Chapter 2 · Dvitīyo’dhyāyaḥ (Second Chapter)
Verse 38
पादाक्रान्त्या नतभुवं किरीटोल्लिखिताम्बराम्। क्षोभिताशेषपातालां धनुर्ज्यानिःस्वनेन ताम् ॥ ३८ ॥
pādākrāntyā natabhuvaṁ kirīṭōllikhitāmbarām | kṣōbhitāśēṣapātālāṁ dhanurjyāniḥsvanēna tām || 38 ||
Translation
'(He saw her) by whose stamping feet the earth was bent, whose crown scraped the sky, and by the twang of whose bowstring all the netherworlds were agitated.'
Word by word
- pādākrāntyā
- by the stamping of her feet
- natabhuvaṁ
- bending the earth
- kirīṭa
- by her crown
- ullikhita
- scraping, touching
- ambarām
- the sky
- kṣobhita
- agitated
- aśeṣa
- all
- pātālām
- the netherworlds
- dhanuḥ
- of the bow
- jyā
- string
- niḥsvanena
- with the twang
- tām
- her
Meaning
This verse provides Mahishasura's awe-inspiring first glimpse of the Goddess, highlighting her immense scale and power: her stamping feet cause the earth to bow down, showing her dominance over the terrestrial realm; her crown touches the heavens, symbolizing her supreme authority; and the twang of her bowstring reverberates through the netherworlds (pātāla), signifying that her power penetrates every layer of existence. This description is designed to instill awe and foreshadow the demon's inevitable defeat.