Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 20
Gaṅgā-māhātmya: Bāhu’s Envy, Defeat, Forest Exile, and Aurva’s Dharmic Consolation
मनोभिलाषं कुरुते यः समीक्ष्य परस्त्रियम् । स स्वसंपद्विनाशाय कुठारो नात्र संशयः ॥ २० ॥
manobhilāṣaṃ kurute yaḥ samīkṣya parastriyam | sa svasaṃpadvināśāya kuṭhāro nātra saṃśayaḥ || 20 ||
ఇతరుని భార్యను చూసి మనసులో కోరికను పెంచుకునేవాడు, తన సంపద నాశనానికి గొడ్డలివంటివాడు; ఇందులో సందేహం లేదు।
Narada (teaching in a dharma-instruction context)
Vrata: none
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka
FAQs
It teaches that inner desire itself is spiritually destructive: craving for another’s wife undermines one’s dharma and therefore cuts down one’s own śrī (prosperity and well-being).
Bhakti is sustained by purity and restraint; by warning against adulterous desire, the verse protects the devotee’s mind from agitation, making it fit for steady remembrance and worship.
No specific Vedanga (like Vyākaraṇa, Jyotiṣa, or Kalpa) is taught here; the practical takeaway is ethical discipline (sadācāra) and indriya-nigraha as prerequisites for effective dharmic practice.