Devi Upanishad: Verse 22
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||
ബ്രഹ്മസ്വരൂപിണിയായ വാങ്മയയിൽ നിന്നു മുഖസഹിതമായ ആറാമത്തെ അക്ഷര/തത്ത്വം ഉദ്ഭവിക്കുന്നു; സൂര്യൻ ഇടത് കാതിലെ ബിന്ദുവായി, അഷ്ടകത്തിലെ മൂന്നാമത്തോടു ചേർന്നിരിക്കുന്നു. നാരായണനോടു സംയുക്തവും, വായു അധര (താഴ്ഭാഗം/ചുണ്ട്)വുമായി ബന്ധിതവും. ‘വിച്ചേ’—നവാക്ഷരീ മന്ത്രം മഹാനന്ദം നൽകുന്ന അക്ഷരമെന്നു പ്രസിദ്ധം.
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.
- vāṅmayā → vāk + mayā (final k before m becomes ṅ by sandhi)
- brahmabhūtas māt → brahma + bhūta + asmāt (word-break; manuscript spacing)
- vaktrasamanvitam → vaktra + samanvitam (compound)
- vāmaśrotrabinduḥ → vāma + śrotra + binduḥ (tatpuruṣa)
- saṃyutāṣṭakatṛtīyakaḥ → saṃyuta + aṣṭaka + tṛtīyakaḥ (tatpuruṣa chain)
About this Verse
- Central concept
- Mantra-śakti as Brahman (Śabda-Brahman), Devī as the ground of speech and liberation
- The mahavakyas
- Indirect: supports ‘prajñānam brahma’ / ‘ahaṃ brahmāsmi’ by identifying Devī/Śabda as Brahman; not a direct Mahāvākya citation
- Veda
- Atharva Veda
- Shakha
- Atharvaśiras / Atharvaṇa tradition (Śākta Upaniṣad corpus)
- Chandas
- Prose/Anuṣṭubh-like śloka (later Upaniṣadic-Śākta style; not strictly Vedic metrical recitation)
Yoga and practice
Japa of the Navārṇa (oṃ aiṃ hrīṃ klīṃ cāmuṇḍāyai vicce) with nyāsa (placing syllables/deities), bindu-dhyāna at the subtle ‘ear’/nāda point, and prāṇa-sādhana (Vāyu) to stabilize mantra resonance
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