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.

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.