Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 9

Mantra-Māhātmya and Sādhana of Kārtavīryārjuna

Nyāsa, Yantra, Homa, and Dīpa-Vrata

Devanagari script

मेषः सदीर्घः पवनो मनुरुक्तो हृदंतिमः । ऊनर्विशतिवर्णोऽयं तारादिर्नखवर्णकः ॥ ९ ॥

Transliteration

meṣaḥ sadīrghaḥ pavano manurukto hṛdaṃtimaḥ | ūnarviśativarṇo'yaṃ tārādirnakhavarṇakaḥ || 9 ||

Translation

‘മേഷ’ം ‘സദീർഘ’മെന്നു നിർദ്ദേശിക്കപ്പെട്ടിരിക്കുന്നു; അത് ‘പവന’ സ്വഭാവവും ‘മനു-ഉക്ത’വുമാണ്, അവസാനത്തിൽ ‘ഹൃദ്’ വരുന്നതായി പറയുന്നു. ഈ ക്രമം ഇരുപതിൽ കുറവ് അക്ഷരങ്ങളുള്ളത്; ‘താരാ’യിൽ ആരംഭിച്ച് ‘നഖ-വർണ’ ലക്ഷണമുള്ളത്॥ ९ ॥

Word by Word

• meṣaḥ: ram; Aries
• meṣaḥ: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: meṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (प्रथमा/1), Singular (एकवचन)

• sa-dīrghaḥ: long
• sa-dīrghaḥ: Visheshana (विशेषण/Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dīrgha (प्रातिपदिक) with sa- (उपसर्ग/पूर्वपद)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (प्रथमा/1), Singular (एकवचन); कर्मधारय: 'saḥ dīrghaḥ' = 'long/elongated'

• pavanaḥ: wind
• pavanaḥ: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pavana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (प्रथमा/1), Singular (एकवचन)

• manuḥ-uktaḥ: said by Manu
• manuḥ-uktaḥ: Visheshana (विशेषण/Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: manu (प्रातिपदिक) + ukta (कृदन्त; √vac धातु)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (प्रथमा/1), Singular (एकवचन); past participle (क्त) 'ukta' = 'said'; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: 'manunā uktaḥ / manoḥ uktaḥ' (as tradition: 'said by Manu')

• hṛd-antimaḥ: ending at the heart
• hṛd-antimaḥ: Visheshana (विशेषण/Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: hṛd (प्रातिपदिक) + antima (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (प्रथमा/1), Singular (एकवचन); षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: 'hṛdaḥ antimaḥ' = 'ending at the heart'

• ūna-viṃśati-varṇaḥ: having fewer than twenty syllables/letters
• ūna-viṃśati-varṇaḥ: Visheshana (विशेषण/Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ūna (प्रातिपदिक) + viṃśati (प्रातिपदिक/संख्या) + varṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (प्रथमा/1), Singular (एकवचन); तत्पुरुष: 'viṃśateḥ ūnaḥ' (less than twenty) qualifying 'varṇaḥ'

• ayam: this
• ayam: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: idam (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (प्रथमा/1), Singular (एकवचन); pronoun (सर्वनाम)

• tārā-ādiḥ: beginning with 'tārā'
• tārā-ādiḥ: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tārā (प्रातिपदिक) + ādi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (प्रथमा/1), Singular (एकवचन); तत्पुरुष: 'tārā ādiḥ yasya' = 'beginning with tārā'

• nakha-varṇakaḥ: nail-colored (mark/letter)
• nakha-varṇakaḥ: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nakha (प्रातिपदिक) + varṇaka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (प्रथमा/1), Singular (एकवचन); तत्पुरुष: 'nakhasya varṇakaḥ' = 'nail-colored/marking'

Speaker

Narada (teaching in a Vedanga/technical-science section, traditionally framed within Narada–Sanatkumara dialogue)

Vrata Kalpa

Vrata: none

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: adbhuta

Characters & Entities

• Manu

FAQs

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

Its significance is instructional rather than devotional: it preserves a technical Vedāṅga-style method for encoding and remembering astrological terms (like Meṣa) through phonetic/metrical markers, reflecting the Purāṇa’s role as a carrier of applied Vedic sciences.

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

Direct bhakti instruction is not the focus here; instead, the verse supports dharma-practice by systematizing technical knowledge (used in calendrical/astrological determinations), which traditionally underpins correct timing and procedure for vows and worship.

What practical Vedic knowledge (Vedanga) is highlighted here?

Vedāṅga-oriented phonetic/metrical classification—terms like dīrgha (long), varṇa (letters/syllables), and initial/terminal markers (tārādi, hṛd-antima) indicate a mnemonic-technical scheme, intersecting with jyotiṣa-style nomenclature.