Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 42
Śuka’s Origin, Mastery of Śāstra, and Testing at Janaka’s Court
संमत्रणीयो जन्यश्च ज्ञानेन तपसा तथा । न त्वस्य रमते बुद्धिराश्रमेषु मुनीश्वर ॥ ४२ ॥
saṃmatraṇīyo janyaśca jñānena tapasā tathā | na tvasya ramate buddhirāśrameṣu munīśvara || 42 ||
అతడు సలహాకు పాత్రుడూ సుకులజుడూ, జ్ఞానముతోను తపస్సుతోను సమృద్ధుడూ; అయినా, ఓ మునీశ్వరా, ఆశ్రమధర్మాలలో అతని బుద్ధి రమించదు।
Narada (addressing a senior sage, likely Sanatkumara, within the Moksha-dharma dialogue)
Vrata: none
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: karuna
FAQs
It distinguishes outer qualifications—birth, learning, and austerity—from inner readiness: without genuine inner inclination, the mind does not naturally settle into the āśrama-based disciplines, pointing to the need for deeper vairāgya (dispassion) and clarity of purpose in mokṣa-dharma.
By implying that mere status or ascetic credentials do not guarantee spiritual joy, it aligns with bhakti’s emphasis on inner absorption and taste (ruci) for the divine; devotion matures when the heart delights in spiritual practice, not merely when one conforms to an external stage of life.
The verse is not teaching a specific Vedāṅga technique (like Vyākaraṇa or Jyotiṣa); it instead uses the āśrama framework as a dharma-category and stresses the practical discernment that inner disposition (buddhi-ruci) matters more than formal qualification.