Durga Suktam - Meaning

दुर्गा सूक्तम्

ॐ ॥ जा॒तवे॑दसे सुनवाम॒ सोम॑ मरातीय॒तो निद॑हाति॒ वेदः॑ ।
स नः॑ पर्ष॒दति॑ दु॒र्गाणि॒ विश्वा॑ ना॒वेव॒ सिन्धु॑-न्दुरि॒ता-ऽत्य॒ग्निः ॥

• ॐ ॥ Om - the cosmic sound that connects and pervades the three worlds!
• जा॒तवे॑दसे – jAtavEdas is primarily agni! "! All the primary deties are liked to "agni", for example Krishna talks about jaTharavEda, durga is the mAya, Shiva is the Rudra rupa, all of them represent the agni in various forms! jAtavEdas is defined in many ways!
   
• जातवेदाः कस्मात् जातानि वेद, जातानि वै नं विदुः (one aspect that every thing that is born knows)
• जाते जाते विद्यते इति वा - He who knows all that is born; He is witness from the time a jiva is born till he is dies 
• जातवित्तो वा जातधनो - one who possesses knowledge of all that is born and one who possesses all created wealth
• जातविद्यो वा जातप्रज्ञानो यत्तज्जातः पशूनविन्दतेति तज्जात- वेदसो जातवेदस्त्वमिति ब्राह्मणम् - he is the knower of all that is born (jāta-vidya), or the possessor of all created intelligence (jāta-prajñā), and that by which all living beings are perceived — that one is Jātavedas
  
  
• सुनवाम॒ सोम॑ – we squeeze or produce the Soma (the sacred libation of the Gods).  
• अरातीय॒तो – that which is hostile to us, unfavorable to us
• निद॑हाति॒ वेदः॑ – may the all knowing burn and destroy the knowledge (here vedaH is agni Himself or the knowledge of self)
  
• स नः॑ पर्ष॒त् – may He give company to us (carry us), protect us 
• अति॑ दु॒र्गाणि॒ विश्वा॑ – most difficulties of this universe 
• ना॒वेव॒ - like a boat 
• सिन्धुं॑ – this ocean of birth and death 
• दुरि॒ता-ऽत्य॒ग्निः - sins, evils the rapid celestial fire 

• Om (the cosmic sounds that pervades the three worlds)! Oh the all knowing agni swarupa devi, the rapid celestial fire, we produce the soma rasa for your pleasure so that you drive away the unfavorable knowledge for our realization and accompanies us like a boat to help cross the difficult ocean of this universe 
• Durga dEvi is called "chit-agni-kunda sambhootha" in Lalita Sahasranamam - the one who manifests from the altar of the fire of consciousness. She is jAtavEdas. 

Verse 2
ताम॒ग्निव॑र्णा॒-न्तप॑सा ज्वल॒न्तीं-वैँ॑रोच॒नी-ङ्क॑र्मफ॒लेषु॒ जुष्टा᳚म् ।
दु॒र्गा-न्दे॒वीग्ं शर॑णम॒ह-म्प्रप॑द्ये सु॒तर॑सि तरसे॒ नमः॑ ॥

• ताम॒ अग्निव॑र्णाम् – to that dEvi who is radiant like the fire, one who is hot and fiery; she is the gold colored; she is called "suvarNAm" one who is radiant like gold! 
• तप॑सा ज्वलन्तीम् - one who is burning like the flame of penance, austerity; she is the tapas within the yOgIs, the one who enables the process of tapas. 
• वैँ॑रोचनीम् – the one who is like blaze from the Sun; she is kAntimati, one who cannot be seen directly from our eyes; she burns the sins within
• कर्मफ॒लेषु॒ जुष्टा᳚म् - one who pleased in the fruitive actions; one who let us experience the fruits of our actions; she is kritajna, she knows what we have done, so she enables us to experience the fruits of our efforts. 
• दु॒र्गान् दे॒वीं – to Goddess durga, pArvatI dEvi 
• शर॑णम् अहं प्रप॑द्ये – I prostrate in submission, I take refuge 
• सु॒तर॑सि – one who is capable of easily crossing over 
• तरसे॒ - one who is quick, efficient, ferries, one who helps us cross over 
• नमः॑ - salutations to her; the devotee lets go of the ego that he by himself is incapable of crossing over and depends on the devi to help cross the samsara-samudra 
   
• I surrender to the Durga dEvi, who is radiant like the fire, who is the fire of penance, like the blaze from the Sun, who enables us to experience the fruits of our actions, the one who is the best captain of the ship to help us cross this ocean of life
• Agni purifies everything by removing the dirt, and also transforms one from one state to the other. 

Verse 3: 

अग्ने॒ त्वम्पा॑रया॒ नव्यो॑ अ॒स्मान्​थ्स्व॒स्तिभि॒रति॑ दु॒र्गाणि॒ विश्वा᳚ ।
पूश्च॑ पृ॒थ्वी ब॑हु॒ला न॑ उ॒र्वी भवा॑ तो॒काय॒ तन॑याय॒ शं​योँः ॥

• अग्ने॒ -  oh agni
• त्वम् पा॑रय - you cross us over 
• नव्यः॑ अस्मान् -  ever youthful, new, renew us   
• स्व॒स्तिभिः॑ - with auspiciousness, well-being, blessings
• अति॑ दुर्गाणि॒ - beyond difficulties, obstacles, dangers
• विश्वा᳚ - all, everything   
• पूः च - purify, to cleanse; पूः could also imply "poorta", complete!     
• पृथ्वी॑ - Earth
• बहुला᳚ - abundant, dense (fire, sky)   
• न उ॒र्वी - indeed wide, broad, spacious
• भव॑ — become
• तोकाय॑ — for progeny, children
• तन॑याय — for race, offspring, sons, family, descendants
• शं योः॑ — for well-being, happiness, prosperity
  
