The Description of Mandara (Mandaropavarṇanam) in the Mohinī Narrative
ब्रह्मोवाच । यस्मादिदं जगत्सर्वं त्वया सुंदरि मोहितम् । मोहिनी नाम ते देवि सगुणं हि भविष्यति ॥ ३ ॥
brahmovāca | yasmādidaṃ jagatsarvaṃ tvayā suṃdari mohitam | mohinī nāma te devi saguṇaṃ hi bhaviṣyati || 3 ||
ബ്രഹ്മാവ് പറഞ്ഞു—ഹേ സുന്ദരി! നിനാൽ ഈ സർവ്വജഗത്തും മോഹിതമായി. അതുകൊണ്ട്, ഹേ ദേവി, നിന്റെ നാമം ‘മോഹിനി’ തന്നെയാകും; അത് സഗുണനാമമായിരിക്കും.
Brahma
Vrata: none
Rasa: {"primary_rasa":"adbhuta","secondary_rasa":"shanta","emotional_journey":"Begins in wonder at cosmic delusion and resolves into a definitive act of naming that fixes her identity as ‘Mohinī’ in the manifest (saguṇa) sphere."}
It frames “Mohinī” as a theologically meaningful divine name: the Goddess’s power to bewilder the world is acknowledged and formalized as a manifest (saguṇa) mode through which beings experience māyā and are guided within creation.
By indicating a saguṇa name and form, it supports devotion through approachable divine attributes—devotees can relate to, remember, and worship the Divine via named forms, even while recognizing the deeper metaphysical reality behind māyā.
The verse reflects the importance of nāma (naming) and precise usage in sacred narration—closest to Vyākaraṇa and Nirukta concerns—showing how a name encodes function and meaning in Purāṇic theology.