Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 13

Śreyas and Paramārtha: The Ribhu–Nidāgha Teaching on Non-Dual Self

Advaita

Devanagari script

देवताराधनं कृत्वा धनसंपदमिच्छति । पुत्रानिच्छति राज्यं च श्रेयस्तस्यैव तन्नृप ॥ १३ ॥

Transliteration

devatārādhanaṃ kṛtvā dhanasaṃpadamicchati | putrānicchati rājyaṃ ca śreyastasyaiva tannṛpa || 13 ||

Translation

เมื่อบูชาเทพแล้ว คนย่อมปรารถนาทรัพย์และความรุ่งเรือง ปรารถนาบุตรและแม้กระทั่งราชสมบัติ แต่โอ้พระราชา ศฺเรยัสอันสูงสุดเป็นของภักตะผู้นั้นเอง

Word by Word

• devatā-ārādhanaṃ: worship of the deities
• devatā-ārādhanaṃ: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: devatā (प्रातिपदिक) + ārādhana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Accusative (द्वितीया/2), Singular (एकवचन); समास: devatāyāḥ ārādhanaṃ (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष)

• kṛtvā: having performed
• kṛtvā: Purvakala-kriya (पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kṛ (धातु)
• Form: Absolutive/Gerund (क्त्वान्त अव्यय), ‘having done’

• dhana-saṃpadam: wealth/prosperity
• dhana-saṃpadam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dhana (प्रातिपदिक) + saṃpad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Accusative (द्वितीया/2), Singular (एकवचन); समास: dhanasya saṃpat (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष)

• icchati: desires
• icchati: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: iṣ (धातु)
• Form: Present (लट्), 3rd person (प्रथमपुरुष), Singular (एकवचन), Parasmaipada (परस्मैपद)

• putrān: sons
• putrān: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: putra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Accusative (द्वितीया/2), Plural (बहुवचन)

• icchati: desires
• icchati: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: iṣ (धातु)
• Form: Present (लट्), 3rd person (प्रथमपुरुष), Singular (एकवचन), Parasmaipada (परस्मैपद)

• rājyam: kingdom
• rājyam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rājya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Accusative (द्वितीया/2), Singular (एकवचन)

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

• śreyaḥ: the true good
• śreyaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śreyas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Nominative (प्रथमा/1), Singular (एकवचन)

• tasya: of him
• tasya: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Pronoun (सर्वनाम), Masculine/Neuter, Genitive (षष्ठी/6), Singular (एकवचन)

• eva: indeed / only
• eva: Avadharana (अवधारण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: Emphatic particle (अवधारण-निपात)

• tat: that
• tat: Pratipādya (प्रातिपाद्य/निर्देश)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Pronoun (सर्वनाम), Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Nominative/Accusative (प्रथमा/1 or द्वितीया/2), Singular (एकवचन)

• nṛpa: O king
• nṛpa: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nṛpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Vocative (सम्बोधन), Singular (एकवचन)

Speaker

Sanatkumara (teaching a king in the Moksha Dharma dialogue)

Vrata Kalpa

Vrata: none

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: bhakti

Characters & Entities

• Devatā

FAQs

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

It contrasts common goal-oriented worship (seeking wealth, sons, or power) with the deeper outcome of devotion—śreyas, the highest spiritual good that ultimately accrues to the worshipper.

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

It shows that even when devotion begins with worldly desires, sincere worship still leads the devotee toward a higher blessing—inner uplift and spiritual welfare—hinting that bhakti can mature from kāmya aims to mokṣa-oriented śreyas.

What practical Vedic knowledge (Vedanga) is highlighted here?

The verse reflects the ritual logic of phala (results) in upāsanā/ārādhana—an applied Dharma-śāstra principle about intention and outcomes—rather than a specific technical Vedanga like Vyākaraṇa or Jyotiṣa.