Shloka 9
Kurukṣetra-sainyadarśana and Arjuna-viṣāda (धर्मक्षेत्रे समवेता युयुत्सवः — अर्जुनविषाद)
उमे शाकम्भरि श्वेते कृष्णे कैटभनाशिनि । हिरण्याक्षि विरूपाक्षि सुधूम्राक्षि नमो5स्तु ते
ume śākambhari śvete kṛṣṇe kaiṭabhanāśini | hiraṇyākṣi virūpākṣi sudhūmrākṣi namo'stu te ||
Arjuna said: “O Umā—O Śākambharī; O fair-hued one; O dark-hued one; O destroyer of Kaiṭabha; O golden-eyed one; O strange-formed (all-seeing) one; O smoky-eyed one—unto you be my salutations again and again.”
अजुन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that in moments of crisis, devotion and remembrance of the Divine—here addressed through many names—can stabilize the mind, invoke inner strength, and orient one’s actions toward dharma rather than fear or confusion.
On the eve of battle in the Bhīṣma Parva, Arjuna offers a litany of salutations to the Goddess (Umā/Durgā) by invoking her epithets—nourisher, pure and formidable, demon-slayer—seeking protection and empowerment before the conflict.