Shloka 18

Adhyaya 92 — Devi’s Assurance of Protection and the Fruits of Reciting the Devi Mahatmyam

Sanskrit

दुर्वृत्तानामशेषाणां बलहानिकरं परम् ।

रक्षोभूतपिशाचानां पठनादेव नाशनम् ॥

Transliteration

durvṛttānāmaśeṣāṇāṃ balahānikaraṃ param / rakṣobhūtapiśācānāṃ paṭhanādeva nāśanam

Translation

สิ่งนี้ทรงอานุภาพยิ่งในการลดทอนกำลังของผู้ชั่วทั้งปวง และสำหรับรากษส ภูต และปีศาจ (piśāca) เพียงสวดอ่านก็ยังนำความพินาศมาให้

Speakers

• Devī (phalaśruti voice)

Verse Rasa

{ "primaryRasa": "vira", "secondaryRasa": "raudra", "rasaIntensity": 0, "emotionalArcPosition": "", "moodDescriptors": [] }

Primary Deities

• Devī

Shakti Aspects

• Devī as protector and destroyer of negativity/hostile forces (rakṣā + ugra-śakti)

Key Themes

• Protection
• Removal of evil
• Recitation power
• Phalaśruti

FAQs

What is the philosophical or ethical takeaway?

The text asserts that adharma loses power in the presence of dharmic śakti; recitation is not mere speech but disciplined remembrance that strengthens protective order.

How does this fit the Pancalakshana (5 characteristics)?

A phalaśruti statement emphasizing ritual efficacy; not part of the Purāṇic fivefold historiography.

What is the esoteric significance?

Hostile ‘spirits’ can also signify destructive impulses and parasitic tendencies; ‘recitation alone’ points to the transformative potency of mantra-like narrative when internalized with faith and attention.