Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 21

Śeṣoditya-Sūrya-nyāsa, Soma-sādhana, Graha-pūjā, and Bhauma-vrata-vidhi

Devanagari script

कुंडलां गदकेयूरहारिणं च त्रयीतनुम् । ध्यात्वैवं प्रजपेन्मंत्री वसुलक्षं दशांशतः ॥ २१ ॥

Transliteration

kuṃḍalāṃ gadakeyūrahāriṇaṃ ca trayītanum | dhyātvaivaṃ prajapenmaṃtrī vasulakṣaṃ daśāṃśataḥ || 21 ||

Translation

Ayant ainsi médité sur le Seigneur—paré de boucles d’oreilles, portant la massue, orné de bracelets et d’un collier, et dont le corps même est l’incarnation des Trois Vedas—le pratiquant du mantra doit accomplir le japa huit cent mille fois, puis offrir le dixième en oblation prescrite (daśāṁśa).

Word by Word

• कुण्डलाम्: (having) earrings
• कुण्डलाम्: विशेष्य-विशेषणभाव (Attribute; with implied ‘धारयन्तम्/सूर्यम्’)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कुण्डला (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• गदा-केयूर-हारिणम्: bearing a mace and armlets
• गदा-केयूर-हारिणम्: विशेषण (Qualifier of the deity)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: गदा (प्रातिपदिक) + केयूर (प्रातिपदिक) + हारिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष (गदां केयूरं च हरति/धारयति इति); पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• च: and
• च: समुच्चय (Connector/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक अव्यय (conjunction)

• त्रयी-तनुम्: whose body is the three Vedas
• त्रयी-तनुम्: विशेषण (Qualifier of the deity)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: त्रयी (प्रातिपदिक) + तनु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष (त्रयी-रूपा तनुः यस्य); पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• ध्यात्वा: having meditated
• ध्यात्वा: पूर्वकाल (Prior action/पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √ध्यै (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (gerund)

• एवम्: thus
• एवम्: क्रियाविशेषण (Adverbial modifier)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एवम् (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रकारवाचक अव्यय (adverb: thus)

• प्रजपेत्: should recite (repeatedly)
• प्रजपेत्: क्रिया (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र-√जप् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• मन्त्री: the mantra-practitioner
• मन्त्री: कर्ता (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मन्त्रिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• वसु-लक्षम्: eight lakhs (800,000 times)
• वसु-लक्षम्: कर्म (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वसु (प्रातिपदिक) + लक्ष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: द्विगु-समास (वसूनां संख्या = 8; अष्ट-लक्षम्); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन (समाहार)

• दश-अंशतः: as a tenth (i.e., 1/10 as offering)
• दश-अंशतः: क्रियाविशेषण (Adverbial modifier)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: दश (प्रातिपदिक) + अंश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तसिल्-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय (ablatival adverb); ‘दशांश’ = one-tenth

Speaker

Sage Sanatkumara (in instruction to Narada, within a ritual-technical discourse)

Vrata Kalpa

Vrata: none

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: bhakti

Secondary Rasa: vira

Characters & Entities

• Vishnu
• Vedas

FAQs

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

It links dhyāna (visualizing the Veda-embodied Lord with divine ornaments) to disciplined japa, showing that inner contemplation and precise repetition together complete a valid sādhana.

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

Bhakti here is practiced as loving remembrance: the devotee meditates on Vishnu’s auspicious form and then sustains that devotion through large-scale japa, making worship continuous and focused.

What practical Vedic knowledge (Vedanga) is highlighted here?

It highlights ritual quantification and completion rules—specific japa-saṅkhyā (vasulakṣa) and the daśāṁśa principle (one-tenth portion) commonly applied for concluding offerings in mantra-sādhanā.