Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 71
The Greatness of the Gaṅgā (Gaṅgā-māhātmya): Saudāsa/Kalmāṣapāda’s Curse and Release
औदासीन्यं गुरौ कृत्वा राक्षसीं तनुमाश्रितः । तत्रास्ते दुःखसंतत्पः कश्चिल्लोकविरोधकृत् ॥ ७१ ॥
audāsīnyaṃ gurau kṛtvā rākṣasīṃ tanumāśritaḥ | tatrāste duḥkhasaṃtatpaḥ kaścillokavirodhakṛt || 71 ||
गुरौ औदासीन्यं कृत्वा राक्षसीं तनुमाश्रितः; तत्र दुःखसंतप्तः कश्चिल्लोकविरोधकृत् आस्ते।
Narada
Vrata: none
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: karuna
FAQs
It warns that indifference to one’s guru is not a minor fault: it degrades one’s inner nature into a rākṣasa-like disposition, leading to sustained suffering and alienation from dharma.
Bhakti is grounded in humility and reverence; neglecting the guru undermines receptivity to divine instruction, so the mind turns hostile to dharmic life—blocking devotion’s growth and resulting in sorrow.
The verse emphasizes śiṣya-ācāra (discipline of the student) central to Vedic transmission: learning depends on proper guru-sambandha (right relationship with the teacher), without which knowledge and practice become distorted.