Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 182

The Exposition of the Maheśa Mantra

Mahēśa-mantra-prakāśana

Devanagari script

जानुजंघापदद्वंद्वे रुद्रभिन्नाक्षरैर्न्यसेत् । पञ्चषट्काष्टवेदांगद्विव्द्यब्धिरसलोचनैः ॥ १८२ ॥

Transliteration

jānujaṃghāpadadvaṃdve rudrabhinnākṣarairnyaset | pañcaṣaṭkāṣṭavedāṃgadvivdyabdhirasalocanaiḥ || 182 ||

Translation

Auf das Paar von Knien, Unterschenkeln und Füßen soll man Nyāsa vollziehen, indem man die als Rudra‑Silben unterschiedenen Silben setzt—gemäß der Zahlenfolge, die durch fünf, sechs, acht, die Vedāṅgas, zwei, den Ozean, rasa und die Augen angezeigt wird.

Word by Word

• जानुजङ्घापदद्वन्द्वे: in the (set of) knee–shin–foot (positions)
• जानुजङ्घापदद्वन्द्वे: Adhikarana (अधिकरण/Location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जानु + जङ्घा + पद + द्वन्द्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुषसमास (जानु-जङ्घा-पद-सम्बद्धे द्वन्द्वे), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• रुद्रभिन्नाक्षरैः: with the Rudra-differentiated syllables
• रुद्रभिन्नाक्षरैः: Karana (करण/Instrument)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: रुद्र + भिन्न + अक्षर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुषसमास (रुद्रेण भिन्नानि अक्षराणि/रुद्र-भिन्न-अक्षर), पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन

• न्यसेत्: should place/assign (nyāsa)
• न्यसेत्: Kriya (क्रिया/Verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: नि-√अस् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• पञ्चषट्काष्टवेदाङ्गद्विव्द्यब्धिरसलोचनैः: with (syllables) denoted by five, six, eight, Vedāṅgas, two, (vidyā/vidhi?), oceans, rasas, and eyes (numbers)
• पञ्चषट्काष्टवेदाङ्गद्विव्द्यब्धिरसलोचनैः: Karana (करण/Instrument)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पञ्च + षट् + काष्ट + वेदाङ्ग + द्वि + (विद्य?/विधि?) + अब्धि + रस + लोचन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: बहुपद-तत्पुरुषसमास (संख्याशब्द-समाहारः; पाठभेद/दुष्पाठ-संभावना: द्विव्द्य-), पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन; संख्यावाचक-विशेषणरूपेण

Speaker

Sanatkumāra (teaching Nārada the technical procedure of nyāsa within Vedāṅga-oriented practice)

Vrata Kalpa

Vrata: none

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: adbhuta

Secondary Rasa: shanta

Characters & Entities

• Rudra

FAQs

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

It teaches a disciplined aṅga-nyāsa: sanctifying the lower limbs by installing mantra-syllables, so the practitioner’s body becomes a fit support for japa and worship through ordered, scripturally coded placement.

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

Though technical, the verse supports bhakti by prescribing a preparatory ritual that steadies attention and consecrates the body—helping the devotee perform mantra-recitation and worship with purity, focus, and reverence.

What practical Vedic knowledge (Vedanga) is highlighted here?

It uses a traditional numerical-code style (saṅkhyā-saṅketa) embedded in words like ‘rasa’ and ‘eyes’ to convey counts/order for nyāsa—reflecting the technical, Vedāṅga-oriented discipline of precise mantra application.