Shloka 69
Adhyaya 85 — The Gods’ Hymn to the Goddess and the Emergence of Kaushiki; Shumbha Sends His Envoy
ऋषिरुवाच इत्युक्ता सा तदा देवी गम्भीरान्तःस्मिता जगौ ।
दुर्गा भगवती भद्रा ययेदं धार्यते जगत् ॥
ṛṣiruvāca ityuktā sā tadā devī gambhīrāntaḥ smitā jagau /
durgā bhagavatī bhadrā yayedaṃ dhāryate jagat
Disse o vidente: Assim interpelada, a Deusa então falou com um sorriso profundo e interior—Durgā, a Senhora Bem-aventurada, a Auspiciosa, por quem este mundo é sustentado.
FAQs
Devi’s ‘inward smile’ signals composure and moral certainty. The ethical contrast is sharp: asuric agitation and bargaining versus divine steadiness that upholds the world-order (ṛta/dharma).
While not a pancalakshana catalog, it asserts a core Puranic theology: the sustaining principle of the cosmos is Devi. It supports the Purana’s broader dharma-teaching through theistic narration.
‘By whom the world is upheld’ points to Shakti as dhāraṇā-śakti (supporting power). The ‘inner smile’ hints at the transcendence of the Goddess beyond the play of opposites—battle occurs in her līlā, not from need.