Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 21
Saṃsāra-duḥkha: Karmic Descent, Garbhavāsa, Life’s Anxieties, Death, and the Call to Jñāna-Bhakti
यतस्तन्मातुः प्रसूतिसमये सति गर्भस्थोदेही नारदमुने वायुनापरिपीडितो मातुश्चापि दुःखं कुर्वन्कर्मपाशेन बलाद्योनिमार्गान्निष्क्रामन्सकलयातनाभोगमेककालभवमनुभवति ॥ २१ ॥
yatastanmātuḥ prasūtisamaye sati garbhasthodehī nāradamune vāyunāparipīḍito mātuścāpi duḥkhaṃ kurvankarmapāśena balādyonimārgānniṣkrāmansakalayātanābhogamekakālabhavamanubhavati || 21 ||
यतस्तन्मातुः प्रसूतिसमये सति गर्भस्थो देही नारदमुने वायुनापरिपीडितो मातुश्चापि दुःखं कुर्वन् कर्मपाशेन बलाद्योनिमार्गान्निष्क्रामन् सकलयातनाभोगमेककालभवमनुभवति॥ २१ ॥
Sanatkumara (teaching Narada)
Vrata: none
Primary Rasa: karuna
Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka
FAQs
It highlights the jīva’s helplessness under karma-pāśa at the very moment of birth, urging vairāgya (detachment) and a liberation-oriented life that seeks freedom from saṁsāra’s inevitable suffering.
By stressing that birth itself is driven by karma and pain, the verse indirectly motivates taking refuge in the Lord through bhakti as a means to loosen karma’s bondage and aim for mokṣa rather than repeated embodiment.
The verse references vāyu (prāṇa-vāyu), aligning with traditional Vedic/Āyurvedic and yogic physiology rather than a specific Vedāṅga; the practical takeaway is awareness of embodiment’s frailty, supporting disciplines like yoga and vrata as aids toward self-control and liberation.