Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 97

Nityā-paṭala-prakaraṇa

The Exposition of the Nityā-paṭala

Devanagari script

त्रिसप्तरात्रादायाति प्रोक्तरूपा मदाकुला । यावच्छरीरपातः स्याच्छापो वानपगास्य सा ॥ ९७ ॥

Transliteration

trisaptarātrādāyāti proktarūpā madākulā | yāvaccharīrapātaḥ syācchāpo vānapagāsya sā || 97 ||

Translation

Sesudah tiga kali tujuh malam, ia kembali—mengambil rupa yang telah dinyatakan—dalam keadaan mabuk terhuyung. Dan sumpahan itu tetap melekat padanya, tidak terhapuskan, hingga tubuh ini gugur, yakni sampai ajal.

Word by Word

• tri-sapta-rātrāt: after twenty-one nights
• tri-sapta-rātrāt: Apādāna (अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tri (प्रातिपदिक) + sapta (प्रातिपदिक) + rātra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napumsakaliṅga, Pañcamī (5th/पञ्चमी), Ekavacana; द्विगु-समासः—'tri-sapta = 21' nights; ablative 'after/from (the lapse of)'

• āyāti: comes/arrives
• āyāti: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ā-√yā (धातु)
• Form: Laṭ (लट्, present), Prathama-puruṣa (3rd), Ekavacana; parasmaipada

• prokta-rūpā: having the stated form
• prokta-rūpā: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: prokta (कृदन्त, √vac/वच् 'said'—past passive participle) + rūpā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga, Prathamā (1st), Ekavacana; कर्मधारयः—'proktaṃ rūpaṃ yasyāḥ sā' (having the described form)

• mada-ākulā: agitated with intoxication
• mada-ākulā: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mada (प्रातिपदिक) + ākula (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga, Prathamā, Ekavacana; तत्पुरुषः—'madena ākulā' (agitated by intoxication)

• yāvat: until/as long as
• yāvat: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yāvat (अव्यय)
• Form: Avadhi-avyaya (अवधि-अव्यय), 'as long as/until'

• śarīra-pātaḥ: the fall of the body (death)
• śarīra-pātaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śarīra (प्रातिपदिक) + pāta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Pumliṅga, Prathamā, Ekavacana; तत्पुरुषः—'śarīrasya pātaḥ' (falling of the body; death)

• syāt: may be/should be
• syāt: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √as (धातु)
• Form: Vidhi-liṅ (optative), Prathama-puruṣa (3rd), Ekavacana; parasmaipada

• śāpaḥ: the curse
• śāpaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śāpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Pumliṅga, Prathamā, Ekavacana

• vā: or
• vā: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vā (अव्यय)
• Form: Vikalpa-nipāta (विकल्प-निपात), disjunctive particle 'or'

• anapagā: not ceasing
• anapagā: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: an-apa-gā (प्रातिपदिक; from √gam/गम् with negation)
• Form: Strīliṅga, Prathamā, Ekavacana; 'not departing/not ceasing'

• asya: of him/of this (person)
• asya: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: idam (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Pumliṅga/napuṃsaka, Ṣaṣṭhī (6th/षष्ठी), Ekavacana; pronoun 'of him/its'

• sā: she/that (one)
• sā: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga, Prathamā, Ekavacana; demonstrative pronoun

Speaker

Narada (narrating within the Adhyaya’s technical-ethical account)

Vrata Kalpa

Vrata: none

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: bhayanaka

Secondary Rasa: adbhuta

FAQs

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

It underscores karmic inevitability: a specific consequence (a non-removable śāpa) persists until death, showing that certain actions or transgressions can create long-lasting bondage until the body’s end.

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

Indirectly, it highlights the need for purity and self-control as supportive disciplines for bhakti; intoxication (mada) is shown as a condition that clouds discernment and can lock one into suffering until karmic exhaustion.

What practical Vedic knowledge (Vedanga) is highlighted here?

The verse uses precise time-counting (trisaptarātra—twenty-one nights), reflecting the Vedanga concern with calendrical/ritual time-reckoning (kalā/gaṇanā used in jyotiṣa-oriented practice) even within moral narrative.