Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 34
Pāpa-bheda, Naraka-yātanā, Mahāpātaka-vicāra, Atonement Limits, Daśa-vidhā Bhakti, and Gaṅgā as Final Remedy
सुरापान समं पापं लभते स नराधमः । एवं बहुविधं पापं सुरापानसमं स्मृतम् ॥ ३४ ॥
surāpāna samaṃ pāpaṃ labhate sa narādhamaḥ | evaṃ bahuvidhaṃ pāpaṃ surāpānasamaṃ smṛtam || 34 ||
तो नराधम सुरापानासमान पापाचा भागी होतो; अशा रीतीने शास्त्रात अनेक प्रकारची पापे सुरापानसम मानली आहेत।
Sanatkumara (teaching Narada)
Vrata: none
Primary Rasa: bhayanaka
Secondary Rasa: raudra
FAQs
It underscores that surā-drinking is treated as a benchmark for grave wrongdoing, and that other serious transgressions are also measured as “equal to surāpāna,” warning the seeker to avoid actions that heavily obstruct purity and spiritual progress.
Bhakti in the Purāṇic frame rests on śauca (inner/outer purity) and restraint; by marking certain acts as severely sinful, the text protects devotional life from habits that dull discernment and weaken steady remembrance of the Lord.
It aligns with Dharmaśāstra-style ethical classification (smṛti-pramāṇa) rather than a technical Vedāṅga; the practical takeaway is conduct-regulation—identifying and avoiding high-gravity pāpa that demands serious prāyaścitta (expiation).