Shakti Sadhana Programme for Navarathri [ Day Six ]

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Chapter 4

 

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[a] 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 Prakrti[c] untransformed.

8. 'O Devi, you are Svaha[d] 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[e] in Sacrifices) by people.

9. 'O Devi, you are Bhagavati, the supreme Vidya[f] 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[g] and Yajus hymns, and of Samans, the recital of

whose words is beautiful sith the Udgitha![h] 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[j] 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 een, 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[k] and

with perfumes[l] 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.[m]

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 "Praises by S'akra and others"

of the Devi-mahatmya in Markandeya-purana during the period

of Savarni, the Manu.

Foot Note :

[a] Sattva, rajas and tamas of which the world is made.

Creatrix or Nature. She is both with form and without form and

is termed variously. She is called Prakrti by the followers of

Sankhya, AvidyA by the Vedantins, Power of Words by Grammarians,

Sakti of Siva by Saivaites, VisnumAya by the Vaisnavas, MahAmAya by

the Saktas and Devi by the Pauranikas.

[c] Not subject to the six normal modes of transformation : birth,

existence, growth, change, decay and destructionl; or not yet

evolved into names and forms.

[d] SvAhA is the mantra uttered in sacrifices to the gods.

[e] SvadhA is the mantra uttered in the offering to the manes.

[f] VidyA is the cause of liberation while advidyA is the cause of

bondage.

[g] The Rg Veda, Yajur-vveda and SAma-veda are respectively the

forms of MahAkAlli, MahAlaksmi and MahAsarasvati.

[h] Pranava or OmkAra or the music of the SAman.

Laksmi

[j] PArvati

[k] Name of the flower-garden in heaven

[l] Kumkuma, Aguru, Kasturi, [musk], Candana [sandal] and KarpUra

[camphor] are the five superior perfumes used in ritual worship.

[m] The Devi granted the two prayers of the devas. She is,

therefore, bound by Her promise to extend Her saving grace to us

whenever we call on Her in weal or woe.

>From DEVI MAHATMYAM.

Glory of the Divine Mother.

700 Mantras on Sri Durga.

English Translation by Swami Jagadiswarananda.

Sri Ramakrishna Math, 11th Impression.

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

read this MAhAtmaya.