Shloka 6
Kurukṣetra-sainyadarśana and Arjuna-viṣāda (धर्मक्षेत्रे समवेता युयुत्सवः — अर्जुनविषाद)
कात्यायनि महाभागे करालि विजये जये । शिखिपिच्छध्वजधरे नानाभरणभूषिते
arjuna uvāca | kātyāyani mahābhāge karāli vijaye jaye | śikhipicchadhvajadhare nānābharaṇabhūṣite ||
Arjuna said: “O revered Kātyāyanī, most fortunate one; O Karālī of fearsome form; O Vijaya and Jaya—bearer of the banner marked with peacock feathers, adorned with many ornaments. You are worthy of worship in your gentle and beautiful aspect, and you are also the awe-inspiring power that overcomes obstacles and grants victory.”
अजुन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Before entering a morally weighty conflict, the warrior seeks alignment with dharma through devotion: acknowledging divine power as both gentle and fearsome, and requesting protection and victory without losing ethical grounding.
Arjuna addresses the Goddess with a series of epithets—Kātyāyanī, Karālī (Kālī), Vijayā, Jayā—praising her as the bearer of a peacock-feather banner and richly adorned, as part of an invocation for support in the impending battle.