Shloka 36

Mantra-Nyāsa and Elemental Maṇḍalas: Nāga Invocation and Garuḍa–Bhairava Dhyāna for Protection

Devanagari script

केशरे तु स्वरान्न्यस्यादीशान्तान्षोडशार्चयेत् / वामाद्याः शक्तयः प्रोक्तास्त्रितत्त्वन्तु ततो न्यसेत्

Transliteration

keśare tu svarānnyasyādīśāntānṣoḍaśārcayet / vāmādyāḥ śaktayaḥ proktāstritattvantu tato nyaset

Translation

कमळाच्या केसरात ‘अ’ पासून ईशान्तपर्यंत स्वरांचा न्यास करून सोळा स्वरांचे पूजन करावे। मग वामा इत्यादी शक्तींचा उच्चार करून त्यानंतर त्रितत्त्वाचा न्यास करावा।

Word by Word

• keśare: in the filament (of the lotus)
• keśare: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: keśara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; अधिकरण (locative)

• tu: indeed; but
• tu: Sambandha/Discourse particle
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधान/विरोधार्थक-निपात (particle: but/indeed)

• svarān: vowels (sounds)
• svarān: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: svara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), बहुवचन; कर्म (object)

• nyasya: having placed
• nyasya: Kriya (Gerundial action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ni-√as (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund) ‘न्यस्य’; पूर्वक्रिया (having placed)

• īśāntān: ending with ‘īśa’ (from īśa to the end)
• īśāntān: Karma (Object-qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: īśa + anta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (ईश-आन्त = ‘ending with īśa’); पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचन; विशेषण (qualifier of ‘svarān’)

• ṣoḍaśa: sixteen
• ṣoḍaśa: Karma (Object-qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ṣoḍaśa (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: संख्यावाचक; अव्ययवत् प्रयोग (numeral used adjectivally)

• arcayet: should worship
• arcayet: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √arc (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; विधि (should worship)

• vāmādyāḥ: beginning with Vāmā
• vāmādyāḥ: Karta (Subject-qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vāmā + ādi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (वामा-आदि = ‘beginning with Vāmā’); स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; विशेषण (of ‘śaktayaḥ’)

• śaktayaḥ: powers; śaktis
• śaktayaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śakti (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), बहुवचन; कर्तृ (subject)

• proktāḥ: are said; are declared
• proktāḥ: Kriya/Predicate (State)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra-√vac (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्यय (past passive participle) ‘प्रोक्त’; स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; विधेय (predicate)

• tri-tattvam: the three principles
• tri-tattvam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tri + tattva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: द्विगु-समास (त्रि-तत्त्व = ‘three principles’); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; कर्म

• tu: then/indeed
• tu: Sambandha/Discourse particle
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात (particle: and/indeed)

• tataḥ: thereafter
• tataḥ: Kriya-visheṣaṇa (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatas (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अव्यय-प्रयोग (adverb: thereafter/from that)

• nyaset: should place
• nyaset: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ni-√as (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; विधि (should place/assign)

Speaker

Lord Vishnu (teaching Garuda/Vinata-putra)

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Microcosm–macrocosm correspondence: sound (varṇa/mātṛkā) and power (Śakti) structure the inner field; tri-tattva indicates layered principles to be realized/installed.

Vedantic Theme: Adhyāropa–apavāda style: superimposition of sacred structure on the body-mind to steady awareness, tending toward inner stillness (antaḥkaraṇa-śuddhi).

Application: Use systematic nyāsa (vowel-mātṛkā) with clear visualization and breath steadiness; treat the inner lotus as a sanctum before further deity-invocation.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: adbhuta

Secondary Rasa: shanta

Geographic Context

Type: subtle body locus (cakra/lotus)

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana 1.197 (nyāsa/maṇḍala-vidhi sequence continuing in 1.197.37–40)

Characters & Entities

• Isha (Īśa)
• Shaktis (Vāmā etc.)

FAQs

What is the importance of nyāsa in this Garuda Purana verse?

Nyāsa is presented as a precise inner installation of sacred sound (vowels/mantras) before worship, making the practitioner’s body-mind a fit vessel for the deity’s presence.

How does this verse relate to Garuda Purana’s broader spiritual practice?

It outlines a technical worship-sequence—placing vowels, honoring a set of sixteen, invoking Śaktis, and installing a triad of tattvas—showing the Purana’s integration of mantra, subtle anatomy, and ritual order.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

Approach chanting and worship with structured preparation—clear pronunciation, mindful placement (attention), and a step-by-step ritual mindset—rather than treating mantra as casual recitation.