Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 4

The Exposition of the Maheśa Mantra

Mahēśa-mantra-prakāśana

Devanagari script

मंत्रवर्णादिकान्न्यस्येन्मंत्रमूर्तिर्यथाक्रमम् । तर्जनीमध्ययोरंत्यानामिकांगुष्ठके पुनः ॥ ४ ॥

Transliteration

maṃtravarṇādikānnyasyenmaṃtramūrtiryathākramam | tarjanīmadhyayoraṃtyānāmikāṃguṣṭhake punaḥ || 4 ||

Translation

One should perform nyāsa, placing the mantra’s syllables and the rest in due order, so that the mantra-form is established. Again, the placements are to be done on the index and middle fingers, and on the ring finger and the thumb.

Word by Word

• mantra-varṇa-ādikān: the mantra-letters and related (items)
• mantra-varṇa-ādikān: Karma (कर्म/object of nyasyet)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mantra (प्रातिपदिक) + varṇa (प्रातिपदिक) + ādi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Plural; ‘mantra-letters etc.’ (ādika = ‘and the rest’)

• nyasyet: should place/assign (in nyāsa)
• nyasyet: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ni-as (धातु)
• Form: Optative (विधिलिङ्), 3rd person (प्रथमपुरुष), Singular (एकवचन); ‘should place/assign (nyāsa)’

• mantra-mūrtiḥ: the embodied form of the mantra
• mantra-mūrtiḥ: Karta (कर्ता/subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mantra (प्रातिपदिक) + mūrti (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular; ‘the mantra-form/embodiment’

• yathā-kramam: in proper sequence
• yathā-kramam: Kriyā-viśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण/adverb of nyasyet)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yathā (अव्यय) + krama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Avyayībhāva; adverbial accusative sense ‘in due order’

• tarjanī-madhyayoḥ: of the index and middle (fingers)
• tarjanī-madhyayoḥ: Adhikaraṇa/Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/location-specifier)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tarjanī (प्रातिपदिक) + madhyā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Genitive (6th/षष्ठी), Dual (द्विवचन); dvandva ‘of the index finger and the middle finger’

• antyā: last (i.e., ring-finger)
• antyā: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: antya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Genitive (6th/षष्ठी), Singular; qualifies nāmikā

• nāmikā: ring finger
• nāmikā: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/part-location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nāmikā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Genitive (6th/षष्ठी), Singular; ‘ring finger’

• aṅguṣṭhake: on the thumb
• aṅguṣṭhake: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण/location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: aṅguṣṭhaka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Locative (7th/सप्तमी), Singular; ‘on the thumb’

• punaḥ: again/further
• punaḥ: Kriyā-viśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: punaḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya; adverb (पुनरर्थक)

Speaker

Sanatkumara (in instruction to Narada, within Vedanga/ritual-technical teaching)

Vrata Kalpa

Vrata: none

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: none

Characters & Entities

• Narada
• Sanatkumara

FAQs

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

It teaches that a mantra is not merely recited but ritually ‘embodied’ through nyāsa—systematic placement of syllables—so the practitioner internalizes the mantra as a living power (mantra-mūrti).

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

By prescribing careful mantra-nyāsa, it supports disciplined devotional practice: the devotee approaches the deity through the mantra’s form, cultivating reverence, concentration, and ritual purity that stabilize bhakti.

What practical Vedic knowledge (Vedanga) is highlighted here?

It highlights technical ritual application—nyāsa and ordered syllable placement—closely related to Śikṣā (phonetics) and Kalpa (ritual procedure), emphasizing correct sequence and bodily loci (fingers) in mantra practice.