Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 36

Rādhā-sambaddha-mantra-vyākhyā

Rādhā-Related Mantras Explained

Devanagari script

दधानां कामराजांके यन्त्रीतां मुदुतां स्मरेत् । मध्यस्थदेवी त्वेकैव षोडशाकारतः स्थाता ॥ ३६ ॥

Transliteration

dadhānāṃ kāmarājāṃke yantrītāṃ mudutāṃ smaret | madhyasthadevī tvekaiva ṣoḍaśākārataḥ sthātā || 36 ||

Translation

One should meditate on the Goddess as seated in the lap of Kāmarāja, gently composed and established within the yantra. The central Goddess is one alone, yet she stands forth in sixteen forms (aspects).

Word by Word

• दधानाम्: bearing/holding
• दधानाम्: कर्म-विशेषण (Object qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: धा (धातु) + शतृ (कृदन्त)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; वर्तमानकाले शतृ-प्रत्ययान्त (present active participle): ‘bearing/holding’ (देवीम् विशेषयति)

• कामराज-अङ्के: in the lap/seat of Kāmarāja
• कामराज-अङ्के: अधिकरण (Location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कामराज + अङ्क (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष: कामराजस्य अङ्कः (lap/seat of Kāmarāja)

• यन्त्रीताम्: bound/contained by the yantra
• यन्त्रीताम्: कर्म-विशेषण (Object qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: यन्त्र (प्रातिपदिक) + ईत (कृदन्त)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘yantṛ’/‘yantrī’ भाव: यन्त्रेण बद्धा/नियन्त्रिता (bound/controlled by a yantra)

• मुदुताम्: gentleness/softness
• मुदुताम्: कर्म (Object; as a quality to be contemplated)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मुदुता (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; भाववाचक (abstract noun)

• स्मरेत्: should contemplate/remember
• स्मरेत्: क्रिया (Verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्मृ (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• मध्यस्थ-देवी: the central goddess
• मध्यस्थ-देवी: कर्ता (Karta/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मध्यस्थ + देवी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्मधारय: मध्यस्थः (in the middle) या देवी (the goddess situated in the center)

• तु: but/indeed
• तु: सम्बन्ध/निपात (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; विरोध/विशेष (contrast/emphasis particle)

• एका: one
• एका: विशेषण (Adjective)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: एक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• एव: alone/indeed
• एव: अवधारण (Emphasis)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधारण (emphasis)

• षोडश-आकारतः: in sixteen forms
• षोडश-आकारतः: प्रकार (Manner)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: षोडश + आकारतस् (प्रातिपदिक/अव्यय)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव; तसिल्-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय: ‘in the form of sixteen / as sixteen-formed’

• स्थाता: abider/one who stands
• स्थाता: कर्ता (Karta; predicate noun)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्था (धातु) + तृ (कृदन्त)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; तृ-प्रत्ययान्त कर्तृवाचक (agent noun): ‘one who stands/abides’

Speaker

Sanatkumara (teaching Narada)

Vrata Kalpa

Vrata: none

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: bhakti

Secondary Rasa: shanta

Characters & Entities

• Devi
• Kamaraja

FAQs

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

It teaches focused dhyāna: the deity is contemplated as centrally installed in a yantra, yet ultimately one—manifesting as sixteen aspects—so the practitioner unifies multiplicity into a single devotional vision.

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

Bhakti here is expressed as intimate remembrance (smaraṇa) and gentle, steady contemplation of the Devi’s presence; devotion becomes precise through yantra-centered meditation while maintaining the insight of one underlying divinity.

What practical Vedic knowledge (Vedanga) is highlighted here?

It reflects technical upāsanā method—yantra-pratiṣṭhā (installing/placing the deity in a yantra) and dhyāna-lakṣaṇa (meditation markers), a procedural discipline aligned with ritual-science style teachings found in Book 1.3.