Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 12

The Description of the Brahmāṇḍa Purāṇa’s Table of Contents

Anukramaṇī

Devanagari script

वेदानां व्यसनाख्यानं स्वायम्भुवनिरूपणम् । शेषमन्वंतराख्यानं पृथिवीदोहनं ततः ॥ १२ ॥

Transliteration

vedānāṃ vyasanākhyānaṃ svāyambhuvanirūpaṇam | śeṣamanvaṃtarākhyānaṃ pṛthivīdohanaṃ tataḥ || 12 ||

Translation

Ia mengisahkan malapetaka yang menimpa Veda, menerangkan zaman Svāyambhuva (Manu), kemudian menuturkan baki kisah-kisah Manvantara, dan sesudah itu menghuraikan perihal “memerah susu” Bumi.

Word by Word

• vedānām: of the Vedas
• vedānām: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: veda (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6 विभक्ति), बहुवचन

• vyasana-ākhyānam: the account of the calamity/misfortune
• vyasana-ākhyānam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vyasana (प्रातिपदिक) + ākhyāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2 विभक्ति), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष: ‘व्यसनस्य आख्यानम्’

• svāyambhuva-nirūpaṇam: the exposition of (Manu) Svāyambhuva
• svāyambhuva-nirūpaṇam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: svāyambhuva (प्रातिपदिक) + nirūpaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2 विभक्ति), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष: ‘स्वायम्भुवस्य निरूपणम्’

• śeṣam: the remaining (part)
• śeṣam: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śeṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2 विभक्ति), एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifying the following topic)

• manvantara-ākhyānam: the narrative of the manvantaras
• manvantara-ākhyānam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: manvantara (प्रातिपदिक) + ākhyāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2 विभक्ति), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष: ‘मन्वन्तरस्य आख्यानम्’

• pṛthivī-dohanam: the milking of the Earth
• pṛthivī-dohanam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pṛthivī (प्रातिपदिक) + dohana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2 विभक्ति), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष: ‘पृथिव्याः दोहनम्’

• tataḥ: thereafter/from that
• tataḥ: Apadana (अपादान)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tataḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, अपादान/अनन्तरार्थक (from that/thereafter)

Speaker

Suta (narrating the text’s topic-sequence in an anukramanika summary)

Vrata Kalpa

Vrata: none

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: adbhuta

Characters & Entities

• Vedas
• Svayambhuva Manu
• Prithivi (Earth)

FAQs

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

It signals a puranic map of sacred history: how revelation (the Vedas) is protected through cycles of time (Manvantaras) and how cosmic order includes sustaining the world (the Earth’s ‘milking’).

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

Indirectly, by framing devotion within puranic remembrance: hearing and recalling these divine time-cycles and preservation of dharma is presented as a supportive context for Vishnu-centered faith and practice.

What practical Vedic knowledge (Vedanga) is highlighted here?

It highlights puranic anukramanika-style organization—useful for traditional study and recitation—rather than a specific Vedanga; it functions as a topical index for navigating narratives on Vedic continuity and cosmic chronology.