Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 156

The Description of the Four Durgā Mantras

Devanagari script

पिप्पलादो मुनिश्छंदो निवृद्धूमावतीश्वरी । बीजेन षड्दीर्घजातियुक्तेन परिकल्पयेत् ॥ १५६ ॥

Transliteration

pippalādo muniśchaṃdo nivṛddhūmāvatīśvarī | bījena ṣaḍdīrghajātiyuktena parikalpayet || 156 ||

Translation

Man soll (dieses Mantra/diesen Ritus) so anordnen: den Weisen Pippalāda als ṛṣi, das (Muni-)chandas als Versmaß und die präsidierende Göttin Nivṛddhūmāvatīśvarī als Devatā; unter Verwendung der bīja-Silbe, die mit sechs langen Vokalen versehen ist.

Word by Word

• पिप्पलादः: Pippalāda
• पिप्पलादः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पिप्पलाद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; (ऋषि-नाम)

• मुनिः: sage
• मुनिः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मुनि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; (ऋषि)

• छन्दः: meter (of the mantra)
• छन्दः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: छन्दस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; (मन्त्रस्य छन्दः)

• निवृत्-धूमावती-ईश्वरी: Nivṛt-Dhūmāvatī, the Goddess
• निवृत्-धूमावती-ईश्वरी: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: निवृत् (प्रातिपदिक) + धूमावती (प्रातिपदिक) + ईश्वरी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; देवता-निर्देशः: ‘निवृत्’ (निवृत्तिरूपा) धूमावती ईश्वरी

• बीजेन: by the bīja (seed syllable)
• बीजेन: Karana (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बीज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन; करण (instrumental): by the seed-syllable

• षट्-दीर्घ-जाति-युक्तेन: endowed with six long (vowel) types
• षट्-दीर्घ-जाति-युक्तेन: Karana (करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: षट् (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक) + दीर्घ (प्रातिपदिक) + जाति (प्रातिपदिक) + युक्त (प्रातिपदिक/कृदन्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुल्लिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन; विशेषणम् ‘बीजेन’ प्रति: ‘षड्भिः दीर्घजातिभिः युक्त’ (endowed with six long vowels/long-syllable classes)

• परिकल्पयेत्: should arrange/construct
• परिकल्पयेत्: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: परि + कल्प् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; ‘should arrange/construct’

Speaker

Sanatkumara (teaching Narada in a technical Vedanga/Mantra-vidhi register)

Vrata Kalpa

Vrata: none

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: adbhuta

Characters & Entities

• Pippalāda
• Nivṛddhūmāvatīśvarī

FAQs

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

It encodes the orthodox mantra-framework—ṛṣi (seer), chandas (metre), and devatā (presiding deity)—showing that spiritual practice is made effective through correct identification and disciplined formulation of the mantra.

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

Bhakti here is expressed as precise devotional method: the practitioner approaches the deity (Nivṛddhūmāvatīśvarī) through a correctly constituted mantra, treating sound (bīja) and sacred attribution as acts of reverence.

What practical Vedic knowledge (Vedanga) is highlighted here?

Śikṣā (Vedic phonetics) is implied by the instruction about “six long vowels,” and mantra-vidhi reflects the applied technical side of Vedanga-based ritual correctness.