Devi Upanishad: Verse 13
अदितिर्ह्यजनिष्ट दक्ष या दुहिता तव । तां देवा अन्वजायन्त भद्रा अमृतबन्धवः ॥
कामो योनिः कामकला वज्रपाणिर्गुहा हसा । मातरिश्वाभ्रमिन्द्रः पुनर्गुहा सकला मायया च पुनः कोशा विश्वमाता दिवि द्योम् ॥१३–१४॥
अदितिः । हि । अजनिष्ट । दक्ष । या । दुहिता । तव । ताम् । देवाः । अन्वजायन्त । भद्राः । अमृत-बन्धवः ॥
कामः । योनिः । काम-कला । वज्र-पाणिः । गुहा । हसा । मातरिश्वा । अभ्रम् । इन्द्रः । पुनः । गुहा । सकला । मायया । च । पुनः । कोशाः । विश्व-माता । दिवि । द्योम् ॥
aditir hy ajaniṣṭa dakṣa yā duhitā tava | tāṃ devā anvajāyanta bhadrā amṛtabandhavaḥ ||
kāmo yoniḥ kāmakalā vajrapāṇir guhā hasā | mātariśvā abhram indraḥ punaḥ guhā sakalā māyayā ca punaḥ kośā viśvamātā divi dyom ||
दक्ष, तेरी बेटी अदिति पैदा हुई। देवताओं ने उसको अपनाया, क्योंकि वो अमृत जैसी थी। इच्छा से यह सब शुरू होता है। वज्र हाथ में, गुफा में, हंसी में। हवा, बादल, इंद्र। फिर गुफा, फिर सब कुछ। माया के सारे छिलके, दुनिया की माँ। वो आसमान में है, रोशनी में।
Aditi indeed was born, O Dakṣa, as your daughter. The gods—auspicious, kin to immortality—begot her in succession. Desire is the womb; the ‘digit/portion’ of desire (kāmakalā); the thunderbolt-bearer; the cave (guhā); laughter; Mātariśvan (the wind); the cloud; Indra; again the cave; the whole (sakalā); by māyā; and again the sheaths (kośas); the Mother of the universe—(she is) in heaven, the luminous sky.
- aditir hy = aditiḥ hi (visarga sandhi)
- anvajāyanta = anu + ajāyanta (upasarga sandhi)
- amṛtabandhavaḥ = amṛta-bandhavaḥ (compound)
- vajrapāṇir = vajra-pāṇiḥ (final -r for visarga in saṃhitā)
- mātariśvābhram = mātariśvā + abhram
- māyayā ca = māyayā + ca
- viśvamātā = viśva-mātā
About this Verse
- Central concept
- Māyā-śakti and the manifestation of Brahman as the cosmic Mother; kośa-doctrine; guhā (heart-cave) as locus of realization
- The mahavakyas
- Indirectly supports ‘sarvaṃ khalv idaṃ brahma’ (Chāndogya) by presenting all names/forms (including kośas and deities) as expressions of one Śakti/Brahman; also aligns with ‘ahaṃ brahmāsmi’ insofar as the ‘guhā’ points to the inner Self beyond sheaths.
- Veda
- Atharva
- Chandas
- Mixed/irregular; largely prose-like Upaniṣadic style with mantraic cadence (not strictly classifiable as a single classical Vedic meter).
Yoga and practice
Contemplation on Devī as immanent in prāṇa (mātariśvan), mind/desire (kāma), and the pañca-kośas; meditation in the heart-cave (hṛdaya-guhā) to discern the witness beyond māyā; mantra-japa with bhāvanā that all arising vṛttis are Śakti’s play, leading to vairāgya and inner absorption.
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