Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 35
The Exposition of the Maheśa Mantra
Mahēśa-mantra-prakāśana
शतलक्षं जपन्साक्षाच्छिवो भवति मानवः । षडक्षरः शक्तिरुद्धः कथितोऽष्टाक्षरो मनुः ॥ ३५ ॥
śatalakṣaṃ japansākṣācchivo bhavati mānavaḥ | ṣaḍakṣaraḥ śaktiruddhaḥ kathito'ṣṭākṣaro manuḥ || 35 ||
By repeating it a hundred thousand times, a human being becomes directly like Śiva. The six-syllabled one is declared to be Śakti, sealed and restrained within; the eight-syllabled one is taught as the manu—the mantra itself.
Narada
Vrata: none
Primary Rasa: bhakti
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
FAQs
It teaches the transformative potency of disciplined japa: sustained repetition (here, one hundred thousand) is said to produce direct spiritual assimilation to Śiva—i.e., an auspicious, liberated Śiva-like state.
It frames devotion as steady mantra-practice: loving, repeated remembrance through japa is presented as a concrete method that matures into divine likeness, not merely an abstract sentiment.
It reflects technical mantra-classification by akṣara-count (six-syllable vs eight-syllable) and the idea of mantra-śakti being “sealed/contained,” aligning with the Narada Purana’s Third Pada focus on applied sacred sciences.
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