Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 21

The Exposition of the Table of Contents (Anukramaṇī) of the Agni Purāṇa

Devanagari script

प्रलयानां लक्षणं च शारीरकनिरूपणम् । वर्णनं नरकाणां च योगाशास्त्र परम् ॥ २१ ॥

Transliteration

pralayānāṃ lakṣaṇaṃ ca śārīrakanirūpaṇam | varṇanaṃ narakāṇāṃ ca yogāśāstra param || 21 ||

Translation

此处阐明宇宙毁灭（pralaya，劫坏）的诸相，解析具身众生（身躯之构成），叙述诸地狱，并宣说至上的瑜伽教法。

Word by Word

• प्रलयानाम्: of dissolutions (pralayas)
• प्रलयानाम्: सम्बन्ध (षष्ठी/Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रलय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), बहुवचन (Plural)

• लक्षणम्: characteristic; definition
• लक्षणम्: कर्म (कर्म/Accusative object; item listed)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लक्षण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Nom./Acc. 1st/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

• च: and
• च: समुच्चय (connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

• शारीरक-निरूपणम्: description concerning the body (physical exposition)
• शारीरक-निरूपणम्: कर्म (कर्म/Accusative object; item listed)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शारीरक (प्रातिपदिक) + निरूपण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Nom./Acc. 1st/2nd), एकवचन (Singular); षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (determinative: 'of the body' + 'description')

• वर्णनम्: description
• वर्णनम्: कर्म (कर्म/Accusative object; item listed)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वर्णन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Nom./Acc. 1st/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

• नरकाणाम्: of hells
• नरकाणाम्: सम्बन्ध (षष्ठी/Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नरक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), बहुवचन (Plural)

• च: and
• च: समुच्चय (connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

• योग-शास्त्रम्: treatise on yoga
• योग-शास्त्रम्: कर्म (कर्म/Accusative object; item listed)
• Type: Noun
• Root: योग (प्रातिपदिक) + शास्त्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Nom./Acc. 1st/2nd), एकवचन (Singular); षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (determinative: 'of yoga' + 'treatise')

• परम्: supreme; excellent
• परम्: विशेषण (adjectival qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Nom./Acc. 1st/2nd), एकवचन (Singular); विशेषण (adjective) योगशास्त्रम्-विशेषणम्

Speaker

Suta (Anukramanika-style chapter summary narration, recounting the Purana’s contents)

Vrata Kalpa

Vrata: none

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka

FAQs

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

This verse functions as a table-of-contents marker: it signals that the text teaches impermanence through pralaya, ethical causality through naraka descriptions, self-inquiry through analysis of embodiment, and liberation-oriented discipline through Yoga.

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

Indirectly: by emphasizing pralaya and naraka it urges detachment and righteous living, and by placing “supreme Yoga teaching” as the culmination it frames spiritual practice as the means to transcend fear and bondage—often aligned in the Narada Purana with devotion to Vishnu as the liberating orientation.

What practical Vedic knowledge (Vedanga) is highlighted here?

No specific Vedanga (like Vyakarana, Jyotisha, or Kalpa) is named in this verse; it is a thematic summary pointing instead to doctrinal sections on cosmology (pralaya), ethics (naraka), anthropology (sharira), and soteriology (yoga).