Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 176

The Description of the Worship of Rāma and Others

Rāmādi-pūjā-vidhāna

Devanagari script

सप्ताक्षरो मनुश्चास्य मुन्याद्यर्चादि पूर्ववत् । बकः सेंदुश्च शत्रुध्नपरं ङेतं हृदंतिमः ॥ १७६ ॥

Transliteration

saptākṣaro manuścāsya munyādyarcādi pūrvavat | bakaḥ seṃduśca śatrudhnaparaṃ ṅetaṃ hṛdaṃtimaḥ || 176 ||

Translation

Bagi (mantra/dewa) ini, mantranya terdiri daripada tujuh suku kata. Resi penaungnya serta tatacara pemujaan bermula dengan penghormatan kepada para resi hendaklah dilakukan seperti yang telah dinyatakan terdahulu. Tanda-tandanya ialah baka (burung bangau) dan indu (bulan); ia berorientasi kepada pemusnahan musuh (śatrudhna). Penutup (nyāsa) ialah bahagian “hṛdaya” (hati) sebagai akhiran.

Word by Word

• सप्ताक्षरः: seven-syllabled
• सप्ताक्षरः: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सप्त-अक्षर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; विशेषण (adjectival use) — ‘seven-syllabled’

• मनुः: the mantra-formula (manu)
• मनुः: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मनु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

• अस्य: of this (mantra/one)
• अस्य: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Genitive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुं, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन; सर्वनाम (pronoun)

• मुनि-आदि-अर्चा-आदि: worship etc., beginning with (invocation of) sages etc.
• मुनि-आदि-अर्चा-आदि: Karma (कर्म/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मुनि + आदि + अर्चा + आदि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (अर्चा-प्रधान), प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; समाहार-द्वन्द्व (collective copulative) — ‘worship etc. beginning with sages etc.’

• पूर्ववत्: as before
• पूर्ववत्: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण/Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पूर्ववत् (अव्यय/प्रातिपदिक-निपात)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb) — manner

• बकः: ‘baka’ (a code-word/seed-syllable name)
• बकः: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• स-इन्दुः: with ‘indu’ (moon/seed-syllable ‘indu’)
• स-इन्दुः: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स + इन्दु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; उपपद-तत्पुरुष (prefixal ‘sa-’ = ‘with’)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

• शत्रुध्न-परम्: ending with/pertaining to ‘Śatrudhna’
• शत्रुध्न-परम्: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शत्रुध्न + पर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष — ‘having/ending with śatrudhna’ (contextual)

• ङेतम्: ‘ṅeta’ (a seed-syllable/code term)
• ङेतम्: Karma (कर्म/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ङेत (प्रातिपदिक/बीजाक्षर-नाम)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; बीजाक्षर-नाम (seed-syllable name; orthography as transmitted)

• हृदन्तिमः: having ‘hṛd’ as the final (element)
• हृदन्तिमः: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: हृद्-अन्तिम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष — ‘having hṛd as the last/ending’ (contextual)

Speaker

Narada (teaching in a technical/vidhi register within the Vedanga-oriented section)

Vrata Kalpa

Vrata: none

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: vira

Characters & Entities

• Narada

FAQs

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

It encodes technical mantra-vidhi: the mantra’s syllable-count, the standard preliminaries of worship “as taught earlier,” and the specific application ending in the heart-formula—showing that correct method (vidhi) is integral to mantra efficacy.

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

Bhakti here is expressed through disciplined upāsanā: following the prescribed sequence of worship and inner placement (hṛdaya-nyāsa) so devotion becomes focused, reverent, and ritually precise rather than merely emotional.

What practical Vedic knowledge (Vedanga) is highlighted here?

It highlights mantra-śāstra procedure: counting syllables (chandas/phonetic discipline), performing pūrvavat arcā-krama, and applying a hṛdaya-ending formula (nyāsa), all typical of technical ritual instruction found in Vedanga-oriented passages.