Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 53
Ekādaśī Vrata-Vidhi and the Galava–Bhadrashīla Itihāsa
Dharmakīrti before Yama
गालव उवाच । कस्त्वं पूर्वं महाभाग किमुक्तं च यमेन ते । कस्य वा केन वा हेतोस्तत्सर्वं वक्तुमर्हसि ॥ ५३ ॥
gālava uvāca | kastvaṃ pūrvaṃ mahābhāga kimuktaṃ ca yamena te | kasya vā kena vā hetostatsarvaṃ vaktumarhasi || 53 ||
Gālava thưa: “Bạch bậc đại phúc, thuở trước ngài là ai? Diêm Vương đã nói gì với ngài? Vì ai—hay vì duyên cớ nào—mà mọi việc này xảy ra? Xin hãy kể cho tôi tất cả.”
Gālava
Vrata: none
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
FAQs
The verse frames a dharmic inquiry: understanding one’s former identity, the instruction of Yama (as Dharma’s authority), and the karmic cause (hetu) behind events—showing that spiritual clarity begins with precise questioning about karma and dharma.
Indirectly, it supports bhakti by emphasizing humility and the desire to know the truth behind suffering and destiny; such inquiry often leads to seeking refuge in Dharma and, in the Purāṇic arc, ultimately to devotion toward the divine as the highest resolution of karmic bondage.
The verse highlights causal reasoning (hetu) and careful interrogation typical of śāstric method; while no single Vedāṅga is named, the precision of questioning aligns with Vyākaraṇa-style clarity in meaning and Mīmāṃsā-like concern for cause and result in dharma.