Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 68

योगस्वरूप-धारणा-समाधि-वर्णनम् (केशिध्वजोपदेशः)

Devanagari script

विज्ञानं प्रापकं प्राप्ये परे ब्रह्मणि पार्थिव । प्रापणीयस्तथैवात्मा प्रक्षीणाशेषभावनः ॥ ६८ ॥

Transliteration

vijñānaṃ prāpakaṃ prāpye pare brahmaṇi pārthiva | prāpaṇīyastathaivātmā prakṣīṇāśeṣabhāvanaḥ || 68 ||

Translation

大王啊，就那应证得之至上梵（Brahman）而言，毗阇那（vijñāna，抉择智）为能达之因；而当一切残余的熏习与造作（bhāvanā）尽皆枯竭时，所证得者即是自我（Ātman）本身。

Word by Word

• vijñānam: knowledge / realization
• vijñānam: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vijñāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative (1st), Singular

• prāpakam: that which leads (to) / causing attainment
• prāpakam: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: prāpaka (प्रातिपदिक; from prāp धातु, agent-noun)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative (1st), Singular; agrees with 'vijñānam'

• prāpye: in the attainable goal
• prāpye: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: prāpya (कृदन्त; from prāp धातु, gerundive)
• Form: Neuter, Locative (7th), Singular; 'in the attainable (goal)'

• pare: supreme
• pare: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: para (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Locative (7th), Singular; agrees with 'brahmaṇi' (locative)

• brahmaṇi: in Brahman
• brahmaṇi: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brahman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Locative (7th), Singular

• pārthiva: O king
• pārthiva: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pārthiva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Vocative (8th), Singular

• prāpaṇīyaḥ: to be attained / fit to be reached
• prāpaṇīyaḥ: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: prāpaṇīya (कृदन्त; from prāp धातु, gerundive/णीयत्)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st), Singular; agrees with 'ātmā'

• tathā: thus / likewise
• tathā: Kriya-visheshaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: Adverb

• eva: indeed / just
• eva: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: Particle (निपात), emphasis

• ātmā: the Self
• ātmā: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ātman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st), Singular

• prakṣīṇa-aśeṣa-bhāvanaḥ: with all ideations exhausted
• prakṣīṇa-aśeṣa-bhāvanaḥ: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: prakṣīṇa (कृदन्त; from kṣi धातु, past participle) + aśeṣa (प्रातिपदिक) + bhāvana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular; multi-member तत्पुरुष: (अशेषा भावनाः) whose 'all mental impressions/ideations' are exhausted (प्रक्षीण)

Speaker

Sanatkumara (teaching Narada; addressed to the king as 'pārthiva')

Vrata Kalpa

Vrata: none

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: none

Characters & Entities

• Brahman
• Atman

FAQs

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

It defines liberation in precise terms: Brahman is the supreme goal, vijñāna (clear discriminative realization) is the effective means, and the Self is realized when all lingering conditioning and mental impressions (bhāvanās) are fully extinguished.

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

While the verse speaks in jñāna-language, it supports bhakti indirectly: devotion to the Supreme purifies the mind and weakens bhāvanās; when impressions are exhausted, the same Supreme reality is realized as the Self.

What practical Vedic knowledge (Vedanga) is highlighted here?

No specific Vedāṅga (like Vyākaraṇa or Jyotiṣa) is taught here; the practical takeaway is sādhana-oriented—cultivating vijñāna and reducing habitual mental formations (bhāvanā-kṣaya) through disciplined contemplation and purity of mind.