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Navaratri: 8 Mantras from the Devī Sūkta That Reveal the Power of Śakti
What if the Divine Feminine spoke for herself?
In the tenth Maṇḍala of the Ṛgveda (10.125) lies the remarkable Devī Sūkta, a hymn of eight mantras in which the Divine Feminine speaks in the first person, declaring her presence and power throughout the cosmos.
There is no elaborate description of her form, no list of ornaments, and no narration of her deeds. Instead, one word resounds through the hymn: अहम् (Aham), “I.”
“I move with the gods.” “I grant wisdom.” “I empower.” “I pervade.”
With each mantra, this divine “I” reveals another dimension of her nature, from moving alongside the gods to sustaining life, granting knowledge, wielding power, and extending beyond Heaven and Earth.
This Navarātri, we explore all eight mantras of the Devī Sūkta, one each day, followed by a ninth-day reflection on the hymn's deeper revelation: Śakti is not merely a divine presence to be worshipped, but the very power through which everything moves, lives, and becomes.
Day 1: She Who Moves with and Empowers the Gods
The opening mantra of the Devī Sūkta presents the Divine Feminine as a power that moves alongside the gods and sustains their might. She declares her presence among the Rudras, Vasus, Ādityas, and Viśvedevas, and proclaims that she upholds Mitra, Varuṇa, Indra, Agni, and the twin Aśvins. This is a striking beginning. The hymn does not introduce the Goddess as a distant figure standing apart from the divine order. She speaks as the power that moves with its many deities and upholds their very existence. Her presence is woven into the forces that govern the cosmos. The first mantra thus invites us to look beyond the visible forms of divinity and recognise the underlying Śakti that animates and empowers them all.
अहं रुद्रेभिर्वसुभिश्चराम्यहमादित्यैरुत विश्वदेवैः।
अहं मित्रावरुणोभा बिभर्म्यहमिन्द्राग्नी अहमश्विनोभा॥
ahaṃ rudrebhirvasubhiś carāmy aham ādityair uta viśvadevaiḥ
ahaṃ mitrāvaruṇobhā bibharmy aham indrāgnī aham aśvinobhā
I move together with the Rudras and the Vasus;
I move with the Ādityas and all the Viśvedevas.
I uphold both Mitra and Varuṇa;
I uphold Indra and Agni, and the two Aśvins.
मैं रुद्रों और वसुओं के साथ विचरण करती हूँ,
आदित्यों और समस्त विश्वेदेवों के साथ भी।
मैं मित्र और वरुण, दोनों को धारण करती हूँ,
मैं इन्द्र और अग्नि तथा दोनों अश्विनीकुमारों को धारण करती हूँ।
Source - Ṛgveda 10.125.1, Devī Sūkta
Day 2: She who sustains the divine powers.
अहं सोममाहनसं बिभर्म्यहं त्वष्टारमुत पूषणं भगम्।
अहं दधामि द्रविणं हविष्मते सुप्राव्ये यजमानाय सुन्वते॥
ahaṃ somam āhanasaṃ bibharmy ahaṃ tvaṣṭāram uta pūṣaṇaṃ bhagam
ahaṃ dadhāmi draviṇaṃ haviṣmate suprāvye yajamānāya sunvate
I sustain the exhilarating Soma; I sustain Tvaṣṭṛ, Pūṣan and Bhaga.
I bestow wealth upon the sacrificer who offers oblations, performs the sacrifice well and presses the Soma.
मैं सोम तथा त्वष्टा, पूषा और भग का पोषण करती हूँ।
मैं विधिपूर्वक यज्ञ करने, हवि अर्पित करने और सोम निचोड़ने वाले यजमान को धन देती हूँ।
Source - Ṛgveda 10.125.2, Devī Sūkta
The second mantra of the Devī Sūkta reveals the Divine Feminine as the power that sustains the forces of vitality, creation, nourishment and prosperity. She does not merely accompany the divine powers; she declares herself to be the very force that upholds them and grants abundance to those who perform sacred offerings.
Soma is the sacred, life-giving ritual essence associated with exhilaration and vitality. Tvaṣṭṛ is the divine artisan, the power behind shaping and forming; Pūṣan is the nourisher and protector who guides and sustains life; and Bhaga is the bestower of good fortune, prosperity and one's rightful share of abundance. Devī, the speaker, declares that she sustains these powers and grants wealth to the one who performs the sacred offering.
The verse reveals a vision of the Divine that encompasses vitality, creation, nourishment and prosperity. Through this declaration, Śakti emerges as the power that sustains divine functions and enables abundance to flow into the world.
Day 3: She who is The Sovereign Power.
