Shloka 66
Adhyaya 85 — The Gods’ Hymn to the Goddess and the Emergence of Kaushiki; Shumbha Sends His Envoy
स्त्रीरत्नभूतां त्वां देवि लोके मन्यामहे वयम् ।
सा त्वमस्मानुपागच्छ यतो रत्नभुजो वयम् ॥
strīratnabhūtāṃ tvāṃ devi loke manyāmahe vayam /
sā tvamasmānupāgaccha yato ratnabhujo vayam
O Goddess, in this world we regard you as a “woman-jewel.” Therefore come to us, for we are the enjoyers and possessors of jewels.
FAQs
The verse displays adharma as objectification—reducing the Goddess to an item of consumption. Devi’s forthcoming response reasserts autonomy and establishes the ethical principle that union/power must be earned through rightful means, not seized.
Narrative ethics within vaṃśānucarita: it teaches dharma through the characterization of asuric speech and Devi’s corrective vow.
Calling Devi a ‘ratna’ is a category mistake: Shakti is the ground of value, not a valuable object. The asura’s error is avidyā—treating the source as a possession.