Shloka 69
Sūrya-stava: Dhaumya’s Counsel and the Aṣṭaśata-nāma of Sūrya
क्षुभया सहिता मैत्री याश्वान्या भूतमातर: । ताश्न सर्वा नमस्यामि पान्तु मां शरणागतम्,क्षुभाके साथ जो मैत्रीदेवी तथा गौरी, पद्मा आदि अन्य भूतमाताएँ हैं, उन सबको मैं नमस्कार करता हूँ। वे सभी मुझ शरणागतकी रक्षा करें
kṣubhayā sahitā maitrī yāś cānyā bhūtamātaraḥ | tās tāḥ sarvā namasyāmi pāntu māṃ śaraṇāgatam ||
Yudhiṣṭhira said: “I bow to Maitrī Devī who is accompanied by Kṣubhā, and to all the other Mothers of beings—Gaurī, Padmā, and the rest. May they protect me, for I have come to them seeking refuge.”
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse models śaraṇāgati—humble surrender and ethical reliance on protective divine forces. It emphasizes that seeking refuge is not weakness but a dharmic act: acknowledging limits, honoring guardians, and requesting protection through reverent speech.
Yudhiṣṭhira offers an invocation: he salutes a group of maternal divinities (bhūtamātaraḥ), naming Maitrī with Kṣubhā and also Gaurī and Padmā, and asks them to protect him as one who has come seeking shelter.