Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 26

Mantra-Māhātmya and Sādhana of Kārtavīryārjuna

Nyāsa, Yantra, Homa, and Dīpa-Vrata

Devanagari script

ऊष्मान्त्यस्वरकिंजल्कं शेषार्णैः परिवेष्टितम् । कोणालंकृतभूतार्णभूगृहं यन्त्रमीशितुः ॥ २६ ॥

Transliteration

ūṣmāntyasvarakiṃjalkaṃ śeṣārṇaiḥ pariveṣṭitam | koṇālaṃkṛtabhūtārṇabhūgṛhaṃ yantramīśituḥ || 26 ||

Translation

يكون يانترا الربّ وفي مركزه «غبار الطَّلْع» المؤلَّف من الحركات (الصوائت) المنتهية بحروف الأوشمان (ūṣman)، ويُحاط بسائر المقاطع. وتُزَيَّن زواياه بمقاطع البهوتا (bhūta)، ويُوضَع داخل البهوغْرِها (bhūgṛha)، أي السور المربّع للأرض.

Word by Word

• ūṣma-antya-svara-kiṃjalkam: the filament/pollen (kiṃjalka) of the final vowels and ūṣman letters
• ūṣma-antya-svara-kiṃjalkam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ūṣman (प्रातिपदिक) + antya (प्रातिपदिक) + svara (प्रातिपदिक) + kiṃjalka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Accusative (द्वितीया/2), Singular (एकवचन); तत्पुरुष: ‘ūṣmāntya-svarāṇāṃ kiṃjalkaḥ’

• śeṣa-arṇaiḥ: with the remaining syllables/letters
• śeṣa-arṇaiḥ: Karana (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śeṣa (प्रातिपदिक) + arṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Instrumental (तृतीया/3), Plural (बहुवचन); तत्पुरुष ‘śeṣaiḥ arṇaiḥ’

• pariveṣṭitam: encircled
• pariveṣṭitam: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pari-√veṣṭ (धातु)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Accusative (द्वितीया/2), Singular (एकवचन); कृदन्त (क्त) ‘wrapped/encircled’

• koṇa-alaṃkṛta-bhūta-arṇa-bhū-gṛham: the earth-enclosure (bhūgṛha) adorned with corners and with elemental syllables
• koṇa-alaṃkṛta-bhūta-arṇa-bhū-gṛham: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: koṇa (प्रातिपदिक) + alaṃkṛta (कृदन्त, past participle from √kṛ with alam) + bhūta (प्रातिपदिक) + arṇa (प्रातिपदिक) + bhū (प्रातिपदिक) + gṛha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Accusative (द्वितीया/2), Singular (एकवचन); बहुपद-तत्पुरुष: ‘koṇaiḥ alaṃkṛtam … bhū-gṛham’ with ‘bhūta-arṇa’ (letters of elements)

• yantram: yantra (diagram)
• yantram: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yantra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Accusative (द्वितीया/2), Singular (एकवचन)

• īśituḥ: of the Lord
• īśituḥ: Sambandha (षष्ठी-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: īśitṛ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Genitive (षष्ठी/6), Singular (एकवचन)

Speaker

Sanatkumara (teaching Narada the technical science of yantra/mantra arrangement)

Vrata Kalpa

Vrata: none

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: adbhuta

Characters & Entities

• Ishvara (the Lord)

FAQs

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

It teaches that a deity’s yantra is not decorative art but a disciplined placement of sacred sounds (varṇas), where the center, enclosure, and corners encode spiritual order—making the diagram a support for focused worship and mantra-sādhana.

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

Bhakti here is expressed through precise upāsanā: the devotee honors the Lord by constructing the yantra according to revealed sound-structure, treating mantra and form as a unified aid to remembrance and worship.

What practical Vedic knowledge (Vedanga) is highlighted here?

It highlights śikṣā/varṇa-vinyāsa (phonetic-letter arrangement) applied to ritual technology—how specific classes of letters (vowels, ūṣman-ending groups, and other arṇas) are placed in the yantra’s center, perimeter, and corners.