Chapter 2 · Dvitīyo’dhyāyaḥ (Second Chapter)
Verse 1–2
ॐ ह्रीं ऋषिरुवाच ॥ १ ॥ देवासुरमभूद्युद्धं पूर्णमब्दशतं पुरा। महिषेऽसुराणामधिपे देवानां च पुरन्दरे ॥ २ ॥
ōṁ hrīṁ ṛṣiruvāca || 1 || dēvāsuramabhūdyuddhaṁ pūrṇamabdaśataṁ purā | mahiṣē’surāṇāmadhipē dēvānāṁ ca purandarē || 2 ||
Translation
Ōṁ Hrīṁ. The sage said: 'Previously, a battle between the Devas and the Asuras occurred, lasting one hundred full years.'
Word by word
- ōṁ
- primordial sound
- hrīṁ
- Bīja mantra of Mahalakshmi
- ṛṣiḥ
- the sage
- uvāca
- said
- dēvāsuram
- between the Devas (gods) and Asuras (demons)
- abhūt
- there was
- yuddham
- war, battle
- pūrṇam
- full, complete
- abdaśatam
- hundred years
- purā
- previously, in ancient times
Meaning
Sage Markandeya begins the narrative of the second chapter. The sacred syllable Hrīṁ, the seed mantra of Mahalakshmi, is invoked to set the tone for her story. He sets the scene: a cosmic, epoch-long war between the forces of light (Devas) and darkness (Asuras) has taken place. This prolonged conflict establishes the high stakes and the powerful nature of the demonic forces the Goddess will confront.