Shloka 66
Adhyaya 85 — The Gods’ Hymn to the Goddess and the Emergence of Kaushiki; Shumbha Sends His Envoy
स्त्रीरत्नभूतां त्वां देवि लोके मन्यामहे वयम् ।
सा त्वमस्मानुपागच्छ यतो रत्नभुजो वयम् ॥
strīratnabhūtāṃ tvāṃ devi loke manyāmahe vayam /
sā tvamasmānupāgaccha yato ratnabhujo vayam
Ô Nữ Thần (Devī), trong đời này chúng tôi xem Ngài là “bảo nữ” (người nữ như bảo vật). Vậy xin hãy đến với chúng tôi, vì chúng tôi là kẻ hưởng thụ và sở hữu các bảo vật.
FAQs
The verse displays adharma as objectification—reducing the Goddess to an item of consumption. Devi’s forthcoming response reasserts autonomy and establishes the ethical principle that union/power must be earned through rightful means, not seized.
Narrative ethics within vaṃśānucarita: it teaches dharma through the characterization of asuric speech and Devi’s corrective vow.
Calling Devi a ‘ratna’ is a category mistake: Shakti is the ground of value, not a valuable object. The asura’s error is avidyā—treating the source as a possession.