Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 15

Chandas: Varṇa-gaṇas, Guru-Laghu, Vṛtta-bheda, and Prastāra Procedures

Devanagari script

यथोपरि तथा शेषमग्रे प्रारवन्न्यसेदपि । एष प्रस्तार उदितो यावत्सर्वलघुर्भवेत् ॥ १५ ॥

Transliteration

yathopari tathā śeṣamagre prāravannyasedapi | eṣa prastāra udito yāvatsarvalaghurbhavet || 15 ||

Translation

Cũng theo cách như trên, hãy đặt phần còn lại lên phía trước, bắt đầu từ phần đầu tiên. Như vậy, phép triển khai có hệ thống (prastāra) được nêu ra, tiếp diễn cho đến khi mọi thứ đều trở thành “nhẹ” (sarva-laghu).

Word by Word

• yathā: as/according to
• yathā: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yathā (अव्यय)
• Form: Adverb (क्रियाविशेषण)

• upari: above
• upari: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: upari (अव्यय)
• Form: Adverb (क्रियाविशेषण)

• tathā: so/likewise
• tathā: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: Adverb (क्रियाविशेषण)

• śeṣam: the remainder
• śeṣam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śeṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Accusative (द्वितीया/2), Singular (एकवचन)

• agre: in front/at the beginning
• agre: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: agra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Locative (सप्तमी/7), Singular (एकवचन)

• prāravan: beginning/starting
• prāravan: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra-√ru (धातु) → prāravan (कृदन्त, शतृ)
• Form: Present active participle (शतृ-कृदन्त), Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (प्रथमा/1), Singular (एकवचन); ‘starting/beginning’

• nyaset: should place/arrange
• nyaset: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ni-√as (धातु)
• Form: Optative (विधिलिङ्), 3rd person (प्रथमपुरुष), Singular (एकवचन), Parasmaipada (परस्मैपद)

• api: also/even
• api: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: Particle (निपात), concessive/additive

• eṣaḥ: this
• eṣaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: etad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (प्रथमा/1), Singular (एकवचन)

• prastāraḥ: prastāra (expansion table)
• prastāraḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: prastāra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (प्रथमा/1), Singular (एकवचन)

• uditaḥ: declared/stated
• uditaḥ: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ud-√i (धातु) → udita (कृदन्त, क्त)
• Form: Past passive participle (क्त-कृदन्त), Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (प्रथमा/1), Singular (एकवचन); predicate ‘is stated/declared’

• yāvat: until/as long as
• yāvat: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yāvat (अव्यय)
• Form: Correlative/limitative indeclinable (परिमाण/अवधि)

• sarva-laghuḥ: all-laghu (all light syllables)
• sarva-laghuḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक) + laghu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (प्रथमा/1), Singular (एकवचन); Karmadhāraya: ‘all-light’

• bhavet: should become
• bhavet: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √bhū (धातु)
• Form: Optative (विधिलिङ्), 3rd person (प्रथमपुरुष), Singular (एकवचन), Parasmaipada (परस्मैपद)

Speaker

Sanatkumara (teaching Narada)

Vrata Kalpa

Vrata: none

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: adbhuta

Characters & Entities

• Narada
• Sanatkumara

FAQs

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

It highlights disciplined, step-by-step shastric method—showing that even technical knowledge is pursued through order, clarity, and completeness, which supports steadiness of mind valued in Moksha-dharma.

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

Indirectly: it models attentive, faithful adherence to a taught procedure—an attitude that also underlies bhakti-sādhana, where practice is done exactly as instructed until the goal is fully reached.

What practical Vedic knowledge (Vedanga) is highlighted here?

Chandas (Vedic prosody): the verse describes a prastāra-style arrangement/enumeration process, proceeding stepwise until the pattern is reduced to laghu (short/light) units.