Chapter 1 · Prathamo’dhyāyaḥ (First Chapter)
Dhyānam
ॐ खड्गं चक्रगदेषुचापपरिघाञ्छूलं भुशुण्डीं शिरः शङ्खं संदधतीं करैस्त्रिनयनां सर्वाङ्गभूषावृताम्। नीलाश्मद्युतिमास्यपाददशकां सेवे महाकालिकां यामस्तौत्स्वपिते हरौ कमलजो हन्तुं मधुं कैटभम्॥
ōṁ khaḍgaṁ cakragadēṣucāpaparighāñchūlaṁ bhuśuṇḍīṁ śiraḥ śaṅkhaṁ saṁdadhatīṁ karaistrinayanāṁ sarvāṅgabhūṣāvṛtām | nīlāśmadyutimāsyapādadaśakāṁ sēvē mahākālikāṁ yāmastautsvapitē harau kamalajō hantuṁ madhuṁ kaiṭabham ||
Translation
Ōṁ. I meditate upon the great Mahākālikā, who holds in her hands a sword, discus, mace, arrows, bow, iron club, trident, bhuśuṇḍī (lance), a severed head, and a conch; who is three-eyed and adorned with ornaments all over her body; who has the radiance of a blue sapphire and possesses ten faces and ten feet. It is she whom the lotus-born Brahmā praised while Vishnu was asleep, to slay the demons Madhu and Kaitabha.
Word by word
- ōṁ
- sacred syllable
- khaḍgam
- sword
- cakra
- discus
- gadā
- mace
- iṣu
- arrows
- cāpa
- bow
- parighān
- iron club
- śūlaṁ
- trident
- bhuśuṇḍīm
- a type of powerful gun or lance
- śiraḥ
- head
- śaṅkhaṁ
- conch
- saṁdadhātīm
- holding
- karaiḥ
- with hands
- trinayanām
- three-eyed
- sarvāṅga
- all over the body
- bhūṣā
- ornaments
- āvṛtām
- adorned
- nīlāśma
- blue sapphire/emerald
- dyutim
- radiance
- āsya
- mouths/faces
- pāda
- feet
- daśakām
- ten of
- sēvē
- I serve
- mahākālikām
- the great Goddess Kālī
- yām
- whom
- astaut
- praised
- svapitē
- while sleeping
- harau
- Vishnu (Hari)
- kamalajaḥ
- the lotus-born (Brahmā)
- hantum
- to slay
- madhum
- Madhu
- kaiṭabham
- Kaitabha
Meaning
This is a powerful Dhyāna Mantra used to visualize and invoke Goddess Mahākālī before her worship or recitation of her exploits. The verse provides a detailed iconography: a multitude of weapons symbolizing the power to destroy all forms of evil and ignorance; three eyes representing perception of the past, present, and future; ten faces and ten feet symbolizing her omnipresence and power over all directions and dimensions; and a blue sapphire lustre signifying her infinite, cosmic form as the void of space, and her deep, tranquil yet formidable nature. The final line directly references the narrative from the Pratham Charitra (First Chapter) of the Devi Mahatmyam, recalling how Brahmā had to invoke her to awaken Vishnu so he could slay the demons Madhu and Kaitabha, who had emerged from Vishnu's own body. Meditating on this form connects the devotee to her role as the supreme power behind all divine actions.