Murti Rahasyam: The Secret of the Goddess's Forms

The Murti Rahasyam – "the secret concerning the embodied forms" – is the third and last of the three Rahasyas recited after the Durga Saptashati. In Chapter 11 the Goddess promised the gods the forms she would take in the future: born in the house of Nanda, red-toothed Raktadantika, Shakambhari who feeds the world, Bhima in the Himalaya, and Bhramari the swarm of bees. The Murti Rahasya describes those five forms as they are to be visualised and worshipped, and the fruit each gives.

The sage describes Nanda, golden, four-armed, the Lakshmi seated on a golden lotus; Raktadantika, red in garment, body, weapon, eye, hair, nail and tooth, vast as the earth, who nurses her devotees at breasts that fulfil every wish; Shakambhari, blue as the blue lotus, holding a fistful of arrows, a lotus, a bow and a cluster of vegetables that ends hunger, thirst and the fear of death, who is also Shatakshi and Durga; Bhima, blue, with gleaming fangs, holding the sword Chandrahasa, a drum, a head and a cup; and Bhramari, of many colours, with bees in her hand, also called Mahamari. These forms, he ends, are wish-fulfilling cows; the secret is not to be told; the mere recitation of the Saptashati's mantras frees from the sins of seven births.

All twenty-five verses, with the two bracketed passages found in the printed editions, are given below in Sanskrit, with transliteration and a simple English meaning.

Murti Rahasyam at a Glance

Particular	Details
Name	Murti Rahasyam – The Secret of the Forms (Murti)
Place among the Rahasyas	Third of three: Pradhanika, Vaikritika and Murti
Position in the Path	After the Vaikritika Rahasya; the last text recited before the closing of the Path
Rishi · Metre · Deities	Narayana · Anushtup · Mahakali, Mahalakshmi and Mahasaraswati – from the Viniyoga shared by all three Rahasyas
Speaker	Sage Medha ("Rishir Uvacha"), to King Suratha
Verses	Twenty-five, with a bracketed line after Verse 10 and a bracketed closing verse
The Forms Described	Nanda, Raktadantika, Shakambhari (Shatakshi, Durga), Bhima and Bhramari – the forms promised in Chapter 11
Central Teaching	How each future form of the Goddess looks, what she is called, and what her worship gives
Source	The appendix to the Devi Mahatmya, recited with the Durga Saptashati; not part of the seven hundred

The Five Forms and Chapter 11

The Murti Rahasya is the companion to the Goddess's promises in Chapter 11. There she told the gods what she would do; here the sage tells the king what she will look like.

Form	Promised in Chapter 11	Described in the Murti Rahasya
Nanda – born in the house of Nanda, from Yashoda	Verses 41–42	Verses 1–3
Raktadantika – red-toothed from devouring the Vaiprachittas	Verses 43–45	Verses 4–11
Shakambhari, Shatakshi, Durga – in the hundred-year drought; slayer of Durgama	Verses 46–50	Verses 12–17
Bhima – devouring rakshasas in the Himalaya	Verses 50–52	Verses 18–19
Bhramari – the swarm of bees that slays Aruna	Verses 52–54	Verses 20–21

What the Sage Teaches

The Goddess who will be born of Nanda, Nanda, praised and worshipped with devotion, brings the three worlds under the worshipper's control. She shines with the finest gold, in golden garments and golden ornaments; her four arms hold a lotus, a goad, a noose and a lotus; and she is Indira, Kamala, Lakshmi, Shri, seated on a golden lotus.

Raktadantika, whose form takes away every fear, is red in all things: garment, body, ornaments, weapons, eyes, hair, sharp nails and teeth – terrible, and devoted to her devotee as a wife to her husband. She is vast as the earth, her breasts like Sumeru, long, full and lovely, oceans of bliss at which she nurses her devotees, granting every wish. She holds a sword, a cup, a pestle and a plough, and is called Raktachamunda and Yogeshvari. By her the whole world is pervaded, and whoever worships her pervades it too; whoever recites this hymn of her form daily, she serves as a wife serves a beloved husband.

