Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 24

Hayagrīva-pūjā-vyākhyāna

Worship Procedure and Mantra-Siddhi of Hayagrīva

Devanagari script

महालक्ष्मीं स लभते तत्र तत्र न संशयः । जुहुयात्पायसैर्लक्षं वाचस्पतिसमो भवेत् ॥ २४ ॥

Transliteration

mahālakṣmīṃ sa labhate tatra tatra na saṃśayaḥ | juhuyātpāyasairlakṣaṃ vācaspatisamo bhavet || 24 ||

Translation

Er erlangt Mahālakṣmī dort und sogleich — daran besteht kein Zweifel. Wenn einer hunderttausend Opfergaben mit Milchreis (pāyasa) darbringt, wird er Bṛhaspati, dem Herrn der heiligen Rede, gleich.

Word by Word

• महा-लक्ष्मीम्: great Lakṣmī (great prosperity)
• महा-लक्ष्मीम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महा + लक्ष्मी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्मधारयः (mahantī lakṣmīḥ)

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• लभते: obtains
• लभते: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: लभ् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (present), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय

• तत्र: there (in every such place)
• तत्र: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: पुनरुक्ति (repetition for emphasis)

• न: no/not
• न: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-अव्यय (negation particle)

• संशयः: doubt
• संशयः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: संशय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• जुहुयात्: should offer (into fire)
• जुहुयात्: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: हु (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• पायसैः: with rice-pudding (pāyasa)
• पायसैः: Karana (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पायस (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (करण), बहुवचन

• लक्षम्: a hundred thousand (times/units)
• लक्षम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लक्ष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; संख्या (100,000)

• वाचस्पति-समः: equal to Bṛhaspati (lord of speech)
• वाचस्पति-समः: Predicative (विधेय-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वाचस्पति + सम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; उपमान-तत्पुरुषः (vācaspateḥ samaḥ)

• भवेत्: would become
• भवेत्: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

Speaker

Sanatkumara (teaching Narada in a Vedanga/ritual-technical context)

Vrata Kalpa

Vrata: none

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: adbhuta

Secondary Rasa: bhakti

Characters & Entities

• Mahalakshmi
• Vachaspati (Brhaspati)

FAQs

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

The verse links disciplined Vedic fire-offering (homa) with two classical fruits: the grace of Mahālakṣmī (prosperity and auspiciousness) and the refinement of vāṇī (sacred speech), indicating that ritual purity and sustained practice can transform both life-conditions and inner capacities.

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

Though framed as ritual instruction, it implies bhakti through reverent offering: repeated āhutis made with faith and correctness are treated as worship that attracts divine śrī (Lakṣmī) and elevates one’s speech toward dharmic, mantra-aligned expression.

What practical Vedic knowledge (Vedanga) is highlighted here?

It highlights ritual procedure and measurable discipline—performing homa with a specified offering (pāyasa) and a specified count (lakṣa āhuti). It also implicitly points to correct mantra-recitation and liturgical speech (connected with Śikṣā/Vyākaraṇa as supports for precise utterance).