Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 21

Śeṣoditya-Sūrya-nyāsa, Soma-sādhana, Graha-pūjā, and Bhauma-vrata-vidhi

Devanagari script

कुंडलां गदकेयूरहारिणं च त्रयीतनुम् । ध्यात्वैवं प्रजपेन्मंत्री वसुलक्षं दशांशतः ॥ २१ ॥

Transliteration

kuṃḍalāṃ gadakeyūrahāriṇaṃ ca trayītanum | dhyātvaivaṃ prajapenmaṃtrī vasulakṣaṃ daśāṃśataḥ || 21 ||

Translation

So meditierend über den Herrn—geschmückt mit Ohrringen, die Keule (gadā) tragend, mit Armreifen und Halskette geziert, und dessen Leib die Verkörperung der drei Veden ist—soll der Mantra-Übende das Mantra achthunderttausendmal als Japa wiederholen und ein Zehntel davon als vorgeschriebene Opfergabe (daśāṁśa) darbringen.

Word by Word

• कुण्डलाम्: (having) earrings
• कुण्डलाम्: विशेष्य-विशेषणभाव (Attribute; with implied ‘धारयन्तम्/सूर्यम्’)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कुण्डला (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• गदा-केयूर-हारिणम्: bearing a mace and armlets
• गदा-केयूर-हारिणम्: विशेषण (Qualifier of the deity)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: गदा (प्रातिपदिक) + केयूर (प्रातिपदिक) + हारिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष (गदां केयूरं च हरति/धारयति इति); पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

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

• त्रयी-तनुम्: whose body is the three Vedas
• त्रयी-तनुम्: विशेषण (Qualifier of the deity)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: त्रयी (प्रातिपदिक) + तनु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष (त्रयी-रूपा तनुः यस्य); पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• ध्यात्वा: having meditated
• ध्यात्वा: पूर्वकाल (Prior action/पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √ध्यै (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (gerund)

• एवम्: thus
• एवम्: क्रियाविशेषण (Adverbial modifier)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एवम् (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रकारवाचक अव्यय (adverb: thus)

• प्रजपेत्: should recite (repeatedly)
• प्रजपेत्: क्रिया (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र-√जप् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• मन्त्री: the mantra-practitioner
• मन्त्री: कर्ता (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मन्त्रिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• वसु-लक्षम्: eight lakhs (800,000 times)
• वसु-लक्षम्: कर्म (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वसु (प्रातिपदिक) + लक्ष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: द्विगु-समास (वसूनां संख्या = 8; अष्ट-लक्षम्); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन (समाहार)

• दश-अंशतः: as a tenth (i.e., 1/10 as offering)
• दश-अंशतः: क्रियाविशेषण (Adverbial modifier)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: दश (प्रातिपदिक) + अंश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तसिल्-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय (ablatival adverb); ‘दशांश’ = one-tenth

Speaker

Sage Sanatkumara (in instruction to Narada, within a ritual-technical discourse)

Vrata Kalpa

Vrata: none

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: bhakti

Secondary Rasa: vira

Characters & Entities

• Vishnu
• Vedas

FAQs

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

It links dhyāna (visualizing the Veda-embodied Lord with divine ornaments) to disciplined japa, showing that inner contemplation and precise repetition together complete a valid sādhana.

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

Bhakti here is practiced as loving remembrance: the devotee meditates on Vishnu’s auspicious form and then sustains that devotion through large-scale japa, making worship continuous and focused.

What practical Vedic knowledge (Vedanga) is highlighted here?

It highlights ritual quantification and completion rules—specific japa-saṅkhyā (vasulakṣa) and the daśāṁśa principle (one-tenth portion) commonly applied for concluding offerings in mantra-sādhanā.