Shloka 2

Śrī-nyāsa, Lotus Maṇḍala Construction, and Homa to Mahālakṣmī with Sarasvatī Invocation

Devanagari script

मण्डले पद्मगर्भे च चतुर्द्वारि रजो ऽन्विते / चतुः षष्ट्यन्तमष्टादि खाक्षे खाक्ष्यादि मण्डलम्

Transliteration

maṇḍale padmagarbhe ca caturdvāri rajo 'nvite / catuḥ ṣaṣṭyantamaṣṭādi khākṣe khākṣyādi maṇḍalam

Translation

في ذلك الماندالا—ذو «رحم اللوتس» (padma-garbha)، وله أربعة أبواب، ومشبعٌ بالراجَس (صفة الفعل والحركة)—وُصِفَ الترتيب الدائري بأنه يبدأ من «ثمانية عشر» ويمتد إلى «أربعة وستين»، مع تقسيمات تُعَلَّم وفق تسلسل «kha–akṣa» (الفضاء/الأثير–المقاطع).

Word by Word

• maṇḍale: in the maṇḍala (diagram)
• maṇḍale: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: maṇḍala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• padma-garbhe: with a lotus at the center
• padma-garbhe: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: padma (प्रातिपदिक) + garbha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (‘lotus-wombed’/‘having a lotus inside’), विशेषण maṇḍale

• ca: and
• ca: Samuccaya (Conjunction/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक अव्यय (conjunction)

• catur-dvāri: having four gates
• catur-dvāri: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: catur (प्रातिपदिक) + dvāra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; द्विगु-समास (‘four-gated’), विशेषण maṇḍale

• rajaḥ-anvite: endowed with rajas (reddish/with dust)
• rajaḥ-anvite: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: rajas (प्रातिपदिक) + anvita (अन्वित, क्त-प्रत्ययान्त प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (‘endowed with rajas/colored with dust’), विशेषण maṇḍale

• catuḥ: four
• catuḥ: Saṅkhyā (Number/संख्या)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: catur (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययवत् संख्याशब्दः (indeclinable-like numeral)

• ṣaṣṭi-antam: ending with sixty
• ṣaṣṭi-antam: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ṣaṣṭi (प्रातिपदिक) + anta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (‘ending with sixty’)

• aṣṭa-ādi: beginning with eight
• aṣṭa-ādi: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: aṣṭa (प्रातिपदिक) + ādi (अव्यय/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (‘beginning with eight’)

• khākṣe: in/at ‘khākṣa’ (technical term)
• khākṣe: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: khākṣa (प्रातिपदिक/मन्त्र-तकनीकी-शब्द)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन (तकनीकी पद)

• khākṣya-ādi: beginning with ‘khākṣya’
• khākṣya-ādi: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: khākṣya (प्रातिपदिक/तकनीकी-शब्द) + ādi (अव्यय/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (‘beginning with khākṣya’)

• maṇḍalam: maṇḍala (diagram)
• maṇḍalam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: maṇḍala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

Speaker

Lord Vishnu (in dialogue with Garuda/Vinata-putra)

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Sacred space is structured; number, direction, and syllabic mapping encode a cosmological order for effective worship.

Vedantic Theme: Bandhu (correspondence) between microcosm and macrocosm—outer geometry supports inner steadiness and intelligibility of the sacred.

Application: When using diagrams/visualizations, keep proportions and directions consistent; treat structure as a support for concentration rather than mere ornament.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: adbhuta

Secondary Rasa: shanta

Geographic Context

Type: ritual_diagram

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana ritual chapters describing maṇḍala/yantra arrangements and devatā-āvaraṇa placements

FAQs

What is the importance of the mandala with a lotus-center and four gates in the Garuda Purana?

This verse frames a technical cosmological/ritual diagram: a lotus-like center with four directional gates, indicating an ordered sacred space used to describe structure, movement, and classification within the text’s cosmological scheme.

How does this verse explain the path of the soul?

Indirectly: by mapping an ordered mandala with gates and graded divisions, it supports the Purana’s broader method of describing worlds, routes, and stages—conceptual scaffolding later used for afterlife geography and transitions.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

Use it as a reminder that ritual space and inner practice benefit from order: establish clear ‘gateways’ (discipline, purity, direction) and a centered focus (the lotus-womb) to reduce rajas-driven distraction.