Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 19

The Description of the Four Durgā Mantras

Devanagari script

संहारिण्यष्टमी चेति षट्कोणेष्वंगमूर्तयः । त्रिकोणगा छिन्नमस्ता पार्श्वयोस्तु सखीद्वयम् ॥ १९ ॥

Transliteration

saṃhāriṇyaṣṭamī ceti ṣaṭkoṇeṣvaṃgamūrtayaḥ | trikoṇagā chinnamastā pārśvayostu sakhīdvayam || 19 ||

Translation

„Saṃhāriṇī“ und „Aṣṭamī“ sind als Gliedgottheiten (aṅga-mūrti) in den sechs Ecken des Hexagramms zu setzen. Im mittleren Dreieck steht Chinnamastā, und zu ihren beiden Seiten befindet sich das Paar der begleitenden Gefährtinnen.

Word by Word

• संहारिणी: Saṃhāriṇī (name)
• संहारिणी: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: संहारिणी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• अष्टमी: the eighth
• अष्टमी: Karta (कर्ता/Subject-complement)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अष्टमी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषण (ordinal)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय (conjunction)

• इति: thus
• इति: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Quotative)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; उद्धरण/समाप्तिसूचक (quotative particle)

• षट्कोणेषु: in the hexagons (six-angled figures)
• षट्कोणेषु: Adhikarana (अधिकरण/Location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: षट् (प्रातिपदिक) + कोण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), बहुवचन; द्विगु-समासः

• अङ्ग-मूर्तयः: the limb-forms (subsidiary forms)
• अङ्ग-मूर्तयः: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक) + मूर्ति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; तत्पुरुष-समासः

• त्रिकोण-गाः: situated in the triangle
• त्रिकोण-गाः: Karta (कर्ता/Subject-qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: त्रि (प्रातिपदिक) + कोण (प्रातिपदिक) + ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; तत्पुरुष-समासः (त्रिकोणे गाः = situated in the triangle)

• छिन्नमस्ता: Chinnamastā (name)
• छिन्नमस्ता: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: छिन्न (कृदन्त; √छिद्) + मस्त (प्रातिपदिक) + आ (स्त्रीप्रत्यय)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्मधारय-समासः

• पार्श्वयोः: on the two sides
• पार्श्वयोः: Adhikarana (अधिकरण/Location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पार्श्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), षष्ठी/सप्तमी-द्विवचनरूपम् (Genitive/6th or Locative/7th, Dual); here: सप्तमी-द्विवचन (Locative dual)

• तु: indeed
• तु: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधारण (particle)

• सखी-द्वयम्: a pair of female companions
• सखी-द्वयम्: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सखी (प्रातिपदिक) + द्वय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; द्विगु-समासः (two companions)

Speaker

Sanatkumara (in dialogue with Narada)

Vrata Kalpa

Vrata: none

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: adbhuta

Secondary Rasa: raudra

Characters & Entities

• Chinnamastā
• Saṃhāriṇī
• Aṣṭamī

FAQs

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

It encodes a precise meditative-ritual mapping: auxiliary (aṅga) powers are arranged in the ṣaṭkoṇa, while the core deity (Chinnamastā) is fixed in the trikoṇa with attendants, guiding visualization, nyāsa, and focused worship.

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

Here bhakti is expressed as disciplined upāsanā: devotion becomes steady when the worshipper contemplates the deity with correct placements and attendant powers, turning emotion into concentrated, rule-based remembrance.

What practical Vedic knowledge (Vedanga) is highlighted here?

It reflects technical ritual structure—diagrammatic placement and aṅga-deity assignment (a form of procedural kalpa/ritual science), emphasizing exact arrangement and terminology used for worship-visualization.