Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 75

Pāpa-bheda, Naraka-yātanā, Mahāpātaka-vicāra, Atonement Limits, Daśa-vidhā Bhakti, and Gaṅgā as Final Remedy

Devanagari script

ततः क्षारोदकस्नानं क्षारोदकनिषेवणम् । तदन्ते नरकान् सर्वान् भुञ्जतेऽब्दशतं शतम् ॥ ७५ ॥

Transliteration

tataḥ kṣārodakasnānaṃ kṣārodakaniṣevaṇam | tadante narakān sarvān bhuñjate'bdaśataṃ śatam || 75 ||

Translation

Depois vem o banho em água alcalina (salobra) e a ingestão forçada dessa água; e, em seguida, sofre-se todos os infernos, por cem vezes cem anos (dez mil anos).

Word by Word

• tataḥ: then
• tataḥ: Avyaya (अव्यय-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatas (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Indeclinable adverb (अव्यय)

• kṣāra-udaka-snānam: bath in alkaline water
• kṣāra-udaka-snānam: Karma (कर्म) (as experience undergone)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kṣāra (प्रातिपदिक) + udaka (प्रातिपदिक) + snāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative/Accusative (1st/2nd—प्रथमा/द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन); ‘bathing in alkaline water’

• kṣāra-udaka-niṣevaṇam: use/consumption of alkaline water
• kṣāra-udaka-niṣevaṇam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kṣāra (प्रातिपदिक) + udaka (प्रातिपदिक) + niṣevaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative/Accusative (1st/2nd—प्रथमा/द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन); ‘use/consumption of alkaline water’

• tad-ante: at the end of that
• tad-ante: Kāla-adhikaraṇa (काल-अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + anta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Avyayībhāva compound used adverbially/locatively: ‘at the end of that’

• narakān: hells
• narakān: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: naraka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Plural (बहुवचन)

• sarvān: all
• sarvān: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण) of narakān
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Plural (बहुवचन)

• bhuñjate: they experience/undergo
• bhuñjate: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: bhuj (धातु)
• Form: Present tense (लट्), Ātmanepada (आत्मनेपद), 3rd person (प्रथमपुरुष), Plural (बहुवचन)

• abda-śatam: a hundred years
• abda-śatam: Kāla-adhikaraṇa (काल-अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: abda (प्रातिपदिक) + śata (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन); time-measure used adverbially

• śatam: a hundred (times)
• śatam: Kāla-adhikaraṇa (काल-अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śata (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन); repetition for emphasis

Speaker

Narada (teaching the Sanatkumara brothers in a dharma-narrative on karmic consequences)

Vrata Kalpa

Vrata: none

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: bhayanaka

Secondary Rasa: bibhatsa

FAQs

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

It emphasizes karmaphala: unethical actions lead to specific, purificatory sufferings symbolized by harsh ordeals (alkaline-water bathing and forced consumption), culminating in prolonged Naraka experience.

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

Indirectly, it motivates turning from adharma toward Vishnu-centered dharma and inner reform; fear of Naraka is used as a corrective so the seeker adopts righteous conduct that supports steadiness in bhakti.

What practical Vedic knowledge (Vedanga) is highlighted here?

Ritual-ethics and dharma-śāstra logic are foregrounded: actions have defined results, and purification/penal sequences are described in a prescriptive style akin to dharmic injunctions (rather than a technical Vedanga like Vyakarana or Jyotisha).