Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 3

Anukramaṇī (Synoptic Table of Contents) of the Śrī Bṛhannāradīya Purāṇa

Devanagari script

प्राग्भागे प्रथमे पादे सनकेन महात्मना । द्वितीये मोक्षधर्माख्ये मोक्षोपायनिरूपणम् ॥ ३ ॥

Transliteration

prāgbhāge prathame pāde sanakena mahātmanā | dvitīye mokṣadharmākhye mokṣopāyanirūpaṇam || 3 ||

Translation

ପୂର୍ବଭାଗର ପ୍ରଥମ ପାଦରେ ମହାତ୍ମା ସନକ ବିଷୟକୁ ପ୍ରତିପାଦନ କରିଛନ୍ତି; ଏବଂ ‘ମୋକ୍ଷଧର୍ମ’ ନାମକ ଦ୍ୱିତୀୟ ପାଦରେ ମୋକ୍ଷର ଉପାୟଗୁଡ଼ିକ ନିରୂପିତ ହୋଇଛି।

Word by Word

• prāk-bhāge: in the earlier part
• prāk-bhāge: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: prāk (अव्यय) + bhāga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव-समास; prāk = अव्यय (indeclinable ‘before’), bhāge = पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन (singular)

• prathame: in the first
• prathame: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: prathama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; विशेषण (adjective) modifying ‘pāde’

• pāde: in the quarter/section (pāda)
• pāde: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pāda (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन

• sanakena: by Sanaka
• sanakena: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sanaka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), एकवचन

• mahātmanā: by the great-souled one
• mahātmanā: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mahātman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), एकवचन; विशेषण (epithet) of ‘sanakena’

• dvitīye: in the second
• dvitīye: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dvitīya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; विशेषण modifying an implied ‘pāde’

• mokṣa-dharma-ākhye: in (the section) called ‘Mokṣadharma’
• mokṣa-dharma-ākhye: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mokṣa (प्रातिपदिक) + dharma (प्रातिपदिक) + ākhya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (mokṣadharma = ‘dharma concerning liberation’); ākhya = ‘named’; पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifier) of implied ‘pāde’

• mokṣa-upāya-nirūpaṇam: the exposition of the means to liberation
• mokṣa-upāya-nirūpaṇam: Karma (कर्म) / Viṣaya (विषय)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mokṣa (प्रातिपदिक) + upāya (प्रातिपदिक) + nirūpaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन

Speaker

Suta (Anukramanika narrator summarizing contents; within the work, teachings are attributed to Sanaka in the first pada)

Vrata Kalpa

Vrata: none

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: bhakti

Characters & Entities

• Sanaka

FAQs

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

It functions as a table-of-contents verse, highlighting that the text first presents Sanaka’s instruction and then formally lays out “Moksha-dharma,” i.e., the disciplined principles and practical means leading to liberation.

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

This verse does not directly describe bhakti practices; it points to where the Narada Purana treats liberation and its means. In the broader Moksha-dharma context, devotion to the Supreme (often Vishnu) is presented as a principal upāya among other disciplines.

What practical Vedic knowledge (Vedanga) is highlighted here?

No specific Vedanga (Śikṣā, Vyākaraṇa, Chandas, Nirukta, Jyotiṣa, Kalpa) is named in this verse; it is primarily a structural summary indicating the division of topics, especially the exposition of mokṣopāyas.