ब्रह्मोवाच त्वं स्वाहा त्वं स्वधा त्वं हि वषट्कारः स्वरात्मिका। सुधा त्वमक्षरे नित्ये त्रिधा मात्रात्मिका स्थिता ॥ २ ॥
brahmōvāca tvaṁ svāhā tvaṁ svadhā tvaṁ hi vaṣaṭkāraḥ svarātmikā | sudhā tvamakṣarē nityē tridhā mātrātmikā sthitā || 2 ||
Translation
Brahmā said: You are Svāhā, you are Svadhā, you indeed are the Vaṣaṭkāra, whose very self is sound. You are the nectar; O eternal, imperishable one, you abide as the threefold measure of Om.
Word by word
- brahmā uvāca
- Brahmā said
- tvam
- you
- svāhā
- Svāhā (the call of offering to the gods)
- svadhā
- Svadhā (the call of offering to the ancestors)
- hi
- indeed
- vaṣaṭkāraḥ
- the exclamation Vaṣaṭ of the sacrifice
- svarātmikā
- whose self is sound, the vowels
- sudhā
- nectar
- akṣarē
- O imperishable one
- nityē
- O eternal one
- tridhā
- threefold
- mātrātmikā
- in the form of the measures (A, U, M)
- sthitā
- you abide
Meaning
Svāhā and Svadhā are the calls with which offerings are given to the gods and to the ancestors, and Vaṣaṭ is the cry of the sacrifice. The Goddess is these sacred sounds themselves. The threefold measure is A, U and M, the three sounds of Om, which stand for waking, dreaming and deep sleep.