകത്തെത്തി।

Word by Word

• apsaraḥ-gaṇa-saṃkīrṇe: in (a place) crowded with hosts of apsarases
• apsaraḥ-gaṇa-saṃkīrṇe: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: apsaras (प्रातिपदिक) + gaṇa (प्रातिपदिक) + saṃkīrṇa (कृदन्त; √kṝ/√kīr)
• Form: Neuter, Locative (7th/सप्तमी), Singular; समासः: apsarogaṇena saṃkīrṇam (instrumental-tatpurusha sense)

• suptaḥ: asleep
• suptaḥ: Kartā (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: supta (कृदन्त; √svap)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular; past passive participle used predicatively

• asau: that person
• asau: Kartā (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: adas (प्रातिपदिक/सर्वनाम)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular; deictic pronoun

• pratibudhyate: awakens
• pratibudhyate: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: prati-budh (धातु)
• Form: Laṭ (लट्/present), 3rd Person (प्रथमपुरुष), Singular; Ātmanepada

• tataḥ: then; from there
• tataḥ: Apādāna/Source (अपादान)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tataḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: Adverb (ततः=thereupon/from there)

• svargāt: from heaven
• svargāt: Apādāna (अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: svarga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Ablative (5th/पञ्चमी), Singular

• iha: here
• iha: Deśa/Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iha (अव्यय)
• Form: Adverb (देशवाचक-अव्यय)

• āyātaḥ: having come
• āyātaḥ: Kartā (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ā-yāta (कृदन्त; √yā)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular; past participle (क्त)

• kṣīṇa-karmā: whose merit is exhausted
• kṣīṇa-karmā: Kartā (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kṣīṇa (कृदन्त; √kṣi) + karman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular; समासः: kṣīṇaṃ karma yasya (karmadhāraya/bahuvrīhi-like usage; here as adjective)

• viraṃcije: in the realm of Virañci (Brahmā)
• viraṃcije: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: virañci (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Locative (7th/सप्तमी), Singular

Speaker

Narada (narrating to the Sanatkumara brothers)

Vrata Kalpa

Vrata: none

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: adbhuta

Characters & Entities

• Apsaras
• Svarga
• Viranchi (Brahma)

FAQs

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

It emphasizes the impermanence of heavenly enjoyment: when accumulated merit (puṇya-karma) is spent, the jīva must return, showing that Svarga is not final liberation.

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

By contrasting temporary Svarga with inevitable return, it implicitly supports the Purāṇic teaching that steadfast Vishnu-bhakti aims at mokṣa (freedom from return), not merely higher pleasures.

What practical Vedic knowledge (Vedanga) is highlighted here?

The verse reflects karma-phala and loka theory used in Dharma-śāstra and Jyotiṣa-informed worldview: merits yield specific realms, but results end when the allotted puṇya is exhausted.