Devi Upanishad: Verse 23
वाङ्मया ब्रह्मभूतस्मात् षष्ठं वक्त्रसमन्वितम् ।
सूर्यो वामश्रोत्रबिन्दुः संयुताष्टकतृतीयकः ॥
नारायणेन संयुक्तो वायुश्चाधरसंयुतः ।
विच्चे नवार्णकोऽर्णः स्यान्महदानन्ददायकः ॥२२–२३॥
वाक्-मया । ब्रह्म-भूतस्मात् । षष्ठम् । वक्त्र-समन्वितम् ।
सूर्यः । वाम-श्रोत्र-बिन्दुः । संयुतः । अष्टक-तृतीयकः ।
नारायणेन । संयुक्तः । वायुः । च । अधर-संयुतः ।
विच्चे । नव-अर्णकः । अर्णः । स्यात् । महत्-आनन्द-दायकः ।
vāṅmayā brahmabhūtas māt ṣaṣṭhaṃ vaktrasamanvitam |
sūryo vāmaśrotrabinduḥ saṃyutāṣṭakatṛtīyakaḥ ||
nārāyaṇena saṃyukto vāyuścādharasaṃyutaḥ |
vicce navārṇako’rṇaḥ syān mahadānandadāyakaḥ ||22–23||
वाक्मयी देवी से जो ब्रह्मा स्वरूप है, छठा हिस्सा निकलता है। यह मुँह के पास होता है, जहाँ से बात निकलती है। सूरज का बिंदु बाएँ कान पर है। नारायण और वायु भी इसमें हैं। 'विच्चे' यह नौ शब्द का मंत्र है जो बड़ा आनंद देता है।
From Vāṅmayā, who is of the nature of Brahman, (there is) the sixth (syllable/element) endowed with the face (i.e., with the ‘mouth’/utterance); the Sun is the bindu at the left ear, joined with the third of the octad. Joined with Nārāyaṇa, and Vāyu joined with the lower (lip/part). ‘Vicce’: the nine-syllabled formula is said to be a syllable (mantra) that bestows great bliss.
- vāyuś ca → vāyuḥ + ca (visarga before c becomes ś)
- cādhara- → ca + adhara (a+a→ā)
- adharasaṃyutaḥ → adhara + saṃyutaḥ (tatpuruṣa)
- navārṇako’rṇaḥ → navārṇakaḥ + arṇaḥ (visarga before vowel becomes ’/r-sandhi)
- mahadānandadāyakaḥ → mahat + ānanda + dāyakaḥ (t/d assimilation in compound spelling)
About this Verse
- Central concept
- Mantra as liberating knowledge (vidyā) and Devī as Brahman
- The mahavakyas
- Indirect: aligns with Mahāvākya intent by grounding ultimate reality in consciousness/speech-power; no direct quotation
- Veda
- Atharva
- Shakha
- Atharvaśiras / Atharvaṇa tradition (Śākta Upaniṣad corpus)
- Chandas
- Prose/Anuṣṭubh-like śloka (later style)
Yoga and practice
Mantra-japa with attention to nāda-bindu; prāṇāyāma to ‘join’ Vāyu with utterance; contemplative identification of speech with awareness
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