Upanishads · Devī 6
॥
Devanāgarī
कालरात्रिं ब्रह्मस्तुतां वैष्णवीं स्कन्दमातरम् । सरस्वतीमदितिं दक्षदुहितरं नमामः पावनां शिवाम्
Transliteration (IAST)
kālarātriṃ brahmastutāṃ vaiṣṇavīṃ skandamātaram | sarasvatīmaditiṃ dakṣaduhitaraṃ namāmaḥ pāvanāṃ śivām
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
काल-रात्रिं ब्रह्म-स्तुतांkāla-rātriṃ brahma-stutāṃthe Night of Time, praised by Brahmā
वैष्णवीं स्कन्द-मातरम्vaiṣṇavīṃ skanda-mātaramthe power of Viṣṇu, the mother of Skanda
सरस्वतीम् अदितिंsarasvatīm aditiṃSarasvatī, Aditi
दक्ष-दुहितरं नमामःdakṣa-duhitaraṃ namāmaḥthe daughter of Dakṣa — we honor
पावनां शिवाम्pāvanāṃ śivāmthe purifying, the auspicious
Translation
«The Night of Time, praised by Brahmā, the power of Viṣṇu, the mother of Skanda, Sarasvatī, Aditi, the daughter of Dakṣa — we honor, the purifying, the auspicious».
Version
a67c950c0e9b · published Aug 12, 2026, 5:00:00 AM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
The line strings together names, and among them stands one not expected in a Śākta hymn: vaiṣṇavī, “belonging to Viṣṇu.”
This word means “belonging to Viṣṇu, His power”; it is formed from His name, as brāhmī is from Brahmā and raudrī from Rudra. That is, among the Goddess's own names stands a name that is itself a pointer to another.
Note, too, the remaining names: Skanda-mātā, “mother of Skanda”; Dakṣa-duhitā, “daughter of Dakṣa.” Both are relational — mother of one, daughter of another — and both place her within a family, not in solitude.
This is commonplace in books of this kind, and it deserves attention. The Highest in them is never described as standing apart: it has a father, a son, a spouse, companions. Abstract oneness has no kin; but everything named here is named through kinship.
The last two words of the line — pāvanā and śivā, “purifying” and “auspicious” — complete the list. The first is from pū, “to purify” (the same root as in pavitra, “pure, sacred”); the second is the very word śiva that appears in the name Śiva, and it simply means “auspicious.” This is how the whole line comes together: names of kinship, the name of another's power, and two words about what good comes from her.