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||
ブラフマンの本性をもつヴァーングマヤーより、第六の要素が、すなわち発語の「口（顔）」を具えて現れる。太陽は左耳のビンドゥであり、八つの群の第三と結びつく。ナーラーヤナと結合し、またヴァーユは下部と結びつく。「ヴィッチェ」――九音節の句は、大いなる歓喜を授けるマントラであると説かれる。
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 Veda
- 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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