Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 80

The Description of the Caturdaśī Vrata Observed throughout the Twelve Months

Devanagari script

इति श्रीबृहन्नारदीयपुराणे पूर्वभागे बृहदुपाख्याने चतुर्थभागे द्वादशमासस्थितचतुर्दशीव्रतवर्णनं नाम त्रयोविंशत्यधिकशततमोऽध्यायः ॥ १२३ ॥

Transliteration

iti śrībṛhannāradīyapurāṇe pūrvabhāge bṛhadupākhyāne caturthabhāge dvādaśamāsasthitacaturdaśīvratavarṇanaṃ nāma trayoviṃśatyadhikaśatatamo'dhyāyaḥ || 123 ||

Translation

Так завершается сто двадцать третья глава, озаглавленная «Описание обета Чатурдаши (Caturdaśī-vrata), соблюдаемого на протяжении двенадцати месяцев», в Первой части (Пурвабхага), в Великом сказании (Брихад-упакхьяна), в Четвёртом разделе почитаемой «Брихан-Нарадия-пураны».

Word by Word

• iti: thus
• iti: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/quotative marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iti (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya; quotation/closure particle (इति-प्रयोगः)

• śrī-bṛhat-nāradīya-purāṇe: in the Śrī Bṛhat-Nāradīya Purāṇa
• śrī-bṛhat-nāradīya-purāṇe: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śrī (प्रातिपदिक) + bṛhat (प्रातिपदिक) + nāradīya (प्रातिपदिक) + purāṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Locative (7th/सप्तमी), Singular; compound title in locative: “in the Śrī Bṛhat-Nāradīya Purāṇa”

• pūrva-bhāge: in the former part
• pūrva-bhāge: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pūrva (प्रातिपदिक) + bhāga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Locative (7th/सप्तमी), Singular; “in the former part/section”

• bṛhat-upākhyāne: in the great upākhyāna
• bṛhat-upākhyāne: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bṛhat (प्रातिपदिक) + upākhyāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Locative (7th/सप्तमी), Singular; “in the great sub-narrative”

• caturtha-bhāge: in the fourth part
• caturtha-bhāge: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: caturtha (प्रातिपदिक) + bhāga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Locative (7th/सप्तमी), Singular; “in the fourth part”

• dvādaśa-māsa-sthita-caturdaśī-vrata-varṇanam: the description of the Caturdaśī vow observed for twelve months
• dvādaśa-māsa-sthita-caturdaśī-vrata-varṇanam: Karta (कर्ता/heading subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dvādaśa (प्रातिपदिक) + māsa (प्रातिपदिक) + sthita (कृदन्त; √sthā/स्था) + caturdaśī (प्रातिपदिक) + vrata (प्रातिपदिक) + varṇana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular; long determinative compound: “the description (varṇanam) of the caturdaśī-vrata observed for twelve months”

• nāma: named
• nāma: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/title marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: nāma (अव्यय/निपात)
• Form: Avyaya; naming particle (नाम-निपातः) indicating title

• trayoviṃśati-adhika-śatatamaḥ: the 123rd
• trayoviṃśati-adhika-śatatamaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: trayoviṃśati (प्रातिपदिक) + adhika (प्रातिपदिक) + śatatama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular; ordinal adjective qualifying “adhyāyaḥ”: “the one hundred (and) twenty-three (i.e., 123rd)”

• adhyāyaḥ: chapter
• adhyāyaḥ: Karta (कर्ता/heading subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: adhyāya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular

Speaker

Suta (traditional Purāṇic colophon/closing formula; not part of the dialogue content)

Vrata Kalpa

Vrata: dvādaśa-māsa-sthita-caturdaśī-vrata

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: none

Characters & Entities

• Bṛhan-Nāradīya Purāṇa

FAQs

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

This is a colophon verse marking the formal completion of Adhyaya 123, preserving the textual hierarchy (Pūrvabhāga → Bṛhad-upākhyāna → Fourth Section) and the chapter’s topic: the twelve-month Caturdaśī Vrata, a dharmic vow framework for sustained spiritual discipline.

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

Indirectly: by naming a recurring vrata (Caturdaśī) practiced across the year, it points to bhakti as steady, time-structured observance—devotion expressed through regular sacred days rather than sporadic effort.

What practical Vedic knowledge (Vedanga) is highlighted here?

Kalpa and Jyotiṣa are implied: the term Caturdaśī depends on lunar-tithi calculation (Jyotiṣa), and the framing as a vrata belongs to ritual procedure and vow-methodology (Kalpa).