Shakambhari is blue, with eyes like blue lotuses, a deep navel and a waist marked by three folds; she dwells in the lotus and holds a fistful of arrows, a lotus, a shining bow, and a cluster of vegetables rich in flowers, shoots, roots and fruits, full of every flavour one could wish, which drives away hunger, thirst and the fear of death. She is Shakambhari, Shatakshi, Durga – sorrowless, the subduer of the wicked, the calmer of sin and calamity – and she is Uma, Gauri, Sati, Chandi, Kalika and Parvati. Whoever praises, meditates on, recites, worships and bows to her quickly gains the imperishable fruit of food, drink and nectar.

Bhima too is blue, her fangs and teeth gleaming, large-eyed, full-breasted; she holds the sword Chandrahasa, a damaru drum, a head and a cup, and is praised as Ekavira, Kalaratri and Kamada, the giver of desires. Bhramari is unassailable in her halo of light, of many colours in form, unguent and ornament; with bees of many colours in her hand, she is sung of as Mahamari.

These are the forms of Chandika, the Mother of the world, the sage ends – wish-fulfilling cows when celebrated. The secret is supreme and not to be told to anyone; the description of the divine forms gives whatever one desires; therefore recite the Goddess's japa without ceasing. By the mere recitation of the Saptashati's mantras a man is freed from every sin, even sins as terrible as the killing of a brahmin gathered over seven births. The meditation on the Goddess, the sage says, "I have told as the greatest secret of secrets, the giver of every desired fruit" – and the bracketed close: "By her grace you will be honoured by all. The Goddess is all forms; the whole world is made of the Goddess; therefore I bow to that Supreme Goddess whose form is the universe."

Structure of the Murti Rahasya

The text can be understood in six parts:

Nanda – Verses 1–3
Raktadantika, and the fruit of her hymn – Verses 4–11
Shakambhari, Shatakshi and Durga – Verses 12–17
Bhima – Verses 18–19
Bhramari – Verses 20–21
The secret, the fruit of the mantras, and the close – Verses 21–25

Murti Rahasyam Sanskrit with Meaning

॥ अथ मूर्तिरहस्यम् ॥

Verse 1 – Rishir Uvacha

ऋषिरुवाच

Rishir Uvacha

Meaning: The sage said:

ॐ नन्दा भगवती नाम या भविष्यति नन्दजा। स्तुता सा पूजिता भक्त्या वशीकुर्याज्जगत्त्रयम्॥१॥

Om Nanda Bhagavati Nama Ya Bhavishyati Nandaja | Stuta Sa Pujita Bhaktya Vashikuryaj Jagattrayam || 1 ||

Meaning: "The Goddess named Nanda, who will be born of Nanda – praised and worshipped with devotion, she brings the three worlds under the worshipper's control."

Verse 2

कनकोत्तमकान्तिः सा सुकान्तिकनकाम्बरा। देवी कनकवर्णाभा कनकोत्तमभूषणा॥२॥

Kanakottama-Kantih Sa Sukanti-Kanakambara | Devi Kanaka-Varnabha Kanakottama-Bhushana || 2 ||

Meaning: "Her lustre is that of the finest gold; she wears bright golden garments; the Goddess has the colour of gold and the finest golden ornaments."

Verse 3

कमलाङ्कुशपाशाब्जैरलङ्कृतचतुर्भुजा। इन्दिरा कमला लक्ष्मीः सा श्री रुक्माम्बुजासना॥३॥

Kamalankusha-Pashabjair Alankrita-Chaturbhuja | Indira Kamala Lakshmih Sa Shri Rukmambujasana || 3 ||

Meaning: "Her four arms are adorned with a lotus, a goad, a noose and a lotus. She is Indira, Kamala, Lakshmi, Shri – seated on a golden lotus."

Verse 4

या रक्तदन्तिका नाम देवी प्रोक्ता मयानघ। तस्याः स्वरूपं वक्ष्यामि शृणु सर्वभयापहम्॥४॥

Ya Raktadantika Nama Devi Prokta Mayanagha | Tasyah Svarupam Vakshyami Shrinu Sarva-Bhayapaham || 4 ||

Meaning: "The Goddess I named Raktadantika, O sinless one – I shall tell you her form, which takes away every fear. Listen."

