Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 23
The Exposition of the Maheśa Mantra
Mahēśa-mantra-prakāśana
कर्णिकायां यजेन्मूर्तिरीशमीशानदिग्गजम् । शुद्धस्फटिकसंकाशं दिक्षु तत्पुरुषादिका ॥ २३ ॥
karṇikāyāṃ yajenmūrtirīśamīśānadiggajam | śuddhasphaṭikasaṃkāśaṃ dikṣu tatpuruṣādikā || 23 ||
ณ เกสรกลางดอกบัว พึงบูชาพระรูปเป็นอีศะ ผู้เป็นเจ้า พร้อมด้วยช้างทิศแห่งอีศานะ พึงภาวนาว่าทรงสุกสว่างดุจผลึกบริสุทธิ์ และในทิศอื่นให้ตั้ง ‘ตัตปุรุษะ’ เป็นต้น॥๒๓॥
Sanatkumara (in instruction to Narada, within a ritual-technical teaching section)
Vrata: none
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
FAQs
It teaches disciplined visualization: the Lord is worshipped in the “center” (karṇikā) as a crystal-pure presence, while His aspects are arranged by directions—training the mind to see divinity as ordered, all-pervading, and luminous.
Bhakti here takes a structured form: devotion is expressed through precise upāsanā—contemplating the Lord’s central sovereignty (Īśa) and honoring His manifestations in every direction, making worship continuous and all-encompassing.
It highlights ritual-technical mapping used in upāsanā (dik-nyāsa/mandala placement) and correct conceptual alignment of deity-forms with directions—an applied, methodical aspect of Vedic ritual science.