मूलप्रकृतेः रूपकल्पनायां युक्तिःWhy a form is imagined for Mūlaprakṛti
Verse 14
श्रीदेव्युवाच । ध्यानं यत् कथितं काल्या जीवनिस्तारहेतवे । तस्यानुरूपतो मूर्तिं मृण्मयीं वा शिलामयीम् ॥ १४ ॥
śrīdēvyuvāca | dhyānaṁ yat kathitaṁ kālyā jīvanistārahētavē | tasyānurūpatō mūrtiṁ mṛṇmayīṁ vā śilāmayīm || 14 ||
Translation
The Devī said: If a sādhaka makes an image in keeping with the meditation of Kālī that you have taught for the deliverance of living beings, of clay or of stone,
Word by word
- dhyānaṁ
- the meditation
- yat
- which
- kathitaṁ
- is told
- kālyāḥ
- (kālyāḥ) of Kālī
- jīva
- of living beings
- nistāra
- deliverance
- hētavē
- for the sake of
- tasya
- its
- anurūpataḥ
- (anurūpataḥ) in keeping with
- mūrtiṁ
- an image
- mṛṇmayīṁ
- of clay
- vā
- or
- śilāmayīm
- of stone
Meaning
Verses 14-15 are one question. Having heard why the formless one is given form, the Devī asks about images made to that form: what follows for the one who makes and installs them? The commentary notes that her question covers the rite of installing images of Kālikā and of other deities, of houses and the rest, and the fruit of giving them.
Commentary
Hariharānanda Bhāratī’s Sanskrit commentary, translated
Wishing to hear the rite of consecrating an image of the First, Kālikā, and of the other deities, and of houses and the rest, and the fruit of it and the fruit of giving houses and the rest, the Devī said: "dhyānam" and the rest. O Lord, the construction is: if a sādhaka makes an image (mūrti) in keeping with the meditation (dhyāna) told of Kālī for the deliverance of living beings, of clay (mṛṇmayī, made from earth), of stone, or of wood or metal, and builds a beautiful house and in that house installs the queen of the gods, Kālī, adorned with clothes and ornaments, then what fruit comes to that sādhaka? Pratikṛteḥ: of the image.