Chapter 5 · Pañcamo’dhyāyaḥ (Fifth Chapter)
Dhyānam
ॐ घण्टाशूलहलानि शङ्खमुसले चक्रं धनुः सायकं हस्ताब्जैर्दधतीं घनान्तविलसच्छीतांशुतुल्यप्रभाम् । गौरीदेहसमुद्भवां त्रिजगतामाधारभूतां महा- पूर्वामत्र सरस्वतीमनुभजे शुम्भादिदैत्यार्दिनीम् ॥
oṁ ghaṇṭāśūlahalāni śaṅkhamusale cakraṁ dhanuḥ sāyakaṁ hastābjairdadhatīṁ ghanāntavilasacchītāṁśutulyaprabhām | gaurīdehasamudbhavāṁ trijagatāmādhārabhūtāṁ mahā- pūrvāmatra sarasvatīmanubhaje śumbhādidai tyārdinīm ||
Translation
Om. I meditate upon that Sarasvati (the Goddess of power), the crusher of demons like Shumbha, who holds in her lotus-like hands a bell, trident, plough, conch, mace, discus, bow, and arrows. Her radiance is like the moon shining in a cloudless sky. She is born from the body of Gauri (Parvati), she is the support of the three worlds, and she is the Great Primordial One.
Word by word
- ghaṇṭā
- bell
- śūla
- trident
- halāni
- plough
- śaṅkha
- conch
- musale
- mace
- cakraṁ
- discus
- dhanuḥ
- bow
- sāyakaṁ
- arrows
- hastābjaiḥ
- with lotus-like hands
- dadhatīm
- holding
- ghanānta
- at the end of the clouds (i.e., clear sky)
- vilasat
- shining
- śītāṁśu
- the moon
- tulya
- equal to
- prabhām
- whose radiance
- gaurīdehasamudbhavām
- born from the body of Gauri (Parvati)
- trijagatām
- of the three worlds
- ādhārabhūtām
- who is the foundation/support
- mahāpūrvām
- the Great Primordial One
- sarasvatīm
- Saraswati (here, the Goddess of speech and power)
- anubhaje
- I meditate upon
- śumbhādidai tyārdinīm
- the crusher of demons like Shumbha
Meaning
This verse is for meditating upon the form of the Goddess that appears in this chapter. She is described as incredibly radiant and armed with a multitude of divine weapons, signifying her power to destroy all forms of evil. Her origin from Parvati connects her to the divine consort of Shiva, and her title as the support of the worlds establishes her supreme status.