Chapter 2 · Dvitīyo’dhyāyaḥ (Second Chapter)
Dhyānam
ॐ अक्षस्रक्परशुं गदेषुकुलिशं पद्मं धनुष्कुण्डिकां दण्डं शक्तिमसिं च चर्म जलजं घण्टां सुराभाजनम्। शूलं पाशसुदर्शने च दधतीं हस्तैः प्रसन्नाननां सेवे सैरिभमर्दिनीमिह महालक्ष्मीं सरोजस्थिताम्॥
ōṁ akṣasrakparaśuṁ gadēṣukuliśaṁ padmaṁ dhanuṣkuṇḍikāṁ daṇḍaṁ śaktimasiṁ ca carma jalajaṁ ghaṇṭāṁ surābhājanam | śūlaṁ pāśasudarśanē ca dadhatīṁ hastaiḥ prasannānanāṁ sēvē sairibhamardinīmiha mahālakṣmīṁ sarōjasthitām ||
Translation
Ōṁ. I meditate upon the great Mahālakṣmī, seated on a lotus, the crusher of the buffalo-demon, who bears in her hands a rosary, a garland, an axe, a mace, arrows, a thunderbolt, a lotus, a bow, a water pot, a staff, a spear, a sword, a shield, a lotus, a bell, a vessel of nectar, a trident, a noose, and a discus, and whose face is serene.
Word by word
- ōṁ
- the primordial sound
- akṣa
- rosary
- srak
- garland
- paraśum
- axe
- gadā
- mace
- iṣu
- arrows
- kuliśam
- thunderbolt (Vajra)
- padmam
- lotus
- dhanuḥ
- bow
- kuṇḍikām
- water pot
- daṇḍam
- staff
- śaktim
- spear
- asim
- sword
- ca
- and
- carma
- shield
- jalajam
- lotus (born in water)
- ghaṇṭām
- bell
- surābhājanam
- vessel of nectar
- śūlam
- trident
- pāśa
- noose
- sudarśane
- discus
- dadhatīm
- holding, bearing
- hastaiḥ
- with hands
- prasannānanām
- with a serene face
- sēvē
- I serve, I meditate upon
- sairibhamardinīm
- the crusher of the buffalo-demon (Mahisha)
- iha
- here
- mahālakṣmīm
- Mahalakshmi
- sarojasthitām
- seated on a lotus
Meaning
This is the Dhyāna Mantra for visualizing Goddess Mahālakṣmī in her form as the slayer of Mahishasura. The verse provides a detailed iconographic description: a multitude of eighteen weapons and objects, symbolizing her complete readiness for battle and her dominion over all aspects of the cosmos, each bestowed by a different god; a serene face (prasannānanām), indicating that her destruction of evil is an act of divine compassion; the title Sairibhamardinīm, meaning 'The Crusher of the Buffalo-Demon,' referencing the main narrative of this chapter; and seated on a lotus (sarojasthitām), symbolizing purity, spiritual authority, and divine birth. Meditating on this form invokes her power to destroy obstacles and delusion.