Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 142

The Description of the Worship of Rāma and Others

Rāmādi-pūjā-vidhāna

Devanagari script

शक्रः सेंदुर्लक्ष्मणाय हृदयं सप्तवर्णवान् । अगस्त्योऽस्य मुनिश्छंदो गायत्री देवता पुनः ॥ १४२ ॥

Transliteration

śakraḥ seṃdurlakṣmaṇāya hṛdayaṃ saptavarṇavān | agastyo'sya muniśchaṃdo gāyatrī devatā punaḥ || 142 ||

Translation

Für das Herz-Mantra (hṛdaya) Lakṣmaṇas ist der Seher (ṛṣi) Śakra (Indra), mit rotem Sindūra gekennzeichnet und siebensilbig. Für dieses Mantra ist der Weise Agastya der ṛṣi; das Metrum ist Gāyatrī; und die devatā ist wiederum dieselbe göttliche Kraft.

Word by Word

• शक्रः: Śakra (Indra)
• शक्रः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शक्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन

• स-इन्दुः: moon-marked/with moon
• स-इन्दुः: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स (अव्यय/उपसर्ग-सदृश) + इन्दु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; कर्मधारय: 'with the moon/marked by moon' (epithet)

• लक्ष्मणाय: for Lakṣmaṇa
• लक्ष्मणाय: Sampradana (सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लक्ष्मण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4), एकवचन

• हृदयम्: heart
• हृदयम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हृदय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन

• सप्त-वर्णवान्: having seven colors/letters
• सप्त-वर्णवान्: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सप्त (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक) + वर्णवत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; बहुव्रीह्यर्थे गुणवाचक: 'having seven colors/letters'

• अगस्त्यः: Agastya
• अगस्त्यः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अगस्त्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन

• अस्य: of this
• अस्य: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इदम् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, षष्ठी (6), एकवचन; demonstrative pronoun

• मुनिः: sage
• मुनिः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मुनि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन

• छन्दः: meter
• छन्दः: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: छन्दस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन

• गायत्री: Gāyatrī
• गायत्री: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गायत्री (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन

• देवता: deity
• देवता: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देवता (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन

• पुनः: again/further
• पुनः: Kriya-visheshana (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुनः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; पुनरुक्ति/पुनरावृत्त्यर्थक क्रियाविशेषण (adverb)

Speaker

Narada (teaching in a Vedanga/mantra-lakṣaṇa register)

Vrata Kalpa

Vrata: none

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: adbhuta

Characters & Entities

• Shakra (Indra)
• Lakshmana
• Agastya
• Gayatri (chandas)

FAQs

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

It encodes the standard mantra-lakṣaṇa framework—ṛṣi (seer), chandas (metre), and devatā (presiding deity)—showing that mantra practice is grounded in precise Vedic technical parameters, not mere recitation.

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

By specifying devatā and the mantra’s ‘hṛdaya’ (essence), it frames devotion as disciplined upāsanā: the devotee approaches the deity through a correctly contextualized mantra, aligning intention, sound, and divine focus.

What practical Vedic knowledge (Vedanga) is highlighted here?

Chandas (metre) and mantra-vidhi: the verse teaches how to record and apply a mantra’s ṛṣi, its Gāyatrī metre, and its devatā—core procedural knowledge used in ritual and japa manuals.