Shloka 8
Adhyaya 84 — The Gods’ Hymn after the Slaying of Mahishasura and the Goddess’ Boon
यस्याः समस्तसुरता समुदीरणेन तृप्तिं प्रयाति सकलेषु मखेषु देवि । स्वाहासि वै पितृगणस्य च तृप्तिहेतुरुच्चार्यसे त्वमत एव जनैः स्वधा च ॥
yasyāḥ samastasuratā samudīraṇena tṛptiṃ prayāti sakaleṣu makheṣu devi / svāhāsi vai pitṛgaṇasya ca tṛptihetur uccāryase tvamata eva janaiḥ svadhā ca
O Devi, You are Svāhā; by the utterance of that formula the entire assembly of the gods attains satisfaction in all sacrifices. You are indeed the cause of satisfaction for the hosts of the Ancestors (Pitṛs), and therefore people also chant You as Svādhā.
FAQs
This verse establishes the Goddess as the essential agency (Shakti) within Vedic ritualism. Without the mantras Svaha (for gods) and Svadha (for ancestors), offerings cannot be conveyed to the divine realms. She is thus the bridge between the human, divine, and ancestral planes, embodying the power of the sacrifice itself.
While the Markandeya Purana covers the five characteristics, the Devi Mahatmyam is an interpolation focusing on the preservation of the cosmic order during the Manvantara transitions. This hymn specifically celebrates the restoration of Dharma after the defeat of Mahishasura.
The term implies that the collective divinity or 'godhood' of the Devas is dependent on the Shakti. They are sustained only because she exists as the medium of their nourishment (the Yajna). She is the root energy that allows the Devas to function.