Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 133

Jyotiṣa-śāstra Saṅgraha: Threefold Division, Gaṇita Methods, Muhūrta, and Planetary Reckoning

Devanagari script

प्रांक्पश्चिमाश्रिता रेखा प्रोच्यते सममंडलम् । भमंडलं च विषुवन्मंडलं परिकीर्तितम् ॥ १३३ ॥

Transliteration

prāṃkpaścimāśritā rekhā procyate samamaṃḍalam | bhamaṃḍalaṃ ca viṣuvanmaṃḍalaṃ parikīrtitam || 133 ||

Translation

La ligne qui s’étend selon l’axe est–ouest est appelée samamaṇḍala, le cercle des équinoxes. Elle est aussi nommée bhamaṇḍala, cercle céleste, et l’on la célèbre encore comme viṣuvanmaṇḍala, l’équateur.

Word by Word

• प्राङ्: eastward
• प्राङ्: विशेषण (Visheshana/Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्राञ्च् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययवत् दिशावाचक (directional), here as पूर्वपद in compound; ‘eastward’

• पश्चिम: westward/western
• पश्चिम: विशेषण (Visheshana/Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पश्चिम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (समास/विशेषणार्थ)

• आश्रिता: resting on/lying along
• आश्रिता: विशेषण (Visheshana/Qualifier)
• Type: Verb
• Root: श्रि (धातु) + आ- (उपसर्ग) + क्त (PPP)
• Form: कृदन्त; क्त-प्रत्यय (PPP), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (qualifying रेखा)

• रेखा: line
• रेखा: कर्ता (Karta/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रेखा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन

• प्रोच्यते: is called
• प्रोच्यते: क्रिया (Kriya/Verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु) + प्र- (उपसर्ग)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; आत्मनेपद; कर्मणि प्रयोग (passive)

• सम: equal/even
• सम: विशेषण (Visheshana/Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन (समासपूर्वपद-विशेषण)

• मण्डलम्: circle/orb
• मण्डलम्: सम्बन्ध (Predicate/Name)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मण्डल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; विधेय (predicate nominative)

• भ: of the sky/stellar (bha)
• भ: सम्बन्ध (Sambandha/Genitive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), एकवचन (समासपूर्वपद-सम्बन्ध)

• मण्डलम्: circle/orb
• मण्डलम्: कर्ता (Karta/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मण्डल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• च: and
• च: सम्बन्ध (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय (conjunction: and)

• विषुवन्: of the equinox (viṣuvan)
• विषुवन्: सम्बन्ध (Sambandha/Genitive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विषुवन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचन (समासपूर्वपद-सम्बन्ध)

• मण्डलम्: circle/orb
• मण्डलम्: कर्ता (Karta/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मण्डल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• परिकीर्तितम्: is proclaimed/declared
• परिकीर्तितम्: क्रिया (Kriya/Predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कीर्त् (धातु) + परि- (उपसर्ग) + क्त (PPP)
• Form: कृदन्त; क्त-प्रत्यय (PPP), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्मणि/विधेय (is proclaimed)

Speaker

Sanatkumara (teaching Narada in a technical-cosmological passage)

Vrata Kalpa

Vrata: none

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: adbhuta

FAQs

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

It frames cosmic order through precise astronomical terminology, implying that dharma and sacred timekeeping rest on a well-understood structure of the universe.

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

Indirectly: by clarifying the cosmic framework used to compute sacred times, it supports orderly worship and vrata observance, which in the Purana serve as aids to devotion.

What practical Vedic knowledge (Vedanga) is highlighted here?

Vedāṅga Jyotiṣa: the verse defines the equinoctial circle/equator (viṣuvanmaṇḍala) and its synonyms used in traditional astronomical and calendrical calculations.