Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 44

Sṛṣṭi-pralaya-kathana: Mahābhūta-guṇāḥ, Vṛkṣa-indriya-vādaḥ, Prāṇa-vāyu-vyavasthā

Devanagari script

परित्यक्ताश्च नश्यंति तेनेदं सर्वमावृत्तम् । पृथिवी पर्वता मेघा मूर्तिमंतश्च ये परे । सर्वं तद्वारुणं ज्ञेयमापस्तस्तंभिरे पुनः ॥ ४४ ॥

Transliteration

parityaktāśca naśyaṃti tenedaṃ sarvamāvṛttam | pṛthivī parvatā meghā mūrtimaṃtaśca ye pare | sarvaṃ tadvāruṇaṃ jñeyamāpastastaṃbhire punaḥ || 44 ||

Translation

เมื่อธาตุน้ำถูกละทิ้ง ทุกสิ่งย่อมพินาศ; โลกทั้งมวลนี้ถูกห่อหุ้มด้วยน้ำ. แผ่นดิน ภูเขา เมฆ และรูปกายทั้งหลายอื่นๆ—จงรู้ว่าเป็นของวรุณะ เพราะอาปัส (สายน้ำ) นั่นเองที่ค้ำจุนและยึดประสานไว้ดังเดิม।

Word by Word

• parityaktāḥ: abandoned; left (behind)
• parityaktāḥ: Karta (कर्ता/subject—understood beings)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pari-tyaj (धातु) → parityakta (कृदन्त, क्त-प्रत्यय)
• Form: Past passive participle (क्त-कृदन्त); Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (1), Plural (बहुवचन)

• ca: and
• ca: Samuccaya (समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Conjunction particle (समुच्चय-अव्यय)

• naśyanti: perish
• naśyanti: Kriya (क्रिया/predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: naś (धातु)
• Form: Present (लट्), Parasmaipada (परस्मैपद), 3rd person (प्रथमपुरुष), Plural (बहुवचन)

• tena: by that; by it
• tena: Karana (करण/instrument)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter/Masculine, Instrumental (3 विभक्ति), Singular (एकवचन); demonstrative pronoun

• idam: this
• idam: Karma (कर्म/object—‘this (world)’)
• Type: Noun
• Root: idam (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Nominative/Accusative (1/2), Singular (एकवचन)

• sarvam: all; entire
• sarvam: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative/Accusative (1/2), Singular; adjective qualifying idam

• āvṛttam: covered; enveloped
• āvṛttam: Karma (कर्म/predicative—‘covered’)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ā-vṛt (धातु) → āvṛtta (कृदन्त, क्त-प्रत्यय)
• Form: Past passive participle (क्त-कृदन्त); Neuter, Nominative/Accusative (1/2), Singular

• pṛthivī: earth
• pṛthivī: Karta (कर्ता/list item)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pṛthivī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Nominative (1), Singular (एकवचन)

• parvatāḥ: mountains
• parvatāḥ: Karta (कर्ता/list item)
• Type: Noun
• Root: parvata (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1), Plural (बहुवचन)

• meghāḥ: clouds
• meghāḥ: Karta (कर्ता/list item)
• Type: Noun
• Root: megha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1), Plural

• mūrtimantaḥ: embodied; having form
• mūrtimantaḥ: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mūrti (प्रातिपदिक) + mant (मतुप्-प्रत्यय) → mūrtimant (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1), Plural; adjective meaning ‘possessing form’

• ca: and
• ca: Samuccaya (समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Conjunction particle

• ye: who/which
• ye: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/relative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1), Plural; relative pronoun

• pare: others; further
• pare: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: para (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1), Plural; adjective qualifying ye

• sarvam: all (this)
• sarvam: Karma (कर्म/predicand)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative/Accusative (1/2), Singular; used substantively

• tat: that
• tat: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/correlative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative/Accusative (1/2), Singular; demonstrative

• vāruṇam: watery; belonging to Varuṇa
• vāruṇam: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vāruṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative/Accusative (1/2), Singular; adjective to tat/sarvam

• jñeyam: should be known
• jñeyam: Kriya (क्रिया/predicate—injunctive sense)
• Type: Verb
• Root: jñā (धातु) → jñeya (कृदन्त, यत्-प्रत्यय/gerundive)
• Form: Gerundive/obligatory passive participle (यत्-कृदन्त); Neuter, Nominative/Accusative (1/2), Singular; ‘to be known’

• āpaḥ: waters
• āpaḥ: Karta (कर्ता/agent)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ap (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Nominative (1), Plural (बहुवचन); irregular plural ‘waters’

• tāḥ: them
• tāḥ: Karma (कर्म/object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Accusative (2), Plural; demonstrative pronoun referring to entities mentioned

• stambhire: supported; propped up
• stambhire: Kriya (क्रिया/predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: stambh (धातु)
• Form: Perfect (लिट्), Parasmaipada (परस्मैपद), 3rd person (प्रथमपुरुष), Plural (बहुवचन)

• punaḥ: again; further
• punaḥ: Adhikarana (अधिकरण/temporal)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: punaḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: Adverb (क्रियाविशेषण-अव्यय)

Speaker

Sanatkumara (teaching Narada in the Moksha-dharma dialogue)

Vrata Kalpa

Vrata: none

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka

Characters & Entities

• Varuna
• Apas

FAQs

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

It points to Āpas (the cosmic Waters) as a sustaining, all-pervading principle: forms endure while supported by it, and when that support is withdrawn, they dissolve—encouraging detachment from perishable embodiments and contemplation of the underlying tattva.

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

By highlighting that all embodied things depend on a higher sustaining power, it prepares the mind for bhakti: seeing the world as upheld by a divine order (here expressed through Varuṇa/Āpas) and turning devotion toward the supporter rather than the supported.

What practical Vedic knowledge (Vedanga) is highlighted here?

Primarily nirukta-style (etymological/semantic) and cosmological understanding: recognizing vāruṇa (Varuṇa-related) as a technical descriptor for the watery principle (āpas) used in Vedic and Purāṇic element theory.