Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 48

Bharata’s Attachment and the Palanquin Teaching on ‘I’ and ‘Mine’

Devanagari script

जातिस्मरोऽसौ पापस्य क्षयकाम उवाह ताम् । ययौ जडगतिस्तत्र युगमात्रावलोकनम् ॥ ४८ ॥

Transliteration

jātismaro'sau pāpasya kṣayakāma uvāha tām | yayau jaḍagatistatra yugamātrāvalokanam || 48 ||

Translation

他能忆念前生，愿诸罪消尽，便娶她为妻。其后他行止如痴如钝，停留彼处，只是凝望，仿佛一劫（yuga）之久。

Word by Word

• जाति-स्मरः: one who remembers (his) former births
• जाति-स्मरः: विशेषण (Adjectival qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: जाति (प्रातिपदिक) + स्मर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (जात्याः स्मरः/जातिं स्मरति इति); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषण (असौ)

• असौ: that man/he
• असौ: कर्ता (Karta/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अदस् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• पापस्य: of sin
• पापस्य: सम्बन्ध (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचन

• क्षय-कामः: desiring the destruction (of it)
• क्षय-कामः: विशेषण (Adjectival qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: क्षय (प्रातिपदिक) + काम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष समास (क्षयं कामयते इति); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषण (असौ)

• उवाह: carried/bore
• उवाह: क्रिया (Verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √वह् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect/लिट्), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• ताम्: her/that (palanquin)
• ताम्: कर्म (Karma/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• ययौ: went
• ययौ: क्रिया (Verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √या (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• जड-गतिः: moving sluggishly
• जड-गतिः: विशेषण (Adjectival qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: जड (प्रातिपदिक) + गति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय समास; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषण (असौ)

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: अधिकरण (Adhikaraṇa/Location)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (locative adverb)

• युग-मात्र-अवलोकनम्: for only a moment (lit. a yuga-measure of looking)
• युग-मात्र-अवलोकनम्: कालाधिकरण (Temporal extent)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युग (प्रातिपदिक) + मात्र (प्रातिपदिक) + अवलोकन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष समास; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; क्रियाविशेषणार्थे (accusative of extent/time)

Speaker

Narada (narrating to the Sanatkumara brothers)

Vrata Kalpa

Vrata: none

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: karuna

FAQs

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

It shows that awakening to past-life memory (jātismaratā) can intensify the urge for pāpa-kṣaya (the ending of sin), yet mere external life-events (like marriage) do not guarantee inner transformation; true purification requires conscious spiritual effort and detachment.

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

Indirectly, it contrasts inner awakening with outward action: without turning the awakened mind toward Bhagavān through remembrance and surrender, one may remain a passive observer. In Mokṣa-dharma narratives, such inertia is overcome by purposeful devotion and disciplined practice.

What practical Vedic knowledge (Vedanga) is highlighted here?

No specific Vedāṅga (like Vyākaraṇa or Jyotiṣa) is taught in this verse; the practical takeaway is ethical-spiritual: pāpa-kṣaya is sought through deliberate dharma and sādhana, not merely by social rites.