Markandeya Purana — Adhyaya 82, Shloka 20
Adhyaya 82 — The Rise of Mahishasura and the Manifestation of the Goddess from the Gods’ Tejas
शूलं शूलाद्विनिष्कृष्य ददौ तस्यै पिनाकधृक् ।
चक्रं च दत्तवान् कृष्णः समुत्पाद्य स्वचक्रतः ॥
śūlaṃ śūlād viniṣkṛṣya dadau tasyai pinākadhṛk |
cakraṃ ca dattavān kṛṣṇaḥ samutpādya sva-cakrataḥ ||
Śiva, bearer of Pināka, drew forth a trident from his own trident and bestowed it upon Her. And Kṛṣṇa (Viṣṇu) gave Her a discus, bringing it forth from his own discus.
FAQs
Even the highest gods ‘equip’ the Devi, conveying that ultimate victory over adharma requires the convergence of all orthodox powers—knowledge, preservation, dissolution—into the single axis of śakti.
Theological narrative (carita) illustrating dharma-restoration; ancillary to the Purāṇa’s broader structural characteristics.
Trident and discus can be read as mastery over the three guṇas/three times and the cyclic order of dharma; placed in the Devi’s hands, they signify sovereignty over both transformation and cosmic law.