Chapter 3 · Tṛtīyo’dhyāyaḥ (Third Chapter)
Dhyānam
ॐ उद्यद्भानुसहस्रकान्तिमरुणक्षौमां शिरोमालिकां रक्तालिप्तपयोधरां जपवटीं विद्यामभीतिं वरम्। हस्ताब्जैर्दधतीं त्रिनेत्रविलसद्वक्त्रारविन्दश्रियं देवीं बद्धहिमांशुरत्नमुकुटां वन्देऽरविन्दस्थिताम्॥
ōṁ udyadbhānusahasrakāntimaruṇakṣaumāṁ śirōmālikāṁ raktāliptapayōdharāṁ japavaṭīṁ vidyāmabhītiṁ varam | hastābjairdadhatīṁ trinētravilasadvaktrāravindaśriyaṁ dēvīṁ baddhahimāṁśuratnamukuṭāṁ vandē’ravindasthitām ||
Translation
Ōṁ. I salute the Goddess seated on a lotus, who has the lustre of a thousand rising suns, who is clad in red silk and wears a garland of heads, whose breasts are smeared with blood, and who holds in her lotus-like hands a rosary, the book of knowledge, the gesture of fearlessness, and the gesture of granting boons; who is three-eyed and whose face shines with the beauty of a lotus; who is adorned with a crown containing the moon and jewels.
Word by word
- ōṁ
- the primordial sound
- udyadbhānu
- the rising sun
- sahastrakāntim
- having the lustre of a thousand
- aruṇa
- red
- kṣaumām
- clad in silk
- śiromālikām
- wearing a garland of heads
- raktālipta
- smeared with blood
- payodharām
- breasts
- japavaṭīm
- rosary
- vidyām
- knowledge
- abhītim
- fearlessness
- varam
- boon
- hastābjaiḥ
- with lotus-like hands
- dadhatīm
- holding
- trinetra
- three-eyed
- vilasat
- shining
- vaktra
- face
- aravinda
- lotus
- śriyam
- beauty
- devīm
- the Goddess
- baddha
- adorned with
- himāṁśu
- moon
- ratna
- jewel
- mukuṭām
- crown
- vande
- I salute
- aravindasthitām
- seated on a lotus
Meaning
This is the Dhyāna Mantra for visualizing Goddess Kālī in her fierce and benevolent aspect. The verse paints a complex, powerful image: Fierce Attributes: The garland of heads (śiromālikā), blood-smeared breasts (raktāliptapayodharā), and red garment signify her role as the destroyer of evil and the power of time that annihilates all things. Benevolent Attributes: The rosary (japavaṭī) for meditation, the book of knowledge (vidyā), the gesture of fearlessness (abhīti), and the gesture of granting boons (vara) represent her as the bestower of wisdom, protection, and blessings. Cosmic Power: The lustre of a thousand suns and the three eyes signify her supreme, all-pervading energy and ability to see the past, present, and future. Paradoxical Nature: She is both terrifying (with heads and blood) and serene (with a lotus-like face and seated on a lotus), embodying the dual nature of the Divine Mother as both the creator and destroyer. Meditating on this form invokes her power to destroy ignorance and grant liberation.