Fwd: THE DEVI-MAHATMYAM-Chapter 4

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Kali_Ma, "kalis_word" <kalis_word> wrote:

{CHAPTER 4 } *****The Devi Stuti

 

The Rishi said:

 

1-2. When that most valiant but evil-natured

Mahisasura and the army of that foe of the devas

were destroyed by the Devi, Indra and the hosts of

devas uttered their words of praise, their necks and

shoulders reverently bent, and bodies rendered

beautiful with horripilation and exultation.

 

3. 'To that Ambika who is worthy of worship by all

devas and sages and pervades this world by her

power and who is the embodiment of the entire

powers of all the hosts of devas, we bow in

devotion. May she grant us auspicious things!

 

4. 'May Chandika, whose incomparable greatness

and power Bhagavan Vishnu, Brahma and Hara are

unable to describe, bestow her mind on protecting

the entire world and on destroying the fear of evil.

 

5. ' O Devi, we bow before you, who are yourself

good fortune in the dwellings of the virtuous, and ill-

fortune in those of the vicious, intelligence in the

hearts of the learned, faith in the hearts of the good,

and modesty in the hearts of the high-born. May you

protect the universe!

 

6. 'O Devi, how can we describe your inconceivable

form, or your abundant surpassing valour that

destroys the asuras, or your wonderful feats

displayed in battles among all the hosts of gods,

asuras and others?

 

7. 'You are the origin of all the worlds! Though you

are possessed of the three gunas you are not known

to have any of their attendant defects (like passion)!

You are incomprehensible even to Vishnu, Shiva and

others! You are the resort of all! this entire world is

composed of an infinitesimal portion of yourself!

You are verily the supreme primordial Prakriti

untransformed.

 

8. 'O Devi, you are Svaha at whose utterance the

whole assemblage of gods attains satisfaction in all

the sacrifices. You are the Svadha which gives

satisfaction to the manes. Therefore you are chanted

(as Svaha and Svadha in Sacrifices) by people.

 

9. 'O Devi, you are Bhagavati, the supreme Vidya

which is the cause of liberation, and great

inconceivable penance (are the means for your

realization). You ( the supreme knowledge) are

cultivated by sages desiring liberation, whose senses

are well restrained, who are devoted to Reality, and

have shed all the blemishes.

 

10. 'You are the soul of Sabda-Brahman. You are

the repository of the very pure Rig-Veda and Yajus

hymns, and of Samans, the recital of whose words is

beautiful sight the Udgitha! You are Bhagavati

embodying the three Vedas. And you are the

sustenance whereby life is maintained. You are the

supreme destroyer of the pain of al the worlds.

 

11. 'O Devi, you are the Intellect, by which the

essence of all scriptures is comprehended. You are

Durga, the boat that takes men across the difficult

ocean of worldly existence, devoid of attachments.

You are Shri who has invariably taken her abode in

the heart of Vishnu. You are indeed Gauri who has

established herself with Shiva.

 

12. 'Gently smiling, pure, resembling the full moon's

orb, beautiful like the splendour of excellent gold

was your face! Yet it was very strange that, being

swayed by anger, Mahisasura suddenly struck your

face when he saw it.

 

13. 'Far strange it is that after seeing your wrathful

face, O Devi, terrible with its frowns and red in hue

like the rising moon, that Mahisasura did not

forthwith give up his life! For, who can live after

beholding the enraged Destroyer?

 

14. 'O Devi, be propitious. You are Supreme. If

enraged, you forthwith destroy the (asura) families

for the welfare (of the world). This was known the

very moment when the extensive forces of

Mahisasura were brought to their end.

 

15. 'You who are always bounteous, with whom you

are well pleased, those (fortunate ones) are indeed

the object of esteem in the country, theirs are riches,

theirs are glories, and their acts of righteousness

perish not; they are indeed blessed and possessed of

devoted children, servants and wives.

 

16. 'By your grace, O Devi, the blessed individual

does daily all righteous deeds with utmost care and

thereby attains to heaven. Are you not, therefore O

Devi, the bestower of reward in all the three worlds?

