Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 23

Saṃsāra-duḥkha: Karmic Descent, Garbhavāsa, Life’s Anxieties, Death, and the Call to Jñāna-Bhakti

Devanagari script

तं तु बाह्यवायुः समुज्जीवयति । बाह्यवायुस्पर्शसमनंतरमेव नष्टस्मृतिपूर्वानुभूताखिलदुःखानि वर्त्तमानान्यपि ज्ञानाभावदविज्ञायात्यंतदुःखमनुभवति ॥ २३ ॥

Transliteration

taṃ tu bāhyavāyuḥ samujjīvayati | bāhyavāyusparśasamanaṃtarameva naṣṭasmṛtipūrvānubhūtākhiladuḥkhāni varttamānānyapi jñānābhāvadavijñāyātyaṃtaduḥkhamanubhavati || 23 ||

Translation

Nhưng luồng khí bên ngoài làm nó hồi sinh. Ngay khi chạm gió ngoài, vì mất ký ức, nó không nhận ra mọi khổ đau đã từng trải qua—và cả những khổ đau đang hiện hữu—do thiếu chân trí; vì thế nó chịu nỗi thống khổ tột cùng.

Word by Word

• तम्: him
• तम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया एकवचन (Accusative singular)

• तु: but
• तु: Nipāta (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; विरोध/विशेषार्थक निपात (adversative/emphatic particle)

• बाह्यवायुः: the external air
• बाह्यवायुः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बाह्य-वायु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा एकवचन (Nominative singular)

• समुज्जीवयति: revives
• समुज्जीवयति: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम्-उद्-जीव् (धातु, णिजन्त)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद; causative (causes to revive)

• बाह्यवायु-स्पर्श-समनन्तरम्: immediately after the touch of external air
• बाह्यवायु-स्पर्श-समनन्तरम्: Kāla-adhikaraṇa (कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: बाह्य-वायु-स्पर्श-समनन्तर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययवत् प्रयोगः; कालवाचक (temporal adverb: immediately after the touch)

• एव: indeed
• एव: Nipāta (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधारण

• नष्टस्मृति-पूर्वानुभूत-अखिल-दुःखानि: all the previously experienced pains (with memory lost)
• नष्टस्मृति-पूर्वानुभूत-अखिल-दुःखानि: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नष्ट-स्मृति-पूर्व-अनुभूत-अखिल-दुःख (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया बहुवचन; बहुपदसमास; (here as object of अविज्ञाय)

• वर्तमानानि: present (current)
• वर्तमानानि: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वर्तमान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया बहुवचन; विशेषण

• अपि: also, even
• अपि: Nipāta (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय/अप्यर्थ

• ज्ञानाभावात्: due to absence of knowledge
• ज्ञानाभावात्: Hetu (हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ज्ञान-अभाव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी एकवचन (Ablative singular)

• अविज्ञाय: not knowing
• अविज्ञाय: Pūrvakāla-kriyā (पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अ-वि-ज्ञा (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund) with negation; 'not knowing/without recognizing'

• अत्यन्त-दुःखम्: extreme pain
• अत्यन्त-दुःखम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अत्यन्त-दुःख (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया एकवचन (Accusative singular)

• अनुभवति: experiences
• अनुभवति: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अनु-भू (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

Speaker

Sanatkumara (teaching Narada in dialogue)

Vrata Kalpa

Vrata: none

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: karuna

Secondary Rasa: shanta

FAQs

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

It highlights that mere revival of bodily life (through prana/air) does not end suffering; without jnana (true knowledge), the being fails to recognize the pattern of pain and remains bound to intense misery.

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

Indirectly, it implies that liberation from repeated misery needs inner awakening—bhakti to Vishnu, supported by right understanding, is a means to replace ignorance with God-centered awareness rather than merely continuing bodily existence.

What practical Vedic knowledge (Vedanga) is highlighted here?

No specific Vedanga is taught in this verse; the practical takeaway is discernment (viveka) about prana and embodied cognition—life-breath can restore activity, but only jnana removes the root cause of duhkha.