Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 49

Rādhā-sambaddha-mantra-vyākhyā

Rādhā-Related Mantras Explained

Devanagari script

षड्भुजां त्रीक्षणामिंदुकलाकलितमौलिकाम् । पञ्चाष्टषोडशद्वंद्वषट्कोणचतुरस्रगाम् ॥ ४९ ॥

Transliteration

ṣaḍbhujāṃ trīkṣaṇāmiṃdukalākalitamaulikām | pañcāṣṭaṣoḍaśadvaṃdvaṣaṭkoṇacaturasragām || 49 ||

Translation

Médite sur Elle comme ayant six bras et trois yeux, la lune en croissant ornant sa couronne, et comme demeurant dans le diagramme sacré (yantra) composé de paires de pétales en cinq, huit et seize, avec l’hexagone et le carré.

Word by Word

• षड्भुजाम्: six-armed
• षड्भुजाम्: कर्म-विशेषण (Object qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: षट्-भुज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; द्विगु-समास (षट् + भुज)

• त्रीक्षणाम्: three-eyed
• त्रीक्षणाम्: कर्म-विशेषण (Object qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: त्रि-ईक्षण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; द्विगु-समास (त्रि + ईक्षण)

• इन्दुकलाकलितमौलिकाम्: whose crown is adorned with the crescent moon
• इन्दुकलाकलितमौलिकाम्: कर्म-विशेषण (Object qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: इन्दु-कला-कलित-मौलिका (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; समासः इन्दु-कला (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष ‘moon’s digit’) + कलित (कृदन्त ‘adorned with’) + मौलिका (having a crown/topknot)

• पञ्चाष्टषोडशद्वन्द्वषट्कोणचतुरस्रगाम्: situated in the five-, eight-, and sixteen-fold paired (arrangements), in hexagon and square (figures)
• पञ्चाष्टषोडशद्वन्द्वषट्कोणचतुरस्रगाम्: कर्म-विशेषण (Object qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पञ्च-अष्ट-षोडश-द्वन्द्व-षट्कोण-चतुरस्र-गा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; बहुपद-समासः (संख्याशब्दाः + द्वन्द्व + षट्कोण + चतुरस्र + गा ‘going/placed in’); ‘-गा’ = गा (प्रातिपदिक, ‘moving/located’)

Speaker

Narada (instructional/technical description within a Vedanga-aligned ritual context)

Vrata Kalpa

Vrata: none

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: adbhuta

Characters & Entities

• Devi (Goddess in yantra-dhyana form)
• Chandra (moon/crescent symbol)

FAQs

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

It encodes a precise dhyāna (meditative visualization) by linking the deity’s form (six arms, three eyes, crescent crown) with a structured yantra, showing that inner contemplation and ritual geometry together stabilize devotion and concentration.

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

Bhakti here is practiced as focused remembrance (smaraṇa) through form-meditation: the devotee fixes the mind on the deity’s attributes and her sacred seat in the yantra, turning devotion into steady, single-pointed worship.

What practical Vedic knowledge (Vedanga) is highlighted here?

It highlights applied ritual-technical knowledge: the use of measured sacred geometry (square, hexagon, lotus-petal counts) and prescribed visualization—skills aligned with Kalpa-style procedural ritualism and technical liturgical practice.