Shloka 26

Kali's Complaint to Brahma (Part 2) — Kali’s Complaint to Brahma and the Arrival of Śrī (Jayaśrī) in Bali’s Reign

Devanagari script

सा दानवान् नैऋतांश् च शूद्रान् विद्याधरानपि विप्राद्याः श्वेतरूपां तां कथयन्ति सरस्वतीम्

Transliteration

sā dānavān naiṛtāṃś ca śūdrān vidyādharānapi viprādyāḥ śvetarūpāṃ tāṃ kathayanti sarasvatīm

Translation

ఆమె దానవులకు, నైరృతులకు, శూద్రులకు, అలాగే విద్యాధరులకు కూడా అనుగ్రహకారిణి/సంబంధిత. విప్రులు మొదలైనవారు ఆ శ్వేతరూపిణిని ‘సరస్వతి’ అని వర్ణిస్తారు.

Speakers

• Narratorial voice reporting traditional designation: ‘viprādyāḥ … kathayanti’ (Brahmins and others say).

Primary Deities

• Sarasvatī

Key Themes

• Universality of tīrtha access across beings and social groups
• Multiple forms (rūpa) of a single sacred river
• Authority of tradition/recitation (viprādyāḥ kathayanti)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

{ "primaryRasa": "shanta", "secondaryRasa": "adbhuta", "rasaIntensity": 0, "emotionalArcPosition": "", "moodDescriptors": [] }

FAQs

Why does the verse list Dānavas and Naiṛtas alongside human varṇas like Śūdras?

Māhātmya literature often emphasizes the tīrtha’s expansive salvific field. By naming non-human classes (Dānavas, Naiṛtas, Vidyādharas) together with Śūdras, the text signals that Sarasvatī’s sanctity is cosmically operative—crossing species, realms, and social categories.

What does ‘white form’ (śvetarūpā) imply in this context?

Śveta commonly encodes purity, clarity, and sattva. Here it marks a particular manifestation of Sarasvatī recognized in tradition. It need not mean the water is literally white; it is an iconographic/theological descriptor used to differentiate modes of the same sacred river.

Is this passage sectarian (favoring one group) or inclusive?

The structure is inclusive: different recipients are associated with different manifestations, but the concluding authority—‘viprādyāḥ … call her Sarasvatī’—frames these as recognized, named aspects within a shared sacred geography centered on the Sarasvatī tīrtha.