Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 15

Saṃsāra-duḥkha: Karmic Descent, Garbhavāsa, Life’s Anxieties, Death, and the Call to Jñāna-Bhakti

Devanagari script

अहो दुखं हि देहिनाम् ॥ १५ ॥

Transliteration

aho dukhaṃ hi dehinām || 15 ||

Translation

Ai de mim! Em verdade, quanta dor há para os seres encarnados!

Word by Word

• अहो: alas!
• अहो: सम्बोधन/उद्गार (Exclamation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अहो (अव्यय)
• Form: विस्मय/शोकसूचक-अव्यय (interjection)

• दुःखम्: suffering
• दुःखम्: कर्ता/विधेय (Subject/Predicate-noun)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दुःख (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter); प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

• हि: indeed
• हि: सम्बन्धसूचक निपात (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle); कारण/निश्चयार्थक (indeed/for)

• देहिनाम्: of embodied beings
• देहिनाम्: सम्बन्ध (Genitive relation/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देहिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग (Masculine); षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/षष्ठी), बहुवचन (Plural)

Speaker

Narada

Vrata Kalpa

Vrata: none

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: karuna

Secondary Rasa: shanta

FAQs

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

It condenses a key Purāṇic insight: bodily identification (being a dehī) inevitably brings sorrow, prompting dispassion (vairāgya) and the search for liberation.

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

By highlighting the pain of saṃsāra, it prepares the mind to seek refuge beyond the body—classically fulfilled through Viṣṇu-bhakti as a stable shelter from worldly distress.

What practical Vedic knowledge (Vedanga) is highlighted here?

No specific Vedāṅga (like Vyākaraṇa or Jyotiṣa) is taught in this line; it is a contemplative statement meant to cultivate viveka (discernment) and vairāgya.