Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 46

Janaka Instructs Śuka: Āśrama-Sequence, Guru-Dependence, and Marks of Liberation

Devanagari script

न बंधुषु निबंधस्ते न भयेष्वस्ति ते भयम् । पश्यामित्वां महाभाग तुल्यनिंदात्मसंस्तुतिम् ॥ ४६ ॥

Transliteration

na baṃdhuṣu nibaṃdhaste na bhayeṣvasti te bhayam | paśyāmitvāṃ mahābhāga tulyaniṃdātmasaṃstutim || 46 ||

Translation

Ngươi không vướng mắc ngay cả với thân quyến; giữa những cảnh đáng sợ, ngươi cũng không hề sợ hãi. Hỡi bậc đại phúc, ta thấy ngươi là người xem lời chê và lời tự khen là ngang nhau.

Word by Word

• na: not
• na: Pratiṣedha (प्रतिषेध/negation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: Niṣedha (negation particle/निषेध)

• bandhuṣu: among relatives
• bandhuṣu: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण/Locative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bandhu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga (Masculine), Saptamī (Locative, 7th), Bahuvacana (Plural)

• nibandhaḥ: attachment / bondage
• nibandhaḥ: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nibandha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga (Masculine), Prathamā (Nominative, 1st), Ekavacana (Singular)

• te: for you / of you
• te: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Possessor)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tvad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Ṣaṣṭhī (Genitive, 6th), Ekavacana (Singular)

• na: not
• na: Pratiṣedha (प्रतिषेध/negation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: Niṣedha (negation particle/निषेध)

• bhayeṣu: in fears / in fearful situations
• bhayeṣu: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण/Locative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), Saptamī (Locative, 7th), Bahuvacana (Plural)

• asti: is / exists
• asti: Kriyā (क्रिया/Verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √as (धातु)
• Form: Laṭ-lakāra (Present), Parasmaipada, Prathama-puruṣa (3rd person), Ekavacana (Singular)

• te: for you / of you
• te: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Possessor)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tvad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Ṣaṣṭhī (Genitive, 6th), Ekavacana (Singular)

• bhayam: fear
• bhayam: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), Prathamā (Nominative, 1st), Ekavacana (Singular)

• paśyāmi: I see
• paśyāmi: Kriyā (क्रिया/Verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √paś (धातु)
• Form: Laṭ-lakāra (Present), Parasmaipada, Uttama-puruṣa (1st person), Ekavacana (Singular)

• tvām: you
• tvām: Karma (कर्म/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tvad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga (Masculine) (addressed person), Dvitīyā (Accusative, 2nd), Ekavacana (Singular)

• mahā-bhāga: O greatly fortunate one
• mahā-bhāga: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन/Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā (प्रातिपदिक) + bhāga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga (Masculine), Sambodhana (Vocative), Ekavacana (Singular); karmadhāraya: ‘mahān bhāgaḥ yasya’ (O greatly fortunate one)

• tulya-nindā-ātma-saṃstutim: equal (in attitude) to blame and self-praise
• tulya-nindā-ātma-saṃstutim: Karma (कर्म/Object complement to ‘paśyāmi tvām’)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tulya (प्रातिपदिक) + nindā (प्रातिपदिक) + ātman (प्रातिपदिक) + saṃstuti (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga (Feminine) as qualifying implied ‘vṛttiḥ/avasthā’; Dvitīyā (Accusative, 2nd), Ekavacana (Singular); multi-member tatpuruṣa: ‘nindāyāḥ saṃstuteś ca ātmani tulyaḥ’ = equal (attitude) toward blame and self-praise

Speaker

Sanatkumara (addressing Narada)

Vrata Kalpa

Vrata: none

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta (peace)

Secondary Rasa: vira (heroic)

Characters & Entities

• Narada
• Sanatkumara

FAQs

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

It marks the liberated temperament: freedom from binding attachment (even to relatives), fearlessness in danger, and equal-mindedness toward censure and self-praise—key indicators of Moksha-dharma.

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

Bhakti matures into steadiness (niṣṭhā): when the mind rests in the Lord, one is not shaken by social approval/disapproval or worldly threats. This equanimity supports unwavering Vishnu-bhakti and single-pointed remembrance.

What practical Vedic knowledge (Vedanga) is highlighted here?

No specific Vedanga (like Vyākaraṇa, Jyotiṣa, or Kalpa) is taught here; the practical takeaway is ethical-spiritual discipline—cultivating samatva (evenness) and vairāgya (non-attachment) as daily practice.