महाविद्या महामाया महामेधा महास्मृतिः। महामोहा च भवती महादेवी महासुरी ॥ ६ ॥
mahāvidyā mahāmāyā mahāmēdhā mahāsmṛtiḥ | mahāmōhā ca bhavatī mahādēvī mahāsurī || 6 ||
Translation
You are the great knowledge and the great illusion, the great intelligence and the great memory, the great delusion; you are the great Goddess and the great power of the Asuras.
Word by word
- mahāvidyā
- the great knowledge
- mahāmāyā
- the great illusion
- mahāmēdhā
- the great intelligence
- mahāsmṛtiḥ
- the great memory
- mahāmōhā
- the great delusion
- ca
- and
- bhavatī
- you (honoured)
- mahādēvī
- the great Goddess
- mahāsurī
- the great power of the Asuras
Meaning
The names come in pairs of opposites. She is the knowledge that frees and the illusion that binds, the Goddess of the gods and the power at work in their enemies. Nothing stands outside her, neither wisdom nor ignorance.