Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 8
Yamapatha (The Road of Yama), Dāna-Phala, and the Imperishable Fruition of Karma
क्वचित्कंटकवृक्षाश्च दुःखारोहशिला नगाः । गाढांधकाराश्च गुहाः कंटकावरणं महत् ॥ ८ ॥
kvacitkaṃṭakavṛkṣāśca duḥkhārohaśilā nagāḥ | gāḍhāṃdhakārāśca guhāḥ kaṃṭakāvaraṇaṃ mahat || 8 ||
کہیں کانٹے دار درخت ہیں، کہیں پتھریلے پہاڑ جن پر چڑھنا نہایت دشوار ہے؛ کہیں گھنے اندھیرے میں ڈوبی غاریں ہیں، اور کہیں کانٹوں سے ڈھکا ہوا وسیع علاقہ۔
Narada
Vrata: none
Primary Rasa: bhayanaka
Secondary Rasa: bibhatsa
FAQs
The verse uses harsh landscape imagery—thorns, painful ascents, and dark caves—to symbolize the perilous, obstructed nature of saṃsāra and the need to seek a liberating path grounded in dharma and inner clarity.
By highlighting danger and confusion in worldly movement, it implicitly points to bhakti as a steadier refuge: remembrance and surrender to Vishnu function like a clear road through thorny terrain, reducing fear and misdirection.
No specific Vedāṅga (such as Vyākaraṇa, Jyotiṣa, or Kalpa) is directly taught in this verse; the takeaway is ethical-practical—recognize obstacles and cultivate disciplined practice (niyama) to avoid spiritual “dark caves” of ignorance.