Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 111

The Account of the Lalitā Hymn, the Protective Armor

Kavaca), and the Thousand Names (Sahasranāma

Devanagari script

स्वाधिष्ठानसमासीनाधारस्थाज्ञासमास्थिता । षट्त्रिंशत्कूटरूपा च पंचाशन्मिथुनात्मिका ॥ १११ ॥

Transliteration

svādhiṣṭhānasamāsīnādhārasthājñāsamāsthitā | ṣaṭtriṃśatkūṭarūpā ca paṃcāśanmithunātmikā || 111 ||

Translation

In Svādhiṣṭhāna sitzend, im Ādhāra (Wurzelstützpunkt) verweilend und fest in Ājñā, der Kraft der Erkenntnis, gegründet, ist sie von der Gestalt sechsunddreißig kūṭas und ihrem Wesen nach aus fünfzig gepaarten Einheiten gebildet.

Word by Word

• स्वाधिष्ठानसमासीनाधारस्थाज्ञासमास्थिता: seated in Svādhiṣṭhāna, stationed in Ādhāra, established in Ājñā
• स्वाधिष्ठानसमासीनाधारस्थाज्ञासमास्थिता: Karta (कर्ता/Predicate adjective)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्व-अधिष्ठान-समासीन-आधार-स्था-आज्ञा-समास्थिता (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; बहुपद-समासः (प्रधानतः तत्पुरुष-श्रृङ्खला): स्वाधिष्ठाने समासीन + आधारे स्था + आज्ञायां समास्थिता—‘seated in Svādhiṣṭhāna, stationed in Ādhāra, and established in Ājñā’ (multiple loci/epithets)

• षट्त्रिंशत्कूटरूपा: having the form of thirty-six ‘knots/peaks’
• षट्त्रिंशत्कूटरूपा: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: षट्-त्रिंशत्-कूट-रूपा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; द्विगु/संख्यासमास (षट्त्रिंशत् = 36) + तत्पुरुष (कूटस्य रूपा)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक अव्यय

• पंचाशन्मिथुनात्मिका: consisting of fifty pairs; of fiftyfold paired nature
• पंचाशन्मिथुनात्मिका: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पञ्चाशत्-मिथुन-आत्मिका (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; द्विगु/संख्यासमास (पञ्चाशत् = 50) + तत्पुरुष (मिथुनस्य आत्मिका = ‘consisting of pairs/couples’)

Speaker

Sanatkumara (teaching Narada in a technical-esoteric register)

Vrata Kalpa

Vrata: none

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: adbhuta

Secondary Rasa: shanta

Characters & Entities

• Narada
• Sanatkumara

FAQs

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

It describes a subtle divine power (Śakti) as present in the body’s inner supports—root and Svādhiṣṭhāna—highlighting that realization depends on stabilizing knowledge (jñā) and understanding the hidden structural ‘counts’ used in mantra-yoga.

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

Even in a technical yogic description, the Purāṇic intent is upāsanā: the devotee reveres the indwelling divine power as the Lord’s energy, using disciplined contemplation to purify the inner centers so devotion becomes steady and luminous.

What practical Vedic knowledge (Vedanga) is highlighted here?

It reflects a technical, enumerative approach typical of mantra-vidyā and allied disciplines—using sacred numbers (like 36 and 50) to map subtle phonetic/mantric structures and internal loci (ādhāra, cakra) for focused recitation and meditation.