Shloka 29

Durgama’s Seizure of the Vedas and the Gods’ Refuge in Yogamāyā (दुर्गमकृतवेदनाशः—योगमायाशरणगमनम्)

Devanagari script

भैरवी बगला धूम्र श्रीमत्त्रिपुरसुदरी । मातंगी च महाविद्या निर्गता दश सायुधाः

Transliteration

bhairavī bagalā dhūmra śrīmattripurasudarī | mātaṃgī ca mahāvidyā nirgatā daśa sāyudhāḥ

Translation

Bhairavī, Bagalā, Dhūmrā, the splendid Tripurasundarī, and Mātaṅgī—these great Vidyās emerged, ten in number, each bearing her own weaponry.

Word by Word

• bhairavī: Bhairavī
• bhairavī: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhairavī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Nominative (प्रथमा/1), Singular (एकवचन)

• bagalā: Bagalā
• bagalā: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bagalā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Nominative (प्रथमा/1), Singular (एकवचन)

• dhūmrā: Dhūmrā
• dhūmrā: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dhūmra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Nominative (प्रथमा/1), Singular (एकवचन); (name; feminine form understood)

• śrīmat-tripurasundarī: Śrīmat Tripurasundarī
• śrīmat-tripurasundarī: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śrīmat (प्रातिपदिक) + tripura-sundarī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Karmadhāraya (कर्मधारय) compound 'the glorious Tripurasundarī'; Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Nominative (प्रथमा/1), Singular (एकवचन)

• mātaṃgī: Mātaṅgī
• mātaṃgī: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mātaṃgī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Nominative (प्रथमा/1), Singular (एकवचन)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya (अव्यय), conjunction (समुच्चयबोधक)

• mahā-vidyā: Mahāvidyā
• mahā-vidyā: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā (प्रातिपदिक) + vidyā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Karmadhāraya (कर्मधारय) compound; Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Nominative (प्रथमा/1), Singular (एकवचन)

• nirgatāḥ: came forth/emerged
• nirgatāḥ: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: nir-√gam (गम् धातु)
• Form: Kṛdanta: past active participle (क्त, कर्तरि प्रयोग) from √gam with nir-; Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Nominative (प्रथमा/1), Plural (बहुवचन) agreeing with implied 'they (goddesses)'

• daśa: ten
• daśa: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: daśan (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Numeral (संख्यावाचक), indeclinable-like in form here; used as adjective to sāyudhāḥ; Plural sense

• sāyudhāḥ: armed
• sāyudhāḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sa-āyudha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Bahuvrīhi (बहुव्रीहि) compound 'having weapons'; Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Nominative (प्रथमा/1), Plural (बहुवचन) qualifying the goddesses

Speaker

Suta Goswami

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pati

Shiva Form: Bhairava

Mantra Metadata

Type: stotra

Shakti Dimension

Shakti Form: Lalitā

Role: destructive

Characters & Entities

• Shiva
• Parvati
• Tripurasundari
• Bhairavi
• Bagala
• Dhumra
• Matangi

FAQs

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

The verse highlights that Devi’s wisdom-powers (Mahāvidyās) manifest as distinct forces—sometimes fierce and “armed”—to remove bondage (pāśa) and protect the seeker, ultimately serving Shiva (Pati) in guiding the soul (paśu) toward liberation.

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

In Shaiva practice, Saguna Shiva is worshipped with Shakti as inseparable; the Linga signifies Shiva as the supreme principle, while these Vidyās indicate the operative divine energies through which grace, protection, and inner transformation become accessible in devotional worship.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

A practical takeaway is disciplined japa of the Panchākṣarī (“Om Namaḥ Śivāya”) with purity observances (bhasma/Tripuṇḍra and Rudrākṣa where appropriate), contemplating Shiva-Shakti as one reality and praying for the removal of inner obstacles symbolized by the ‘weapons’ of the Vidyās.