अहं राष्ट्री संगमनी वसूनां चिकित्सी प्रथमा यज्ञियानाम्।
तां मा देवा व्यदधुः पुरुत्रा भूरिस्थात्रां भूर्यावेशयन्तीम्॥
ahaṃ rāṣṭrī saṃgamanī vasūnāṃ cikituṣī prathamā yajñiyānām
tāṃ mā devā vyadadhuḥ purutrā bhūristhātrāṃ bhūry āveśayantīm
I am the Sovereign Queen, the gatherer of treasures, the knowing one, foremost among those worthy of worship.
The gods established me in many places, abiding in many forms and entering abundantly into beings.
मैं अधिष्ठात्री रानी हूँ, समस्त संपदाओं को एकत्र करने वाली, ज्ञानवती और पूजनीयों में सर्वप्रथम।
देवताओं ने मुझे अनेक स्थानों पर स्थापित किया है। मैं अनेक रूपों में व्यापक रूप से स्थित हूँ और समस्त प्राणियों में प्रचुरता से व्याप्त होती हूँ।
Source - Ṛgveda 10.125.3, Devī Sūkta
The third mantra of the Devī Sūkta reveals the Divine Feminine as the sovereign power that gathers the world's treasures, possesses profound knowledge, and stands foremost among those worthy of worship. She is not confined to one place or form, but is established throughout the world, present in abundance and woven into the very fabric of existence.
The speaker calls herself Rāṣṭrī, the sovereign or ruling power, and saṅgamanī vasūnām, the one who brings together treasures and resources. She describes herself as cikituṣī, the knowing and discerning one, and prathamā yajñiyānām, foremost among those worthy of worship. The gods have established her in many places, where she abides in many forms and enters abundantly into beings.
The mantra presents Śakti as a power that is both sovereign and pervasive. She does not rule from a distant throne, separate from the world. Her presence extends throughout it, manifesting in countless forms and sustaining the richness and diversity of existence.
Day 4: Through Whom We Live and Perceive.
मया सोऽन्नमत्ति यो विपश्यति यः प्राणिति य ईं शृणोत्युक्तम्।
अमन्तवो मां त उप क्षियन्ति श्रुधि श्रुत श्रद्धिवं ते वदामि॥
mayā so 'nnam atti yo vipaśyati yaḥ prāṇiti ya īṃ śṛṇoty uktam
amantavo māṃ ta upa kṣiyanti śrudhi śruta śraddhivaṃ te vadāmi
Through me one eats food; through me one sees; through me one breathes; through me one hears what is spoken.
Those who do not understand me dwell in me nevertheless.
Hear me, O listener: I speak to you that which is worthy of faith.
मेरे ही माध्यम से मनुष्य अन्न ग्रहण करता है, देखता है, श्वास लेता है और कही गई वाणी सुनता है।
जो मुझे नहीं समझते, वे भी मुझमें ही निवास करते हैं।
हे श्रोता, सुनो। मैं तुमसे श्रद्धा योग्य बात कहती हूँ।
Source - Ṛgveda 10.125.4, Devī Sūkta
The fourth mantra of the Devī Sūkta brings the cosmic declaration into the most familiar experiences of life. The speaker says that through her, one eats food, sees, breathes and hears spoken words. These ordinary acts through which we experience the world are presented as dependent on a deeper sustaining power.
The mantra then observes that even those who do not understand her continue to dwell within her. Her presence does not depend on whether it is recognised or understood. She remains the power within which life unfolds, whether or not we are conscious of it.
The verse invites us to reconsider the familiar, not as something separate from the sacred, but as an expression of a power we live within without fully recognising it. Śakti is not merely something to seek beyond ourselves, but the very presence underlying our everyday experience of being alive.
Day 5: The one who grants wisdom and knowledge.
अहमेव स्वयं इदं वदामि जुष्टं देवेभिरुत मानुषेभिः।
यं कामये तं तमुग्रं कृणोमि तं ब्रह्माणं तमृषिं तं सुमेधाम्॥
aham eva svayam idaṃ vadāmi juṣṭaṃ devebhir uta mānuṣebhiḥ
yaṃ kāmaye taṃ tam ugraṃ kṛṇomi taṃ brahmāṇaṃ tam ṛṣiṃ taṃ sumedhām
I myself proclaim this, cherished by both the gods and human beings.
Whomever I desire, I make powerful, a knower of sacred wisdom, a seer and a person of profound intelligence.
