Chapter 1 · Devya Kavacham (First Chapter)
Verse 1
मार्कण्डेय उवाच ॐ यद्गुह्यं परमं लोके सर्वरक्षाकरं नृणाम्। यन्न कस्यचिदाख्यातं तन्मे ब्रूहि पितामह॥
mārkaṇḍeya uvāca ōṁ yad guhyaṁ paramaṁ lōkē sarvarakṣākaraṁ nṛṇām। yan na kasyacid ākhyātaṁ tan mē brūhi pitāmaha॥
Translation
Mārkaṇḍeya said: Om, O Grandfather, tell me that supreme secret in the world, which is all-protecting for people and has not been revealed to anyone.
Word by word
- mārkaṇḍeya uvāca
- Mārkaṇḍeya said
- ōṁ
- sacred syllable
- yat
- that which
- guhyaṁ
- secret
- paramaṁ
- supreme
- lōkē
- in the world
- sarvarakṣākaraṁ
- all-protecting
- nṛṇām
- for people
- yan
- that which
- na
- not
- kasyacit
- to anyone
- ākhyātaṁ
- revealed
- tan
- that
- mē
- to me
- brūhi
- tell
- pitāmaha
- O Grandfather (Brahma)
Meaning
In this first core verse of Devi Kavacham, the sage Mārkaṇḍeya addresses Brahma (pitāmaha), requesting the revelation of a supreme secret (guhyaṁ paramaṁ) that offers complete protection (sarvarakṣākaraṁ) to humanity (nṛṇām).