राजोवाच भगवन्नवतारा मे चण्डिकायास्त्वयोदिताः। एतेषां प्रकृतिं ब्रह्मन् प्रधानं वक्तुमर्हसि ॥ १ ॥
rājōvāca bhagavannavatārā mē caṇḍikāyāstvayōditāḥ | ētēṣāṁ prakṛtiṁ brahman pradhānaṁ vaktumarhasi || 1 ||
Translation
The king said: Lord, you have told me of the incarnations of Caṇḍikā. Now, O brāhmaṇa, be pleased to tell me their primal nature, the source of them all.
Word by word
- rājā uvāca
- the king said
- bhagavan
- O lord
- avatārāḥ
- the incarnations
- mē
- to me
- caṇḍikāyāḥ
- of Caṇḍikā
- tvayā uditāḥ
- have been told by you
- ētēṣām
- of these
- prakṛtim
- the primal nature
- brahman
- O brāhmaṇa
- pradhānam
- the source
- vaktum arhasi
- please tell
Meaning
After hearing the Devī Māhātmya, King Suratha asks the sage Medhas what lies behind all the forms of the Goddess. The Rahasya is called prādhānika because it tells of pradhāna, the primal nature from which every incarnation comes.