Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 60

The Exposition of the Maheśa Mantra

Mahēśa-mantra-prakāśana

Devanagari script

शिखिं शिखाय परतोऽनादिबोधाय तच्छिखा । वज्रिणे वज्रहस्ताय स्वतंत्राय तनुच्छदम् ॥ ६० ॥

Transliteration

śikhiṃ śikhāya parato'nādibodhāya tacchikhā | vajriṇe vajrahastāya svataṃtrāya tanucchadam || 60 ||

Translation

سلامٌ وسجودٌ لذي القِمّةِ المتوَّجة، لِمَن يحمل العُقدةَ على الرأس؛ للمتعالِي وراءَ كلِّ شيء، مُوقِظِ الوعي الأزليّ الذي لا بدء له، وقِمّتُه هي عينُ ذلك النور. سلامٌ لِحامِلِ الفَجْرَةِ (الفَجْرَةِ/الفَجْرَةِ: الفَجْرَةِ) أي الفَجْرَةِ «فَجْرَا» (الفَجْرَةِ)؛ لِمَن في يده الفَجْرَةُ «فَجْرَا» (الفَجْرَةُ/الفَجْرَةُ: الفَجْرَةُ)؛ سلامٌ للربّ المستقلّ، ساترِ الوجودِ المتجسِّدِ وعمادِه.

Word by Word

• śikhim: the crested one; peacock / one with a tuft
• śikhim: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śikhin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga (Masculine/पुंलिङ्ग), Dvitīyā (Accusative/द्वितीया), Ekavacana (Singular/एकवचन)

• śikhāya: for the tuft/crest
• śikhāya: Sampradāna (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śikhā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga (Feminine/स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Caturthī (Dative/चतुर्थी), Ekavacana

• parataḥ: afterwards; from outside/elsewhere
• parataḥ: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: paratas (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Avyaya (Indeclinable/अव्यय), Adverb (क्रियाविशेषण)

• anādi-bodhāya: for the beginningless awakening/knowledge
• anādi-bodhāya: Sampradāna (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: anādi + bodha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Tatpuruṣa-samāsa (तत्पुरुष), Puṃliṅga, Caturthī (Dative/चतुर्थी), Ekavacana

• tat-śikhā: that tuft/that crest
• tat-śikhā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tat (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + śikhā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Tatpuruṣa (तत्पुरुष: pronoun-determiner), Strīliṅga, Prathamā (Nominative/प्रथमा), Ekavacana

• vajriṇe: to the wielder of the thunderbolt (Indra)
• vajriṇe: Sampradāna (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vajrin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Caturthī (Dative/चतुर्थी), Ekavacana

• vajra-hastāya: to him whose hand holds a thunderbolt
• vajra-hastāya: Sampradāna (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vajra + hasta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Tatpuruṣa (तत्पुरुष), Puṃliṅga, Caturthī (Dative/चतुर्थी), Ekavacana

• svatantrāya: to the independent one
• svatantrāya: Sampradāna (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: svatantra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga (as epithet), Caturthī (Dative/चतुर्थी), Ekavacana

• tanu-cchadam: a thin covering/veil
• tanu-cchadam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tanu + chada (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Tatpuruṣa (तत्पुरुष), Napuṃsaka (Neuter/नपुंसक), Dvitīyā (Accusative/द्वितीया), Ekavacana

Speaker

Narada (in a stotra/namavali-style recitation within the Vedanga/technical section)

Vrata Kalpa

Vrata: none

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: bhakti

Secondary Rasa: shanta

Characters & Entities

• Vishnu

FAQs

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

It praises the Lord as transcendent (parataḥ), self-sovereign (svatantra), and the awakener of beginningless consciousness (anādibodha), presenting devotion as a direct means to inner awakening and liberation.

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

By concentrating on potent divine epithets—crest-bearing, vajra-wielding, independent—the verse trains the mind to remember the Lord’s supremacy and power, which is a core bhakti practice (nāma-smaraṇa/stotra-japa).

What practical Vedic knowledge (Vedanga) is highlighted here?

The verse reflects mantra-style construction typical of śikṣā and vyākaraṇa sensitivity: compact vocatives, epithets, and semantic layering used for precise recitation and contemplative meaning in ritual or japa.