Shloka 60

The Greatness of the Month of Māgha

Māgha-snāna, Harivāsara, and the Kāṣṭhīlā-Upākhyāna

Devanagari script

इति श्रीबृहन्नारदीयपुराणोत्तरभागे मोहिनीचरिते काष्ठीलोपाख्याने माघमाहात्म्यं नामैकत्रिंशोऽध्यायः ॥ ३१ ॥

Transliteration

iti śrībṛhannāradīyapurāṇottarabhāge mohinīcarite kāṣṭhīlopākhyāne māghamāhātmyaṃ nāmaikatriṃśo'dhyāyaḥ || 31 ||

Translation

இவ்வாறு ஸ்ரீ ப்ருஹந்நாரதீய புராணத்தின் உத்தரபாகத்தில், மோஹினீச் சரிதத்தின் உட்பகுதியாகிய காஷ்டீல உபாக்யானத்தில் ‘மா஘மாஹாத்மியம்’ எனப்படும் முப்பத்தொன்றாம் அதிகாரம் நிறைவுற்றது.

Word by Word

• इति: thus
• इति: वाक्य-समाप्ति (Discourse marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति (अव्यय)
• Form: उपसंहारार्थक-अव्यय (quotative/closing particle: 'thus')

• श्री-बृहन्-नारदीय-पुराण-उत्तर-भागे: in the latter part of the Śrī Bṛhan-Nāradīya Purāṇa
• श्री-बृहन्-नारदीय-पुराण-उत्तर-भागे: अधिकरण (Locative; textual location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्री (प्रातिपदिक) + बृहन् (प्रातिपदिक) + नारदीय (प्रातिपदिक) + पुराण (प्रातिपदिक) + उत्तर (प्रातिपदिक) + भाग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; बहुपद-तत्पुरुष-समासः—'in the latter part of the Śrī Bṛhan-Nāradīya Purāṇa'

• मोहिनी-चरिते: in the Mohinī narrative
• मोहिनी-चरिते: अधिकरण (Locative; section)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मोहिनी (प्रातिपदिक) + चरित (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः—'मोहिन्याः चरितम्' = in the episode/biography of Mohinī

• काष्ठी-लोपाख्याने: in the Kāṣṭhīlopa episode
• काष्ठी-लोपाख्याने: अधिकरण (Locative; subsection)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काष्ठी (प्रातिपदिक) + लोपाख्यान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः—'काष्ठ्याः लोपाख्यानम्' = in the tale called 'Kāṣṭhī-lopa'

• माघ-माहात्म्यम्: the glory of (the month) Māgha
• माघ-माहात्म्यम्: कर्ता/विषय (Topic/subject heading)
• Type: Noun
• Root: माघ (प्रातिपदिक) + माहात्म्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः—'माघस्य माहात्म्यम्' = the greatness of Māgha

• नाम: named/called
• नाम: संज्ञा-निर्देश (Naming marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नाम (अव्यय)
• Form: संज्ञासूचक-अव्यय (indeclinable indicating name: 'called')

• एक-त्रिंशः: thirty-first
• एक-त्रिंशः: विशेषण (Adjectival qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: एक (प्रातिपदिक) + त्रिंशत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; द्विगु-समासः (numeral compound) used adjectivally with अध्यायः

• अध्यायः: chapter
• अध्यायः: कर्ता (Karta/Subject; heading)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अध्याय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; nominative singular

Speaker

Narrator (colophon/adhyāya-ending formula; not a direct spoken dialogue line)

Vrata Kalpa

Vrata: Māgha-māhātmya (month observance context)

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: none

Characters & Entities

• Mohinī

FAQs

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

This verse is the chapter-colophon, marking the completion of Adhyāya 31 and identifying its theme: the Māgha-māhātmya—glorification of observances and sanctity associated with the month of Māgha within the Uttara-bhāga’s tīrtha-and-vrata framework.

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

Indirectly: by naming the chapter “Māgha-māhātmya,” it frames devotion through time-bound sacred practice—Māgha-month observances (vrata, snāna, dāna, worship) typically oriented toward Viṣṇu-bhakti in Purāṇic tradition, even though this specific line is only the concluding rubric.

What practical Vedic knowledge (Vedanga) is highlighted here?

It mainly reflects calendrical/ritual organization (a practical application aligned with Jyotiṣa and Kalpa-style ritual structuring): identifying the Māgha month as a distinct ritual period and cataloging it as a titled chapter within the Purāṇa.