Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 36

Devanagari script

दधानां कामराजांके यन्त्रीतां मुदुतां स्मरेत् । मध्यस्थदेवी त्वेकैव षोडशाकारतः स्थाता ॥ ३६ ॥

Transliteration

dadhānāṃ kāmarājāṃke yantrītāṃ mudutāṃ smaret | madhyasthadevī tvekaiva ṣoḍaśākārataḥ sthātā || 36 ||

Translation

Deve-se meditar na Deusa como sentada no colo de Kāmarāja (o Senhor do desejo), suave e serena, estabelecida dentro do yantra. A Deusa central é uma só, mas manifesta-se em dezesseis formas (aspectos).

Word by Word

• दधानाम्: bearing/holding
• दधानाम्: कर्म-विशेषण (Object qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: धा (धातु) + शतृ (कृदन्त)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; वर्तमानकाले शतृ-प्रत्ययान्त (present active participle): ‘bearing/holding’ (देवीम् विशेषयति)

• कामराज-अङ्के: in the lap/seat of Kāmarāja
• कामराज-अङ्के: अधिकरण (Location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कामराज + अङ्क (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष: कामराजस्य अङ्कः (lap/seat of Kāmarāja)

• यन्त्रीताम्: bound/contained by the yantra
• यन्त्रीताम्: कर्म-विशेषण (Object qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: यन्त्र (प्रातिपदिक) + ईत (कृदन्त)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘yantṛ’/‘yantrī’ भाव: यन्त्रेण बद्धा/नियन्त्रिता (bound/controlled by a yantra)

• मुदुताम्: gentleness/softness
• मुदुताम्: कर्म (Object; as a quality to be contemplated)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मुदुता (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; भाववाचक (abstract noun)

• स्मरेत्: should contemplate/remember
• स्मरेत्: क्रिया (Verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्मृ (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• मध्यस्थ-देवी: the central goddess
• मध्यस्थ-देवी: कर्ता (Karta/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मध्यस्थ + देवी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्मधारय: मध्यस्थः (in the middle) या देवी (the goddess situated in the center)

• तु: but/indeed
• तु: सम्बन्ध/निपात (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; विरोध/विशेष (contrast/emphasis particle)

• एका: one
• एका: विशेषण (Adjective)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: एक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• एव: alone/indeed
• एव: अवधारण (Emphasis)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधारण (emphasis)

• षोडश-आकारतः: in sixteen forms
• षोडश-आकारतः: प्रकार (Manner)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: षोडश + आकारतस् (प्रातिपदिक/अव्यय)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव; तसिल्-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय: ‘in the form of sixteen / as sixteen-formed’

• स्थाता: abider/one who stands
• स्थाता: कर्ता (Karta; predicate noun)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्था (धातु) + तृ (कृदन्त)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; तृ-प्रत्ययान्त कर्तृवाचक (agent noun): ‘one who stands/abides’

Speaker

Sanatkumara (teaching Narada)

Vrata Kalpa

Vrata: none

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: bhakti

Secondary Rasa: shanta

Characters & Entities

• Devi
• Kamaraja

FAQs

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

It teaches focused dhyāna: the deity is contemplated as centrally installed in a yantra, yet ultimately one—manifesting as sixteen aspects—so the practitioner unifies multiplicity into a single devotional vision.

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

Bhakti here is expressed as intimate remembrance (smaraṇa) and gentle, steady contemplation of the Devi’s presence; devotion becomes precise through yantra-centered meditation while maintaining the insight of one underlying divinity.

What practical Vedic knowledge (Vedanga) is highlighted here?

It reflects technical upāsanā method—yantra-pratiṣṭhā (installing/placing the deity in a yantra) and dhyāna-lakṣaṇa (meditation markers), a procedural discipline aligned with ritual-science style teachings found in Book 1.3.