Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 20

The Account of the Lalitā Hymn, the Protective Armor

Kavaca), and the Thousand Names (Sahasranāma

Devanagari script

वर्गानुक्रमयोगेन यस्याख्योमाष्टकं स्थितम् । वन्दे तामष्टवर्गोत्थमहासिद्ध्यादिकेश्वरीम् ॥ २० ॥

Transliteration

vargānukramayogena yasyākhyomāṣṭakaṃ sthitam | vande tāmaṣṭavargotthamahāsiddhyādikeśvarīm || 20 ||

Translation

Je me prosterne devant la Devī suprême—Souveraine de la Mahāsiddhi et des autres accomplissements—qui naît de l’Aṣṭavarga ; en elle s’établit l’octade (l’octave de « oṃ ») par l’enchaînement ordonné des classes phonétiques (varga).

Word by Word

• वर्गानुक्रमयोगेन: by the method of class-sequence
• वर्गानुक्रमयोगेन: Karana (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वर्ग + अनुक्रम + योग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), एकवचन; समासः: वर्ग-अनुक्रम-योग (तत्पुरुष: ‘by the method/order of classes’)

• यस्य: whose
• यस्य: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), एकवचन; genitive: whose/of which

• आख्य: named
• आख्य: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: आख्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; विशेषण (named/called) — used with ‘ओम्’

• ओम्: Oṃ
• ओम्: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/नाम)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ओम् (अव्यय/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रणव (sacred syllable)

• अष्टकम्: octad/group of eight
• अष्टकम्: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अष्टक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; subject of ‘स्थितम्’

• स्थितम्: is established
• स्थितम्: Kriya (क्रिया/कृदन्त-प्रयोग)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्था (धातु)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त/PPP) from √स्था; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; predicate: ‘is established/placed’

• वन्दे: I salute
• वन्दे: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वन्द् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), आत्मनेपद, उत्तमपुरुष, एकवचन

• ताम्: her
• ताम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• अष्टवर्गोत्थमहासिद्ध्यादिकेश्वरीम्: the Mistress of the great siddhis etc. arising from the eight groups
• अष्टवर्गोत्थमहासिद्ध्यादिकेश्वरीम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अष्ट + वर्ग + उत्थ + महा + सिद्धि + आदि + ईश्वरी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; समासः: अष्ट-वर्ग (षष्ठी/तत्पुरुष: ‘of eight classes’) + उत्थ (born/arisen) + महा-सिद्धि-आदि (कर्मधारय/तत्पुरुष: ‘great siddhis etc.’) + ईश्वरी (mistress)

Speaker

Narada (invocatory praise within Vedanga/technical exposition context)

Vrata Kalpa

Vrata: none

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: adbhuta

Secondary Rasa: bhakti

Characters & Entities

• Mahāsiddhi
• Īśvarī (Devī)

FAQs

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

The verse venerates the Devī as the presiding power behind mantra-realization, presenting spiritual accomplishment (siddhi) as rooted in a disciplined, ordered science of sound (varga-anukrama) rather than mere recitation.

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

Bhakti appears here as reverent surrender—“vande”—toward the divine source of sacred speech; devotion is shown as compatible with technical precision, where worship and correct mantra-structure together support spiritual fruition.

What practical Vedic knowledge (Vedanga) is highlighted here?

It points to Śikṣā/Vyākaraṇa-style phonetic organization—varga (phoneme classes) and their sequence (anukrama)—as a practical tool for correct mantra formation and effective japa/ritual recitation.