Sacred Texts
Upasaṁhāra cover

॥ श्री ॥vidhi

Upasaṁhāra – Meditation on Durgā

Traditional

Steps
16
Minutes
35
Level
advanced

Meditation on Durgā

ॐ विद्युद्दामसमप्रभां मृगपतिस्कन्धस्थितां भीषणां कन्याभिः करवालखेटविलसद्धस्ताभिरासेविताम्। हस्तैश्चक्रगदासिखेटविशिखांश्चापं गुणं तर्जनीं बिभ्राणामनलात्मिकां शशिधरां दुर्गां त्रिनेत्रां भजे॥

ōṁ vidyuddāmasamaprabhāṁ mṛgapatiskandhasthitāṁ bhīṣaṇāṁ kanyābhiḥ karavālakhēṭavilasaddhastābhirāsēvitām | hastaiścakragadāsikhēṭaviśikhāṁścāpaṁ guṇaṁ tarjanīṁ bibhrāṇāmanalātmikāṁ śaśidharāṁ durgāṁ trinētrāṁ bhajē ||

Translation

I worship Durgā, three-eyed, bearing the moon, whose nature is fire: radiant as a garland of lightning, seated on the shoulder of the lion, fearsome, attended by maidens whose hands gleam with swords and shields, and holding in her hands the discus, the mace, the sword, the shield, the arrows, the bow, the noose and the raised finger of warning.

Word by word

vidyuddāmasamaprabhām
radiant as a garland of lightning
mṛgapatiskandhasthitām
seated on the shoulder of the lion
bhīṣaṇām
fearsome
kanyābhiḥ
by maidens
karavālakhēṭavilasaddhastābhiḥ
whose hands gleam with swords and shields
āsēvitām
attended
hastaiḥ
in her hands
cakragadāsikhēṭaviśikhān
the discus, the mace, the sword, the shield and the arrows
cāpam
the bow
guṇam
the noose (cord)
tarjanīm
the raised finger of warning
bibhrāṇām
holding
analātmikām
whose nature is fire
śaśidharām
bearing the moon
durgām
Durgā
trinētrām
three-eyed
bhajē
I worship

Meaning

The meditation on Durgā with which the recitation began now ends it, with Om before it; its meaning is given with the twelfth chapter of the Saptaśatī. Durgā is seen as at the start: radiant as lightning, on her lion, among her armed maidens. With this the Upasaṁhāra is complete, and the recitation goes on to the Ṛgvedokta Devī Sūkta.