Shloka 68

Adhyaya 81Death of Nishumbha

ऋषिरुवाच एवम् स्तुता तदा देवी तामसी तत्र वेधसा ।

विष्णोः प्रबोधनार्थाय निहन्तुं मधुकैटभौ ॥

ṛṣir uvāca evaṃ stutā tadā devī tāmasī tatra vedhasā / viṣṇoḥ prabodhanārthāya nihantuṃ madhukaiṭabhau

Der Ṛṣi sprach: So damals von Vedhas (Brahmā) gepriesen, machte sich die Tāmasī Devī dort daran, Viṣṇu zu erwecken, damit Madhu und Kaiṭabha erschlagen würden.

ऋषिःthe sage
ऋषिः:
कर्ता (Karta/Subject)
TypeNoun
Rootऋषि (प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन
उवाचsaid
उवाच:
क्रिया (Kriyā/Verbal action)
TypeVerb
Rootवच् (धातु)
Formलिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद
एवम्thus
एवम्:
क्रियाविशेषण (Adverbial)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootएवम् (अव्यय)
Formअव्यय; प्रकारवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (adverb of manner)
स्तुताpraised
स्तुता:
विशेषण (Qualifier)
TypeAdjective
Rootस्तु (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त प्रत्यय)
Formक्त-प्रत्ययान्त भूतकर्मणि/भूतकृदन्त (past passive participle); स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; 'देवी' इत्यस्य विशेषण
तदाthen
तदा:
कालाधिकरण (Time adjunct)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootतदा (अव्यय)
Formकालवाचक अव्यय (temporal adverb)
देवीthe Goddess
देवी:
कर्ता (Karta/Subject)
TypeNoun
Rootदेवी (प्रातिपदिक)
Formस्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन
तामसीdark (tāmasī)
तामसी:
विशेषण (Qualifier)
TypeAdjective
Rootतामसी (प्रातिपदिक)
Formस्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; 'देवी' इत्यस्य विशेषण
तत्रthere
तत्र:
देशाधिकरण (Place adjunct)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootतत्र (अव्यय)
Formदेशवाचक अव्यय (locative adverb)
वेधसाby Brahmā (the Creator)
वेधसा:
करण (Karaṇa/Instrument; agent in passive sense)
TypeNoun
Rootवेधस् (प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन
विष्णोःof Viṣṇu
विष्णोः:
सम्बन्ध (Genitive relation)
TypeNoun
Rootविष्णु (प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (6th/Genitive), एकवचन
प्रबोधनार्थायfor the purpose of awakening
प्रबोधनार्थाय:
सम्प्रदान (Sampradāna/Purpose-dative)
TypeNoun
Rootप्रबोधन (प्रातिपदिक) + अर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
Formषष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (genitive determinative): प्रबोधनस्य अर्थः; पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी-विभक्ति (4th/Dative), एकवचन
निहन्तुम्to slay
निहन्तुम्:
प्रयोजन (Purpose)
TypeVerb
Rootहन् (धातु) + तुमुन् (कृदन्त)
Formतुमुनन्त (infinitive); कर्मार्थक/उद्देश्य (purpose infinitive)
मधुकैटभौMadhu and Kaiṭabha
मधुकैटभौ:
कर्म (Karma/Object)
TypeNoun
Rootमधु (प्रातिपदिक) + कैटभ (प्रातिपदिक)
Formइतरेतर-द्वन्द्व (copulative): मधुश्च कैटभश्च; पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), द्विवचन
Narrator (Ṛṣi) within Devī Māhātmya frame

{ "primaryRasa": "adbhuta", "secondaryRasa": "bhakti", "rasaIntensity": 0, "emotionalArcPosition": "", "moodDescriptors": [] }

DevīBrahmā (Vedhas)ViṣṇuMadhuKaiṭabha
Tāmasī (Nidrā-devī); Yoga-nidrā
ShaktismNarrative transitionTamas as cosmic functionDivine causality

FAQs

The text frames Devī not as a passive abstraction but as an active power responding to sincere invocation; prayer is portrayed as aligning cosmic forces toward dharma.

Carita: a mythic episode that illustrates the functioning of divine powers in maintaining cosmic order at the beginning of the world-cycle.

Calling her ‘Tāmasī’ indicates tamas is not merely negative; it is a regulated cosmic principle under Devī’s sovereignty, withdrawn or deployed as needed.