Shloka 5
Kurukṣetra-sainyadarśana and Arjuna-viṣāda (धर्मक्षेत्रे समवेता युयुत्सवः — अर्जुनविषाद)
भद्रकालि नमस्तुभ्यं महाकालि नमोस्तु ते । चण्डि चण्डे नमस्तुभ्यं तारिणि वरवर्णिनि
bhadrakāli namas tubhyaṃ mahākāli namo 'stu te | caṇḍi caṇḍe namas tubhyaṃ tāriṇi varavarṇini ||
Arjuna berkata: “Wahai Bhadrakālī, kepadamu sembahku; wahai Mahākālī, kepadamu hormatku. Wahai Caṇḍī, yang dahsyat dan menggentarkan, aku bersujud kepadamu. Wahai Tāriṇī, penyeberang bahaya, wahai yang bercahaya dengan keindahan warna yang luhur, aku memujamu.”
अजुन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse models dharmic reliance on the Divine before undertaking perilous action: strength is sought not merely as personal power, but as protection of righteousness and the subduing of destructive forces. Devotion (namas) is presented as a disciplined orientation—humility, surrender, and moral resolve—rather than mere fear or superstition.
Arjuna offers a formal hymn of salutation to the Goddess in her fierce and protective aspects—Bhadrakālī, Mahākālī, Caṇḍī, and Tāriṇī—praising her power to punish the wicked and to rescue devotees from danger, as he prepares for a critical, war-related undertaking.