Chapter 1 · Prathamo’dhyāyaḥ (First Chapter)
Verse 58
संसारबन्धहेतुश्च सैव सर्वेश्वरेश्वरी ॥ ५८ ॥
saṁsārabandhahētuśca saiva sarvēśvarēśvarī || 58 ||
Translation
'And she is indeed the cause of bondage in the world, and she herself is the Empress of all lords.'
Word by word
- saṁsāra
- worldly existence
- bandha
- bondage
- hetuḥ
- cause
- ca
- and
- sā
- she
- eva
- indeed
- sarvēśvarēśvarī
- the Empress of all lords
Meaning
This verse powerfully summarizes the dual nature of the Divine Mother. She is the sole cause of both bondage (saṁsārabandhahetuḥ) and liberation. This non-dual understanding is key: the world's binding power and the liberating grace are two aspects of the same supreme reality, the Empress of all (sarvēśvarēśvarī).