Adhyaya 84 — The Gods’ Hymn after the Slaying of Mahishasura and the Goddess’ Boon
शब्दात्मिका सुविमलर्ग्यजुषां निधानमुद्गीथरम्यपदपाठवतां च साम्नाम् । देवी त्रयी भगवती भवभावनाय वार्ता च सर्वजगतां परमार्तिहन्त्री ॥
śabdātmikā suvimalargyajuṣāṃ nidhānam udgītharamyapadapāṭhavatāṃ ca sāmnām / devī trayī bhagavatī bhavabhāvanāya vārtā ca sarvajagatāṃ paramārtihantrī
Du bist die Seele des Klanges, die Schatzkammer des makellosen Ṛg- und Yajur-Veda sowie der Sāman-Hymnen mit ihrem wonnigen Vortrag des Udgītha. Du bist die Göttin, die Verkörperung der drei Veden (Trayī), die Gesegnete, bestimmt zur Erhaltung des Daseins. Du bist Vārtā (die Wissenschaft von Landwirtschaft und Ökonomie) und die höchste Vernichterin des Schmerzes aller Welten.
This verse establishes the Goddess as the source of both Para Vidya (transcendent spiritual knowledge, represented by the three Vedas or Trayi) and Apara Vidya (material knowledge and sustenance, represented by Varta/Economics). She is the totality of existence, sustaining the soul through scripture and the body through agriculture.
This verse occurs within the Manvantara section of the Markandeya Purana. Specifically, it details the events of the Savarni Manvantara, illustrating the cosmic battles that define the epoch and the glorification of the deity who ensures the continuity of Dharma.
The epithet 'Shabdatmika' identifies the Devi as the Shabda Brahman—the primordial cosmic vibration or sound. Before the Vedas existed as texts, they existed as sound/vibration within Her consciousness. She is the root of all language and mantra.