Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 17
Bharata’s Attachment and the Palanquin Teaching on ‘I’ and ‘Mine’
अत्युञ्चारोहणेनास्या नद्यां गर्भः पपात ह । तमुह्यमानं वेगेन वीचिमालापरिप्लुतम् ॥ १७ ॥
atyuñcārohaṇenāsyā nadyāṃ garbhaḥ papāta ha | tamuhyamānaṃ vegena vīcimālāpariplutam || 17 ||
அவள் திடீரென மிக உயரமாக ஏறியதால் அவளுடைய கரு நதியில் விழுந்தது. நீரோட்டத்தின் வேகத்தில் அடித்துச் செல்லப்பட்டு, அலைமாலையால் மூடப்பட்டது.
Suta (narrating the Purana dialogue, within the Moksha-Dharma story context)
Vrata: none
Primary Rasa: karuna (compassion)
Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka (fear)
FAQs
It underscores the fragility of embodied life and how sudden, uncontrolled actions can trigger irreversible consequences—prompting vairāgya (detachment) and carefulness in dharma-driven living.
By highlighting the insecurity of worldly supports, the narrative implicitly directs the mind toward śaraṇāgati (taking refuge) in the Divine; in Moksha-Dharma settings, such shocks are used to turn the seeker toward steady remembrance and surrender.
No explicit Vedanga instruction appears in this verse; the practical takeaway is ethical discipline (self-control and attentiveness), which supports sādhana and the steadiness required for mantra-japa and devotional observances.