Shloka 11
Adhyaya 84 — The Gods’ Hymn after the Slaying of Mahishasura and the Goddess’ Boon
मेधासि देवि विदिताखिलशास्त्रसारा दुर्गासि दुर्गभवसागरनौरसङ्गा । श्रीः कैटभारिहृदयैककृताधिवासा गौरी त्वमेव शशिमौलिकृतप्रतिष्ठा ॥
medhāsi devi viditākhilaśāstrasārā durgāsi durgabhavasāgaranaurasaṅgā / śrīḥ kaiṭabhārihṛdayaikakṛtādhivāsā gaurī tvameva śaśimaulikṛtapratiṣṭhā
हे देवि, त्वं मेधा सर्वशास्त्रार्थतत्त्वज्ञा। त्वं दुर्गा दुस्तरसंसारसागरात् तारयित्री निरवरोधनौका। त्वं श्रीः कैटभशत्रोर्विष्णोर्हृदये एकनिवासिनी। त्वमेव गौरी चन्द्रशेखरशिवे प्रतिष्ठिता।
FAQs
Identifying the Devi as Medha (Intellect) suggests she is not just dynamic energy but the very capacity for Gnosis (knowledge) required to understand the essence of the Shastras and achieve liberation.
The verse explicitly unifies the three primary manifestations of Shakti: Shri (Lakshmi/Preservation), Gauri (Parvati/Destruction/Transformation), and Durga/Medha (Protection/Knowledge), asserting that the Supreme Devi comprises all these forms.
The metaphor of the boat (nau) represents the Goddess's grace as the only vehicle capable of carrying the soul across the turbulent and dangerous ocean of Samsara (cyclical existence) to the shore of liberation.