Verse 5

रक्ताम्बरा रक्तवर्णा रक्तसर्वाङ्गभूषणा। रक्तायुधा रक्तनेत्रा रक्तकेशातिभीषणा॥५॥

Raktambara Raktavarna Rakta-Sarvanga-Bhushana | Raktayudha Raktanetra Rakta-Keshatibhishana || 5 ||

Meaning: "Red-garmented, red-coloured, with red ornaments on every limb, red-weaponed, red-eyed, red-haired – most terrible,"

Verse 6

रक्ततीक्ष्णनखा रक्तदशना रक्तदन्तिका। पतिं नारीवानुरक्ता देवी भक्तं भजेज्जनम्॥६॥

Rakta-Tikshna-Nakha Raktadashana Raktadantika | Patim Narivanurakta Devi Bhaktam Bhajejjanam || 6 ||

Meaning: "with sharp red nails and red teeth – Raktadantika. As a woman devoted to her husband, the Goddess attends on the one who is her devotee."

Verse 7

वसुधेव विशाला सा सुमेरुयुगलस्तनी। दीर्घौ लम्बावतिस्थूलौ तावतीव मनोहरौ॥७॥

Vasudheva Vishala Sa Sumeru-Yugala-Stani | Dirghau Lambav Atisthulau Tavativa Manoharau || 7 ||

Meaning: "She is vast as the earth, and her two breasts are like a pair of Sumerus – long, pendent, very full, and most lovely;"

Verse 8

कर्कशावतिकान्तौ तौ सर्वानन्दपयोनिधी। भक्तान् सम्पाययेद्देवी सर्वकामदुघौ स्तनौ॥८॥

Karkashav Atikantau Tau Sarvananda-Payonidhi | Bhaktan Sampayayed Devi Sarvakama-Dughau Stanau || 8 ||

Meaning: "firm and most beautiful, oceans of all bliss. At those breasts, which yield every desire, the Goddess nurses her devotees."

Verse 9

खड्गं पात्रं च मुसलं लाङ्गलं च बिभर्ति सा। आख्याता रक्तचामुण्डा देवी योगेश्वरीति च॥९॥

Khadgam Patram Cha Musalam Langalam Cha Bibharti Sa | Akhyata Rakta-Chamunda Devi Yogeshvariti Cha || 9 ||

Meaning: "She holds a sword, a cup, a pestle and a plough, and is known as Raktachamunda and as the Goddess Yogeshvari."

Verse 10

अनया व्याप्तमखिलं जगत्स्थावरजङ्गमम्। इमां यः पूजयेद्भक्त्या स व्याप्नोति चराचरम्॥१०॥

Anaya Vyaptam Akhilam Jagat Sthavara-Jangamam | Imam Yah Pujayed Bhaktya Sa Vyapnoti Characharam || 10 ||

Meaning: "By her the whole world of the moving and the unmoving is pervaded. Whoever worships her with devotion himself pervades the moving and the unmoving."

Bracketed line, found in the printed editions after Verse 10:

(भुक्त्वा भोगान् यथाकामं देवीसायुज्यमाप्नुयात्।)

(Bhuktva Bhogan Yathakamam Devi-Sayujyam Apnuyat |)

Meaning: "(Having enjoyed whatever pleasures he desires, he attains union with the Goddess.)"

Verse 11

अधीते य इमं नित्यं रक्तदन्त्या वपुःस्तवम्। तं सा परिचरेद्देवी पतिं प्रियमिवाङ्गना॥११॥

Adhite Ya Imam Nityam Raktadantya Vapuhstavam | Tam Sa Parichared Devi Patim Priyam Ivangana || 11 ||

Meaning: "Whoever recites this hymn of Raktadantika's form every day – the Goddess serves him as a woman serves her beloved husband."

