Chapter 4 · Caturtho’dhyāyaḥ (Fourth Chapter)
Verse 27
खड्गशूलगदादीनि यानि चास्त्राणि तेऽम्बिके। करपल्लवसङ्गीनि तैरस्मान् रक्ष सर्वतः ॥ २७ ॥
khaḍgaśūlagadādīni yāni cāstrāṇi tē’mbikē | karapallavasaṅgīni tairasmān rakṣa sarvataḥ || 27 ||
Translation
O Ambika, by those weapons of yours—swords, tridents, maces, etc., and missile weapons—held in the tender tips of your hands, protect us from all sides.
Word by word
- khaḍgaśūlagadādīni
- swords, tridents, maces, etc.
- yāni
- which
- ca
- and
- astrāṇi
- missile weapons
- te
- your
- ambike
- O Ambika
- karapallavasaṅgīni
- held in the tender tips of your hands
- taiḥ
- by them
- asmān
- us
- rakṣa
- protect
- sarvataḥ
- from all sides
Meaning
The final plea is a powerful image: they ask for protection from the very weapons she used to destroy evil, now envisioned as instruments of defense. The phrase 'tender tips of your hands' (karapallava) highlights the contrast between her fierce arsenal and her inherent, gentle grace. They seek complete, all-encompassing protection (sarvataḥ).