Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 4
Saṃsāra-duḥkha: Karmic Descent, Garbhavāsa, Life’s Anxieties, Death, and the Call to Jñāna-Bhakti
स्थावरत्वेऽपि बहुकालं वानरादिभिर्भुज्यमाना हि च्छेदनदवाग्निदहनशीतातपादिदुःखमनुभूय म्रियते । ततश्च क्रिमयो भूत्वा सदादुःखबहुलाः क्षणार्ध्दं जीवंतः क्षणार्ध्दं म्रियमाणा बलवत्प्राणिपीडायां निवारयितुमक्षमाः शीतवातादिक्लेशभूयिष्ठा नित्यं क्षुधाक्षुधिता मलमूत्रादिषु सचरंतो दुःखमनुभवंति ॥ ४ ॥
sthāvaratve'pi bahukālaṃ vānarādibhirbhujyamānā hi cchedanadavāgnidahanaśītātapādiduḥkhamanubhūya mriyate | tataśca krimayo bhūtvā sadāduḥkhabahulāḥ kṣaṇārdhdaṃ jīvaṃtaḥ kṣaṇārdhdaṃ mriyamāṇā balavatprāṇipīḍāyāṃ nivārayitumakṣamāḥ śītavātādikleśabhūyiṣṭhā nityaṃ kṣudhākṣudhitā malamūtrādiṣu sacaraṃto duḥkhamanubhavaṃti || 4 ||
Kahit makamit ang kalagayan ng isang nakatigil na nilalang gaya ng halaman o punò, sa mahabang panahon ito’y kinakain ng mga unggoy at iba pa; dinaranas nito ang sakit ng pagputol, pagliyab ng apoy sa gubat, lamig, init, at iba pang pagdurusa—at saka namamatay. Pagkaraan, nagiging mga uod at kulisap, laging hitik sa pighati: nabubuhay nang kalahating sandali at namamatay nang kalahating sandali, hindi kayang hadlangan ang matinding pahirap ng mas malalakas na nilalang; labis na pinahihirapan ng lamig, hangin, at iba pang hirap; palaging gutom at uhaw, gumagapang sa dumi at ihi at mga katulad nito, at tanging pagdurusa ang nararanasan.
Sanatkumāra (in dialogue with Nārada)
Vrata: none
Primary Rasa: bibhatsa
Secondary Rasa: karuna
FAQs
It intensifies vairāgya (detachment) by describing how karmic bondage can lead to painful, helpless embodiments—urging the seeker to pursue dharma and liberation rather than sense-driven actions.
By showing the terror of saṁsāra and the fragility of embodied life, it prepares the mind for taking refuge in the Lord—bhakti as a saving orientation that redirects karma toward purification and mokṣa.
No specific Vedāṅga (like Vyākaraṇa or Jyotiṣa) is taught in this verse; the practical takeaway is ethical causality (karma) and the urgency of disciplined dharma as the foundation for higher knowledge.