Shloka 35

Mohinī-ākhyāna: The Trial of Ekādaśī and the King’s Satya-saṅkalpa

Devanagari script

व्रतेन यद्विष्णुपदप्रदेन साकं क्षयाहेन वदंतु मूढाः ॥ ३५ ॥

Transliteration

vratena yadviṣṇupadapradena sākaṃ kṣayāhena vadaṃtu mūḍhāḥ || 35 ||

Translation

क्षयाहेन सहेति मूढाः वदन्तु; विष्णुपदप्रदं व्रतं तु तैर्वचोभिर्न क्षीयते, न हीयते च।

Word by Word

• vratena: by a vow/observance
• vratena: Karana (करण/Instrument)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vrata (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Instrumental (3rd/तृतीया), Singular (एकवचन)

• yat: which
• yat: Karana (करण/Instrument)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Relative pronoun (यत्), Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Instrumental (3rd/तृतीया), Singular (एकवचन); agrees with ‘vratena’

• viṣṇu-pada-pradena: that grants the abode/foot of Vishnu
• viṣṇu-pada-pradena: Karana (करण/Instrument)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: viṣṇu (प्रातिपदिक) + pada (प्रातिपदिक) + prada (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Compound adjective; Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Instrumental (3rd/तृतीया), Singular; qualifies ‘vratena’; vigraha: viṣṇoḥ padaṃ pradadāti iti (प्रद)

• sākam: together with
• sākam: Sahārtha (सह/Association)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sākam (अव्यय)
• Form: Adverb/particle (सह-अर्थे अव्यय)

• kṣayāhena: with the waning-day (kṣayāha)
• kṣayāhena: Karana (करण/Instrument)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kṣaya-aha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Instrumental (3rd/तृतीया), Singular; compound: kṣaya (क्षय ‘waning’) + aha/ahan (अहन् ‘day’)

• vadaṃtu: let them say
• vadaṃtu: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vad (वद् धातु)
• Form: Imperative (लोट्), Parasmaipada, 3rd person, Plural

• mūḍhāḥ: the deluded (people)
• mūḍhāḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mūḍha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Plural (बहुवचन)

Speaker

Narada (teaching within Uttara-bhaga vrata/tithi context; traditionally framed in Narada–Sanatkumara dialogue)

Vrata Kalpa

Vrata: Viṣṇu-pada-prada vrata (unnamed specific vow; likely Hari-related vrata)

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: vira

Secondary Rasa: bhakti

Characters & Entities

• Vishnu

FAQs

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

It asserts that a Viṣṇu-oriented vrata is intrinsically liberating (viṣṇupada-prada) and should not be dismissed due to technical doubts about an inauspicious or ‘lost’ calendrical day.

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

By prioritizing the intent and God-centered purpose of the vrata—attaining Viṣṇu’s abode—over skeptical speech, it reinforces that bhakti expressed through disciplined observance leads to spiritual fruition.

What practical Vedic knowledge (Vedanga) is highlighted here?

It alludes to Vedāṅga Jyotiṣa (calendrics): the notion of kṣaya-ahah/kṣaya-tithi (a ‘lost’ lunar day), warning practitioners not to let technical confusion negate a legitimate Viṣṇu-vrata.