Verse 12

शाकम्भरी नीलवर्णा नीलोत्पलविलोचना। गम्भीरनाभिस्त्रिवलीविभूषिततनूदरी॥१२॥

Shakambhari Nilavarna Nilotpala-Vilochana | Gambhiranabhis Trivali-Vibhushita-Tanudari || 12 ||

Meaning: "Shakambhari is blue in colour, with eyes like blue lotuses, a deep navel, and a slender waist adorned with three folds;"

Verse 13

सुकर्कशसमोत्तुङ्गवृत्तपीनघनस्तनी। मुष्टिं शिलीमुखापूर्णं कमलं कमलालया॥१३॥

Sukarkasha-Samottunga-Vritta-Pina-Ghanastani | Mushtim Shilimukha-Purnam Kamalam Kamalalaya || 13 ||

Meaning: "her breasts firm, even, high, round, full and close-set. She who dwells in the lotus holds a fistful of arrows, a lotus,"

Verse 14

पुष्पपल्लवमूलादिफलाढ्यं शाकसञ्चयम्। काम्यानन्तरसैर्युक्तं क्षुत्तृण्मृत्युभयापहम्॥१४॥

Pushpa-Pallava-Muladi-Phaladhyam Shaka-Sanchayam | Kamyananta-Rasair Yuktam Kshut-Trin-Mrityu-Bhayapaham || 14 ||

Meaning: "a cluster of vegetables rich in flowers, shoots, roots and fruits, full of the endless flavours one could wish for, which drives away hunger, thirst and the fear of death,"

Verse 15

कार्मुकं च स्फुरत्कान्ति बिभ्रती परमेश्वरी। शाकम्भरी शताक्षी सा सैव दुर्गा प्रकीर्तिता॥१५॥

Karmukam Cha Sphuratkanti Bibhrati Parameshvari | Shakambhari Shatakshi Sa Saiva Durga Prakirtita || 15 ||

Meaning: "and a bow of flashing brightness – the Supreme Goddess. She is Shakambhari, she is Shatakshi, and she is celebrated as Durga herself."

Verse 16

विशोका दुष्टदमनी शमनी दुरितापदाम्। उमा गौरी सती चण्डी कालिका सा च पार्वती॥१६॥

Vishoka Dushtadamani Shamani Duritapadam | Uma Gauri Sati Chandi Kalika Sa Cha Parvati || 16 ||

Meaning: "She is free from sorrow, the subduer of the wicked, the calmer of sin and calamity; and she is Uma, Gauri, Sati, Chandi, Kalika and Parvati."

Verse 17

शाकम्भरीं स्तुवन् ध्यायञ्जपन् सम्पूजयन्नमन्। अक्षय्यमश्नुते शीघ्रमन्नपानामृतं फलम्॥१७॥

Shakambharim Stuvan Dhyayan Japan Sampujayan Naman | Akshayyam Ashnute Shighram Annapanamritam Phalam || 17 ||

Meaning: "Whoever praises Shakambhari, meditates on her, recites her name, worships her and bows to her quickly gains the imperishable fruit of food, drink and nectar."

Verse 18

भीमापि नीलवर्णा सा दंष्ट्रादशनभासुरा। विशाललोचना नारी वृत्तपीनपयोधरा॥१८॥

Bhimapi Nilavarna Sa Damshtra-Dashana-Bhasura | Vishala-Lochana Nari Vritta-Pina-Payodhara || 18 ||

Meaning: "Bhima too is blue in colour, gleaming with fangs and teeth, a large-eyed woman with round, full breasts;"

Verse 19

चन्द्रहासं च डमरुं शिरः पात्रं च बिभ्रती। एकवीरा कालरात्रिः सैवोक्ता कामदा स्तुता॥१९॥

Chandrahasam Cha Damarum Shirah Patram Cha Bibhrati | Ekavira Kalaratrih Saivokta Kamada Stuta || 19 ||

Meaning: "she holds the sword Chandrahasa, a damaru drum, a head and a cup. She is called Ekavira and Kalaratri, and is praised as Kamada, the giver of desires."

