Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 7

Ekādaśī Vrata-Vidhi and the Galava–Bhadrashīla Itihāsa

Dharmakīrti before Yama

Devanagari script

भवेद्दशम्यामेकाशीद्वादश्यां च मुनीश्वर । एकादश्यां निराहारो यदि मुक्तिमभीप्सति ॥ ७ ॥

Transliteration

bhaveddaśamyāmekāśīdvādaśyāṃ ca munīśvara | ekādaśyāṃ nirāhāro yadi muktimabhīpsati || 7 ||

Translation

О владыка среди мудрецов, в десятый и в двенадцатый день следует вкушать лишь один раз; а в одиннадцатый (Экадаши) оставаться без пищи, если стремишься к освобождению.

Word by Word

• bhavet: should be/should occur
• bhavet: Kriyā (क्रिया/Predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √bhū (भू)
• Form: Vidhi-liṅ (विधिलिङ्/Optative), 3rd person (प्रथमपुरुष), Singular (एकवचन), Parasmaipada (परस्मैपद)

• daśamyām: on Daśamī (10th lunar day)
• daśamyām: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण/Locative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: daśamī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Locative (7th/सप्तमी), Singular (एकवचन)

• ekāśī: Ekāśī (Ekādaśī)
• ekāśī: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ekāśī (प्रातिपदिक; variant name for ekādaśī)
• Form: Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन)

• dvādaśyām: on Dvādaśī (12th lunar day)
• dvādaśyām: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण/Locative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dvādaśī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Locative (7th/सप्तमी), Singular (एकवचन)

• ca: and
• ca: Samuccaya (समुच्चय/Conjunction)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya (अव्यय), conjunction (समुच्चय)

• munīśvara: O lord of sages
• munīśvara: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन/Vocative address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: muni (प्रातिपदिक) + īśvara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Vocative (8th/सम्बोधन), Singular (एकवचन); तत्पुरुषः ‘lord of sages’

• ekādaśyām: on Ekādaśī
• ekādaśyām: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण/Locative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ekādaśī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Locative (7th/सप्तमी), Singular (एकवचन)

• nirāhāraḥ: without food; fasting
• nirāhāraḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण/Predicate adjective)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: nir-āhāra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन); उपसर्गपूर्वक-तत्पुरुषः (nir + āhāra) ‘without food’; predicate adjective (implied ‘one should be’)

• yadi: if
• yadi: Nimitta (निमित्त/Condition marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yadi (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya (अव्यय), conditional conjunction (शर्त)

• muktim: liberation
• muktim: Karma (कर्म/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mukti (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन)

• abhīpsati: desires
• abhīpsati: Kriyā (क्रिया/Predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √āp (आप्) with abhi- + desiderative/causative sense in usage; verb stem abhīps (अभीप्स्)
• Form: Laṭ (लट्/Present), 3rd person (प्रथमपुरुष), Singular (एकवचन), Parasmaipada (परस्मैपद); ‘desires/longs for’

Speaker

Sanatkumara (in instruction to Narada)

Vrata Kalpa

Vrata: Ekādaśī-vrata

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: bhakti

Characters & Entities

• Narada

FAQs

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

It presents Ekādaśī-centered vrata discipline as a direct aid to mokṣa: moderation on Daśamī and Dvādaśī, and full fasting on Ekādaśī for one who truly seeks liberation.

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

By prescribing Ekādaśī fasting, it implies a bhakti-oriented purification of body and mind—self-restraint offered as a devotional observance aligned with Vaiṣṇava vrata practice.

What practical Vedic knowledge (Vedanga) is highlighted here?

It relies on calendrical observance tied to tithi (lunar day) reckoning—practical application of Jyotiṣa-style timekeeping for correct vrata timing (Daśamī–Ekādaśī–Dvādaśī).