खड्गं चक्रगदेषुचापपरिघाञ्छूलं भुशुण्डीं शिरः शङ्खं संदधतीं करैस्त्रिनयनां सर्वाङ्गभूषावृताम्। नीलाश्मद्युतिमास्यपाददशकां सेवे महाकालिकां यामस्तौत्स्वपिते हरौ कमलजो हन्तुं मधुं कैटभम् ॥ १ ॥
khaḍgaṁ cakragadēṣucāpaparighāñchūlaṁ bhuśuṇḍīṁ śiraḥ śaṅkhaṁ saṁdadhatīṁ karaistrinayanāṁ sarvāṅgabhūṣāvṛtām | nīlāśmadyutimāsyapādadaśakāṁ sēvē mahākālikāṁ yāmastautsvapitē harau kamalajō hantuṁ madhuṁ kaiṭabham || 1 ||
Translation
I worship Mahākālī, who holds in her hands the sword, the discus, the mace, the arrows, the bow, the iron club, the trident, the bhuśuṇḍī, a severed head and the conch; three-eyed, adorned with ornaments on every limb, dark as a blue gem, with ten faces and ten feet; she whom Brahmā, born of the lotus, praised while Hari slept, so that Madhu and Kaiṭabha might be slain.
Word by word
- khaḍgam
- the sword
- cakragadēṣucāpaparighān
- the discus, mace, arrows, bow and iron club
- śūlam
- the trident
- bhuśuṇḍīm
- the bhuśuṇḍī
- śiraḥ
- a severed head
- śaṅkham
- the conch
- saṁdadhatīm karaiḥ
- holding in her hands
- trinayanām
- three-eyed
- sarvāṅgabhūṣāvṛtām
- adorned with ornaments on every limb
- nīlāśmadyutim
- dark as a blue gem
- āsyapādadaśakām
- with ten faces and ten feet
- sēvē
- I worship
- mahākālikām
- Mahākālī
- yām astaut
- whom … praised
- svapitē harau
- while Hari slept
- kamalajaḥ
- the lotus-born (Brahmā)
- hantum
- to slay
- madhum kaiṭabham
- Madhu and Kaiṭabha
Meaning
The first of three meditations, one for each part of the Saptaśatī. Mahākālī is the Goddess of the first chapter, the Yoganidrā whom Brahmā praised in the Tantric hymn to Night so that Viṣṇu would wake and slay Madhu and Kaiṭabha. The practitioner is to see her as described, dark blue, ten-faced and ten-armed.