Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 84

Sanatkumāra’s Bhāgavata Tantra: Tattvas, Māyā-Bonds, Embodiment, and the Necessity of Dīkṣā

Devanagari script

तन्मात्रं तद्भूतगुणं करणं पोषणं तथा । भूतस्य तु विशेषोऽयं विशेषरहितं तु तत् ॥ ८४ ॥

Transliteration

tanmātraṃ tadbhūtaguṇaṃ karaṇaṃ poṣaṇaṃ tathā | bhūtasya tu viśeṣo'yaṃ viśeṣarahitaṃ tu tat || 84 ||

Translation

Tanmātra (vi tế), phẩm tính tương ứng của đại tố ấy, các căn (cơ quan nhận biết/hành động), cùng sự nuôi dưỡng nữa—đó là nét đặc thù của một bhūta (đại tố). Còn tanmātra kia thì không mang sự phân biệt đặc thù như vậy.

Word by Word

• तन्-मात्रम्: that alone; mere that
• तन्-मात्रम्: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + मात्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (neuter), प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd case), एकवचन (singular); तत्पुरुष—"तस्य मात्रम्" = "that alone/only that"

• तद्-भूत-गुणम्: the quality of that element
• तद्-भूत-गुणम्: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + भूत (प्रातिपदिक) + गुण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (neuter), प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd case), एकवचन (singular); बहु-तत्पुरुष—"तस्य भूतस्य गुणः"

• करणम्: instrument; organ
• करणम्: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: करण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (neuter), प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd case), एकवचन (singular)

• पोषणम्: nourishment; sustaining
• पोषणम्: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पोषण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (neuter), प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd case), एकवचन (singular)

• तथा: thus; likewise; also
• तथा: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: क्रियाविशेषण (adverb) / समुच्चयार्थे (also)

• भूतस्य: of the element/being
• भूतस्य: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Genitive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भूत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (neuter), षष्ठी (6th case/genitive), एकवचन (singular)

• तु: but; indeed
• तु: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle: contrast/emphasis)

• विशेषः: distinction; particularity
• विशेषः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विशेष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (masculine), प्रथमा (1st case/nominative), एकवचन (singular)

• अयम्: this
• अयम्: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (masculine), प्रथमा (1st case/nominative), एकवचन (singular)

• विशेष-रहितम्: without distinction
• विशेष-रहितम्: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: विशेष (प्रातिपदिक) + रहित (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (neuter), प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd case), एकवचन (singular); तत्पुरुष—"विशेषेण रहितम्" = "devoid of distinction"

• तु: but
• तु: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle: contrast/emphasis)

• तत्: that
• तत्: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (neuter), प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd case), एकवचन (singular)

Speaker

Sanatkumara (teaching Narada)

Vrata Kalpa

Vrata: none

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: none

Characters & Entities

• Narada
• Sanatkumara

FAQs

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

It distinguishes subtle causes (tanmātras) from gross manifestations (bhūtas), guiding discernment (viveka) between the unmanifest basis and manifest differentiations—an aid to detachment and liberation-oriented understanding.

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

By clarifying how sensory experience arises from gross elements and their organs, it supports bhakti through disciplined sense-management—turning the instruments (karaṇas) away from mere objects and toward remembrance and worship of the Supreme.

What practical Vedic knowledge (Vedanga) is highlighted here?

A technical, near-Sāṅkhya mapping of tattvas—tanmātra, bhūta-guṇa, karaṇa—useful for systematic study and instruction (a Vedāṅga-style analytical method), though not a ritual rule or astrology passage.