Shloka 24
Puruṣottama-māhātmya
The Greatness of Puruṣottama Kṣetra
पुरोधसां यथा जीवः कालः कलयतां यथा । ग्रहाणां भास्करो यद्वन्मंत्राणां प्रणवो यथा ॥ २४ ॥
purodhasāṃ yathā jīvaḥ kālaḥ kalayatāṃ yathā | grahāṇāṃ bhāskaro yadvanmaṃtrāṇāṃ praṇavo yathā || 24 ||
كما أن الجِيفا، مبدأ الحياة، هو الأسمى بين الكهنة، وكما أن الزمان (كالا) هو الأسمى بين الحاسبين، وكما أن الشمس هي الأسمى بين الكواكب—كذلك فإن البرَنَفَة «أوم» هو الأسمى بين المانترا.
Narada (instructional voice within the Narada Purana’s Uttara-Bhaga style of praise and hierarchy statements)
Vrata: none
Primary Rasa: shanta (peace)
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta (wonder)
FAQs
It establishes a hierarchy of essentials: as life, time, and the sun are primary in their domains, so Oṁ (Praṇava) is primary in mantra—implying that spiritual practice is rooted in the supreme seed-sound that leads the mind toward the highest reality.
By presenting Praṇava as the crown of mantras, it supports the bhakti practice of beginning worship, japa, and ritual acts with Oṁ—centering devotion on the Lord indicated by the Vedic seed-syllable and steadying the heart in reverence.
Jyotiṣa (Vedic astrology/astronomy) is signaled through the statement that Bhāskara (the Sun) is chief among grahas, and mantra-vidyā is emphasized by identifying Praṇava as the foundational syllable used in Vedic recitation and ritual formulations.