Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 8
Yamapatha (The Road of Yama), Dāna-Phala, and the Imperishable Fruition of Karma
क्वचित्कंटकवृक्षाश्च दुःखारोहशिला नगाः । गाढांधकाराश्च गुहाः कंटकावरणं महत् ॥ ८ ॥
kvacitkaṃṭakavṛkṣāśca duḥkhārohaśilā nagāḥ | gāḍhāṃdhakārāśca guhāḥ kaṃṭakāvaraṇaṃ mahat || 8 ||
Có nơi là cây gai góc; có nơi là núi với sườn đá khiến việc leo trèo đau đớn. Lại có những hang động chìm trong bóng tối dày đặc, và những vùng rộng lớn bị gai nhọn phủ kín.
Narada
Vrata: none
Primary Rasa: bhayanaka
Secondary Rasa: bibhatsa
FAQs
The verse uses harsh landscape imagery—thorns, painful ascents, and dark caves—to symbolize the perilous, obstructed nature of saṃsāra and the need to seek a liberating path grounded in dharma and inner clarity.
By highlighting danger and confusion in worldly movement, it implicitly points to bhakti as a steadier refuge: remembrance and surrender to Vishnu function like a clear road through thorny terrain, reducing fear and misdirection.
No specific Vedāṅga (such as Vyākaraṇa, Jyotiṣa, or Kalpa) is directly taught in this verse; the takeaway is ethical-practical—recognize obstacles and cultivate disciplined practice (niyama) to avoid spiritual “dark caves” of ignorance.