Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 185

Rādhā-sambaddha-mantra-vyākhyā

Rādhā-Related Mantras Explained

Devanagari script

रसो नभस्तथा दाहो व्याप्तक्ष्मावनपूर्विका । खेन युक्ता भवेन्नित्या विजयैकाक्षरा मुने ॥ १८५ ॥

Transliteration

raso nabhastathā dāho vyāptakṣmāvanapūrvikā | khena yuktā bhavennityā vijayaikākṣarā mune || 185 ||

Translation

‘రస’, ‘నభస్’, ‘దాహ’, అలాగే ‘వ్యాప్త’, ‘క్ష్మా’, ‘వన’తో ప్రారంభమయ్యే క్రమం—ఇవన్నీ ‘ఖ’తో యుక్తమైతే, ఓ మునీ, నిత్య ఏకాక్షర ‘విజయా’ అవుతుంది.

Word by Word

• रसः: ‘ra’ (rasa) / taste; here syllable-name ‘rasa’
• रसः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रस (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• नभः: sky; here syllable-name ‘nabhas’
• नभः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नभस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• तथा: also/likewise
• तथा: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, समुच्चय/प्रकारवाचक (adverb: ‘also/likewise’)

• दाहः: burning; here syllable-name ‘dāha’
• दाहः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दाह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• व्याप्तक्ष्मावनपूर्विका: preceded by ‘vyāpta-kṣmā-vana’
• व्याप्तक्ष्मावनपूर्विका: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: व्याप्त + क्ष्मा + वन + पूर्विका (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः: ‘व्याप्त-क्ष्मा-वन-पूर्विका’ = preceded by (the syllables/terms) ‘vyāpta, kṣmā, vana’

• खेन: with ‘kha’
• खेन: Karaṇa (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ख (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन

• युक्ता: joined
• युक्ता: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (predicate adjective)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: युज् (धातु)
• Form: क्त (PPP), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘joined/combined’

• भवेत्: should be/becomes
• भवेत्: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• नित्या: Nityā (the mantra/vidyā)
• नित्या: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नित्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; (name/epithet of the vidyā/mantra)

• विजयैकाक्षरा: Vijayā, the single-syllable (mantra)
• विजयैकाक्षरा: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: विजया + एक + अक्षरा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः: ‘विजया-एक-अक्षरा’ = the one-syllabled (mantra) ‘Vijayā’

• मुने: O sage
• मुने: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मुनि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचन

Speaker

Sanatkumara (teaching Narada)

Vrata Kalpa

Vrata: none

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: adbhuta

Characters & Entities

• Narada
• Sanatkumara

FAQs

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

It presents a technical rule of sacred sound-combination—showing that victory (vijayā) is approached through precise mantra-phonetics, a hallmark of Vedanga-based practice.

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

Indirectly: it supports devotional worship by giving phonetic/mantric precision, ensuring that japa and ritual recitation used in Vishnu-oriented practice are performed correctly and efficaciously.

What practical Vedic knowledge (Vedanga) is highlighted here?

Shiksha (Vedic phonetics) and allied mantra-grammar: the verse encodes how specific terms/syllables, when joined with a phoneme (‘kha’), yield an ekakshara-form used in ritual recitation.