Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 42
The Description of the Four Durgā Mantras
शांतिस्तथाविधा चापि नीचसर्गान्वितास्तथा । वाग्भवं कामराजाख्यं शक्तिबीजाह्वयं तथा ॥ ४२ ॥
śāṃtistathāvidhā cāpi nīcasargānvitāstathā | vāgbhavaṃ kāmarājākhyaṃ śaktibījāhvayaṃ tathā || 42 ||
Ebenso gibt es das Bīja namens Śānti und andere von gleicher Art; ferner auch solche, die mit niedrigeren Emanationen verbunden sind. Es gibt die Bījas, die Vāgbhava, Kāmarāja und auch Śaktibīja genannt werden.
Narada (teaching in a technical/vedāṅga-style enumeration within Purva Bhaga)
Vrata: none
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
FAQs
This verse functions as a technical catalogue of mantra-bījas, indicating that specific seed-syllables (such as Śānti, Vāgbhava, Kāmarāja, and Śaktibīja) are recognized as distinct powers used for ritual and contemplative purposes, including pacification (śānti) and other graded applications.
By naming bījas used in worship, the verse supports bhakti in its ritualized form—devotion expressed through mantra-recitation and disciplined practice—where sound (mantra) becomes a vehicle for focused remembrance and reverence in pūjā and japa.
The verse highlights a technical, applied-mantra tradition aligned with vedāṅga-style precision: identifying mantra categories by name and function, which is relevant to correct ritual application (prayoga), phonetic accuracy, and systematic classification used by practitioners.