Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 73
The Exposition of the Maheśa Mantra
Mahēśa-mantra-prakāśana
व्याधिस्तु पंचमी प्रोक्ता शर्वेभ्यस्तदनंतरम् । मृत्युर्निगदिता षष्ठी नमस्ते अस्तु तत्परम् ॥ ७३ ॥
vyādhistu paṃcamī proktā śarvebhyastadanaṃtaram | mṛtyurnigaditā ṣaṣṭhī namaste astu tatparam || 73 ||
« Vyādhi » (la maladie) est proclamée comme la cinquième, aussitôt après toutes celles-là. « Mṛtyu » (la mort) est dite la sixième. À Toi—entièrement voué à cette Réalité suprême—soit l’hommage : namaḥ.
Narada (in a didactic/ritual enumeration as part of the dialogue tradition)
Vrata: none
Primary Rasa: karuna
Secondary Rasa: shanta
FAQs
It places disease (vyādhi) and death (mṛtyu) into an ordered, named sequence and then turns the mind to surrender—salutation to the Supreme—implying that ultimate refuge is beyond these afflictions.
By ending the enumeration with “namas te” and “tat-param,” it models bhakti as remembrance and reverent surrender to the Highest, even while acknowledging inevitable human conditions like illness and death.
The verse reflects a technical, ritual style of ordered enumeration (useful in stotra/nyāsa and mantra-lists), where powers or conditions are named by number (fifth, sixth) for precise recitation and application.