Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 16

The Account of the Lalitā Hymn, the Protective Armor

Kavaca), and the Thousand Names (Sahasranāma

Devanagari script

अकचादिटतोन्नद्धपयशाक्षरवर्गिणीम् । ज्येष्ठांगबाहुहृत्कंठकटिपादनिवासिनीम् ॥ १६ ॥

Transliteration

akacādiṭatonnaddhapayaśākṣaravargiṇīm | jyeṣṭhāṃgabāhuhṛtkaṃṭhakaṭipādanivāsinīm || 16 ||

Translation

Elle est ordonnée en groupes de syllabes—commençant par « a », puis « ka », et ainsi de suite—enfilées comme une guirlande de lettres rayonnantes ; elle demeure dans les membres principaux : le corps, les bras, le cœur, la gorge, la taille et les pieds.

Word by Word

• a-kaca-ādi-ṭata-unnaddha-payaḥ-akṣara-vargiṇīm: her who possesses the classes of syllables beginning with a, ka, ca, etc.
• a-kaca-ādi-ṭata-unnaddha-payaḥ-akṣara-vargiṇīm: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: varginī (प्रातिपदिक) with a + kaca + ādi + ṭata (प्रातिपदिक) + unnaddha (कृदन्त; √nand/√nad? here ‘bound/fastened’ as unnaddha, क्त) + payaḥ (प्रातिपदिक) + akṣara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Accusative, Singular; long tatpuruṣa epithet: ‘she who has groups of syllables (akṣara-varga) (arranged) with (the sequence) a, ka, ca, etc., bound/linked with payaḥ (nectar/milk)’

• jyeṣṭha-aṅga-bāhu-hṛt-kaṇṭha-kaṭi-pāda-nivāsinīm: her who dwells in the head, arms, heart, throat, waist, and feet
• jyeṣṭha-aṅga-bāhu-hṛt-kaṇṭha-kaṭi-pāda-nivāsinīm: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nivāsinī (प्रातिपदिक; from √vas (वस्) with नि + णिनि/इनी) with jyeṣṭha + aṅga + bāhu + hṛt + kaṇṭha + kaṭi + pāda (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Accusative, Singular; tatpuruṣa epithet: ‘dwelling in (or presiding over) the head/foremost limb, arms, heart, throat, waist, and feet’

Speaker

Narada (teaching within the Vedanga-oriented section; dialogue tradition with the Sanatkumara line implied for instruction)

Vrata Kalpa

Vrata: none

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: adbhuta

Characters & Entities

• Narada
• Akshara (letters/varnamala)

FAQs

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

It presents the Sanskrit sound-body (varṇamālā) as a sacred, living order of akṣaras and links it to bodily loci, implying that disciplined phonetics and internal placement sanctify speech and the practitioner.

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

By treating letters and recitation as sacred presence, it supports bhakti through careful mantra-japa and reverent utterance—devotion expressed as pure sound, correctly formed and contemplated.

What practical Vedic knowledge (Vedanga) is highlighted here?

Śikṣā (phonetics) and Vyākaraṇa-oriented ordering of akṣaras into vargas, along with the practical ritual technique of aṅga/karanyāsa-style placement of sound-units in specific body parts.