Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 71

Hanumān-mantra-kathana: Mantra-bheda, Nyāsa, Yantra, and Prayoga

Devanagari script

मालामंत्रमथो वक्ष्ये तारो वाग्विष्णुगेहिनी । दीर्घत्रयान्विता माया प्रागुक्तं कूटपञ्चकम् ॥ ७१ ॥

Transliteration

mālāmaṃtramatho vakṣye tāro vāgviṣṇugehinī | dīrghatrayānvitā māyā prāguktaṃ kūṭapañcakam || 71 ||

Translation

ഇപ്പോൾ മാലാ-മന്ത്രം പറയുന്നു—ആദ്യം ‘താര’ അക്ഷരം, പിന്നെ ‘വാക്’, പിന്നെ ‘വിഷ്ണു-ഗേഹിനി’ പദം; തുടർന്ന് മൂന്ന് ദീർഘസ്വരങ്ങളോടുകൂടിയ ‘മായാ’—ഇതുതന്നെ മുൻപ് പറഞ്ഞ കൂറ്റ-പഞ്ചകം।

Word by Word

• माला-मन्त्रम्: the mālā-mantra
• माला-मन्त्रम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: माला (प्रातिपदिक) + मन्त्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (mālā-mantra / garland-mantra); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• अथो: now/then
• अथो: Sambandha-bodhaka (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अथ (अव्यय) + उ (निपात)
• Form: अव्यय; अनुक्रम/आरम्भसूचक (then/now)

• वक्ष्ये: I shall speak
• वक्ष्ये: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लृट् (Simple Future), उत्तमपुरुष (1st person), एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• तारः: the ‘tāra’ syllable
• तारः: Vishaya (विषय)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; mantra-syllable name (e.g., ‘oṃ’)

• वाक्-विष्णु-गेहिनी: Vāk-viṣṇu-gehini (a named mantra/epithet)
• वाक्-विष्णु-गेहिनी: Vishaya (विषय)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वाक् (प्रातिपदिक) + विष्णु (प्रातिपदिक) + गेहिनी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास; स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; epithet/name (lit. ‘speech, the householder of Viṣṇu’ / ‘she who houses Viṣṇu as speech’)

• दीर्घ-त्रय-अन्विता: endowed with three long (sounds)
• दीर्घ-त्रय-अन्विता: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दीर्घ (प्रातिपदिक) + त्रय (प्रातिपदिक) + अन्वित (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास; स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण to माया; ‘endowed with three long vowels/sounds’

• माया: Māyā (mantra-name)
• माया: Vishaya (विषय)
• Type: Noun
• Root: माया (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; mantra-name

• प्राक्-उक्तम्: previously stated
• प्राक्-उक्तम्: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्राक् (अव्यय) + उक्त (प्रातिपदिक; √वच्)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव-समास (‘previously said’); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषण to कूटपञ्चकम्

• कूट-पञ्चकम्: the fivefold kūṭa-group
• कूट-पञ्चकम्: Vishaya (विषय)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कूट (प्रातिपदिक) + पञ्चक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘set of five kūṭas’

Speaker

Narada

Vrata Kalpa

Vrata: none

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: adbhuta

Characters & Entities

• Vishnu
• Vāk (Speech)
• Māyā (bīja)

FAQs

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

It encodes a specific japa-formula (mālā-mantra) using bīja-style shorthand, showing how mantra-science is transmitted as a precise, technical discipline for focused devotion and inner concentration.

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

By prescribing a Viṣṇu-centered mantra structure for mālā-japa, it directs devotion into steady repetition (smaraṇa through japa), treating sound (vāk) and sacred syllables (tāra, māyā) as supports for Viṣṇu-bhakti.

What practical Vedic knowledge (Vedanga) is highlighted here?

Mantra-vidhi and phonetic precision: the verse specifies exact syllabic components and vowel-length (dīrgha) requirements, reflecting śikṣā-style attention to pronunciation and formulaic construction used in ritual recitation.