Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 196

The Exposition of Nṛsiṁha Worship-Mantras, Nyāsa, Mudrās, Yantras, Kavaca, and Nṛsiṁha Gāyatrī

Devanagari script

अस्त्रतारोऽच्युतास्त्रं च तारो वाचा सुदेव फट् । तारमायामूर्तेः फट् वः कामः स्वरादिमः ॥ १९६ ॥

Transliteration

astratāro'cyutāstraṃ ca tāro vācā sudeva phaṭ | tāramāyāmūrteḥ phaṭ vaḥ kāmaḥ svarādimaḥ || 196 ||

Translation

المقطع «tāra» إذا اقترن بمانترا سلاح أچيوتا (Acyuta) صار مانترا المقذوف (astra). وإذا اقترن بالكلام (vācā) كان «Sudeva phaṭ». وإذا اقترن بصورة المايا كان «(tāra)… phaṭ». وأما «vaḥ» فيُقال إنه Kāma، مبتدئًا بحروف العلّة.

Word by Word

• अस्त्र-तारः: the astra-syllable ‘tāra’
• अस्त्र-तारः: कर्ता/विषय (Subject/Topic)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्त्र (प्रातिपदिक) + तार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा एकवचन; ‘tāra (syllable) of the astra’

• अच्युत-अस्त्रम्: Acyuta’s astra (weapon-mantra)
• अच्युत-अस्त्रम्: कर्म (Karma/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अच्युत (प्रातिपदिक) + अस्त्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, द्वितीया एकवचन; ‘weapon-mantra of Acyuta’

• च: and
• च: समुच्चय (Coordinator)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक अव्यय (conjunction)

• तारः: tāra (the syllable ‘oṃ’)
• तारः: कर्ता/विषय (Subject/Topic)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा एकवचन; mantra-syllable name

• वाचा: by speech/with utterance
• वाचा: करण (Karana/Instrument)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वाच् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), एकवचन

• सुदेव: O Sudeva
• सुदेव: सम्बोधन (Sambodhana/Vocative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सु (उपसर्ग/प्रातिपदिक) + देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, सम्बोधन एकवचन; epithet ‘O good deity’

• फट्: phaṭ (mantric syllable)
• फट्: मन्त्राङ्ग (Mantra element)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: फट् (अव्यय/मन्त्रबीज)
• Form: मन्त्रनिपात (mantric exclamation/बीज)

• तार-माया-मूर्तेः: of the tāra-māyā form
• तार-माया-मूर्तेः: सम्बन्ध (Genitive relation/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तार (प्रातिपदिक) + माया (प्रातिपदिक) + मूर्ति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), एकवचन; ‘of the form (mūrti) of tāra-māyā’

• फट्: phaṭ
• फट्: मन्त्राङ्ग (Mantra element)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: फट् (अव्यय/मन्त्रबीज)
• Form: मन्त्रनिपात (mantric exclamation/बीज)

• वः: for you / your
• वः: सम्प्रदान/सम्बन्ध (Dative/Genitive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी/चतुर्थी बहुवचन (genitive/dative plural) enclitic pronoun; contextually ‘for you/your’

• कामः: Kāma
• कामः: कर्ता/विषय (Subject/Topic)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा एकवचन

• स्वर-आदिमः: beginning with ‘svara’
• स्वर-आदिमः: विशेषण (Adjective of kāmaḥ)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्वर (प्रातिपदिक) + आदि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा एकवचन; ‘beginning with a vowel/svara’

Speaker

Sanatkumara (teaching Narada in a technical mantra-vidya/Vedanga-oriented section)

Vrata Kalpa

Vrata: none

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: adbhuta

Characters & Entities

• Acyuta (Vishnu)
• Tāra (Om)
• Māyā
• Kāma

FAQs

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

It explains a technical principle of mantra-vidyā: how the primordial syllable “tāra” (oṃ) is combined with specific deity-forms and functional particles like “phaṭ” to produce protective or forceful ritual applications centered on Acyuta (Viṣṇu).

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

Even in a technical Vedāṅga-style passage, the verse anchors efficacy in Viṣṇu as Acyuta—showing that ritual power and protection are framed as dependent on devotionally invoking the Lord’s names/forms rather than mere sound mechanics.

What practical Vedic knowledge (Vedanga) is highlighted here?

It highlights mantra-formation through phonetic/linguistic components—use of bīja-like syllables (tāra, vaḥ), the vowel-series (svara), and functional ritual exclamations (phaṭ), reflecting Śikṣā/Vyākaraṇa-informed mantra construction used in Narada Purana rituals.