Verse 20

तेजोमण्डलदुर्धर्षा भ्रामरी चित्रकान्तिभृत्। चित्रानुलेपना देवी चित्राभरणभूषिता॥२०॥

Tejomandala-Durdharsha Bhramari Chitra-Kantibhrit | Chitranulepana Devi Chitrabharana-Bhushita || 20 ||

Meaning: "Bhramari, unassailable in her halo of light, bears a many-coloured lustre; the Goddess is anointed with many-coloured unguents and adorned with many-coloured ornaments."

Verse 21

चित्रभ्रमरपाणिः सा महामारीति गीयते। इत्येता मूर्तयो देव्या याः ख्याता वसुधाधिप॥२१॥

Chitra-Bhramara-Panih Sa Mahamariti Giyate | Ityeta Murtayo Devya Yah Khyata Vasudhadhipa || 21 ||

Meaning: "With many-coloured bees in her hand, she is sung of as Mahamari. These, O lord of the earth, are the forms of the Goddess that have been declared –"

Verse 22

जगन्मातुश्चण्डिकायाः कीर्तिताः कामधेनवः। इदं रहस्यं परमं न वाच्यं कस्यचित्त्वया॥२२॥

Jaganmatush Chandikayah Kirtitah Kamadhenavah | Idam Rahasyam Paramam Na Vachyam Kasyachit Tvaya || 22 ||

Meaning: "the forms of Chandika, the Mother of the world, which, when celebrated, are wish-fulfilling cows. This is the supreme secret; you must not tell it to anyone."

Verse 23

व्याख्यानं दिव्यमूर्तीनामभीष्टफलदायकम्। तस्मात्सर्वप्रयत्नेन देवीं जप निरन्तरम्॥२३॥

Vyakhyanam Divya-Murtinam Abhishta-Phaladayakam | Tasmat Sarva-Prayatnena Devim Japa Nirantaram || 23 ||

Meaning: "The description of these divine forms gives the fruit one desires. Therefore, with all your effort, recite the Goddess's japa without ceasing."

Verse 24

सप्तजन्मार्जितैर्घोरैर्ब्रह्महत्यासमैरपि। पाठमात्रेण मन्त्राणां मुच्यते सर्वकिल्बिषैः॥२४॥

Sapta-Janmarjitair Ghorair Brahmahatya-Samair Api | Pathamatrena Mantranam Muchyate Sarva-Kilbishaih || 24 ||

Meaning: "By the mere recitation of these mantras a man is freed from all sins – even terrible sins equal to the killing of a brahmin, gathered over seven births."

Verse 25

देव्या ध्यानं मया ख्यातं गुह्याद्गुह्यतरं महत्। तस्मात्सर्वप्रयत्नेन सर्वकामफलप्रदम्॥२५॥

Devya Dhyanam Maya Khyatam Guhyad Guhyataram Mahat | Tasmat Sarva-Prayatnena Sarvakama-Phalapradam || 25 ||

Meaning: "This great meditation on the Goddess, more secret than the secret, I have declared with all my effort – and it gives the fruit of every desire."

Bracketed closing verse, found in the printed editions:

(एतस्यास्त्वं प्रसादेन सर्वमान्यो भविष्यसि।

सर्वरूपमयी देवी सर्वं देवीमयं जगत्।

अतोऽहं विश्वरूपां तां नमामि परमेश्वरीम्॥)

(Etasyas Tvam Prasadena Sarvamanyo Bhavishyasi |

Sarvarupamayi Devi Sarvam Devimayam Jagat |

Ato'ham Vishvarupam Tam Namami Parameshvarim ||)

Meaning: "(By her grace you will be honoured by all. The Goddess is of all forms; the whole world is made of the Goddess. Therefore I bow to that Supreme Goddess whose form is the universe.)"

Conclusion

॥ इति मूर्तिरहस्यं सम्पूर्णम् ॥

|| Iti Murtirahasyam Sampurnam ||

Meaning: Thus the Murti Rahasya is complete.

