Umā-caritra-prārthanā: Ṛṣayaḥ Sūtaṃ Pṛcchanti
Request for the Account of Umā
प्रणमामि महामायां योगनिद्रामुमां सतीम् । कालरात्रिं महारात्रिं मोहरात्रिं परात्पराम्
praṇamāmi mahāmāyāṃ yoganidrāmumāṃ satīm | kālarātriṃ mahārātriṃ moharātriṃ parātparām
Ich verneige mich vor Umā, der tugendhaften Satī—Sie ist Mahāmāyā, die kosmische Kraft der Offenbarung, und Yogānidrā, der göttliche Yogaschlaf. Ich verneige mich vor Ihr als Kālarātri, als Mahārātri, als Moharātri—Sie ist die Höchste, jenseits alles Höchsten.
Suta Goswami (narrating a devotional stotra within the Uma Samhita context)
Tattva Level: pati
Shiva Form: Umāpati
Mantra: प्रणमामि महामायां योगनिद्रामुमां सतीम् । कालरात्रिं महारात्रिं मोहरात्रिं परात्पराम्
Type: stotra
Shakti Form: Kālī
Role: teaching
Offering: dipa
Cosmic Event: cosmic concealment (moha/tirodhāna) framed as ‘rātri’
The verse praises Umā as the supreme Shakti who both veils consciousness as Māyā and grants inner stillness as Yogānidrā—showing that bondage and liberation operate under the Lord’s power through the Divine Mother in Shaiva understanding.
In the Shiva Purana, Shiva (Pati) is worshipped inseparably with Umā (Shakti). Saluting Umā as Mahāmāyā supports Saguna worship—approaching the Linga with devotion while recognizing that the manifest universe and its transformative powers arise through Her.
A practical takeaway is japa and contemplation: recite salutations to Umā-Shiva during Mahārātri (Mahāśivarātri night), meditating on Yogānidrā as inward absorption (samādhi-like stillness) and offering devotion with purity of mind.