Armed by the Devas
Each god gives his weapon; the eighteen arms and what each stands for. Marshalling every capacity you have for one fight.
The gods arm the Goddess, each drawing a weapon from his own power and giving it into her many hands: Shiva's trident, Vishnu's discus, the wind's bow, and the rest, with a lion from the mountain to carry her. The tradition reads the arming as marshalling every capacity you own for one fight, held together in a single steady center rather than used one at a time.
A Gift from Every God
The Goddess stood formed and radiant, filling the sky, and the gods came forward again. This time they did not pour out light. Each one reached to his own power and drew from it a weapon, and gave it into her many hands.
Shiva drew a trident out of his own trident and set it in her grip. Vishnu spun a discus off his own discus and gave her that. Varuna, lord of waters, gave a conch and a noose. Agni gave a flaming spear. Vayu, the wind, gave a bow and a quiver that never emptied. Surya poured his rays into the pores of her skin so that she blazed. Yama gave a staff, Indra his thunderbolt and a bell hung from his great elephant, Brahma a water-pot and a string of beads, Kala a sword and a shining shield, Vishvakarma an axe and fine armour. The mountain Himavan gave her a lion to ride and jewels beyond counting, and the ocean gave garlands that never wilted and garments of light.
When it was done she stood arrayed with many arms, each one holding a different god's gift, mounted on a lion, and she laughed a laugh that shook the worlds.
| God | Gift | What it arms her with |
|---|---|---|
| Shiva | Trident | Fierce, order-restoring resolve |
| Vishnu | Discus | The force that keeps things in their place |
| Vayu | Bow and arrows | Reach and aim |
| Yama | Staff | Restraint, the discipline of limits |
| Surya | Rays | Clarity that blazes from within |
| Himavan | Lion | Steady power to carry all the rest |
Every Capacity in One Hand
Look at what the arming really is. Each weapon is a piece of a particular god's own strength, a replica of the very power he wields. The trident is Shiva's ferocity. The discus is Vishnu's order-keeping force. The bow is the wind's reach. The staff is Yama's restraint, the discipline of limits. The bell is sound that scatters fear. The Goddess does not carry random weapons. She carries, all at once and in one body, every distinct capacity the gods possess.