ॐ विश्वेश्वरीं जगद्धात्रीं स्थितिसंहारकारिणीम्। निद्रां भगवतीं विष्णोरतुलां तेजसः प्रभुः ॥ १ ॥
ōṁ viśvēśvarīṁ jagaddhātrīṁ sthitisaṁhārakāriṇīm | nidrāṁ bhagavatīṁ viṣṇōratulāṁ tējasaḥ prabhuḥ || 1 ||
Translation
Om. Brahmā, the lord of radiance, praised the Goddess who rules the universe and upholds the world, who brings about its preservation and its dissolution: the Bhagavatī, the incomparable Sleep of Viṣṇu.
Word by word
- ōṁ
- sacred syllable
- viśvēśvarīm
- the ruler of the universe
- jagaddhātrīm
- the upholder of the world
- sthitisaṁhārakāriṇīm
- who brings about preservation and dissolution
- nidrām
- Sleep
- bhagavatīm
- the divine, the Bhagavatī
- viṣṇōḥ
- of Viṣṇu
- atulām
- incomparable
- tējasaḥ prabhuḥ
- the lord of radiance (Brahmā)
Meaning
The scene is the end of a cosmic age. Viṣṇu lies in yogic sleep on the waters, and the demons Madhu and Kaiṭabha threaten Brahmā on the lotus at his navel. Brahmā turns not to the sleeping Viṣṇu but to the power that holds him asleep: Yoganidrā, the Goddess as Night. The verse names her as the ruler of all things before the praise itself begins.