Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 197
The Exposition of the Krishna Mantra (Kṛṣṇa-mantra-prakāśa): Nyāsa, Dhyāna, Worship, Yantra, and Prayoga
जपादौ स्मरबीजाद्यो जगत्त्रयवशीकरः । पीठ प्राग्वत्समभ्यर्च्य मूर्ति संकल्प्य मूलतः ॥ १९७ ॥
japādau smarabījādyo jagattrayavaśīkaraḥ | pīṭha prāgvatsamabhyarcya mūrti saṃkalpya mūlataḥ || 197 ||
At the outset of japa and related rites, one should begin with the Kāma-bīja and other seed-syllables that bring the three worlds under control. Having worshipped the pīṭha as before and made the saṅkalpa, one should, from the very root of the practice, form the Deity’s image through focused visualization.
Narada
Vrata: none
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shanta
FAQs
It frames japa as a complete ritual technology: begin with potent bīja-syllables, establish the sacred base (pīṭha), and then stabilize the practice by clearly visualizing the deity’s form—making the mantra effective through both rite and inner concentration.
Bhakti here is expressed as disciplined worship: reverencing the pīṭha and mentally “bringing forth” the deity’s form (mūrti-saṅkalpa) so that remembrance and recitation become a living relationship rather than mere sound.
It highlights procedural ritual know-how—sequencing (beginning of japa), prescribed repetition “as before” (prākvat), and the technical use of bīja-mantras and saṅkalpa (intent/visualization) as part of a formal sādhanā method.