Significance of the Murti Rahasya

The Murti Rahasya finishes what Chapter 11 began. There the Goddess promised the gods five future forms and the names she would earn by them; here, in the last text of the Saptashati's appendix, the sage gives the king those forms as objects of meditation – their colour, their hands, their weapons, their names and the fruit of their worship. Nanda the golden Lakshmi, Raktadantika the red mother who nurses her devotees, Shakambhari who holds the vegetables that end hunger and death, Bhima with Chandrahasa and the drum, Bhramari with bees in her hand: each is a murti, an embodied form the worshipper can hold in the mind.

The text also closes the circle of the king's two questions. The Pradhanika told him what the Goddess is, the Vaikritika how to worship the three Goddesses of the Saptashati, and the Murti how to worship the Goddess in the forms still to come – so that his worship is not bound to the past of the story but to the Goddess who will keep returning. Verse 24 then states the Saptashati's own promise in its plainest form: the mere recitation of its mantras frees from the sins of seven births.

The Rahasya ends with an injunction of secrecy – "you must not tell this to anyone" – which the tradition has read as the reason the Rahasyas are recited after the Path and reserved for its serious reciters, and with a bracketed verse that is the whole Saptashati's last word: the Goddess is all forms, the world is made of her, and the sage bows to her.

Main Teachings of the Murti Rahasya

The Goddess's promised forms are to be meditated upon: each is described with colour, hands, weapons and names (Verses 1–21).
Each form has its fruit: Nanda gives mastery of the three worlds, Raktadantika pervasion of the world and union, Shakambhari imperishable food and drink, Bhima and Bhramari the fulfilment of desire (Verses 1, 10–11, 17, 19, 22).
The Goddess is tender as well as terrible: red-toothed Raktadantika serves her devotee as a wife her husband and nurses him as a mother (Verses 6–8, 11).
The forms are wish-fulfilling cows: celebrated, they give whatever is desired (Verses 22–23).
The Saptashati's mantras free from all sin: even the sins of seven births (Verse 24).
The secret is to be kept: the teaching is the most secret of secrets (Verses 22 and 25).

The Five Murtis

Form	Colour	Hands and weapons	Her names	Fruit of worship	Verses
Nanda	Gold	Four arms: lotus, goad, noose, lotus	Nanda, Indira, Kamala, Lakshmi, Shri, Rukmambujasana	The three worlds under the worshipper's control	1–3
Raktadantika	Red in every part	Sword, cup, pestle, plough	Raktadantika, Raktachamunda, Yogeshvari	Pervasion of the world; union with the Goddess; her service as a wife to a husband	4–11
Shakambhari	Blue	A fistful of arrows, lotus, cluster of vegetables, bow	Shakambhari, Shatakshi, Durga, Uma, Gauri, Sati, Chandi, Kalika, Parvati	Imperishable food, drink and nectar; freedom from hunger, thirst and the fear of death	12–17
Bhima	Blue	The sword Chandrahasa, a damaru drum, a head, a cup	Bhima, Ekavira, Kalaratri, Kamada	The fulfilment of desire	18–19
Bhramari	Of many colours	Many-coloured bees in her hand	Bhramari, Mahamari	The fulfilment of desire	20–21

The Two Bracketed Passages

The printed editions carry two passages in brackets, because they are not found in every manuscript.

After Verse 10, a single line: "Having enjoyed whatever pleasures he desires, he attains union with the Goddess." It is the same line that closes the Vaikritika Rahasya's Verse 37, and it supplies the fruit of Raktadantika's worship.
At the end, three lines: "By her grace you will be honoured by all. The Goddess is of all forms; the whole world is made of the Goddess. Therefore I bow to that Supreme Goddess whose form is the universe." They are the sage's last words to the king, and the Saptashati's own summary of itself.

Why Is It Called the Murti Rahasya?

Murti is an embodied form – the shape in which a deity is seen and worshipped. The Rahasya describes the murtis of the Goddess that she promised to take in Chapter 11, as they are to be visualised, and the sage calls them so in Verse 21: "these are the forms (murtayah) of the Goddess that have been declared." As the Pradhanika Rahasya is the secret of the primal Goddess and the Vaikritika the secret of her three manifest forms, the Murti Rahasya is the secret of her forms to come.

