Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 13
Saṃsāra-duḥkha: Karmic Descent, Garbhavāsa, Life’s Anxieties, Death, and the Call to Jñāna-Bhakti
अहोऽत्यंतपापोऽहंपूर्वजन्मनिभृत्यापत्यमित्रयोषिद्गृहक्षेत्रधनधान्यादिष्वत्यंतरागेण कलत्रपोषणार्थं परधनक्षेत्रादिकं पश्यतो हरणाद्युपायैरपह्यत्य कामांधतया परस्त्रीहरणादिकमनुभूय महापापान्याचरंस्तैः पापैरहमेक एवंविधनरकाननुभूय पुनः स्थावरादिषु महादुःखमनुभूय संप्रति जरायुणा परिवेष्टितोऽन्तर्दुखेन बहिस्तापेन च दह्यामि ॥ १३ ॥
aho'tyaṃtapāpo'haṃpūrvajanmanibhṛtyāpatyamitrayoṣidgṛhakṣetradhanadhānyādiṣvatyaṃtarāgeṇa kalatrapoṣaṇārthaṃ paradhanakṣetrādikaṃ paśyato haraṇādyupāyairapahyatya kāmāṃdhatayā parastrīharaṇādikamanubhūya mahāpāpānyācaraṃstaiḥ pāpairahameka evaṃvidhanarakānanubhūya punaḥ sthāvarādiṣu mahāduḥkhamanubhūya saṃprati jarāyuṇā pariveṣṭito'ntardukhena bahistāpena ca dahyāmi || 13 ||
Aduhai—aku sangat berdosa. Dalam kelahiran lampau, kerana keterikatan yang mendalam terhadap hamba, anak-anak, kawan, wanita, rumah, tanah, kekayaan, bijirin, dan seumpamanya, dan demi menyara isteriku, aku mencuri kekayaan dan harta orang lain dengan pelbagai cara walaupun mereka sedang melihat. Dibutakan oleh nafsu, aku melakukan perbuatan seperti melarikan isteri orang lain. Mengamalkan dosa-dosa besar sedemikian, aku bersendirian, melalui dosa-dosa itu, menderita di neraka; dan sekali lagi, selepas mengalami kesengsaraan besar di kalangan bentuk kehidupan yang tidak bergerak dan rendah, kini—terkurung di dalam rahim—terbakar dengan penderitaan dalaman dan seksaan luaran, aku hangus.
A suffering jīva (embodied soul) speaking in first person as a confession from within the womb (garbha)
Vrata: none
Primary Rasa: karuna
Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka
FAQs
It presents a direct karmic self-audit: intense attachment and transgressive acts (stealing, violating others’ spouses) lead to naraka, lower rebirths, and finally the anguish of womb-bound existence—urging vairāgya and a turn toward dharma.
By exposing the misery produced by kāma (desire) and possessiveness, the verse prepares the mind for bhakti: when one sees the futility of sense-driven life and its karmic aftermath, one becomes fit to seek refuge in the Lord and live by restraint and righteousness.
No specific Vedāṅga (like Vyākaraṇa or Jyotiṣa) is taught in this verse; the practical takeaway is dharma-śāstric ethics—avoid paradhana-haraṇa and para-strī-gamana/haraṇa, which are treated as mahāpāpa with severe karmic results.