Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 4
The Exposition of the Maheśa Mantra
Mahēśa-mantra-prakāśana
मंत्रवर्णादिकान्न्यस्येन्मंत्रमूर्तिर्यथाक्रमम् । तर्जनीमध्ययोरंत्यानामिकांगुष्ठके पुनः ॥ ४ ॥
maṃtravarṇādikānnyasyenmaṃtramūrtiryathākramam | tarjanīmadhyayoraṃtyānāmikāṃguṣṭhake punaḥ || 4 ||
मंत्रातील वर्ण इत्यादींचा यथाक्रम न्यास करावा, ज्यायोगे मंत्रमूर्ती प्रतिष्ठित होते. पुन्हा (न्यास) तर्जनी व मध्यमेवर, तसेच अनामिका व अंगठ्यावर करावा ॥ ४ ॥
Sanatkumara (in instruction to Narada, within Vedanga/ritual-technical teaching)
Vrata: none
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: none
FAQs
It teaches that a mantra is not merely recited but ritually ‘embodied’ through nyāsa—systematic placement of syllables—so the practitioner internalizes the mantra as a living power (mantra-mūrti).
By prescribing careful mantra-nyāsa, it supports disciplined devotional practice: the devotee approaches the deity through the mantra’s form, cultivating reverence, concentration, and ritual purity that stabilize bhakti.
It highlights technical ritual application—nyāsa and ordered syllable placement—closely related to Śikṣā (phonetics) and Kalpa (ritual procedure), emphasizing correct sequence and bodily loci (fingers) in mantra practice.