Devi Bhagavatam 9.5.20 — Devotion & Grace of the Goddess, Skandha 9, Adhyaya 5, Shloka 20

Skandha 9, Adhyaya 5: Yajnavalkya's Hymn to Goddess Saraswati

Devanagari script

मौनीभूतश्च सस्मार तामेव जगदम्बिकाम् । तदा चकार सिद्धान्तं तद्वरेण मुनीश्वरः

Transliteration

maunībhūtaśca sasmāra tāmeva jagadambikām .

tadā cakāra siddhāntaṃ tadvareṇa munīśvaraḥ

Translation

وہ (والمیکی) خاموش رہے اور اسی جگدمبیکا (کائنات کی ماں) کو یاد کیا۔ تب، ان کے عطیہ سے، منیوں کے سردار نے سچائی مرتب کی۔

Word by Word

• maunībhūtaḥ: having become silent
• maunībhūtaḥ: Attribute
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mauna-bhū
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular (Cvi-pratyaya)

• sasmāra: remembered
• sasmāra: Action
• Type: Verb
• Root: smṛ
• Form: Lit (Perfect), 3rd Person, Singular

• jagadambikām: the Mother of the Universe
• jagadambikām: Object
• Type: Noun
• Root: jagadambikā
• Form: Feminine, Accusative, Singular

• tadvareṇa: by her boon
• tadvareṇa: Instrumental
• Type: Noun
• Root: tadvara
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Singular

• munīśvaraḥ: the lord of sages
• munīśvaraḥ: Subject
• Type: Noun
• Root: munīśvara
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

Speaker

Sage Yajnavalkya

Shakti Theology

Devi Form: Jagadambika

Mahavidya Connection: null

Shakti Manifestation: Mother of the Universe

Tattva Discussed: Shakti

Devi Narrative

Demon Antagonist: null

Devi Weapon Used: null

Narrative Source: null

Story Arc Position: setup

Tantra Dimension

Mantra Referenced: null

Yantra Referenced: null

Kundalini Element: null

Chakra Referenced: Ajna

Tantric Practice Type: Dhyana

Bhakti & Stuti

Stuti Type: Dhyanam

Recitation Occasion: Before composing texts

Phala Shruti: Ability to formulate truth

Devotee Offering Stuti: Valmiki

Cosmic Feminine

Maya Aspect: Vidya-Maya

Creation Role: Mother of the Universe

Shakti Philosophy: Shakta Advaita

Relation To Brahman: Identical to Supreme

Vyasa-Janamejaya Dialogue

Narrator: Narayana

Listener: Narada

Dialogue Context: Glory of Sarasvati

Narrative Layer: embedded

Ritual Context

Text: Shows the practice of taking a moment of silent mental invocation (Smarana) of the deity before speaking on profound matters.

Philosophical Significance

Text: Silence (Mauna) is the womb from which true speech emerges, provided it is filled with the remembrance of the Divine Mother.

Characters & Entities

• Valmiki
• Jagadambika (Sarasvati)

FAQs

How did Valmiki react to Vyasa's question?

Valmiki initially became silent (maunibhuta) as he did not have the immediate answer.

What did Valmiki do to find the answer?

He mentally remembered and invoked Jagadambika, the Mother of the Universe. By her boon, he was then able to formulate the correct doctrine.