Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 90
Kṛṣṇādi-mantra-varga-varṇana
Classification of Krishna and Related Mantras
पंचाक्षरश्च कृष्णाय कामरुद्धस्तथा परः । गोपालायाग्निजायांतो रसवर्णः प्रकीर्तितः ॥ ९० ॥
paṃcākṣaraśca kṛṣṇāya kāmaruddhastathā paraḥ | gopālāyāgnijāyāṃto rasavarṇaḥ prakīrtitaḥ || 90 ||
Das fünfsilbige Mantra lautet „kṛṣṇāya“. Ein anderes, das als zügelnd für das Begehren gilt, wird als höchstes gepriesen. Und die Formel, die mit „gopālāya“ endet und mit „agnijāyānta“ abschließt, wird als Überlieferung des „rasa-Buchstabens“ (kodierter mystischer Laut) verkündet.
Narada (teaching in a technical mantra/vedanga context, in dialogue tradition with Sanatkumara lineages)
Vrata: none
Primary Rasa: bhakti
Secondary Rasa: shanta
FAQs
It classifies specific Krishna-centered mantras by syllable-count and function, emphasizing that correctly formed sacred sound (akṣara/varṇa) is a direct means for inner restraint and higher devotion.
By highlighting mantras addressed to Kṛṣṇa/Gopāla, it frames bhakti as practiced through disciplined remembrance and recitation—devotion expressed as precise, tradition-guided sacred speech.
Śikṣā/mantra-śāstra: attention to akṣara (syllables), varṇa (phonemes), and prescribed endings of mantra-forms—showing how phonetic structure is treated as technically meaningful in ritual and japa.