Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 79
The Greatness of the Gaṅgā (Gaṅgā-māhātmya): Saudāsa/Kalmāṣapāda’s Curse and Release
ब्रह्मराक्षस उवाच । अहमासं पुरा विप्रो मागधो वेदपारगः । सोमदत्त इति ख्यातो नाम्ना धर्मपरायणः ॥ ७९ ॥
brahmarākṣasa uvāca | ahamāsaṃ purā vipro māgadho vedapāragaḥ | somadatta iti khyāto nāmnā dharmaparāyaṇaḥ || 79 ||
Брахма-ракшаса сказал: «Прежде я был брахманом из Магадхи, постигшим Веды. Меня знали под именем Сомадатта, преданного праведности».
Brahmarākṣasa
Vrata: none
Primary Rasa: karuna (compassion)
Secondary Rasa: shanta (peace)
FAQs
It introduces the speaker’s former identity as a learned, dharma-oriented brāhmaṇa, setting up the Purāṇic lesson that mere scholarship or social status is not the final safeguard—one’s lived conduct and karmic outcomes determine future states.
Indirectly: by contrasting Vedic mastery and dharma-identity with the present condition of a Brahmarākṣasa, the narrative context typically points toward the necessity of inner purity and God-centered devotion (especially Viṣṇu-bhakti) as a transformative refuge beyond external credentials.
The verse emphasizes “vedapāraga”—deep Vedic proficiency. Practically, it points to the role of śāstra-learning (including Vedāṅga disciplines that support Veda study) but also implies that learning must be integrated with dharmic practice to bear auspicious fruit.