Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 73

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

Devanagari script

द्वादशार्णो महामन्त्रो भुक्तिमुक्तिप्रदायकः । स्त्रीशूद्राणां वितारोऽयं सतारस्तु द्विजन्मनाम् ॥ ७३ ॥

Transliteration

dvādaśārṇo mahāmantro bhuktimuktipradāyakaḥ | strīśūdrāṇāṃ vitāro'yaṃ satārastu dvijanmanām || 73 ||

Translation

Das große zwölfsilbige Mantra verleiht sowohl weltlichen Genuss als auch Befreiung. Frauen und Śūdras soll es ohne Praṇava (das ‘tāra’) übermittelt werden; den Zweimalgeborenen aber lehrt man es zusammen mit dem tāra.

Word by Word

• dvādaśa-arṇaḥ: twelve-syllabled
• dvādaśa-arṇaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण/Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dvādaśa (प्रातिपदिक) + arṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Prathamā, Ekavacana; dvigu-samāsa: dvādaśa arṇāni yasya (twelve-syllabled)

• mahā-mantraḥ: the great mantra
• mahā-mantraḥ: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā (प्रातिपदिक) + mantra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Prathamā, Ekavacana; karmadhāraya: mahān mantraḥ

• bhukti-mukti-pradāyakaḥ: giver of enjoyment and liberation
• bhukti-mukti-pradāyakaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण/Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: bhukti (प्रातिपदिक) + mukti (प्रातिपदिक) + pradāyaka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Prathamā, Ekavacana; tatpuruṣa: bhuktiṃ ca muktiṃ ca pradadāti iti

• strī-śūdrāṇām: of women and Śūdras
• strī-śūdrāṇām: Ṣaṣṭhī-sambandha (षष्ठी/Relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: strī (प्रातिपदिक) + śūdra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga? (collective) / mixed-gender dvandva, Ṣaṣṭhī vibhakti (Genitive/षष्ठी), Bahuvacana; itaretara-dvandva: striyaḥ ca śūdrāḥ ca

• vitāraḥ: the ‘vitāra’ (name/part)
• vitāraḥ: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vitāra (प्रातिपदik)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Prathamā, Ekavacana

• ayam: this
• ayam: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: idam (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Prathamā, Ekavacana; sarvanāma (pronoun)

• sa-tāraḥ: the one with ‘tāra’ / ‘sa-tāra’
• sa-tāraḥ: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sa (प्रातिपदिक/avyaya-like prefix) + tāra (प्रातिपदik)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Prathamā, Ekavacana; karmadhāraya: tāreṇa saha / tāra-yuktaḥ

• tu: but, indeed
• tu: Sambandha-bodhaka (सम्बन्ध/Discourse particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya; particle (nipāta) expressing contrast/emphasis

• dvija-janmanām: of the twice-born (Brahmins etc.)
• dvija-janmanām: Ṣaṣṭhī-sambandha (षष्ठी/Relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dvija (प्रातिपदik) + janman (प्रातिपदik)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Ṣaṣṭhī, Bahuvacana; tatpuruṣa: dvijānāṃ janma (those of twice-birth)

Speaker

Sanatkumara (teaching Narada in the Vedanga/Mantra-vidhi context)

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 presents the dvādaśākṣarī (twelve-syllabled) mahāmantra as a direct means to both bhukti (well-being in life) and mukti (liberation), while also laying down mantra-vidhi rules about how it should be transmitted according to adhikāra (eligibility).

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

By declaring the great mantra as a giver of liberation, the verse supports mantra-japa as a core bhakti practice—devotional remembrance of the Lord through a prescribed name-mantra—guided by proper initiation and tradition.

What practical Vedic knowledge (Vedanga) is highlighted here?

It highlights mantra-śāstra procedure and adhikāra: the technical rule of whether to prefix the mantra with the praṇava (tāra, “oṁ”) depending on the recipient’s eligibility, reflecting applied ritual discipline rather than mere theory.