Chapter 348 - List of mono-syllabic words (ekākṣara)

[Sanskrit text for this chapter is available]

Fire-god said:

1-2. I shall describe the mono-syllabic (words) [i.e., ekākṣara] ending with the letters (of the alphabet). (The letter) “a” (denotes) (lord) Viṣṇu and negation. ‘Ā’ (means) Brahmā, a sentence as well as a boundary. ‘Ā’, when used as an interjection would also be (an expression of) anger and affliction. ‘I’ (signifies) (God of) love. ‘Ī’ (denotes) Rati (the wife of God of love) and Lakṣmī (Goddess of wealth and consort of Lord Viṣṇu). ‘U’ (signifies) (lord) Śiva (and) ‘Ū’, the demons and others.

3. ‘Ṛ’ (denotes) a word and ‘Ṝ’, (the deity) Aditi (the mother of Āditya). (The letters) ḷ and ḹ (respectively) (denote) Diti (the mother of the demons) and Guha (son of Śiva and Pārvatī). ‘E’ (denotes) the goddess and ‘ai’ would mean Yoginī (female attendant of the Goddess). ‘O’ (signifies) Brahmā and ‘au’, Maheśvara (Lord Śiva).

4-5. ‘Aṃ’ (denotes) the God of love and ‘aḥ’ a commendable thing. ‘Ka’ (stands for) Brahmā and others (and) ‘ku’ contemptible thing. (The letter) ‘khaṃ’ signifies void, the senses and a sword. A Gandharva and (lord) Vināyaka (lord of obstacles) (are denoted by the letter) ‘gaṃ’. ‘Go’ (signifies) a song and the singer. ‘Gha’ stands for a bell, a small bell and the like and beating. (The letter) ‘ṅa’ signifies desire and Bhairava (a terrible form of lord Śiva).

6. ‘Ca’ (stands for) the wicked (and) stainless. ‘Cha’ (indicates) division and ‘ji’, conquering. ‘Jaṃ’ (denotes) a song and ‘jha’, commendable. (The letter) ‘ña’ (signifies) strength and ‘ṭaḥ’, singing.

7. ‘Ṭha’ (denotes) the orb of Moon, (lord) Śiva and tying. ‘Ḍa’ is regarded (as signifying) Rudra, sound and fear. ‘Ḍha’ (denotes) a drum and sound.

8. ‘Ṇa’ (means) extraction and ascertainment. ‘Ta’ (signifies) a thief and the inside of the tail. ‘Tha’ (denotes) eating, ‘daḥ’, cutting, sustaining and ornamentation.

9. ‘Dhaḥ’ (signifies) Brahmā and the dhuttūra (flower). ‘Na’ (stands for) a collection and correct course of action. ‘Pa’ is known (to denote) a garden. ‘Pha’ is regarded (as signifying) a squall.

10. ‘Pha’ (stands for) phūtkāra (blowing with the mouth) and fruitlessness. ‘Bi’ (denotes) a bird and ‘bhaṃ’, the asterism. ‘Mā’, would (mean) Goddess of wealth, measure and mother. ‘Ya’ (stands for) a sacrifice, traveller and a brave person.

11. (The letter) ‘raḥ’ (denotes) Fire (god), strength and Indra. (The letter) ‘la’ is said (to denote) the creator. ‘Vi’ (signifies) separation and ‘Va’, Varuṇa. ‘Śaḥ’ (means) lying down and ‘śaṃ’, happiness.

12. ‘Ṣaḥ’ (denotes) excellence and ‘saḥ’, the past. ‘Sā’ (means) Lakṣmī (the goddess of fortune) and ‘saṃ’ is regarded (as representing) locks of hair. ‘Ha’ (denotes) sustenance and Rudra (a form of Śiva). ‘Kṣa’ (stands for) the warrior class and regarded as the alphabet (imperishable).

13. (The letter) kṣo (denotes) (lord) Nṛsiṃha, Hari and the guardians of the land (and entrance). A sacred formula of one syllable (should be deemed as) the deity (itself whom it represents) and it confers enjoyment and emancipation.

14. The formula (running as) ‘kṣaum obeisance to Hayaśiras^[1]’ confers all knowledge. The letter ‘a’ and the other letters

(described above are also) formulae. (They are known as) mātṛkāmantras and are excellent.

15-16. These (deities of the mātṛkāmantras) and the nine Durgās—Bhagavatī, Kātyāyanī, Kauśikī, Caṇḍikā, Pracaṇḍā, Suranāyikā, Ugrā, Pārvati and Durgā. Oṃ, we may know (the Goddess) Caṇḍikā, let us meditate on the goddess and may (Goddess) Durgā lead our mind to that. Then the worship should be done in the proper way together with the six accessories: The gaṇa should be an aspirate.

17-18. Then (the goddesses) Ajitā, Aparājitā, Jayā, Vijayā, Kātyāyanī, Bhadrakālī, Maṅgalā, Siddhi and Revatī and the accomplished (deities) Vaṭukas should be worshipped. The nine guardian deities Hetuka, Kāpālika, Ekapāda and Bhīmarūpa (should be worshipped) in the middle.

19-20. Hrīṃ! O Durgā! (2) Protector! Oblations for the sake of perfection of the formula. Then (goddess) Gaurī, Dharma and others and the female energies (such as) Skanda should be worshipped. Prajñā, Jñānā, Kriyā, Vācā, Vāgīśī, Jvālinī, Kāminī, Kāmamālā, the energies of Indra and others should be worshipped.

21-23a. “Oṃ gaṃ oblations” (is) the basic formula. “Gaṃ, obeisance to Gaṇapati (lord of the Gaṇas)” (is) the accessory formula. The six accessory (worship should be done). They are Raktaśukla (red and white), Dantākṣa (having axis like tusk), Paraśūtkaṭa [Paraśūtakaṭa?] (powerful axe), Samodaka (having the sweet ball cake), Gandhādi (fragrance etc.), and Gandholkāya (to the person having a fragrant stick) in order. The elephant (god), the great lord of the Gaṇas (attendants) and having a magnificent incense stick should be worshipped. Oblation to Kūṣmāṇḍa, to the single-tusked one, to the destroyer of the three cities, to the black-teethed one, to one whose dreadful laughter startles (all), to one having elongated nose and face, to one having the lotus in the tusk, to Megholka, to Dhūmolka, to one having curved trunk, to the lord of obstacles, to the fierce and dreadful one, to one having the gait of the elephant of Indra, one having the serpent-lord (Vāsuki) as a necklace, to one bearing the crescent moon, and the lord of the Gaṇas (attendants). After having worshipped with these formulae ending with oblations and with (the performance of) the oblations with sesamum, one would get wealth.

23b-24a. The formulae may, in the alternative, consist of the letters beginning with ka and with the subtle syllable and ending with obeisance separately having two ras and two faces and two eyes.

24b. I shall describe now the grammar that was imparted by Skanda to Kātyāyana.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

The horse-headed form assumed by Lord Viṣṇu to rescue the Vedas.