Shloka 1

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

Devanagari script

नवमो ऽध्यायः हरिरुवाच / र् श्यादिपूजां प्रवर्श्यामि स्थण्डिलादिषु सिद्धये / श्रीं ह्रीं महालक्ष्म्यै नमः / श्रां श्रीं श्रूं श्रैं श्रौं श्रः क्रमाद्धृदयं च शिरः शिखाम् / कवचं नेत्रमस्त्रं च आसनं मूर्तिमर्चयेत्

Transliteration

navamo 'dhyāyaḥ hariruvāca / r śyādipūjāṃ pravarśyāmi sthaṇḍilādiṣu siddhaye / śrīṃ hrīṃ mahālakṣmyai namaḥ / śrāṃ śrīṃ śrūṃ śraiṃ śrauṃ śraḥ kramāddhṛdayaṃ ca śiraḥ śikhām / kavacaṃ netramastraṃ ca āsanaṃ mūrtimarcayet

Translation

Hari sprach: „Zum Erlangen der Siddhi werde ich die Verehrung darlegen, die mit der Silbe ‘śrī’ beginnt und auf dem Sthaṇḍila (rituellen Altar) und den zugehörigen Anordnungen vollzogen wird. (Man rezitiere:) ‘Śrīṃ, Hrīṃ—Ehrerbietung der Mahālakṣmī.’ Dann, der Reihenfolge ‘Śrāṃ, Śrīṃ, Śrūṃ, Śraiṃ, Śrauṃ, Śraḥ’ gemäß, vollziehe man Nyāsa für Herz, Haupt, Haarschopf (śikhā), Schutzpanzer (kavaca), Augen und Waffe; sodann weihe man den Sitz und verehre die Mūrti.“

Word by Word

• navamaḥ: ninth
• navamaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: navama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; विशेषण (ordinal)

• adhyāyaḥ: chapter
• adhyāyaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: adhyāya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• hariḥ: Hari (Vishnu)
• hariḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: hari (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• ṛṣi-ādi-pūjām: worship of the sages etc.
• ṛṣi-ādi-pūjām: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ṛṣi (प्रातिपदिक) + ādi (अव्यय/प्रातिपदिक) + pūjā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (ādi-समासार्थः: ‘etc.’)

• pravakṣyāmi: I shall explain
• pravakṣyāmi: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra + vac (धातु)
• Form: लृट् (Simple Future), उत्तमपुरुष (1st person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• sthaṇḍila-ādiṣu: in the altar-ground etc.
• sthaṇḍila-ādiṣu: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sthaṇḍila (प्रातिपदिक) + ādi (अव्यय/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), बहुवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (‘sthaṇḍila etc.’)

• siddhaye: for accomplishment/success
• siddhaye: Sampradāna (Recipient/Purpose/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: siddhi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4th/Dative), एकवचन

• śrīm: seed syllable ‘śrīm’
• śrīm: Mantra (Mantric utterance/मन्त्र)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: śrī (बीज/मन्त्र-शब्द)
• Form: मन्त्रबीज (बीजाक्षर), अव्यय

• hrīm: seed syllable ‘hrīm’
• hrīm: Mantra (Mantric utterance/मन्त्र)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: hrī (बीज/मन्त्र-शब्द)
• Form: मन्त्रबीज (बीजाक्षर), अव्यय

• mahālakṣmyai: to Mahālakṣmī
• mahālakṣmyai: Sampradāna (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā + lakṣmī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4th/Dative), एकवचन; समासः—कर्मधारय (‘great Lakṣmī’)

• namaḥ: salutation
• namaḥ: Prayojana (Salutation/प्रयोजन)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: namas (प्रातिपदिक/अव्ययवत्)
• Form: नमस्कारार्थक अव्यय (indeclinable of salutation)

• śrām: seed syllable ‘śrām’
• śrām: Mantra (Mantric utterance/मन्त्र)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: śrā (बीज/मन्त्र-शब्द)
• Form: मन्त्रबीज (बीजाक्षर), अव्यय

• śrīm: seed syllable ‘śrīm’
• śrīm: Mantra (Mantric utterance/मन्त्र)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: śrī (बीज/मन्त्र-शब्द)
• Form: मन्त्रबीज (बीजाक्षर), अव्यय

• śrūm: seed syllable ‘śrūm’
• śrūm: Mantra (Mantric utterance/मन्त्र)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: śrū (बीज/मन्त्र-शब्द)
• Form: मन्त्रबीज (बीजाक्षर), अव्यय

• śraim: seed syllable ‘śraim’
• śraim: Mantra (Mantric utterance/मन्त्र)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: śrai (बीज/मन्त्र-शब्द)
• Form: मन्त्रबीज (बीजाक्षर), अव्यय

• śraum: seed syllable ‘śraum’
• śraum: Mantra (Mantric utterance/मन्त्र)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: śrau (बीज/मन्त्र-शब्द)
• Form: मन्त्रबीज (बीजाक्षर), अव्यय

• śraḥ: seed syllable ‘śraḥ’
• śraḥ: Mantra (Mantric utterance/मन्त्र)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: śraḥ (बीज/मन्त्र-शब्द)
• Form: मन्त्रबीज (बीजाक्षर), अव्यय

• kramāt: in order, sequentially
• kramāt: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: krama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (तृतीया-एकवचनरूपेण अव्ययीभावः/क्रियाविशेषण)

• dhṛdayam: heart (hṛdaya)
• dhṛdayam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: hṛdaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

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

• śiraḥ: head
• śiraḥ: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śiras (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• śikhām: topknot/crest (śikhā)
• śikhām: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śikhā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• kavacam: armor (kavaca)
• kavacam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kavaca (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• netra-astram: the ‘netra-astra’ (eye-weapon)
• netra-astram: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: netra (प्रातिपदिक) + astra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (‘netra-astra’ = eye-weapon)

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

• āsanam: seat (āsana)
• āsanam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: āsana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• mūrtim: image/form (idol)
• mūrtim: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mūrti (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• arcayet: should worship
• arcayet: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: arc (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

Speaker

Hari (Lord Vishnu)

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Mantra-nyāsa and icon-worship as a disciplined means to invoke Mahālakṣmī’s auspicious power for siddhi.

Vedantic Theme: Īśvara-upāsanā as a preparatory discipline (citta-śuddhi) where the sacred is approached through name, form, and ordered ritual.

Application: Maintain a clean, bounded worship space; recite the bīja/mantra with attention; perform nyāsa as mindful placement of divinity in one’s faculties before any prayer for success.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: adbhuta

Geographic Context

Type: ritual_space

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana (sections on pūjā-vidhi, mantra-nyāsa, and devatā-arcana in the early kāṇḍas)

Characters & Entities

• Hari
• Mahālakṣmī

FAQs

What is the importance of Lakshmi-bīja worship in the Garuda Purana?

This verse frames Mahālakṣmī worship through bīja-mantras and nyāsa as a means to gain siddhi (successful fruition) and ritual protection.

How does this verse explain the path of the soul?

It does not describe the after-death journey here; instead, it teaches a protective and success-oriented ritual discipline (nyāsa and mūrti-arcana) within the Purāṇic framework.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

Use the verse as a guideline for structured worship: mantra-recitation with mindful “placement” (nyāsa) and respectful icon-worship, emphasizing order, clarity, and devotion.