Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 41

The Recitation of the Thousand Names of Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa (Yugala-Sahasranāma) and Śaraṇāgati-Dharma

Devanagari script

बलदोलाशयशयः श्यामलः सर्वसुंदरः । पद्मनाभो हृषीकेशः क्रीडामनुजबालकः ॥ ४१ ॥

Transliteration

baladolāśayaśayaḥ śyāmalaḥ sarvasuṃdaraḥ | padmanābho hṛṣīkeśaḥ krīḍāmanujabālakaḥ || 41 ||

Translation

وہ بَل (شیش) سانپ کی شَیّا پر آرام فرمانے والے، ش्याम رنگ اور سراسر نہایت حسین ہیں—پدم نाभ، ہریشیکیش—جو انسانوں کے درمیان بچے کی طرح کھیلا کرتے ہیں۔

Word by Word

• बल-दोल-आशय-शयः: one who lay in the cradle-swing
• बल-दोल-आशय-शयः: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बल (प्रातिपदिक) + दोल (प्रातिपदिक) + आशय (प्रातिपदिक) + शय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; बहुपद-तत्पुरुषः (बलदोलायाम् आशये शयते इति/तत्र शयः)

• श्यामलः: dark-hued
• श्यामलः: Visheshana (विशेषण/Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: श्यामल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषणम्

• सर्व-सुन्दरः: all-beautiful; most beautiful
• सर्व-सुन्दरः: Visheshana (विशेषण/Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक) + सुन्दर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्मधारयः (सर्वेषु सुन्दरः/अत्यन्तसुन्दरः)

• पद्म-नाभः: lotus-naveled
• पद्म-नाभः: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पद्म (प्रातिपदिक) + नाभ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; बहुव्रीहिः (पद्मं नाभौ यस्य सः)

• हृषीक-ईशः: Lord of the senses
• हृषीक-ईशः: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हृषीक (प्रातिपदिक) + ईश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (हृषीकाणाम् ईशः)

• क्रीडा-मनुज-बालकः: child who plays like a human boy
• क्रीडा-मनुज-बालकः: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्रीडा (प्रातिपदिक) + मनुज (प्रातिपदिक) + बालक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; बहुपद-तत्पुरुषः (क्रीडायां मनुजवत् बालकः/मनुजबालकः)

Speaker

Narada (in dialogue context with the Sanatkumara brothers)

Vrata Kalpa

Vrata: none

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: bhakti

Secondary Rasa: shanta

Characters & Entities

• Vishnu
• Padmanabha
• Hrishikesha
• Shesha/Ananta (Bala-serpent couch)

FAQs

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

The verse compresses key Viṣṇu-tattva markers—His cosmic repose on Ananta (stability of dharma), His lotus-navel (source of creation), and His mastery of the senses (Hṛṣīkeśa)—inviting devotion through form-based contemplation and sacred names.

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

It models bhakti through nāma and rūpa-dhyāna: remembering Viṣṇu by epithets (Padmanābha, Hṛṣīkeśa) and visualizing His gentle, playful accessibility “like a child among men,” making reverence intimate and continuous.

What practical Vedic knowledge (Vedanga) is highlighted here?

Primarily Vyākaraṇa and Nirukta-style insight: the compound epithets (e.g., padma-nābha, hṛṣīka-īśa) function as technical name-meanings that guide correct understanding and dhyāna; no specific ritual-astronomy instruction is directly stated in this verse.