Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 107

गङ्गामाहात्म्य — The Greatness of the Gaṅgā

Devanagari script

अहो कनकमाहात्म्यमाख्यातुं केन शक्यते । नामसाम्यदहो चित्रं धत्तूरोऽपि मदप्रदः ॥ १०७ ॥

Transliteration

aho kanakamāhātmyamākhyātuṃ kena śakyate | nāmasāmyadaho citraṃ dhattūro'pi madapradaḥ || 107 ||

Translation

Ah! Quem seria capaz de descrever por completo a grandeza do ouro? Admirável é a semelhança do nome—até a dhattūra concede embriaguez.

Word by Word

• अहो: ah!
• अहो: Sambodhana/Exclamation (सम्बोधन/उद्गार)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: aho (अव्यय)
• Form: उद्गार (interjection), अव्यय

• कनक-माहात्म्यम्: the greatness of gold
• कनक-माहात्म्यम्: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कनक (प्रातिपदिक) + माहात्म्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (कनकस्य माहात्म्यम्)

• आख्यातुम्: to narrate
• आख्यातुम्: Prayojana (प्रयोजन/Infinitive purpose)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ-ख्या (धातु)
• Form: तुमुन्-प्रत्ययान्त infinitive (तुमन्त), ‘to tell/declare’

• केन: by whom
• केन: Karana (करण/Instrument)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), एकवचन; interrogative pronoun

• शक्यते: is possible
• शक्यते: Kriya (क्रिया/Predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: शक् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; कर्मणि प्रयोग (passive)

• नाम-साम्यत्: from similarity of name
• नाम-साम्यत्: Hetu (हेतु/Reason)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नामन् (प्रातिपदिक) + साम्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/पञ्चमी), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (नाम्नः साम्यं)

• अहो: ah!
• अहो: Sambodhana/Exclamation (सम्बोधन/उद्गार)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: aho (अव्यय)
• Form: उद्गार (interjection), अव्यय

• चित्रम्: wonderful/strange
• चित्रम्: Visheshana (विशेषण/Predicate adjective)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: चित्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; विशेषण (predicative)

• धत्तूरः: datura plant
• धत्तूरः: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धत्तूर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन

• अपि: even
• अपि: Sambandha/Particle (सम्बन्ध/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle), अव्यय; concessive ‘even’

• मद-प्रदः: intoxication-giving
• मद-प्रदः: Visheshana (विशेषण/Qualifier of धत्तूरः)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मद (प्रातिपदिक) + प्रद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; उपपद-तत्पुरुषः (मदं प्रददाति इति)

Speaker

Narada

Vrata Kalpa

Vrata: none

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: hasya

Secondary Rasa: adbhuta

Characters & Entities

• Narada
• Kanaka
• Dhattura

FAQs

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

It warns that gold (kanaka) can intoxicate the mind like a drug, so a seeker should stay vigilant and practice detachment to protect spiritual clarity.

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

By highlighting wealth’s power to create delusion (mada), the verse indirectly supports Bhakti as a stabilizing refuge—keeping the heart oriented to the Divine rather than to possessions.

What practical Vedic knowledge (Vedanga) is highlighted here?

A linguistic insight is used as instruction: “nāma-sāmya” (similarity of names) becomes a teaching device—showing how careful attention to words and meanings (a Vyākaraṇa-like sensitivity) can convey ethical warnings.