Mahabharata — Shalya Parva, Shloka 11
Varuṇābhiṣeka–Agni-anveṣaṇa–Kaubera-tīrtha
Varuṇa’s Consecration; Search for Agni; Kaubera Sacred Site
शतघण्टा शतानन्दा भगनन्दा च भाविनी । वपुष्मती चन्द्रसीता भद्रकाली च भारत
śataghaṇṭā śatānandā bhaganandā ca bhāvinī | vapuṣmatī candrasītā bhadrakālī ca bhārata ||
Vaiśampāyana said: “O Bhārata, (she is praised by these names:) Śataghāṇṭā, Śatānandā, Bhaganandā, and Bhāvinī; Vapuṣmatī, Candrasītā, and Bhadrakālī as well.” In this passage, the epic invokes a cluster of divine epithets—names that emphasize awe, auspicious power, and protective ferocity—typical of wartime supplication where victory is sought through reverence and moral alignment with the sacred.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse models stuti—reverent naming of the divine—where multiple epithets are recited to invoke protection and auspicious power. Ethically, it reflects the epic’s idea that in crisis (especially war), strength is paired with humility and alignment with sacred order through devotion.
Vaiśampāyana continues a devotional enumeration of the goddess’s names/epithets. Such catalogues typically occur in contexts of seeking divine aid, protection, or victory, emphasizing the goddess’s many aspects—terrible to foes yet auspicious to devotees.
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