Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 12

Mahāviṣṇu-Mantras: Aṣṭākṣarī, Sudarśana-Astra, Nyāsa Systems, Āvaraṇa-Pūjā, and Prayogas

Devanagari script

धातुप्राणेषु हृदये विन्यसेत्तदनंतरम् । शिरोनेत्रा स्यहृत्कुक्षिसोरुजंघापदद्वये ॥ १२ ॥

Transliteration

dhātuprāṇeṣu hṛdaye vinyasettadanaṃtaram | śironetrā syahṛtkukṣisorujaṃghāpadadvaye || 12 ||

Translation

Daraufhin soll man Nyāsa vollziehen und die Mantras auf die Körperbestandteile und die Prāṇas legen, im Herzen zentriert; sodann auf Haupt, Augen, Mund/Gesicht, Herz, Bauch, Schenkel, Unterschenkel und auf beide Füße.

Word by Word

• धातु-प्राणेषु: in the dhātu-prāṇas
• धातु-प्राणेषु: अधिकरण (Adhikaraṇa/Locative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धातु (प्रातिपदिक) + प्राण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), बहुवचन; धातु-प्राण = ‘धातु-रूपाः प्राणाः’ (determinative)

• हृदये: in the heart
• हृदये: अधिकरण (Adhikaraṇa/Locative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हृदय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन

• विन्यसेत्: should place/assign (nyāsa)
• विन्यसेत्: क्रिया (Kriyā/Verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वि-√न्यस् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• तत्: that
• तत्: कर्म (Karman/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• अनन्तरम्: immediately thereafter
• अनन्तरम्: क्रियाविशेषण (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अनन्तर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb)

• शिरः: in/on the head
• शिरः: अधिकरण (Adhikaraṇa/Locative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शिरस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन (वैकल्पिकं: शिरसि)

• नेत्रास्य-हृत्-कुक्षि-स-ऊरु-जङ्घा-पद-द्वये: in the eyes, mouth, heart, belly, thighs, shanks, and the pair of feet
• नेत्रास्य-हृत्-कुक्षि-स-ऊरु-जङ्घा-पद-द्वये: अधिकरण (Adhikaraṇa/Locative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नेत्र (प्रातिपदिक) + आस्य (प्रातिपदिक) + हृत्/हृद् (प्रातिपदिक) + कुक्षि (प्रातिपदिक) + ऊरु (प्रातिपदिक) + जङ्घा (प्रातिपदिक) + पद (प्रातिपदिक) + द्वय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), द्विवचन; समाहार-द्वन्द्वः (collective dvandva) ‘in the pair of feet and (in) eyes, mouth, heart, belly, thighs, shanks’ (locative sense for nyāsa-places)

Speaker

Sanatkumara (teaching Narada the technical procedure of ritual nyāsa)

Vrata Kalpa

Vrata: none

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: bhakti

FAQs

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

It teaches nyāsa as a way to sacralize the practitioner’s body—aligning dhātu (body-structure) and prāṇa (life-force) with mantra, with the heart as the primary seat of inner worship.

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

By mapping mantra onto the body, the devotee treats the body as a temple for worship, making devotion embodied and continuous rather than merely verbal or external.

What practical Vedic knowledge (Vedanga) is highlighted here?

It reflects applied ritual science (prayoga) used in mantra-vidhi—technical sequencing and bodily loci for nyāsa, a standard component of disciplined japa and pūjā procedures.