Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 79

Vāmana’s Advent, Aditi’s Hymn, Bali’s Gift, and the Mahatmya of Bhū-dāna

Devanagari script

नमोऽस्तु ते वामनरुपभाजे नमोऽस्तु ते क्षत्र्रकुलान्तकाय । नमोऽस्तु ते रावणमर्दनाय नमोऽस्तु ते नन्दसुताग्रजाय ॥ ७९ ॥

Transliteration

namo'stu te vāmanarupabhāje namo'stu te kṣatrrakulāntakāya | namo'stu te rāvaṇamardanāya namo'stu te nandasutāgrajāya || 79 ||

Translation

Reverências a Ti, que assumes a forma de Vāmana. Reverências a Ti, destruidor das linhagens kṣatriya. Reverências a Ti, vencedor de Rāvaṇa. Reverências a Ti, irmão mais velho do filho de Nanda (Kṛṣṇa).

Word by Word

• namaḥ: salutation
• namaḥ: Sambodhana/Address (सम्बोधन-प्रयोग)
• Type: Noun
• Root: namas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular

• astu: let it be
• astu: Kriya/Verb (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: as (अस्, धातु)
• Form: लोट्, 3rd person, Singular

• te: to you
• te: Sampradana/Recipient (सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tvad (त्वद्, सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Pronoun; Dative, Singular

• vāmana-rūpa-bhāje: to the possessor of the Vāmana form
• vāmana-rūpa-bhāje: Sampradana/Recipient (सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vāmana (वामन, प्रातिपदिक) + rūpa (रूप, प्रातिपदिक) + bhāj (भाज्, धातु)
• Form: Masculine, Dative, Singular; bhājin (भाजिन्) agent noun from √bhāj 'to partake/possess' → bhāje (चतुर्थी एकवचन); compound: 'possessor of the Vāmana form'

• namaḥ: salutation
• namaḥ: Sambodhana/Address (सम्बोधन-प्रयोग)
• Type: Noun
• Root: namas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular

• astu: let it be
• astu: Kriya/Verb (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: as (अस्, धातु)
• Form: लोट्, 3rd person, Singular

• te: to you
• te: Sampradana/Recipient (सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tvad (त्वद्, सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Pronoun; Dative, Singular

• kṣatriya-kula-antakāya: to the destroyer of the kṣatriya clan
• kṣatriya-kula-antakāya: Sampradana/Recipient (सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kṣatriya (क्षत्रिय, प्रातिपदिक) + kula (कुल, प्रातिपदिक) + antaka (अन्तक, प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Dative, Singular; 'ender/destroyer of the kṣatriya clan' (traditional epithet of Paraśurāma)

• namaḥ: salutation
• namaḥ: Sambodhana/Address (सम्बोधन-प्रयोग)
• Type: Noun
• Root: namas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular

• astu: let it be
• astu: Kriya/Verb (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: as (अस्, धातु)
• Form: लोट्, 3rd person, Singular

• te: to you
• te: Sampradana/Recipient (सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tvad (त्वद्, सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Pronoun; Dative, Singular

• rāvaṇa-mardanāya: to the slayer of Rāvaṇa
• rāvaṇa-mardanāya: Sampradana/Recipient (सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rāvaṇa (रावण, प्रातिपदिक) + mardana (मर्दन, प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Dative, Singular; 'crusher/slayer of Rāvaṇa'

• namaḥ: salutation
• namaḥ: Sambodhana/Address (सम्बोधन-प्रयोग)
• Type: Noun
• Root: namas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular

• astu: let it be
• astu: Kriya/Verb (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: as (अस्, धातु)
• Form: लोट्, 3rd person, Singular

• te: to you
• te: Sampradana/Recipient (सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tvad (त्वद्, सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Pronoun; Dative, Singular

• nanda-suta-agrajāya: to the elder brother of Nanda's son
• nanda-suta-agrajāya: Sampradana/Recipient (सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nanda (नन्द, प्रातिपदिक) + suta (सुत, प्रातिपदिक) + agraja (अग्रज, प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Dative, Singular; 'elder brother (agraja) of Nanda's son' (i.e., Balarāma)

Speaker

Devotee/praise within the Narada–Sanatkumara dialogue context (stuti addressed to Vishnu)

Vrata Kalpa

Vrata: none

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: bhakti

Secondary Rasa: vira

Characters & Entities

• Vishnu
• Vamana
• Parashurama
• Rama
• Balarama
• Ravana
• Nanda
• Krishna

FAQs

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

It condenses multiple avatāras into a single stuti, teaching that one Supreme Lord manifests diverse forms to protect dharma; remembering these forms is itself a bhakti-sādhana.

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

By repeated “namo’stu te,” it models śaraṇāgati (reverent surrender) and nāma-smaraṇa through avatāra-remembrance—devotion expressed as praise of the Lord’s saving deeds.

What practical Vedic knowledge (Vedanga) is highlighted here?

Primarily Vyākaraṇa/compound-sense comprehension: epithets like kṣatrakulāntaka and nandasutāgraja are karmadhāraya/tatpuruṣa-style compounds that encode theology in concise grammatical form.