Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 196

The Exposition of Nṛsiṁha Worship-Mantras, Nyāsa, Mudrās, Yantras, Kavaca, and Nṛsiṁha Gāyatrī

Devanagari script

अस्त्रतारोऽच्युतास्त्रं च तारो वाचा सुदेव फट् । तारमायामूर्तेः फट् वः कामः स्वरादिमः ॥ १९६ ॥

Transliteration

astratāro'cyutāstraṃ ca tāro vācā sudeva phaṭ | tāramāyāmūrteḥ phaṭ vaḥ kāmaḥ svarādimaḥ || 196 ||

Translation

Die Silbe „tāra“ wird, mit dem Waffen-Mantra Acyutas verbunden, zum Geschoss-Mantra (astra). Mit der Rede (vācā) verbunden ist es „Sudeva phaṭ“. Mit der Māyā-Gestalt verbunden ist es „(tāra)… phaṭ“. Und „vaḥ“ wird als Kāma bezeichnet, beginnend mit den Vokalen.

Word by Word

• अस्त्र-तारः: the astra-syllable ‘tāra’
• अस्त्र-तारः: कर्ता/विषय (Subject/Topic)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्त्र (प्रातिपदिक) + तार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा एकवचन; ‘tāra (syllable) of the astra’

• अच्युत-अस्त्रम्: Acyuta’s astra (weapon-mantra)
• अच्युत-अस्त्रम्: कर्म (Karma/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अच्युत (प्रातिपदिक) + अस्त्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, द्वितीया एकवचन; ‘weapon-mantra of Acyuta’

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

• तारः: tāra (the syllable ‘oṃ’)
• तारः: कर्ता/विषय (Subject/Topic)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा एकवचन; mantra-syllable name

• वाचा: by speech/with utterance
• वाचा: करण (Karana/Instrument)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वाच् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), एकवचन

• सुदेव: O Sudeva
• सुदेव: सम्बोधन (Sambodhana/Vocative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सु (उपसर्ग/प्रातिपदिक) + देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, सम्बोधन एकवचन; epithet ‘O good deity’

• फट्: phaṭ (mantric syllable)
• फट्: मन्त्राङ्ग (Mantra element)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: फट् (अव्यय/मन्त्रबीज)
• Form: मन्त्रनिपात (mantric exclamation/बीज)

• तार-माया-मूर्तेः: of the tāra-māyā form
• तार-माया-मूर्तेः: सम्बन्ध (Genitive relation/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तार (प्रातिपदिक) + माया (प्रातिपदिक) + मूर्ति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), एकवचन; ‘of the form (mūrti) of tāra-māyā’

• फट्: phaṭ
• फट्: मन्त्राङ्ग (Mantra element)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: फट् (अव्यय/मन्त्रबीज)
• Form: मन्त्रनिपात (mantric exclamation/बीज)

• वः: for you / your
• वः: सम्प्रदान/सम्बन्ध (Dative/Genitive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी/चतुर्थी बहुवचन (genitive/dative plural) enclitic pronoun; contextually ‘for you/your’

• कामः: Kāma
• कामः: कर्ता/विषय (Subject/Topic)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा एकवचन

• स्वर-आदिमः: beginning with ‘svara’
• स्वर-आदिमः: विशेषण (Adjective of kāmaḥ)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्वर (प्रातिपदिक) + आदि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा एकवचन; ‘beginning with a vowel/svara’

Speaker

Sanatkumara (teaching Narada in a technical mantra-vidya/Vedanga-oriented section)

Vrata Kalpa

Vrata: none

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: adbhuta

Characters & Entities

• Acyuta (Vishnu)
• Tāra (Om)
• Māyā
• Kāma

FAQs

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

It explains a technical principle of mantra-vidyā: how the primordial syllable “tāra” (oṃ) is combined with specific deity-forms and functional particles like “phaṭ” to produce protective or forceful ritual applications centered on Acyuta (Viṣṇu).

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

Even in a technical Vedāṅga-style passage, the verse anchors efficacy in Viṣṇu as Acyuta—showing that ritual power and protection are framed as dependent on devotionally invoking the Lord’s names/forms rather than mere sound mechanics.

What practical Vedic knowledge (Vedanga) is highlighted here?

It highlights mantra-formation through phonetic/linguistic components—use of bīja-like syllables (tāra, vaḥ), the vowel-series (svara), and functional ritual exclamations (phaṭ), reflecting Śikṣā/Vyākaraṇa-informed mantra construction used in Narada Purana rituals.