Shloka 17
य॑ य॑ देवं त्वमेतेन मन्त्रेणावाहयिष्यसि । तेन तेन वशे भद्रे स्थातव्यं ते भविष्यति,भद्रे! तुम इस मन्त्रके द्वारा जिस-जिस देवताका आवाहन करोगी वह-वह तुम्हारे अधीन हो जानेके लिये बाध्य होगा
yaṃ yaṃ devaṃ tvam etena mantreṇāvāhayīṣyasi | tena tena vaśe bhadre sthātavyaṃ te bhaviṣyati, bhadre ||
The Brahmin said: “Whichever deity you invoke with this mantra, that very deity will be compelled, O auspicious lady, to come under your control and remain subject to your will.”
ब्राह्मण उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the perceived potency of mantra and ritual invocation (āvāhana): correctly employed sacred speech is said to compel even divine beings to comply. Ethically, it raises the tension between devotion and instrumental use of the sacred—treating divine power as something to be commanded rather than reverently sought.
A Brahmin addresses a woman as “bhadre” and assures her that by using a particular mantra to invoke any deity, that deity will be forced to come under her control. The statement functions as a promise of efficacy and authority granted through the mantra within the ongoing episode.