Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 66
Ekādaśī Vrata-Vidhi and the Galava–Bhadrashīla Itihāsa
Dharmakīrti before Yama
ततो यमभटैर्बद्धो महादंष्ट्राभयंकरैः । अनेकक्लेशसंपन्नमार्गेणाप्तो यमांतिकम् । दंष्ट्राकरालवदनमपश्यं समवर्तिनम् ॥ ६६ ॥
tato yamabhaṭairbaddho mahādaṃṣṭrābhayaṃkaraiḥ | anekakleśasaṃpannamārgeṇāpto yamāṃtikam | daṃṣṭrākarālavadanamapaśyaṃ samavartinam || 66 ||
Rồi ta bị các sứ giả của Diêm Vương (Yama-bhaṭa) trói chặt, đáng sợ với những nanh lớn; chúng dẫn ta theo con đường đầy khổ hình đến trước mặt Yama; và tại đó ta thấy Samavartin, Chúa Tể Tử Thần, gương mặt ghê rợn với nanh nhô ra.
Narrator (a jīva describing the post-death experience; within the Narada–Sanatkumara dialogue frame)
Vrata: none
Primary Rasa: bhayanaka
Secondary Rasa: karuna
FAQs
It underscores karma-phala: after death, the unpurified soul may be seized by Yamabhaṭas and led through painful states to face Yama, highlighting the urgency of dharma, repentance, and devotion before death.
By portraying the terror of Yama’s realm, the verse implicitly motivates refuge in Bhagavān (especially Vishnu-bhakti taught throughout the Purva Bhaga) as the fear-dissolving path that purifies karma and steadies the mind at death.
No specific Vedanga (like Vyākaraṇa, Jyotiṣa, or Kalpa) is directly taught in this verse; the practical takeaway is ethical discipline (dharma) and corrective practice (prāyaścitta/vrata) to avert painful post-death consequences described in Purāṇic dharma sections.