नमो देव्यै महादेव्यै शिवायै सततं नमः। नमः प्रकृत्यै भद्रायै नियताः प्रणताः स्म ताम् ॥ १ ॥
namō dēvyai mahādēvyai śivāyai satataṁ namaḥ | namaḥ prakṛtyai bhadrāyai niyatāḥ praṇatāḥ sma tām || 1 ||
Translation
Salutation to the Goddess, to the great Goddess; to the auspicious one, salutation always. Salutation to Prakṛti, to the gracious one: with minds composed, we have bowed to her.
Word by word
- namaḥ
- salutation
- dēvyai
- to the Goddess
- mahādēvyai
- to the great Goddess
- śivāyai
- to the auspicious one
- satatam
- always
- prakṛtyai
- to Prakṛti, nature
- bhadrāyai
- to the gracious one
- niyatāḥ
- with minds composed
- praṇatāḥ sma tām
- we have bowed to her
Meaning
The gods, driven from heaven by Śumbha and Niśumbha, go to the Himālaya and remember the Goddess’s promise to come whenever they call. This is their hymn, from the fifth chapter of the Saptaśatī; the book recites it again here, after the Ṛgveda’s hymn. They begin by naming her as Prakṛti, nature itself, the source of everything they are about to praise.