Shakti Sadhana Programme for Navarathri [ Day One]

[Guest guest]

Meditation of Mahakali

 

I resort to Mahakali, who has ten faces, ten legs and holds in her

hands the sword, disc, mace, arrows, bow, club, spear, missile,

human head and conch, who is three-eyed, adorned with ornaments on

all her limbs, and luminous like a blue jewel, and whom Brahma

extolled in order to destroy Madhu and Kaitabha, when Vishnu was in

(mystic) sleep.

 

 

 

 

1-3. Markandeya said ( to his disciple Krasustuki Bhaguri):

Savarni[1], son of Surya, is called the eighth Manu [2]. Listen ,

while I describe in detail about his birth, how Savarni, illustrious

son of Surya, became the lord of the (eighth) Manvantara by the

grace of Mahamaya[3]

 

4-5. In former times there was a king named Suratha, born of the

Chitra dynasty, ruling over the whole world in the period of

Svarocisa. He protected his subjects dul6y like his own children. At

that time the kings, who were the destroyers of the c, became his

enemies.

 

6-7. He, the wielder of powerful weapons, fought a battle with the

destroyers of Kolas, but was defeated by them though they were a

small force. Then he returned to his own city, and ruled over his

won country. Then that illustrious king was attacked by those

powerful enemies.

 

8-9. Even in his own city, the king, (now) bereft of strength, was

robbed of his treasury and army by his own powerful, vicious and

evil-disposed ministers. Thereafter, deprived of this sovereignty,

the king left alone on horse-back for a dense forest, under the

pretext of hunting.

 

10-11. He saw there the hermitage of Medhas- the supreme among the

twice-born - inhabited by wild animals which were peaceful, and

graced by the disciples of the sage. Entertained by the sage,

Suratha spent some time moving about in the hermitage of the great

sage.

 

12-16. There then overcome with attachment, he fell into the

thought, 'I do not know whether the capital (which was) well guarded

by my ancestors and recently deserted by me is being guarded

righteously or not by my servants of evil conduct. I do not know

what enjoyments my chief elephant, heroic and always elated, and now

fallen into the hands of my foes, will get. Those who were my

constant followers and received favor, riches and food from me, now

certainly pay homage to other kings. The treasure which I gathered

with great care will be squandered by those constant spendthrifts,

who are addicted to improper

expenditures.'

 

17-19. The king was continually thinking of these and other things.

Near the hermitage of the Brahamana he saw a merchant, and asked

him: 'Ho! Who are you? What is the reason for your coming here?

Wherefore do you appear as if afflicted with grief and depressed in

mind?' Hearing this speech of the king, uttered in a friendly

spirit, the merchant bowed respectfully and replied to the king.

 

The merchant said:

20-25. 'I am a merchant named Samadhi, born in a wealthy family. I

have been cast out by my sons and wife, who are wicked through greed

of wealth. My wife and sons have misappropriated my riches, and made

me devoid of wealth. Cast out by my trusted kinsmen, I

have come to the forest grief-stricken. Dwelling here, I do not know

anything as regards good of bad of my sons, kinsmen and wife. At

present is welfare or ill-luck theirs at home? How are they? Are my

sons living good or evil lives?'

 

The king said:

26-28. 'Why is your mind affectionately attached to those

covetous folk, your sons, wife and others, who have deprived you of

your wealth?'

 

The merchant said:

29-34. 'This very thought has occurred to me, just as you have

uttered it. What can I do? My mind does not become hard; it

bears deep affection to those very persons who have driven me out in

their greed for wealth, abandoning love for a father and attachment

to one's master and kinsmen. I do not comprehend although, I know

it. O noble hearted king, how it is that the mind is prone to love

even towards worthless kinsmen. On account of them I heave heavy

sighs and feel dejected. What can I do since my mind does not become

hard towards those unloving ones?

 

Markandeya said:

35-38. Then O Brahmana, the merchant Samadhi and the noble king

together approached the sage (Medhas); and after observing

the etiquette worthy of him and as was proper, they sat down and

conversed (with him ) on some topics.

 

The king said:

39-45. 'Sir, I wish to ask you one thing. Be pleased to

reply to it. Without the control of my intellect, my mind is

afflicted with sorrow. Though I have lost the kingdom, like an

ignorant man though I know it- I have an attachment to all the

paraphernalia of my kingdom. How is this, O best of sages? And this

merchant has been disowned by this children, wife and servants, and

forsaken by his own people; still he is inordinately affectionate

towards them. Thus both he and I, drawn by attachment towards

objects whose defects we do know, are

exceedingly unhappy. How this happens, then, sir, that though we are

aware of it, this delusion comes? This delusion besets me as well as

him, blinded as we are in respect of discrimination.'

 

Footnote:

[1] Savarni was so called because he was the son of Savarna, Surya's

wife. He became King Suratha in the second (Svarocisa) manvantara.}

 

[2] One cycle of creation is divided into fourteen manvantaras. The

period ruled over by one Manu is called a Manvantara. There are,

therefore, fourteen Manus as follows: Svayambhuva, Svarocisa,

Uttama, Tamasa, Raivata, Caksusa, Vaivasvata, Savarni, Daksha-

savarni, Brahma-savarni, Dharma-savarni, Rudra-savarni, Deva-

savarni, and Indra-savarni. }

 

[3] One of the names of the Divine Mother.

 

 

>From DEVI MAHATMYAM.

Glory of the Divine Mother.

700 Mantras on Sri Durga.

English Translation by Swami Jagadiswarananda.

Sri Ramakrishna Math, 11th Impression.

 

 

Will Continue…

I pray to the Divine Mother to shower HER blessings on those who

read this MAhAtmaya.