Chapter 2 · Argala Stotram (Hymn of the Bolt)
Verse 1
मार्कण्डेय उवाच ॐ जयन्ती मङ्गला काली भद्रकाली कपालिनी । दुर्गा क्षमा शिवा धात्री स्वाहा स्वधा नमोऽस्तु ते ॥ १ ॥
mārkaṇḍēya uvāca ōṁ jayantī maṅgalā kāḷī bhadrakāḷī kapālinī । durgā kṣamā śivā dhātrī svāhā svadhā namō’stu tē ॥ 1 ॥
Translation
Mārkaṇḍeya said: Om, salutations to you, Jayantī, Maṅgalā, Kāḷī, Bhadrakāḷī, Kapālinī, Durgā, Kṣamā, Śivā, Dhātrī, Svāhā, and Svadhā.
Word by word
- mārkaṇḍēya
- Mārkaṇḍeya (the sage)
- uvāca
- said
- ōṁ
- sacred syllable
- jayantī
- the victorious one
- maṅgalā
- the auspicious one
- kāḷī
- Kāḷī (the dark Goddess)
- bhadrakāḷī
- Bhadrakāḷī (the auspicious Kāḷī)
- kapālinī
- she who holds a skull
- durgā
- Durgā (the invincible one)
- kṣamā
- forgiveness
- śivā
- Śivā (the auspicious one, consort of Shiva)
- dhātrī
- the nurturer
- svāhā
- offering to the gods
- svadhā
- offering to ancestors
- namaḥ
- salutations
- astu
- may there be
- tē
- to you
Meaning
This first core verse, attributed to Sage Mārkaṇḍeya, opens the hymn with salutations to multiple forms of Goddess Durga, invoking her diverse aspects to remove obstacles and grant blessings. The names reflect her multifaceted nature, encompassing victory, auspiciousness, destruction of evil, compassion, and cosmic sustenance.