मैं स्वयं उस सत्य की घोषणा करती हूँ, जो देवताओं और मनुष्यों दोनों को प्रिय है।
जिसे मैं चाहूँ, उसे सामर्थ्यवान, ब्रह्मज्ञानी, ऋषि और मेधावी बनाती हूँ।
Source - Ṛgveda 10.125.5, Devī Sūkta
The fifth mantra of the Devī Sūkta reveals the transformative power of the Divine Feminine. She proclaims a truth cherished by both gods and human beings, then declares that the one she chooses, she makes powerful, knowledgeable, insightful and wise.
The speaker describes this transformation through four distinct qualities. Ugra means mighty or formidable; brahmāṇam refers to a person associated with sacred knowledge and its expression; ṛṣi denotes a seer capable of inspired insight; and sumedhām describes someone endowed with excellent understanding and intelligence.
These are not merely different titles for an accomplished person. They represent distinct forms of capability: strength, sacred learning, inspired vision and discernment. The mantra presents these qualities as gifts that can be awakened or bestowed by the Divine Feminine.
Here, power extends beyond physical might. It includes the ability to know, understand and reveal truth. The verse invites us to recognise Śakti as a source of both strength and the wisdom that gives strength its deeper purpose.
Day 6: The one who empowers and protects.
अहं रुद्राय धनुरातनोमि ब्रह्मद्विषे शरवे हन्तवा उ।
अहं जनाय समदं कृणोम्यहं द्यावापृथिवी आविवेश॥
ahaṃ rudrāya dhanur ā tanomi brahmadviṣe śarave hantavā u
ahaṃ janāya samadaṃ kṛṇomy ahaṃ dyāvāpṛthivī ā viveśa
I stretch the bow for Rudra, so that his arrow may strike down the one who hates sacred knowledge.
I bring forth the struggle for the people; I have entered and pervaded Heaven and Earth.
मैं रुद्र के लिए धनुष तानती हूँ, ताकि उनका बाण पवित्र ज्ञान के द्वेषी का संहार करे।
मैं जनसमुदाय के लिए संघर्ष उत्पन्न करती हूँ और स्वर्ग तथा पृथ्वी में व्याप्त हूँ।
Source - Ṛgveda 10.125.6, Devī Sūkta
Who Empowers and Protects
The sixth mantra of the Devī Sūkta reveals the Divine Feminine as a force that empowers, protects and upholds the order of existence. She stretches the bow for Rudra, enabling his arrow to strike those hostile to sacred knowledge and the sacred order. She also brings about struggle for the people and declares that she has entered and pervaded Heaven and Earth.
Protection, struggle and cosmic presence come together in this declaration. The power that sustains existence can also act decisively to defend what is sacred and confront forces that threaten it. Her presence extends beyond a single realm, encompassing both Heaven and Earth.
The mantra invites us to recognise Śakti not only as the power that creates and sustains, but also as the force that protects, confronts opposition and upholds the order of the world.
Day 7: The creator, the bearer, the nurturer.
अहं सुवे पितरमस्य मूर्धन्मम योनिरप्स्वन्तः समुद्रे।
ततो वि तिष्ठे भुवनानु विश्वोतामूं द्यां वर्ष्मणोपस्पृशामि॥
ahaṃ suve pitaram asya mūrdhan mama yonir apsv antaḥ samudre
tato vi tiṣṭhe bhuvanānu viśvā utāmūṃ dyāṃ varṣmaṇopa spṛśāmi
I give birth to the Father at the summit of this world; my womb is within the waters, within the cosmic ocean.
From there I extend throughout all the worlds, and with my vastness I touch that Heaven above.
मैं इस जगत के शिखर पर पिता को जन्म देती हूँ। जल के भीतर, ब्रह्मांडीय सागर में मेरा उद्गम है।
वहाँ से मैं समस्त लोकों में व्याप्त होती हूँ और अपनी विशालता से ऊपर स्थित स्वर्ग को स्पर्श करती हूँ।
Source - Ṛgveda 10.125.7, Devī Sūkta
The seventh mantra of the Devī Sūkta makes one of the hymn's most striking declarations: “I give birth to the Father.” The Divine Feminine describes herself as giving birth to the cosmic Father, while locating her own source within the waters of the cosmic ocean.
In Vedic poetry, primordial waters evoke the mysterious depths associated with the origins of existence. From these depths, Devī extends throughout all the worlds and reaches the heavens with her vastness.
This imagery challenges the assumption that the feminine must always be secondary to a masculine creator. Here, the feminine voice claims a generative power that gives rise even to the cosmic Father and then extends throughout creation. She is not merely a presence within the universe, but a source from which its vastness unfolds.
Join us on this nine-day journey through the Devī Sūkta this Navaratri, as we explore the eight mantras that reveal the power of the Divine Feminine and conclude with a reflection on their deeper meaning. Visit us each day for a new mantra, its translation, and the wisdom it holds.
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