Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 36

Devanagari script

अतृप्ता यांति विध्वंसं सन्तोषं यांति पंडिताः । सर्वे क्षयांता निचयाः पतनांताः समुच्छ्रयाः ॥ ३६ ॥

Transliteration

atṛptā yāṃti vidhvaṃsaṃ santoṣaṃ yāṃti paṃḍitāḥ | sarve kṣayāṃtā nicayāḥ patanāṃtāḥ samucchrayāḥ || 36 ||

Translation

Kẻ không biết đủ đi đến suy vong; bậc trí đạt được sự tri túc. Mọi của tích trữ đều kết thúc bằng hao mòn; mọi chỗ cao vút đều kết thúc bằng sa ngã.

Word by Word

• atṛptāḥ: unsatisfied (people)
• atṛptāḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: a-tṛpta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, बहुवचन; नञ्-समास/उपसर्गयुक्त विशेषण: ‘unsatisfied’

• yānti: go/come
• yānti: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: yā (धातु)
• Form: लट् (present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन

• vidhvaṃsam: destruction/ruin
• vidhvaṃsam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vidhvaṃsa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचन

• santoṣam: contentment
• santoṣam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: santoṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचन

• yānti: go/attain
• yānti: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: yā (धातु)
• Form: लट् (present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन

• paṃḍitāḥ: wise people/scholars
• paṃḍitāḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: paṃḍita (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• sarve: all
• sarve: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, बहुवचन; विशेषण

• kṣayāntāḥ: ending in decay
• kṣayāntāḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kṣaya (प्रातिपदिक) + anta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, बहुवचन; तत्पुरुष (ending in destruction): ‘having destruction as the end’

• nicayāḥ: accumulations/hoards
• nicayāḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nicaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• patanāntāḥ: ending in downfall
• patanāntāḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: patana (प्रातिपदिक) + anta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, बहुवचन; तत्पुरुष: ‘having falling as the end’

• samucchrayāḥ: heaps/lofty accumulations
• samucchrayāḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sam-ud-śri (धातु) → samucchraya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, बहुवचन; भाववाचक/समूहवाचक संज्ञा: ‘heaps/lofty build-ups’

Speaker

Sanatkumara (teaching Narada in Moksha-Dharma context)

Vrata Kalpa

Vrata: none

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: karuna

FAQs

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

It teaches Moksha-Dharma through a stark contrast: insatiable craving leads to collapse, while contentment stabilizes the mind and supports liberation; it also warns that worldly accumulation and status are inherently impermanent.

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

Bhakti matures when desire and possessiveness reduce; by cultivating santoṣa, the devotee redirects attention from endless acquisition to steady remembrance and service, making devotion to Vishnu less transactional and more surrendered.

What practical Vedic knowledge (Vedanga) is highlighted here?

No specific Vedanga (like Vyakarana, Jyotisha, or Kalpa) is taught in this verse; the practical takeaway is ethical discipline—santoṣa and vairagya—used as a daily sadhana to restrain greed and pride.