Adhyaya 85 — The Gods’ Hymn to the Goddess and the Emergence of Kaushiki; Shumbha Sends His Envoy
देवा ऊचुः
नमो देव्यै महादेव्यै शिवायै सततं नमः ।
नमः प्रकृत्यै भद्रायै नियताः प्रणताः स्म ताम् ॥
devā ūcuḥ namo devyai mahādevyai śivāyai satataṃ namaḥ / namaḥ prakṛtyai bhadrāyai niyatāḥ praṇatāḥ sma tām
Les dieux dirent : «Salut à la Déesse, à la Grande Déesse; salut constant à Śivā. Salut à Prakṛti, à l’Auspicienne (Bhadrā). L’esprit maîtrisé et la tête inclinée, nous nous prosternons devant elle.»
The hymn frames Devi as both immanent (auspicious presence) and metaphysical principle (Prakṛti). Ethical posture: niyama (discipline) and praṇipāta (humble surrender) precede divine aid.
A stotra embedded in itihāsa-like narrative; it serves the Purāṇic pedagogical function—teaching names, contemplation, and devotion—rather than enumerating sarga/manvantara.
Calling her Prakṛti signals Śakti as the matrix of manifestation; ‘Śivā’ indicates auspiciousness and the power that makes even transcendence (Śiva) effective in the world.