Śrī Durgā Saptaśatī

Translation

'You are the very essence of sound, the repository of the very pure Rig and Yajur Vedas, and (you are) the pleasing Udgītha for those who recite the words of the Sāma Veda. O Goddess, you are the triple Veda (Trayī), the Divine One, for the creation of the world. And you are the sustenance of all the world, the supreme destroyer of distress.'

Word by word

śabdātmikā

whose essence is sound

suvimala

very pure

ṛgyajuṣām

of the Rig and Yajur Vedas

nidhānam

the treasure, repository

udgītha

the Udgītha (chanting of Sāma Veda)

ramya

pleasing

padapāṭhavatām

of those who recite the words

ca

and

sāmnām

of the Sāma Veda

devī

the Goddess

trayī

the triple Veda

bhagavatī

the Divine One

bhavabhāvanāya

for the creation of the world

vārtā

livelihood, sustenance

sarvajagatām

of all the world

paramārtihantrī

the supreme destroyer of distress

Meaning

The gods glorify her as the Vedas themselves and the source of worldly sustenance: Embodiment of the Vedas: She is the essence (śabdātmikā) of the sacred sounds that constitute the Ṛk, Yajus, and Sāma Vedas (together called Trayī). She is both the knowledge and the vibration of the scriptures. Creator: The Vedas are the blueprint of creation; thus, as the Vedas, she is the cause of the world's manifestation (bhāvanāya). Sustainer (vārtā): She is the power that provides livelihood and nourishment for all beings. Liberator: She is the supreme destroyer of distress (paramārtihantrī), removing both material suffering and the spiritual anguish of ignorance.