Mahabharata — Virata Parva, Shloka 26
Adhyāya 6: Kaṅka (Yudhiṣṭhira) Seeks Refuge in Virāṭa’s Assembly
“कमलदलके समान विशाल नेत्रोंवाली देवि! देवेश्वरि! मैं तुम्हारे चरणोंमें मस्तक रखकर प्रणाम करता हूँ। मेरी रक्षा करो। सत्ये! हमारे लिये वस्तुतः सत्यस्वरूपा बनो-- अपनी महिमाको सत्य कर दिखाओ ।।
kamaladalake samāna viśāla-netrāvalī devi! deveśvari! ahaṃ tava caraṇayoḥ mastakaṃ nidhāya praṇamāmi. māṃ rakṣa. satye! asmākaṃ kṛte vastutaḥ satya-svarūpā bhava—svāṃ mahimānaṃ satyaṃ kṛtvā darśaya. śaraṇaṃ bhava me durge śaraṇye bhakta-vatsale. evaṃ stutā hi sā devī darśayāmāsa pāṇḍavam.
Disse Vaiśampāyana: “Ó deusa de olhos amplos como pétalas de lótus, ó soberana dos deuses! Ponho a cabeça aos teus pés e te saúdo. Protege-me. Ó Verdade! Por nós, torna-te de fato a própria encarnação da verdade — faze real a tua glória e manifesta-a. Sê meu refúgio, ó Durgā, refúgio dos desamparados, tu que acolhes os devotos.” Assim louvada, a deusa então revelou o Pāṇḍava.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames devotion as an ethical act of surrender: one seeks refuge (śaraṇa) in the divine with humility, invoking truth (satya) and asking that divine power be made effective in lived reality—protection and guidance granted through grace to the devoted.
A speaker offers an intense hymn-like plea to the goddess Durgā—praising her lotus-like eyes and her love for devotees—and asks for protection and a truthful manifestation of her power. Pleased by the praise, the goddess responds by revealing a Pāṇḍava (making him appear/known).