Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 47

Dīkṣā, Mantra-Types, Mantra-Doṣas, and Qualifications of Ācārya–Śiṣya

Devanagari script

त्रिंशद्वर्णश्चैकविंशद्वर्णश्चार्लिंगितस्तु सः । यो मंत्रो दंतवर्णस्तु मोहितः स तु कीर्तितः ॥ ४७ ॥

Transliteration

triṃśadvarṇaścaikaviṃśadvarṇaścārliṃgitastu saḥ | yo maṃtro daṃtavarṇastu mohitaḥ sa tu kīrtitaḥ || 47 ||

Translation

جو منتر تیس اور اکیس حروفِ صوتی پر مشتمل ہو اور دَنتیہ (دانتوں والے) حروف سے نشان زد ہو، وہ ‘موہِت’ (مُوہ پیدا کرنے والا) منتر کہلاتا ہے۔

Word by Word

• triṃśadvarṇaḥ: having thirty syllables/letters
• triṃśadvarṇaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: triṃśat (प्रातिपदिक) + varṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga (Masculine), Prathamā vibhakti (Nominative/1st), Ekavacana (Singular); dvigu-samāsa (numeral compound)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Samuccaya-avyaya (conjunction)

• ekaviṃśadvarṇaḥ: having twenty-one syllables/letters
• ekaviṃśadvarṇaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ekaviṃśati (प्रातिपदिक) + varṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Prathamā, Ekavacana; dvigu-samāsa

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Samuccaya-avyaya (conjunction)

• āliṅgitaḥ: embraced/marked
• āliṅgitaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ā-√liṅg (लिङ्ग्/आलिङ्ग् धातु) (धातु)
• Form: Kta-pratyaya (past passive participle), Puṃliṅga, Prathamā, Ekavacana; ‘embraced/marked’

• tu: but/indeed
• tu: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: Nipāta-avyaya (particle; contrast/emphasis)

• saḥ: he/that (mantra)
• saḥ: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Prathamā, Ekavacana; sarvanāma (pronoun)

• yaḥ: which/that (who)
• yaḥ: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Prathamā, Ekavacana; relative pronoun

• mantraḥ: mantra
• mantraḥ: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mantra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Prathamā, Ekavacana

• dantavarṇaḥ: (with) dental letters/syllables
• dantavarṇaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: danta (प्रातिपदिक) + varṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Prathamā, Ekavacana; ṣaṣṭhī-tatpuruṣa (genitive determinative: ‘of the teeth’)

• tu: indeed
• tu: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: Nipāta-avyaya (particle)

• mohitaḥ: deluded/confused
• mohitaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: √muh (मुह् धातु)
• Form: Kta-pratyaya (past passive participle), Puṃliṅga, Prathamā, Ekavacana

• saḥ: that (one)
• saḥ: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Prathamā, Ekavacana; pronoun (resumptive)

• tu: indeed
• tu: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: Nipāta-avyaya (particle)

• kīrtitaḥ: is declared/said
• kīrtitaḥ: Kriyā (क्रिया/Predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √kīrt (कीर्त् धातु)
• Form: Kta-pratyaya (past passive participle used predicatively), Puṃliṅga, Prathamā, Ekavacana; passive sense ‘is said/declared’

Speaker

Sanatkumara (teaching Narada in a Vedanga/Mantra-śāstra context)

Vrata Kalpa

Vrata: none

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka

Characters & Entities

• Narada
• Sanatkumara

FAQs

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

It frames mantra-prayoga through Vedanga-style phonetic markers (number of varṇas and letter-class), warning that certain sound-structures are classified as ‘Mohita’, i.e., tending toward delusion rather than clarity.

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

Indirectly: by distinguishing mantra-types, it implies that a devotee should choose mantras aligned with sattva and right procedure, avoiding sound-forms categorized as ‘Mohita’ that can distract the mind from steady Vishnu-bhakti.

What practical Vedic knowledge (Vedanga) is highlighted here?

Śikṣā (phonetics): mantra-lakṣaṇa is identified via varṇa-saṅkhyā (count of sounds) and varṇa-varga (danta-varṇa/dental consonant class), showing how technical sound-analysis guides correct ritual/mantra usage.