  
• Oh agni, you help us cross over and renew us through auspiciousness beyond all kinds of difficulties and challenges, cleanse the earth so that she becomes fertile for propagating progeny and races and create auspiciousness across 

Verse 4: 

विश्वा॑नि नो दु॒र्गहा॑ जातवेद॒-स्सिन्धु॒न्न ना॒वा दु॑रि॒ता-ऽति॑पर्-षि ।
अग्ने॑ अत्रि॒वन्मन॑सा गृणा॒नो᳚-ऽस्माक॑-म्बोध्यवि॒ता त॒नूना᳚म् ॥

• विश्वानि - the universes, everything, the creations 
• नः - for us 
• दुर्गाः - hard-to-cross places
• जातवेदः - Oh the all knowing jAtavEdas
• सिन्धुं न नावा - across the ocean as by a boat
• दुरिताति पर्षि - extreme difficulties that are rough  
• अग्ने - O Agni 
• अत्रिवत् - like sage Atri (who prayed to Agni for help)
• मनसा - through mind
• गृणानः - praise, invoke, chant hymns
• अस्माकम् - of us, ours
• बोधि - enlightened intellect, perfect knowledge or wisdom, awakened 
• अविता - protector, savior
• तनूनाम् - of the bodies, lives
  
  
• These universes are hard for us to navigate on our own oh jAtavEda (and you know that)! Therefore, oh agni, please navigate these rough waters of the samsaara with your boat, like Atri (who you rescued). We chant your hymns though our mind, please enlighten our minds and intellects and protect us. 
  

Verse 5: 

पृ॒त॒ना॒ जित॒ग्ं॒ सह॑मानमु॒ग्रम॒ग्निग्ं हु॑वेम पर॒माथ्स॒धस्था᳚त् ।
स नः॑ पर्-ष॒दति॑ दु॒र्गाणि॒ विश्वा॒ क्षाम॑द्दे॒वो अति॑ दुरि॒ता-ऽत्य॒ग्निः ॥

• पृतना-जितम् - one who wins over hostile forces
• सहमानम् - victorious, enduring, conquering 
• उग्रम् अग्निम् (ugram) - mighty, fierce Agni
• हु‍वेम - we invoke, call upon
• परमात्-सधस्थान् - from the supreme abode, your highest dwelling
• सः नः - may He (Agni) for us
• पर्षत् - carry across, give company
• अति दुर्गाणि विश्वा - beyond all difficulties/obstacles
• क्षामत् - endure, forgive  
• देवः - the divine one
• अति दुरितानि - across all misfortunes/sins
• अग्निः - Agni
  

Verse 6:

प्र॒त्नोषि॑ क॒मीड्यो॑ अध्व॒रेषु॑ स॒नाच्च॒ होता॒ नव्य॑श्च॒ सत्सि॑ ।
स्वाञ्चा᳚-ऽग्ने त॒नुव॑-म्पि॒प्रय॑स्वा॒स्मभ्य॑-ञ्च॒ सौभ॑ग॒माय॑जस्व ॥

• प्रत्नोषिकम् - प्रत्नः ओषिकम् - you are the ancient, primordial one
• ईड्यः - praise worthy, fit to be worshipped
• अध्वरेषु - in sacrifices, sacred rites
• सनात् - from of time immemorial 
• च - and
• होताः - those who invoke, the priests
• नव्यः - ever-new, fresh
• च सत्सि - and you remain established
• स्वाञ्चा - su-anca - supremely beneficent, favorable, gracious
• अग्ने - Hey Agni
• तनुवम् - person, being
• पिप्रयस्व - fill, gladden, bestow upon
• अस्मभ्यम् - unto us
• च सौभगम् - and the good fortune, prosperity, happiness
• आयजस्व - bring forth, grant

Verse 7:

गोभि॒र्जुष्ट॑मयुजो॒ निषि॑क्त॒-न्तवे᳚न्द्र विष्णो॒रनु॒सञ्च॑रेम ।
नाक॑स्य पृ॒ष्ठम॒भि सं॒​वँसा॑नो॒ वैष्ण॑वीं-लोँ॒क इ॒ह मा॑दयन्ताम् ॥

• गोभिः - with rays (gO also means cows, wealth, knowledge, earth etc.)
• जुष्टम् - be pleased, delighted
• अयुजः - one without a companion, not having an equal 
• निषिक्तम् - sprinkled, anointed, consecrated
• तवे - in you 
• इन्द्र विष्णोः - O Indra, of the Viṣṇus
• अनु सञ्चरेम - we follow in your path, move along after you
• नाकस्य - of the heavens/bliss
• पृष्ठम् - the back 
• अभि संवसानाḥ - dwelling upon
• वैष्णवीं लोकम् - the world of Viṣṇu, the abode of Viṣṇu
• इ॒ह - this 
• मा॑दयन्ताम् - enjoy heavenly bliss, rejoice, satisfy 
  
  
• Oh Agni, one without a comparison, one pleased with the rays of Vishnu, we see Indra in you, we take your path by following you, towards heavenly bliss and dwelling upon the abode of Vishnu here we rejoice. 
    

ओ-ङ्का॒त्या॒य॒नाय॑ वि॒द्महे॑ कन्यकु॒मारि॑ धीमहि । तन्नो॑ दुर्गिः प्रचो॒दया᳚त् ॥




ॐ शान्ति॒-श्शान्ति॒-श्शान्तिः॑ ॥