Traditional Recitation of the Murti Rahasya

In the Durga Saptashati Path the three Rahasyas are recited after the two Devi Suktas, in order, under the single Viniyoga given at the head of the Pradhanika Rahasya; the Murti Rahasya follows the Vaikritika without a separate Viniyoga, and with it the Rahasyas are complete. After it the Path closes with the Shapoddhara and the other concluding mantras and prayers, as set out in the Durga Saptashati Path Vidhi.

The Rahasyas are not part of the seven hundred verses of the Devi Mahatmya and carry no count line. Because the text itself says "you must not tell this to anyone", some traditions reserve the Rahasyas for those who have received the Saptashati from a Guru, or recite them only after the full Path. The exact procedure varies by tradition, lineage and method, and devotees should follow the method prescribed by their Guru or family tradition.

Traditional Spiritual Significance

The Rahasya names its own fruits: the three worlds under one's control through Nanda (Verse 1), union with the Goddess through Raktadantika (Verses 10–11), imperishable food and drink through Shakambhari (Verse 17), the fulfilment of every desire through all the forms (Verses 22–23 and 25), and freedom from the sins of seven births through the Saptashati's mantras (Verse 24). Devotees traditionally approach it for:

The correct visualisation of the Goddess's promised forms – Nanda, Raktadantika, Shakambhari, Bhima and Bhramari
Freedom from want, after Shakambhari, who holds the food that ends hunger and the fear of death
The Goddess's tenderness, after Raktadantika, who nurses and serves her devotee
The fulfilment of desire, which the Rahasya promises to those who celebrate these forms
The completion of the Saptashati Path, of which this is the last teaching

These are traditional devotional associations and should not be understood as guaranteed worldly or medical outcomes.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Murti Rahasya?

The third and last of the secret teachings recited after the Durga Saptashati, in which Sage Medha describes to King Suratha the forms the Goddess promised to take in Chapter 11 – Nanda, Raktadantika, Shakambhari, Bhima and Bhramari – as they are to be visualised and worshipped, with the fruit of each.

Which forms of the Goddess does it describe?

Five: Nanda, the golden Lakshmi born of Nanda; Raktadantika, red in every part; Shakambhari, who is also Shatakshi and Durga; Bhima, blue and fanged; and Bhramari, of many colours with bees in her hand (Verses 1–21).

How is the Murti Rahasya related to Chapter 11?

Chapter 11 is the Goddess's promise of these forms; the Murti Rahasya is their description. Each form named there – Vindhyavasini born of Nanda, Raktadantika, Shatakshi and Shakambhari, Durga, Bhima Devi, Bhramari – is given its colour, hands, weapons and names here.

Why is Raktadantika described so tenderly?

Because the Rahasya pairs her terrible appearance – red teeth, nails, hair and weapons – with her devotion: she attends on her devotee as a wife on her husband, nurses him at breasts that yield every wish, and serves whoever recites her hymn daily (Verses 6–8 and 11). The terrible form is the tender Mother.

What does Verse 24 promise?

That the mere recitation of the Saptashati's mantras frees a man from all sins, even sins equal to the killing of a brahmin gathered over seven births – the Saptashati's own statement of its power, placed at the end of its last text.

What are the bracketed passages?

A line after Verse 10 and a three-line verse at the end, printed in brackets because they are not in every manuscript. The first gives the fruit of Raktadantika's worship as union with the Goddess; the second is the sage's closing bow to the Goddess whose form is the universe.

Why does the text say it must not be told?

Verse 22 calls the teaching the supreme secret, not to be told to anyone, and Verse 25 "more secret than the secret". The tradition reads this as the reason the Rahasyas are recited after the Path and, in some lineages, only by those who have received the Saptashati from a Guru.

Is the Murti Rahasya part of the 700 verses?

No. The seven hundred end with Chapter 13. The three Rahasyas are the appendix to the Devi Mahatmya, recited with it in the Path and counted separately; the Murti Rahasya is the last of them.