Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 23
Saṃsāra-duḥkha: Karmic Descent, Garbhavāsa, Life’s Anxieties, Death, and the Call to Jñāna-Bhakti
तं तु बाह्यवायुः समुज्जीवयति । बाह्यवायुस्पर्शसमनंतरमेव नष्टस्मृतिपूर्वानुभूताखिलदुःखानि वर्त्तमानान्यपि ज्ञानाभावदविज्ञायात्यंतदुःखमनुभवति ॥ २३ ॥
taṃ tu bāhyavāyuḥ samujjīvayati | bāhyavāyusparśasamanaṃtarameva naṣṭasmṛtipūrvānubhūtākhiladuḥkhāni varttamānānyapi jñānābhāvadavijñāyātyaṃtaduḥkhamanubhavati || 23 ||
Но внешний воздух оживляет его. Сразу при прикосновении наружного воздуха, утратив память, он из-за отсутствия истинного знания не распознаёт ни всех прежних страданий, ни даже нынешних, и потому испытывает крайнюю скорбь.
Sanatkumara (teaching Narada in dialogue)
Vrata: none
Primary Rasa: karuna
Secondary Rasa: shanta
FAQs
It highlights that mere revival of bodily life (through prana/air) does not end suffering; without jnana (true knowledge), the being fails to recognize the pattern of pain and remains bound to intense misery.
Indirectly, it implies that liberation from repeated misery needs inner awakening—bhakti to Vishnu, supported by right understanding, is a means to replace ignorance with God-centered awareness rather than merely continuing bodily existence.
No specific Vedanga is taught in this verse; the practical takeaway is discernment (viveka) about prana and embodied cognition—life-breath can restore activity, but only jnana removes the root cause of duhkha.