 

17. 'When called to mind in a difficult pass, you

remove fear for every person. When called to mind

by those in happiness, you bestow a mind still

further pious. Which goddess but you, O Dispeller

of poverty, pain and fear, has an ever sympathetic

heart for helping everyone?

 

18. 'The world attains happiness by the killing of

these (foes) and though these (asuras) have

committed sins to keep them long in hell, let them

reach heaven by meeting death eventually at he

battle (with me)- thinking thus, that you, O Devi,

certainly destroy our enemies.

 

19. 'Don't' you reduce to ashes all asuras by mere

sight? But you direct your weapons against them so

that even the inimical ones, purified by the missiles,

may attain the higher worlds. Such is your most

kindly intention towards them.

 

20. 'If the eyes of the asuras had not been put out by

the terrible flashes of the mass of light issuing from

your sword or by the copious lustre of your

spearpoint, it is because they saw also your face

resembling the moon, giving out (cool) rays.

 

21. 'O Devi, your nature is to subdue the conduct of

the wicked; this your peerless beauty is

inconceivable for others; your power destroys those

who have robbed the devas of their prowess, and

you have thus manifested your compassion even

towards the enemies.

 

22. 'What is your prowess to be compared to?

Where can one find this beauty (of yours) most

charming, (yet) striking fear in enemies?

Compassion in heart and relentlessness in battle are

Thee, O Devi, O Bestower of boons, only in you in all

the three worlds!

 

23. 'Through the destruction of the enemies all these

three worlds have been saved by you. Having killed

them in the battle-front, you have led even those

hosts of enemies to heaven, and you have dispelled

our fear from the frenzied enemies of the devas.

Salutation to you!

 

24. 'O Devi, protect us with your spear. O Ambika,

protect us with your sword, protect us by the sound

of your bell and by the twang of your bow-string.

 

25. 'O Chandika, guard us in the east, in the west, in

the north and in the south by the brandishing of your

spear. O Iswari!

 

26. 'Protect us and the earth with those lovely forms

of yours moving about in the three worlds, as also

with your excludingly terrible forms.

 

27. 'O Ambika, protect us on every side with your

sword, spear and club and whatever other weapons

your sprout-like (soft) hand has touched.' The Rishi

said:

 

28-30. Thus the supporter of the worlds was praised

by the devas, worshipped with celestial flowers that

blossomed in Nandana and with perfumes and

unguents; and with devotion all of them offered her -

heavenly incense. Benignly serene in countenance

she spoke to all obeisant devas. The Devi said:

 

31-32. 'Choose all of you, O devas, whatever you

desire of me. (Gratified immensely with these

hymns, I grant it with great pleasure)' The devas

said:

 

33-34. 'Since our enemy, this Mahisasura, has been

slain by Bhagavati (i.e. you) everything has been

accomplished, and nothing remains to be done. 35.

'And if a boon is to be granted to us by you, O

Mahesvari, whenever we think of you again, destroy

our direct calamities.

 

36-37. 'O Mother of spotless countenance, and

whatever mortal shall praise you with these hymns,

may you, who have become gracious towards us, be

also for his increase in this wealth, wife, and other

fortunes together with riches, prosperity and life, O

Ambika!' The Rishi said:

 

38-39. O King, being thus propitiated by the devas

for the sake of the world and for their own sake,

Bhadrakali said, 'Be it so' and vanished from their

sight.

 

40. Thus have I narrated, O King, how the Devi who

desires the good of all the three worlds made her

appearance of yore out of the bodies of the devas.

 

41-42. And again how, as a benefactress of the

devas, she appeared in the form of Gauri for the

slaying of wicked asuras as well as Sumbha and

Nisumbha, and for the protection of worlds, listen as

I relate it. I shall tell it to you as it happened. Here

ends the fourth chapter called "The Devi Stuti " of

the Devi-Mahatmya in Markandeya-Purana during

the period of Savarni, the Manu.

 

[continued]

 

(extracted from website:

http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Parthenon/8175/d

evi-1.txt)

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