Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 181
The Exposition of the Maheśa Mantra
Mahēśa-mantra-prakāśana
वसुवर्णैः स्मृतं नेत्रं दशार्णैरस्त्रमीरितम् । मूर्ध्नि नेत्रास्यकंठेषु हृन्नाभ्यामूरुषु क्रमात् ॥ १८१ ॥
vasuvarṇaiḥ smṛtaṃ netraṃ daśārṇairastramīritam | mūrdhni netrāsyakaṃṭheṣu hṛnnābhyāmūruṣu kramāt || 181 ||
नेत्रमन्त्रः वसुवर्णैः स्मृतः, अस्त्रमन्त्रः दशार्णैः प्रकीर्तितः। एते क्रमात् मूर्ध्नि, नेत्रास्यकण्ठेषु, हृन्नाभ्योः, ऊरुषु च न्यसेत्॥
Sanatkumara (teaching Narada in the Vedanga/ritual-technical context)
Vrata: none
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: vira
FAQs
It teaches mantra-nyasa: sanctifying the body as a vessel of mantra by placing specific mantra-limbs (netra and astra) on prescribed body-points, aligning the practitioner’s senses and vital centers with sacred sound.
Bhakti here is supported by disciplined upasana: the devotee prepares the body-mind through nyasa so that worship and remembrance become steady, reverent, and focused rather than casual or distracted.
A practical mantra-prayoga rule: identifying mantras by syllable-count (eight-syllabled ‘netra’, ten-syllabled ‘astra’) and applying them in a fixed sequence of bodily locations—an applied, technical aspect of ritual procedure.