Shloka 27

अध्याय ३८ — काली-शंखचूड-युद्धे अस्त्रप्रयोगः

Kālī and Śaṅkhacūḍa: Mantra-Weapons and Surrender in Battle

Devanagari script

सा देवी तं तदा चक्रं वामहस्तेन लीलया । जग्राह स्वमुखेनैवाहारं चक्रे रुषा द्रुतम्

Transliteration

sā devī taṃ tadā cakraṃ vāmahastena līlayā | jagrāha svamukhenaivāhāraṃ cakre ruṣā drutam

Translation

Then the Goddess, playfully with her left hand, seized that discus; and in a swift surge of wrath she brought it to her own mouth, as if to consume it.

Word by Word

• sā: she
• sā: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन)

• devī: the goddess
• devī: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: devī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन)

• tam: that
• tam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter/Masculine (नपुंसक/पुंलिङ्ग), Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन); here referring to cakram (neuter)

• tadā: then
• tadā: Kālādhi karaṇa (कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tadā (अव्यय)
• Form: Adverb (कालवाचक अव्यय)

• cakram: discus
• cakram: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: cakra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन)

• vāmahastena: with the left hand
• vāmahastena: Karaṇa (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vāma + hasta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Instrumental (3rd/तृतीया), Singular (एकवचन)

• līlayā: playfully/with ease
• līlayā: Karaṇa (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: līlā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Instrumental (3rd/तृतीया), Singular (एकवचन)

• jagrāha: seized
• jagrāha: Kriyā (मुख्यक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: grah (धातु)
• Form: Perfect (लिट्), 3rd Person (प्रथमपुरुष), Singular (एकवचन), Parasmaipada (परस्मैपद)

• svamukhena: with her own mouth
• svamukhena: Karaṇa (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sva + mukha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Instrumental (3rd/तृतीया), Singular (एकवचन)

• eva: indeed/just
• eva: Sambandha (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: Emphatic particle (निपात)

• āhāram: food/intake
• āhāram: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: āhāra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन)

• cakre: made/did
• cakre: Kriyā (मुख्यक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kṛ (धातु)
• Form: Perfect (लिट्), 3rd Person (प्रथमपुरुष), Singular (एकवचन), Ātmanepada (आत्मनेपद)

• ruṣā: with anger
• ruṣā: Karaṇa (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ruṣ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Instrumental (3rd/तृतीया), Singular (एकवचन)

• drutam: quickly
• drutam: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: druta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Adverbial accusative (क्रियाविशेषणरूपेण), ‘quickly’

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating to the sages of Naimiṣāraṇya)

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pati

Shakti Dimension

Shakti Form: Kālī

Role: liberating

Characters & Entities

• Devi
• Chakra

FAQs

What is the spiritual significance of this verse in the Shiva Purana?

It highlights the supremacy of Divine Śakti: what appears as a fearsome weapon becomes, for the Goddess, something she can effortlessly restrain and even ‘consume’, showing that all powers are contained within the Supreme Shiva–Shakti reality.

How does this verse relate to the worship of the Linga or Saguna Shiva?

In Saguna worship, devotees revere Shiva together with His inseparable Shakti; this scene reinforces that the manifest divine form can subdue all hostile forces, encouraging faith in the protective grace (anugraha) of Shiva-Shakti represented in Linga worship.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

A practical takeaway is fearless japa of the Panchākṣarī (“Om Namaḥ Śivāya”) with devotion to Shiva-Shakti, cultivating inner steadiness so that ‘weapons’ like anger and fear are absorbed and transformed rather than allowed to harm the mind.