Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 33

The Description of the Index (Anukramaṇikā) of the Padma Purāṇa

Devanagari script

भक्त्याख्यानं च माहात्म्यं श्रीमद्भागवतस्य ह । इन्द्रप्रस्थस्य माहात्म्यं बहुतीर्थकथान्वितम् ॥ ३३ ॥

Transliteration

bhaktyākhyānaṃ ca māhātmyaṃ śrīmadbhāgavatasya ha | indraprasthasya māhātmyaṃ bahutīrthakathānvitam || 33 ||

Translation

其中亦含对奉爱（bhakti）的叙述与《圣薄伽梵往世书》（Śrīmad Bhāgavata）的伟大功德；并赞说因陀罗城（Indraprastha）的荣耀——连同诸多圣地（tīrtha）的传记。

Word by Word

• भक्त्याख्यानम्: the narrative of devotion
• भक्त्याख्यानम्: कर्म (Karma/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भक्ति-आख्यान (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः: ‘भक्तेः आख्यानम्’

• च: and
• च: समुच्चय (Coordinator)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयबोधक (conjunction)

• माहात्म्यम्: the greatness (glory)
• माहात्म्यम्: कर्म (Karma/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: माहात्म्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• श्रीमद्भागवतस्य: of the revered Bhāgavata (Purāṇa)
• श्रीमद्भागवतस्य: सम्बन्ध (षष्ठी/Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्रीमत्-भागवत (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (n.), षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्मधारयः: ‘श्रीमत् (शोभन/पूज्य) भागवतम्’

• ह: indeed
• ह: निपात (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ह (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात (particle), पदपूरण/उद्गारार्थ (emphatic/expletive)

• इन्द्रप्रस्थस्य: of Indraprastha
• इन्द्रप्रस्थस्य: सम्बन्ध (षष्ठी/Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इन्द्रप्रस्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (n.), षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• माहात्म्यम्: the greatness (glory)
• माहात्म्यम्: कर्म (Karma/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: माहात्म्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• बहुतीर्थकथान्वितम्: endowed with many accounts of sacred places
• बहुतीर्थकथान्वितम्: विशेषण (Adjectival predicate)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: बहु-तीर्थ-कथा-अन्वित (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः: ‘बह्वीः तीर्थकथाः यस्मिन् तद्’—अन्वित (युक्त) विशेषणम् माहात्म्यस्य

Speaker

Sage Narada (continuing an anukramanika-style summary to the Sanatkumara brothers)

Vrata Kalpa

Vrata: none

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: bhakti

Secondary Rasa: shanta

Characters & Entities

• Bhakti
• Srimad Bhagavata
• Indraprastha
• Tirtha

FAQs

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

It signals that the text includes both bhakti-oriented instruction (devotional narratives) and tīrtha-māhātmya (the sanctity of sacred places), presenting devotion and pilgrimage as complementary aids to dharma and spiritual uplift.

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

By explicitly naming “bhaktyākhyāna” and the “māhātmya” of the Śrīmad Bhāgavata, it points to devotion being taught through revered Purāṇic exemplars—glorifying bhakti as a central means of approaching the Divine.

What practical Vedic knowledge (Vedanga) is highlighted here?

No specific Vedāṅga (like Vyākaraṇa or Jyotiṣa) is taught in this verse; instead it functions as an index line, emphasizing Purāṇic māhātmya literature and tīrtha-related guidance (pilgrimage tradition).