हा नाथ किं प्रभो जातमत्यद्भुतममानुषम् । वैशसं सर्वदेवानां देवदेव सनातन
"Alas, Lord! What has happened, O Master? This is most astonishing and inhuman—a calamity for all the gods, O eternal God of gods!"
मायेयं कस्य देवस्य यया तेऽद्य शिरो हृतम् । अच्छेद्यस्त्वमभेद्योऽसि अप्रदाह्योऽसि सर्वदा
"By whose magic, O God, has your head been taken today? You are always uncut, unbroken, and unburnable."
एवं गते त्वयि विभो मरिष्यन्ति च देवताः । कीदृशस्त्वयि नः स्नेहः स्वार्थेनैव रुदामहे
"With you in this state, O Lord, the gods will perish. What kind of affection do we have for you, that we weep only for our own sake?"
नायं विघ्नः कृतो दैत्यैर्न यक्षैर्न च राक्षसैः । देवैरेव कृतः कस्य दूषणं च रमापते
"This obstacle was not caused by demons, nor by yakshas or rakshasas; it was made by the gods themselves. O Lord of Lakshmi, whose fault is this?"
पराधीनाः सुराः सर्वे किं कुर्मः क्व व्रजाम च । शरणं नैव देवेश सुराणां मूढचेतसाम्
"All the gods are powerless—what can we do, and where can we go? O Lord of gods, there is no refuge for the deluded-minded gods."
न चैषा सात्त्विकी माया राजसी न च तामसी । यया छिन्नं शिरस्तेऽद्य मायेशस्य जगद्गुरोः
"Nor is this the sāttvic, nor rājasic, nor tāmasic māyā by which your head, O Lord of Māyā, Teacher of the world, was severed today."
क्रन्दमानांस्तदा दृष्ट्वा देवाञ्छिवपुरोगमान् । बृहस्पतिस्तदोवाच शमयन्वेदवित्तमः
Seeing the gods, led by Shiva, weeping at that time, Brihaspati, the knower of the Vedas, spoke to calm them.
रुदितेन महाभागाः क्रन्दितेन तथापि किम् । उपायश्चात्र कर्तव्यः सर्वथा बुद्धिगोचरः
"O blessed ones, what is the use of crying and wailing? Some means must certainly be devised, within the reach of our understanding."
दैवं पुरुषकारश्च देवेश सदृशावुभौ । उपायश्च विधातव्यो दैवात्फलति सर्वथा
"O Lord of gods, both fate and human effort are equal; a means must be undertaken, for results always arise from destiny."
इन्द्र उवाच दैवमेव परं मन्ये धिक्पौरुषमनर्थकम् । विष्णोरपि शिरश्छिन्नं सुराणां चैव पश्यताम्
Indra said: "I consider fate supreme; shame on human effort, which is useless. Even Vishnu's head was cut off before the very eyes of the gods."
ब्रह्मोवाच अवश्यमेव भोक्तव्यं कालेनापादितं च यत् । शुभं वाप्यशुभं वापि दैवं कोऽतिक्रमेत्पुनः
Brahma said: "Whatever is brought by time must certainly be experienced, whether good or bad; who can ever surpass fate?"
देहवान्सुखदुःखानां भोक्ता नैवात्र संशयः । यथा कालवशात्कृत्तं शिरो मे शम्भुना पुरा
"There is no doubt that one with a body must experience pleasure and pain, just as, in the past, my head was cut off by Shiva, under the power of time."
तथैव लिङ्गपातश्च महादेवस्य शापतः । तथैवाद्य हरेर्मूर्धा पतितो लवणाम्भसि
"In the same way, the fall of the linga happened by the curse of Mahadeva; and so today, Hari's head has fallen into the salt ocean."
सहस्रभगसंप्राप्तिर्दुःखं चैव शचीपतेः । स्वर्गाद्भ्रंशस्तथा वासः कमले मानसे सरे
"The thousandfold division, the suffering of Shachi's lord, the fall from heaven, and the dwelling in the lotus-filled Manasa lake—all these occurred."
एते दुःखस्य भोक्तारः केन दुःखं न भुज्यते । संसारेऽस्मिन्महाभागास्तस्माच्छोकं त्यजन्तु वै
These are the experiencers of suffering—who here does not undergo pain? In this world, O blessed ones, therefore let them abandon sorrow.
चिन्तयन्तु महामायां विद्यादेवीं सनातनीम् । सा विधास्यति नः कार्यं निर्गुणा प्रकृतिः परा
Let them contemplate the Great Māyā, the eternal Goddess of Knowledge; she, the supreme, attributeless Nature, will accomplish our purpose.
ब्रह्मविद्यां जगद्धात्रीं सर्वेषां जननीं तथा । यया सर्वमिदं व्याप्तं त्रैलोक्यं सचराचरम्
She is the knowledge of Brahman, the supporter of the universe, the mother of all beings; by whom this entire world, the three realms with all that moves and does not move, is pervaded.
सूत उवाच इत्युक्त्वा वै सुरान्वेधा निगमानादिदेश ह । देहयुक्तान्स्थितानग्रे सुरकार्यार्थसिद्धये
Sūta said: Having thus spoken to the gods, the Creator instructed the Vedas, which were present in embodied form before him, for the accomplishment of the gods’ purpose.
