Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 60

The Exposition of the Maheśa Mantra

Mahēśa-mantra-prakāśana

Devanagari script

शिखिं शिखाय परतोऽनादिबोधाय तच्छिखा । वज्रिणे वज्रहस्ताय स्वतंत्राय तनुच्छदम् ॥ ६० ॥

Transliteration

śikhiṃ śikhāya parato'nādibodhāya tacchikhā | vajriṇe vajrahastāya svataṃtrāya tanucchadam || 60 ||

Translation

Salutations to the Crested One, to Him who bears the sacred topknot; to the Supreme beyond all, the awakener of beginningless awareness, whose crest is that very pure radiance. Salutations to the wielder of the Vajra, to Him with the thunderbolt in hand; to the Independent Lord, the covering and support of embodied existence.

Word by Word

• śikhim: the crested one; peacock / one with a tuft
• śikhim: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śikhin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga (Masculine/पुंलिङ्ग), Dvitīyā (Accusative/द्वितीया), Ekavacana (Singular/एकवचन)

• śikhāya: for the tuft/crest
• śikhāya: Sampradāna (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śikhā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga (Feminine/स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Caturthī (Dative/चतुर्थी), Ekavacana

• parataḥ: afterwards; from outside/elsewhere
• parataḥ: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: paratas (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Avyaya (Indeclinable/अव्यय), Adverb (क्रियाविशेषण)

• anādi-bodhāya: for the beginningless awakening/knowledge
• anādi-bodhāya: Sampradāna (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: anādi + bodha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Tatpuruṣa-samāsa (तत्पुरुष), Puṃliṅga, Caturthī (Dative/चतुर्थी), Ekavacana

• tat-śikhā: that tuft/that crest
• tat-śikhā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tat (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + śikhā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Tatpuruṣa (तत्पुरुष: pronoun-determiner), Strīliṅga, Prathamā (Nominative/प्रथमा), Ekavacana

• vajriṇe: to the wielder of the thunderbolt (Indra)
• vajriṇe: Sampradāna (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vajrin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Caturthī (Dative/चतुर्थी), Ekavacana

• vajra-hastāya: to him whose hand holds a thunderbolt
• vajra-hastāya: Sampradāna (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vajra + hasta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Tatpuruṣa (तत्पुरुष), Puṃliṅga, Caturthī (Dative/चतुर्थी), Ekavacana

• svatantrāya: to the independent one
• svatantrāya: Sampradāna (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: svatantra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga (as epithet), Caturthī (Dative/चतुर्थी), Ekavacana

• tanu-cchadam: a thin covering/veil
• tanu-cchadam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tanu + chada (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Tatpuruṣa (तत्पुरुष), Napuṃsaka (Neuter/नपुंसक), Dvitīyā (Accusative/द्वितीया), Ekavacana

Speaker

Narada (in a stotra/namavali-style recitation within the Vedanga/technical section)

Vrata Kalpa

Vrata: none

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: bhakti

Secondary Rasa: shanta

Characters & Entities

• Vishnu

FAQs

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

It praises the Lord as transcendent (parataḥ), self-sovereign (svatantra), and the awakener of beginningless consciousness (anādibodha), presenting devotion as a direct means to inner awakening and liberation.

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

By concentrating on potent divine epithets—crest-bearing, vajra-wielding, independent—the verse trains the mind to remember the Lord’s supremacy and power, which is a core bhakti practice (nāma-smaraṇa/stotra-japa).

What practical Vedic knowledge (Vedanga) is highlighted here?

The verse reflects mantra-style construction typical of śikṣā and vyākaraṇa sensitivity: compact vocatives, epithets, and semantic layering used for precise recitation and contemplative meaning in ritual or japa.