Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 7
Yamapatha (The Road of Yama), Dāna-Phala, and the Imperishable Fruition of Karma
इतस्ततः प्रधावंतो यांति दुःखेन तत्पथि । क्वचित्पंकः क्वचिदूह्निः क्वचित्सेतप्तसैकतम् । क्वचिद्वै दावरुपेणः तीक्ष्णधाराः शिलाः क्वचित् ॥ ७ ॥
itastataḥ pradhāvaṃto yāṃti duḥkhena tatpathi | kvacitpaṃkaḥ kvacidūhniḥ kvacitsetaptasaikatam | kvacidvai dāvarupeṇaḥ tīkṣṇadhārāḥ śilāḥ kvacit || 7 ||
وہ اِدھر اُدھر دوڑتے ہوئے سخت تکلیف کے ساتھ اسی راہ پر چلتے ہیں؛ کہیں کیچڑ، کہیں کڑی چڑھائی، کہیں تپتی ریت؛ کہیں جنگل کی آگ جیسی لپٹیں، اور کہیں تیز دھار پتھر۔
Narada (teaching in the Narada–Sanatkumara dialogue context)
Vrata: none
Primary Rasa: bhayanaka
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
FAQs
It portrays saṃsāra as a harsh, uneven road—mud, heat, fire, and sharp stones—teaching that worldly pursuit leads to repeated distress and urging detachment and a higher spiritual aim.
By contrasting the painful wandering of worldly life with an implied need for a steadier refuge, the verse supports the Purāṇic message that taking shelter in Bhagavān (especially Viṣṇu-bhakti) is the reliable passage beyond such obstacles.
No specific Vedāṅga (like Vyākaraṇa, Jyotiṣa, or Kalpa) is taught in this verse; it is primarily an ethical-philosophical image meant to cultivate viveka (discernment) and vairāgya (dispassion).