ब्रह्मोवाच स्तुवन्तु परमां देवीं ब्रह्मविद्यां सनातनीम् । गूढाङ्गीं च महामायां सर्वकार्यार्थसाधनीम्
Brahmā said: Let them praise the supreme Goddess, the eternal knowledge of Brahman, the one with hidden limbs, the Great Māyā, who accomplishes all aims.
तच्छ्रुत्वा वचनं तस्य वेदाः सर्वाङ्गसुन्दराः । तुष्टुवुर्ज्ञानगम्यां तां महामायां जगत्स्थिताम्
Hearing his words, the Vedas, beautiful in every part, praised that Great Māyā, who is realized through knowledge and who upholds the world.
वेदा ऊचुः नमो देवि महामाये विश्वोत्पत्तिकरे शिवे । निर्गुणे सर्वभूतेशि मातः शङ्करकामदे
The Vedas said: Salutations to you, O Great Māyā, O auspicious one, creator of the universe; attributeless, ruler of all beings, mother, fulfiller of Śaṅkara’s wish.
त्वं भूमिः सर्वभूतानां प्राणाः प्राणवतां तथा । धीः श्रीः कान्तिः क्षमा शान्तिः श्रद्धा मेधा धृतिः स्मृतिः
You are the earth of all beings, and the life of the living; you are intelligence, prosperity, beauty, forbearance, peace, faith, wisdom, fortitude, and memory.
त्वमुद्गीथेऽर्धमात्रासि गायत्री व्याहृतिस्तथा । जया च विजया धात्री लज्जा कीर्तिः स्पृहा दया
You are the half-syllable of the Udgītha, the Gāyatrī, and the sacred utterances; you are victory, success, the supporter, modesty, fame, aspiration, and compassion.
त्वां संस्तुमोऽम्ब भुवनत्रयसंविधान- दक्षां दयारसयुतां जननीं जनानाम् । विद्यां शिवां सकललोकहितां वरेण्यां वाग्बीजवासनिपुणां भवनाशकर्त्रीम्
We praise you, O Mother, skilled in the ordering of the three worlds, full of the essence of compassion, mother of all beings, knowledge, auspicious, beneficent to all worlds, most excellent, expert in the seed of speech, and destroyer of fear.
ब्रह्मा हरः शौरिसहस्रनेत्र- वाग्वह्निसूर्या भुवनाधिनाथाः । ते त्वत्कृताः सन्ति ततो न मुख्या माता यतस्त्वं स्थिरजङ्गमानाम्
Brahmā, Hara, Śauri, the thousand-eyed one, the lord of speech, fire, the sun, and the rulers of the worlds—all these exist because of you, therefore they are not primary, for you are the mother of all that is moving and unmoving.
सकलभुवनमेतत्कर्तुकामा यदा त्वं सृजसि जननि देवान्विष्णुरुद्राजमुख्यान् । स्थितिलयजननं तैः कारयस्येकरूपा न खलु तव कथंचिद्देवि संसारलेशः
When you, O Mother, wish to create all the worlds, you produce the gods, with Viṣṇu and Rudra at their head; through them, you bring about creation, preservation, and destruction, though you remain one—indeed, O Goddess, there is not the least trace of worldly bondage in you.
न ते रूपं वेत्तुं सकलभुवने कोऽपि निपुणो न नाम्नां संख्यां ते कथितुमिह योग्योऽस्ति पुरुषः । यदल्पं कीलालं कलयितुमशक्तः स तु नरः कथं पारावाराकलनचतुरः स्यादृतमतिः
In all the worlds, who is skilled enough to know your form? Who is worthy to recount the number of your names? If a man is unable to grasp even a small portion, how could he, though clever, measure the ocean with his mind?
न देवानां मध्ये भगवति तवानन्तविभवं विजानात्येकोऽपि त्वमिह भुवनैकासि जननी । कथं मिथ्या विश्वं सकलमपि चैका रचयसि प्रमाणं त्वेतस्मिन्निगमवचनं देवि विहितम्
Among the gods, O Blessed One, not even one knows your infinite powers; you alone are the mother of the world. How do you, being one, create this entire illusory universe? The authority for this, O Goddess, is declared in the words of the Vedas.
निरीहैवासि त्वं निखिलजगतां कारणमहो चरित्रं ते चित्रं भगवति मनो नो व्यथयति । कथंकारं वाच्यः सकलनिगमागोचरगुण- प्रभावः स्वं यस्मात्स्वयमपि न जानासि परमम्
You are indeed without desire, yet the cause of all the worlds—O Blessed One, your conduct is wondrous, and our minds are not disturbed. How can your qualities and powers, which are beyond the reach of all the Vedas, be described? For you do not know your own supreme nature.
न किं जानासि त्वं जननि मधुजिन्मौलिपतनं ॥ शिवे किं वा ज्ञात्वा विविदिषसि शक्तिं मधुजितः । हरेः किं वा मातर्दुरितततिरेषा बलवती
O Mother, do you not know the fall of Madhu’s slayer from his crown? O Auspicious One, or knowing it, do you wish to test the power of the slayer of Madhu? Or, O Mother, is this force of misfortune that has befallen Hari very strong?