Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 2

The Exposition of the Maheśa Mantra

Mahēśa-mantra-prakāśana

Devanagari script

हृदयं सबकः सूक्ष्मो लांतोऽनन्तान्वितो मरुत् । पंचाक्षरो मनुः प्रोक्तस्ताराद्योऽयं षडक्षरः ॥ २ ॥

Transliteration

hṛdayaṃ sabakaḥ sūkṣmo lāṃto'nantānvito marut | paṃcākṣaro manuḥ proktastārādyo'yaṃ ṣaḍakṣaraḥ || 2 ||

Translation

“Mantra hati” (hṛdaya) ialah yang bernama Sabaka, bersifat halus; mantra Marut disertai “Ananta” dan berakhir dengan suku kata “lāṃ”. “Manu” dinyatakan sebagai mantra lima suku kata; dan mantra ini, bermula dengan “tārā” iaitu “oṃ”, adalah enam suku kata.

Word by Word

• hṛdayam: (the) heart (seed)
• hṛdayam: Karta (कर्ता/subject—mantra-element)
• Type: Noun
• Root: hṛdaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular

• sabakaḥ: with ‘sa’ and ‘ba’ (sabaka) / named Sabaka
• sabakaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sabaka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular; adjective qualifying marut/manu (contextual)

• sūkṣmaḥ: subtle
• sūkṣmaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sūkṣma (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular

• lāṃtaḥ: ending in ‘lāṃ’
• lāṃtaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: lāṃta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular; ‘ending with lāṃ’ (lāṃ-anta)

• ananta-anvitaḥ: associated with Ananta
• ananta-anvitaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ananta (प्रातिपदिक) + anvita (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular; ‘accompanied by Ananta’

• marut: Marut (name/element)
• marut: Karta (कर्ता/subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: marut (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular; Vedic-style stem; here mantra-name/element

• paṃca-akṣaraḥ: five-syllabled
• paṃca-akṣaraḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण of manuḥ/ṣaḍakṣaraḥ contextually)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: paṃca (प्रातिपदिक) + akṣara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular; dvigu compound ‘five-syllabled’

• manuḥ: mantra (manu)
• manuḥ: Karta (कर्ता/subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: manu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular; ‘mantra’ in tantric usage

• proktaḥ: is declared/said
• proktaḥ: Kriyā (क्रिया—participial predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra-vac (धातु)
• Form: Past passive participle (क्त), Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular; agrees with manuḥ

• tārā-ādyaḥ: beginning with Oṃ
• tārā-ādyaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण of ṣaḍakṣaraḥ)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tārā (प्रातिपदिक) + ādya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular; ‘beginning with tārā (Oṃ)’

• ayam: this
• ayam: Viśeṣya-nirdeśa (विशेष्यनिर्देश/deictic subject marker)
• Type: Noun
• Root: idam (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular; demonstrative pronoun

• ṣaṭ-akṣaraḥ: six-syllabled (mantra)
• ṣaṭ-akṣaraḥ: Karta (कर्ता/subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ṣaṭ (प्रातिपदिक) + akṣara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular; dvigu compound ‘six-syllabled (mantra)’

Speaker

Sanatkumara (teaching Narada in a Vedanga/Mantra-technical context)

Vrata Kalpa

Vrata: none

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: adbhuta

Characters & Entities

• Ananta
• Marut

FAQs

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

It classifies mantras by their syllabic structure (five- and six-syllabled) and identifies technical components like praṇava (oṃ) and bīja (lāṃ), showing how precise mantra-form is treated as essential to effective nyāsa and inner worship.

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

While technical, it supports Bhakti by prescribing correct mantra-forms for devotional practice—japa and nyāsa—so the devotee’s worship becomes disciplined, focused, and aligned with traditional mantra-śāstra.

What practical Vedic knowledge (Vedanga) is highlighted here?

Mantra-śikṣā and applied ritual phonetics: identifying akṣara-count (pañcākṣara/ṣaḍakṣara), the use of praṇava ‘oṃ’ (tārā), and bīja syllables (lāṃ) in structured recitation and placement (nyāsa).