Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 43
Hari-nāma Mahimā and Caraṇāmṛta: The Redemption of the Hunter Gulika
Uttaṅka Itihāsa
धर्माधर्मार्जितैर्द्रव्यैः पोषिता येन ये नराः । मृतमग्निमुखे हुत्वा घृतान्नं भुंजते हि ते ॥ ४३ ॥
dharmādharmārjitairdravyaiḥ poṣitā yena ye narāḥ | mṛtamagnimukhe hutvā ghṛtānnaṃ bhuṃjate hi te || 43 ||
ధర్మం-అధర్మంతో సంపాదించిన ధనంతో ఎవరు పోషింపబడతారో, వారు మరణానంతరం అగ్నిముఖంలో ఆహుతిగా అర్పింపబడి, నెయ్యి కలిసిన అన్నాన్ని భోగిస్తారని చెప్పబడింది.
Sanatkumara (teaching Narada)
Vrata: none
Primary Rasa: karuna
Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka
FAQs
It warns that livelihood supported by mixed righteous and unrighteous earnings shapes one’s post-death experience; the verse frames afterlife fruition through the imagery of being “offered into Agni,” emphasizing karmic accountability.
Indirectly, it supports bhakti-based purity by stressing ethical foundations: devotion is strengthened when one’s sustenance and offerings are not tainted by adharma, since karma conditions the soul’s experience beyond death.
Ritual reasoning tied to yajña: Agni is described as the ‘mouth’ receiving offerings (homa), reflecting a core Śrauta/Smārta ritual principle rather than a technical point of grammar or astrology.