Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 121

The Greatness of the Gaṅgā (Gaṅgā-māhātmya): Saudāsa/Kalmāṣapāda’s Curse and Release

Devanagari script

अवहाय हरेर्नाम घोरसंसारभेषजम् । केनोपायेन लभ्येत मुक्तिः सर्वत्र दुर्लभा ॥ २१ ॥

Transliteration

avahāya harernāma ghorasaṃsārabheṣajam | kenopāyena labhyeta muktiḥ sarvatra durlabhā || 21 ||

Translation

Jika seseorang mengetepikan Nama Hari—ubat bagi penyakit ngeri saṃsāra—maka dengan cara apakah mokṣa, yang sukar diperoleh di mana-mana, dapat dicapai?

Word by Word

• avahāya: having abandoned
• avahāya: Kriya (क्रिया/Non-finite)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ava-√hā (हा धातु, त्यागे)
• Form: Absolutive/Gerund (क्त्वा/ल्यप् form), with उपसर्ग ava; ‘having abandoned’

• hareḥ: of Hari
• hareḥ: Sambandha (षष्ठी-सम्बन्ध/Possessor)
• Type: Noun
• Root: hari (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Genitive (6th/षष्ठी), Singular

• nāma: the name
• nāma: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nāman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular; subject of implied clause

• ghora-saṃsāra-bheṣajam: the medicine for dreadful worldly existence
• ghora-saṃsāra-bheṣajam: Karta (कर्ता/Subject-apposition)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ghora (प्रातिपदिक) + saṃsāra (प्रातिपदिक) + bheṣaja (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular; apposition to nāma; समासः: घोरः संसारः (कर्मधारय) + तस्य भेषजम् (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष)

• kena: by what
• kena: Karana (करण/Instrument)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kim (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Interrogative pronoun, Masculine/Neuter, Instrumental (3rd/तृतीया), Singular

• upāyena: means/method
• upāyena: Karana (करण/Instrument)
• Type: Noun
• Root: upāya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental (3rd/तृतीया), Singular

• labhyeta: could be obtained
• labhyeta: Kriya (क्रिया/Verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √labh (लभ् धातु, प्राप्तौ)
• Form: Optative passive (विधिलिङ्, कर्मणि), 3rd person (प्रथम), Singular

• muktiḥ: liberation
• muktiḥ: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mukti (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular

• sarvatra: everywhere
• sarvatra: Adhikarana (अधिकरण/Location)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sarvatra (अव्यय)
• Form: Adverb (देशवाचक-अव्यय)

• durlabhā: hard to obtain
• durlabhā: Karta (कर्ता/Subject-complement)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: durlabha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular; predicate adjective of muktiḥ

Speaker

Sanatkumara (addressing Narada in the teaching dialogue on moksha through Hari-bhakti)

Vrata Kalpa

Vrata: none

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: bhakti

Secondary Rasa: shanta

Characters & Entities

• Hari
• Vishnu

FAQs

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

The verse declares Hari-nāma as the direct remedy for the terror of saṃsāra; abandoning it leaves no effective means for attaining the otherwise rare goal of moksha.

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

It prioritizes devotion expressed as nāma-japa (remembering/chanting Hari’s name) as the most accessible and potent upāya, implying that bhakti is not secondary but central to liberation.

What practical Vedic knowledge (Vedanga) is highlighted here?

No specific Vedanga (like Vyākaraṇa or Jyotiṣa) is taught here; the practical takeaway is sādhana-focused—regular recitation and remembrance of Hari-nāma as a disciplined spiritual practice.