Shloka 5
Adhyaya 90 — The Slaying of Shumbha and the Reabsorption of the Goddesses into Ambika
श्रीदेव्युवाच । अहं विभूत्या बहुभिरिह रूपैर्यदास्थिता । तत्संहृतं मयैकैव तिष्ठाम्याजौ स्थिरो भव ॥
śrīdevyuvāca | ahaṃ vibhūtyā bahubhiriha rūpairyadāsthitā | tatsaṃhṛtaṃ mayaikaiva tiṣṭhāmyājau sthiro bhava ||
देव्युवाच—यदा मया विभूत्या बहुरूपैः अत्र प्रतिष्ठिता, तत्सर्वं मया संहृतम्। एकैवाहं स्थितास्मि। युद्धे धैर्यं कुरु॥
FAQs
This is a pivotal moment in Shaktism asserting Non-dualism (Advaita). Shumbha mocks the Devi for fighting with the help of others (the Matrikas). Devi responds by absorbing all the Shaktis (Brahmani, Vaishnavi, etc.) back into her own body, declaring that they are merely projections of her own Vibhuti (power) and that she is the ultimate, singular Reality.
This verse falls under the Manvantara characteristic, specifically the narrative of the Savarni Manu, within which the Devi Mahatmyam is nested to explain the origin of the Manu's authority.
It symbolizes the withdrawal of the sensory projections and mental faculties (represented by the various Matrikas) back into the central consciousness (the Devi) to confront the ego (Shumbha) directly. It is the state of singularity required for final liberation.