Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 26

Mantra-Māhātmya and Sādhana of Kārtavīryārjuna

Nyāsa, Yantra, Homa, and Dīpa-Vrata

Devanagari script

ऊष्मान्त्यस्वरकिंजल्कं शेषार्णैः परिवेष्टितम् । कोणालंकृतभूतार्णभूगृहं यन्त्रमीशितुः ॥ २६ ॥

Transliteration

ūṣmāntyasvarakiṃjalkaṃ śeṣārṇaiḥ pariveṣṭitam | koṇālaṃkṛtabhūtārṇabhūgṛhaṃ yantramīśituḥ || 26 ||

Translation

ഈശ്വരന്റെ യന്ത്രത്തിന്റെ മദ്ധ്യത്തിൽ ഊഷ്മാന്ത്യ (ശ-ഷ-സ-ഹ) വരെ ഉള്ള സ്വരങ്ങളാൽ രൂപപ്പെട്ട ‘കിഞ്ചല്കം’ ഉണ്ടായിരിക്കണം; അത് ശേഷിക്കുന്ന അക്ഷരങ്ങളാൽ ചുറ്റപ്പെട്ടിരിക്കണം. അതിന്റെ കോണുകൾ ഭൂതാക്ഷരങ്ങളാൽ അലങ്കരിക്കപ്പെടണം; കൂടാതെ അത് ഭൂഗൃഹം (ചതുരാവരണം) ഉള്ളിൽ സ്ഥാപിക്കപ്പെടണം.

Word by Word

• ūṣma-antya-svara-kiṃjalkam: the filament/pollen (kiṃjalka) of the final vowels and ūṣman letters
• ūṣma-antya-svara-kiṃjalkam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ūṣman (प्रातिपदिक) + antya (प्रातिपदिक) + svara (प्रातिपदिक) + kiṃjalka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Accusative (द्वितीया/2), Singular (एकवचन); तत्पुरुष: ‘ūṣmāntya-svarāṇāṃ kiṃjalkaḥ’

• śeṣa-arṇaiḥ: with the remaining syllables/letters
• śeṣa-arṇaiḥ: Karana (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śeṣa (प्रातिपदिक) + arṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Instrumental (तृतीया/3), Plural (बहुवचन); तत्पुरुष ‘śeṣaiḥ arṇaiḥ’

• pariveṣṭitam: encircled
• pariveṣṭitam: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pari-√veṣṭ (धातु)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Accusative (द्वितीया/2), Singular (एकवचन); कृदन्त (क्त) ‘wrapped/encircled’

• koṇa-alaṃkṛta-bhūta-arṇa-bhū-gṛham: the earth-enclosure (bhūgṛha) adorned with corners and with elemental syllables
• koṇa-alaṃkṛta-bhūta-arṇa-bhū-gṛham: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: koṇa (प्रातिपदिक) + alaṃkṛta (कृदन्त, past participle from √kṛ with alam) + bhūta (प्रातिपदिक) + arṇa (प्रातिपदिक) + bhū (प्रातिपदिक) + gṛha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Accusative (द्वितीया/2), Singular (एकवचन); बहुपद-तत्पुरुष: ‘koṇaiḥ alaṃkṛtam … bhū-gṛham’ with ‘bhūta-arṇa’ (letters of elements)

• yantram: yantra (diagram)
• yantram: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yantra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Accusative (द्वितीया/2), Singular (एकवचन)

• īśituḥ: of the Lord
• īśituḥ: Sambandha (षष्ठी-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: īśitṛ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Genitive (षष्ठी/6), Singular (एकवचन)

Speaker

Sanatkumara (teaching Narada the technical science of yantra/mantra arrangement)

Vrata Kalpa

Vrata: none

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: adbhuta

Characters & Entities

• Ishvara (the Lord)

FAQs

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

It teaches that a deity’s yantra is not decorative art but a disciplined placement of sacred sounds (varṇas), where the center, enclosure, and corners encode spiritual order—making the diagram a support for focused worship and mantra-sādhana.

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

Bhakti here is expressed through precise upāsanā: the devotee honors the Lord by constructing the yantra according to revealed sound-structure, treating mantra and form as a unified aid to remembrance and worship.

What practical Vedic knowledge (Vedanga) is highlighted here?

It highlights śikṣā/varṇa-vinyāsa (phonetic-letter arrangement) applied to ritual technology—how specific classes of letters (vowels, ūṣman-ending groups, and other arṇas) are placed in the yantra’s center, perimeter, and corners.