Hymn to Durga

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HYMN TO DURGA

 

by Sri Aurobindo

 

Mother Durga! Rider on the lion, giver of all strength, Mother, beloved of

Shiva! We,

born from thy parts of Power, we the youth of India, are seated here in thy

temple.

Listen, O Mother, descend upon earth, make thyself manifest in this land of

India.

 

Mother Durga! From age to age, in life after life, we come down into the

human

body, do thy work and return to the Home of Delight. Now too we are born,

dedicated to thy work. Listen, O Mother, descend upon earth, come to our

help.

 

Mother Durga! Rider on the lion, trident in hand, thy body of beauty

armour-clad,

Mother, giver of victory. India awaits thee, eager to see the gracious form

of thine.

Listen, O Mother, descend upon earth, make thyself manifest in this land of

India.

 

Mother Durga! Giver of force and love and knowledge, terrible art thou in

thy own

self of might, Mother beautiful and fierce. In the battle of life, in

India's battle, we are

warriors commissioned by thee; Mother, give to our heart and mind a titan's

strength, a titan's energy, to our soul and intelligence a god's character

and

knowledge.

 

 

Mother Durga! India, world's noblest race, lay whelmed in darkness. Mother,

thou

risest on the eastern horizon, the dawn comes with the glow of thy divine

limbs

scattering the darkness. Spread thy light, Mother, destroy the darkness.

 

 

Mother Durga! We are thy children, through thy grace, by thy influence may

we

become fit for the great work, for the great Ideal. Mother, destroy our

smallness, our

selfishness, our fear.

 

Mother Durga! Thou art Kali, naked, garlanded with human heads, sword in

hand,

thou slayest the Asura. Goddess, do thou slay with thy pitiless cry the

enemies who

dwell within us, may none remain alive there, not one. May we become pure

and

spotless, this is our prayer. O Mother, make thyself manifest.

 

 

Mother Durga! India lies now in selfishness and fearfulness and littleness.

Make us

great, make our efforts great, our hearts vast, make us true to our resolve.

May we

no longer desire the small, void of energy, given to laziness, stricken with

fear.

 

 

Mother Durga! Extend wide the power of Yoga. We are thy Aryan children,

develop

in us again the lost teaching, character, strength of intelligence, faith

and devotion,

force of austerity, power of chastity and true knowledge, bestow all that

upon the

world. To help mankind, appear, O Mother of the world, dispel all ills.

 

 

Mother Durga! Slay the enemy within, then root out all obstacles outside.

May the

noble heroic mighty Indian race, supreme in love and unity, truth and

strength, arts

and letters, force and knowledge ever dwell in its holy woodlands, its

fertile fields

under its sky-scraping hills, along the banks of its pure-streaming rivers.

This is our

prayer at the feet of the Mother. Make thyself manifest.

 

Mother Durga! Enter our bodies in thy Yogic strength. We shall become thy

instruments, thy sword slaying all evil, thy lamp dispelling all ignorance.

Fulfil this

yearning of thy young children, O Mother. Be the master and drive the

instrument,

wield thy sword and slay the evil, hold up the lamp and spread the light of

knowledge.

Make thyself manifest.

 

Mother Durga! When we possess thee, we shall no longer cast thee away; we

shall

bind thee to us with the tie of love and devotion. Come, Mother, manifest in

our mind

and life and body.

 

 

Come, Revealer of the hero-path. We shall no longer cast thee away. May our

entire

life become a ceaseless worship of the Mother, all our acts a continuous

service to

the Mother, full of love, full of energy. This is our prayer, O Mother,

descend upon

earth, make thyself manifest in this land of India.

 

(in Bengali: "Durga stotra"

Translated from Bengali by Nolini Kanta Gupta)

 

 

in SABCL, volume 4

"Writings in Bengali"

published by Sri Aurobindo Ashram - Pondicherry

 

 

Images of Mata Shri Durga

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http://www.geocities.com/arunsundar/shakthi/Durga.jpeg

http://www.geocities.com/arunsundar/shakthi/Durga1.JPG

http://www.geocities.com/arunsundar/shakthi/duurg.gif

http://www.geocities.com/arunsundar/shakthi/durga1.gif

 

Know, slave is slave, caressed or whipped, not free;

For fetters, though of gold, are not less strong to bind;

-Swami Vivekananda