Chapter 4 · Caturtho’dhyāyaḥ (Fourth Chapter)
Verse 5
किं वर्णयाम तव रूपमचिन्त्यमेतत् किं चातिवीर्यमसुरक्षयकारि भूरि । किं चाहवेषु चरितानि तवाद्भुतानि सर्वेषु देव्यसुरदेवगणादिकेषु ॥ ६ ॥
kiṁ varṇayāma tava rūpam acintyam etat kiṁ cātivīryam asurakṣayakāri bhūri | kiṁ cāhaveṣu caritāni tavādbhutāni sarveṣu devy asuradevagaṇādikeṣu || 6 ||
Translation
'How can we describe this inconceivable form of yours? How (can we describe) your abundant, exceeding power that causes the destruction of demons? And how (can we describe) your wonderful deeds in battles among all the hosts of gods, demons, and others, O Goddess?'
Word by word
- kim
- what? how?
- varṇayāma
- can we describe
- tava
- your
- rūpam
- form
- acintyam
- inconceivable
- etat
- this
- ca
- and
- ativīryam
- exceeding power
- asurakṣayakāri
- that causes the destruction of demons
- bhūri
- abundant
- āhaveṣu
- in battles
- caritāni
- deeds
- ādbhutāni
- wonderful
- sarveṣu
- among all
- devi
- O Goddess
- asura
- demons
- deva
- gods
- gaṇādikeṣu
- among the hosts, etc.
Meaning
The gods express their inability to fully praise the Goddess. They are overwhelmed by three aspects of her divinity: Her inconceivable form (acintyam rūpam). Her immense power (ativīryam) that destroys evil. Her wondrous deeds (adbhutāni caritāni) in cosmic battles. This rhetorical question highlights the futility of using limited language to describe the infinite.