Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 53
Ekādaśī Vrata-Vidhi and the Galava–Bhadrashīla Itihāsa
Dharmakīrti before Yama
गालव उवाच । कस्त्वं पूर्वं महाभाग किमुक्तं च यमेन ते । कस्य वा केन वा हेतोस्तत्सर्वं वक्तुमर्हसि ॥ ५३ ॥
gālava uvāca | kastvaṃ pūrvaṃ mahābhāga kimuktaṃ ca yamena te | kasya vā kena vā hetostatsarvaṃ vaktumarhasi || 53 ||
伽罗婆说道：“噢，大有福德者，你从前是谁？阎摩王对你说了什么？这一切是为谁、或因何缘故而发生？请将一切都告诉我。”
Gālava
Vrata: none
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
FAQs
The verse frames a dharmic inquiry: understanding one’s former identity, the instruction of Yama (as Dharma’s authority), and the karmic cause (hetu) behind events—showing that spiritual clarity begins with precise questioning about karma and dharma.
Indirectly, it supports bhakti by emphasizing humility and the desire to know the truth behind suffering and destiny; such inquiry often leads to seeking refuge in Dharma and, in the Purāṇic arc, ultimately to devotion toward the divine as the highest resolution of karmic bondage.
The verse highlights causal reasoning (hetu) and careful interrogation typical of śāstric method; while no single Vedāṅga is named, the precision of questioning aligns with Vyākaraṇa-style clarity in meaning and Mīmāṃsā-like concern for cause and result in dharma.