Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 73

Mahāviṣṇu-Mantras: Aṣṭākṣarī, Sudarśana-Astra, Nyāsa Systems, Āvaraṇa-Pūjā, and Prayogas

Devanagari script

द्वादशार्णो महामन्त्रो भुक्तिमुक्तिप्रदायकः । स्त्रीशूद्राणां वितारोऽयं सतारस्तु द्विजन्मनाम् ॥ ७३ ॥

Transliteration

dvādaśārṇo mahāmantro bhuktimuktipradāyakaḥ | strīśūdrāṇāṃ vitāro'yaṃ satārastu dvijanmanām || 73 ||

Translation

بارہ حرفی مہامنتَر بھوگ اور موکش دونوں عطا کرتا ہے۔ عورتوں اور شودروں کو یہ پرنَو (تار) کے بغیر دیا جائے، اور دِوِجوں کو تار کے ساتھ سکھایا جائے۔

Word by Word

• dvādaśa-arṇaḥ: twelve-syllabled
• dvādaśa-arṇaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण/Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dvādaśa (प्रातिपदिक) + arṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Prathamā, Ekavacana; dvigu-samāsa: dvādaśa arṇāni yasya (twelve-syllabled)

• mahā-mantraḥ: the great mantra
• mahā-mantraḥ: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā (प्रातिपदिक) + mantra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Prathamā, Ekavacana; karmadhāraya: mahān mantraḥ

• bhukti-mukti-pradāyakaḥ: giver of enjoyment and liberation
• bhukti-mukti-pradāyakaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण/Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: bhukti (प्रातिपदिक) + mukti (प्रातिपदिक) + pradāyaka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Prathamā, Ekavacana; tatpuruṣa: bhuktiṃ ca muktiṃ ca pradadāti iti

• strī-śūdrāṇām: of women and Śūdras
• strī-śūdrāṇām: Ṣaṣṭhī-sambandha (षष्ठी/Relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: strī (प्रातिपदिक) + śūdra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga? (collective) / mixed-gender dvandva, Ṣaṣṭhī vibhakti (Genitive/षष्ठी), Bahuvacana; itaretara-dvandva: striyaḥ ca śūdrāḥ ca

• vitāraḥ: the ‘vitāra’ (name/part)
• vitāraḥ: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vitāra (प्रातिपदik)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Prathamā, Ekavacana

• ayam: this
• ayam: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: idam (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Prathamā, Ekavacana; sarvanāma (pronoun)

• sa-tāraḥ: the one with ‘tāra’ / ‘sa-tāra’
• sa-tāraḥ: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sa (प्रातिपदिक/avyaya-like prefix) + tāra (प्रातिपदik)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Prathamā, Ekavacana; karmadhāraya: tāreṇa saha / tāra-yuktaḥ

• tu: but, indeed
• tu: Sambandha-bodhaka (सम्बन्ध/Discourse particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya; particle (nipāta) expressing contrast/emphasis

• dvija-janmanām: of the twice-born (Brahmins etc.)
• dvija-janmanām: Ṣaṣṭhī-sambandha (षष्ठी/Relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dvija (प्रातिपदik) + janman (प्रातिपदik)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Ṣaṣṭhī, Bahuvacana; tatpuruṣa: dvijānāṃ janma (those of twice-birth)

Speaker

Sanatkumara (teaching Narada in the Vedanga/Mantra-vidhi context)

Vrata Kalpa

Vrata: none

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: bhakti

FAQs

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

It presents the dvādaśākṣarī (twelve-syllabled) mahāmantra as a direct means to both bhukti (well-being in life) and mukti (liberation), while also laying down mantra-vidhi rules about how it should be transmitted according to adhikāra (eligibility).

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

By declaring the great mantra as a giver of liberation, the verse supports mantra-japa as a core bhakti practice—devotional remembrance of the Lord through a prescribed name-mantra—guided by proper initiation and tradition.

What practical Vedic knowledge (Vedanga) is highlighted here?

It highlights mantra-śāstra procedure and adhikāra: the technical rule of whether to prefix the mantra with the praṇava (tāra, “oṁ”) depending on the recipient’s eligibility, reflecting applied ritual discipline rather than mere theory.