Shloka 24
Puruṣottama-māhātmya
The Greatness of Puruṣottama Kṣetra
पुरोधसां यथा जीवः कालः कलयतां यथा । ग्रहाणां भास्करो यद्वन्मंत्राणां प्रणवो यथा ॥ २४ ॥
purodhasāṃ yathā jīvaḥ kālaḥ kalayatāṃ yathā | grahāṇāṃ bhāskaro yadvanmaṃtrāṇāṃ praṇavo yathā || 24 ||
Just as the vital principle (jīva) is foremost among priests, just as Time (Kāla) is foremost among those who reckon, just as the Sun is foremost among the planets, so too is the sacred syllable Praṇava (Oṁ) foremost among mantras.
Narada (instructional voice within the Narada Purana’s Uttara-Bhaga style of praise and hierarchy statements)
Vrata: none
Primary Rasa: shanta (peace)
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta (wonder)
FAQs
It establishes a hierarchy of essentials: as life, time, and the sun are primary in their domains, so Oṁ (Praṇava) is primary in mantra—implying that spiritual practice is rooted in the supreme seed-sound that leads the mind toward the highest reality.
By presenting Praṇava as the crown of mantras, it supports the bhakti practice of beginning worship, japa, and ritual acts with Oṁ—centering devotion on the Lord indicated by the Vedic seed-syllable and steadying the heart in reverence.
Jyotiṣa (Vedic astrology/astronomy) is signaled through the statement that Bhāskara (the Sun) is chief among grahas, and mantra-vidyā is emphasized by identifying Praṇava as the foundational syllable used in Vedic recitation and ritual formulations.