Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 19
Janaka’s Quest for Liberation; Pañcaśikha’s Sāṅkhya on Renunciation, Elements, Guṇas, and the Deathless State
सामात्यो जनको ज्ञात्वा धर्मज्ञो ज्ञानिनं मुने । उपेत्य शतमाचार्यान्मोहयामास हेतुभिः ॥ १९ ॥
sāmātyo janako jñātvā dharmajño jñāninaṃ mune | upetya śatamācāryānmohayāmāsa hetubhiḥ || 19 ||
Ó sábio, o rei Janaka—acompanhado de seus ministros—tendo reconhecido o conhecedor do Dharma, aproximou-se de cem mestres e, por meio de argumentos, deixou-os confundidos.
Narada (narration within the Moksha-Dharma context)
Vrata: none
Primary Rasa: vira
Secondary Rasa: shanta
FAQs
It highlights discernment (viveka): even learned teachers can be refuted when their understanding is merely formal, while true Dharma-knowledge aligns reasoning (hetu) with realized wisdom (jñāna).
Indirectly, it warns that intellectual authority alone is insufficient; Bhakti and Moksha-Dharma require sincerity and right vision—otherwise one may be “confounded” despite scholarship.
It points to tarka/hetu (reasoned argument) used in śāstric discussion—supporting disciplined interpretation alongside Vedanga-based learning (especially Vyakarana and Mimamsa-style reasoning).