Shloka 13

Worship (Pūjā): Vajra-nābha Maṇḍala Construction, Lotus-Seat Design, and Vaiṣṇava Nyāsa

Devanagari script

हृन्मध्ये तु न्यसेद्विष्णुं कण्ठे सङ्कर्षणं तथा / प्रद्युम्नं शिरसि न्यस्य शिखायामनिरुद्धकम्

Transliteration

hṛnmadhye tu nyasedviṣṇuṃ kaṇṭhe saṅkarṣaṇaṃ tathā / pradyumnaṃ śirasi nyasya śikhāyāmaniruddhakam

Translation

One should place (by meditatively performing nyāsa) Viṣṇu in the center of the heart; likewise Saṅkarṣaṇa in the throat; placing Pradyumna upon the head, and Aniruddha in the crown-lock (śikhā).

Word by Word

• हृत्: heart
• हृत्: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हृत्/हृद् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (हृदयार्थे), समासाङ्ग

• मध्ये: in the middle
• मध्ये: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मध्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी विभक्ति, एकवचन

• हृन्मध्ये: in the heart-center
• हृन्मध्ये: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हृत् + मध्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुषसमास (षष्ठी: हृदः मध्ये); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी विभक्ति, एकवचन

• तु: then/indeed
• तु: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात

• न्यसेत्: should place/assign
• न्यसेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: न्यस् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• विष्णुम्: Vishnu
• विष्णुम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विष्णु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचन

• कण्ठे: in the throat
• कण्ठे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कण्ठ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी विभक्ति, एकवचन

• सङ्कर्षणम्: Saṅkarṣaṇa
• सङ्कर्षणम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सङ्कर्षण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचन

• तथा: likewise
• तथा: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रियाविशेषण

• प्रद्युम्नम्: Pradyumna
• प्रद्युम्नम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रद्युम्न (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचन

• शिरसि: on/in the head
• शिरसि: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शिरस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी विभक्ति, एकवचन

• न्यस्य: having placed
• न्यस्य: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Verb
• Root: न्यस् (धातु)
• Form: ल्यप्/क्त्वान्त-समकक्ष अव्ययकृदन्त (absolutive/gerund)

• शिखायाम्: in the topknot/crest
• शिखायाम्: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शिखा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी विभक्ति, एकवचन

• अनिरुद्धकम्: Aniruddha
• अनिरुद्धकम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अनिरुद्धक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचन (नामविशेष)

Speaker

Lord Vishnu (teaching Garuda/Vinata-putra)

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Nyāsa as embodied theology: the divine Vyūhas are installed in the practitioner, making devotion internal and continuous.

Vedantic Theme: Antaryāmin and upāsanā: realizing the Lord’s presence within as a step toward steadiness and purification.

Application: During japa or pūjā, briefly touch/attend to heart, throat, head, and crown while invoking these forms to deepen somatic focus and reduce mental scattering.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: adbhuta

Geographic Context

Type: subtle body (nyāsa on hṛd/kaṇṭha/śiras/śikhā)

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana 1.8.12 (nyāsa then worship Hari)

Characters & Entities

• Vishnu
• Sankarshana
• Pradyumna
• Aniruddha

FAQs

What is the importance of nyāsa (placing deities in the body) in the Garuda Purana?

This verse teaches an internal consecration practice: installing Viṣṇu and the four vyūhas in specific bodily centers to purify awareness and stabilize devotion during worship and transitional rites.

How does this verse explain the path of the soul?

By directing attention to heart, throat, head, and śikhā, the verse frames liberation-oriented practice as inner alignment with Viṣṇu—strengthening sattva and remembrance, which the Garuda Purana repeatedly presents as crucial at life’s end and beyond.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

Use it as a short daily meditation: calmly visualize Viṣṇu in the heart, Saṅkarṣaṇa in the throat, Pradyumna on the head, and Aniruddha in the śikhā while reciting their names to cultivate steadiness, clarity, and devotion.