Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 30
Saṃsāra-duḥkha: Karmic Descent, Garbhavāsa, Life’s Anxieties, Death, and the Call to Jñāna-Bhakti
बालापत्या च मे भार्या व्याधितोऽहं च निर्धनः । अविचारात्कृषिर्नष्टा पुत्रा नित्यं रुदंति च ॥ ३० ॥
bālāpatyā ca me bhāryā vyādhito'haṃ ca nirdhanaḥ | avicārātkṛṣirnaṣṭā putrā nityaṃ rudaṃti ca || 30 ||
妻子肩负幼子之累，我又病弱贫乏。因欠思量，农事尽毁，诸子日日啼哭。
A distressed householder (narrative petitioner) speaking within the dialogue frame to Sage Nārada/Sanatkumāra context
Vrata: none
Primary Rasa: karuna
Secondary Rasa: shanta
FAQs
It voices the lived reality of duḥkha in gṛhastha-life—illness, poverty, and family distress—setting the ground for dharmic counsel: suffering is intensified by avicāra (lack of discernment), and relief is sought through right conduct and spiritually aligned choices.
Though Bhakti is not named here, the verse functions as a turning-point: when worldly supports (health, wealth, livelihood) collapse, the seeker becomes fit to approach a higher refuge—typically, in the Narada Purana’s arc, devotion and surrender to Hari/Vishnu guided by a teacher.
The emphasis is on vicāra (discernment) as practical wisdom for right action; it indirectly supports dharma in livelihood decisions rather than a specific Vedāṅga like Vyākaraṇa or Jyotiṣa being explicitly taught in this verse.