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 ||
نَیتر (آنکھ) کا منتر آٹھ حروف کا یاد کیا گیا ہے، اور اَستر (ہتھیار) کا منتر دس حروف کا کہا گیا ہے۔ انہیں ترتیب سے سر پر؛ آنکھوں، منہ اور گلے پر؛ دل اور ناف پر؛ اور رانوں پر نِیاس کرنا چاہیے۔
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.