Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 22

Śuka’s Yoga-ascent, the Echo of ‘Bhoḥ’, and the Vaikuṇṭha Vision

Devanagari script

ततो मंदाकिनीं दिव्या मुपरिष्टादभिव्रजन् । शुको ददर्श धर्मात्मा पुष्पितद्रुमकाननम् ॥ २२ ॥

Transliteration

tato maṃdākinīṃ divyā mupariṣṭādabhivrajan | śuko dadarśa dharmātmā puṣpitadrumakānanam || 22 ||

Translation

ထို့နောက် ကောင်းကင်ဘုံ၏ မန္ဒာကိနီ မြစ်တော်အပေါ်ဘက်မှ ဖြတ်သန်းသွားစဉ်၊ ဓမ္မစိတ်ရှိသော သုကသည် ပန်းပွင့်သစ်ပင်များ ပြည့်နှက်သည့် တောအုပ်ကို မြင်တွေ့하였다။

Word by Word

• ततः: then
• ततः: क्रियाविशेषण (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रियाविशेषणम् (adverb)

• मन्दाकिनीम्: Mandākinī (river)
• मन्दाकिनीम्: कर्म (Karma/Object—towards/seeing)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मन्दाकिनी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; द्वितीया विभक्ति (Accusative/कर्म), एकवचन

• दिव्याम्: divine; celestial
• दिव्याम्: विशेषण (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दिव्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; द्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (qualifier) मन्दाकिनीम्

• उपरिष्टात्: from above; overhead
• उपरिष्टात्: क्रियाविशेषण (Adverbial—place)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: उपरिष्टात् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देश-क्रियाविशेषणम् (adverb of place)

• अभिव्रजन्: going towards; proceeding
• अभिव्रजन्: कर्ता (Karta/Subject—Śuka)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अभि√व्रज् (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्तः—वर्तमानकृदन्त (present active participle, शतृ); पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्तरि

• शुकः: Śuka
• शुकः: कर्ता (Karta/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शुक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग; प्रथमा विभक्ति, एकवचन

• ददर्श: saw
• ददर्श: क्रिया (Action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √दृश् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect/परोक्षभूत), परस्मैपदम्; प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• धर्मात्मा: righteous-souled one
• धर्मात्मा: कर्ता (Karta/Subject—apposition to Śuka)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धर्म (प्रातिपदिक) + आत्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग; प्रथमा विभक्ति, एकवचन; बहुव्रीहि (yasya ātmā dharmaḥ—whose nature is dharma)

• पुष्पित-द्रुम-काननम्: a forest of flowering trees
• पुष्पित-द्रुम-काननम्: कर्म (Karma/Object—seen)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुष्पित (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक) + द्रुम (प्रातिपदिक) + कानन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः (पुष्पिताः द्रुमाः यस्मिन् तत्) बहुपद-तत्पुरुष (determinative)

Speaker

Narada (narrating to the Sanatkumara brothers)

Vrata Kalpa

Vrata: none

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: adbhuta (wonder)

Secondary Rasa: shanta (peace)

Characters & Entities

• Mandakini
• Shuka

FAQs

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

The verse uses sacred geography—Mandākinī and a blossoming forest—to mirror inner purity: as Śuka advances on the mokṣa-path, the landscape reflects sattva, calmness, and dharmic clarity that support liberation.

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

Though not explicitly naming Viṣṇu-bhakti here, the narrative frames Śuka as dharmātmā moving through a tirtha-region; in Purāṇic pedagogy, such holy settings nurture remembrance, reverence, and single-pointed devotion that ripens into detachment and realization.

What practical Vedic knowledge (Vedanga) is highlighted here?

No specific Vedāṅga (like Vyākaraṇa or Jyotiṣa) is taught in this line; the practical takeaway is tirtha-yātrā as a dharma-supporting discipline—choosing sattvic environments to steady mind and conduct.