Shakti Sadhana Programme for Navarathri [ Day Nine ]

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CHAPTER 12 :Eulogy of the Merits

 

The Devi said:

1-2. `And whoever with a concentrated mind shall pray to

me constantly with these, hymns, I shall without doubt put down every

trouble of his.

 

3. `And those who shall laud (the story of) the destruction of Madhu

and Kaitabha, the slaughter Nisumbha likewise.

 

4-5. `And those also who shall listen with devotion to this sublime

poem on my greatness on the eighth, the fourteenth and on the ninth

days of the fortnight with concentrated mind, to them nothing wrong

shall happen, nor calamities that arise from wrong doings nor

poverty and never separation from beloved ones.

 

6. `He shall not experience fear from enemies, or from robbers and

kings, or from weapon, fire and flood.

 

7. `Hence this poem of my greatness must be chanted by men of

concentrated minds an dlistened to always with devotion; for it is

the supreme course of well-being.

 

8. `May this poem of my glories quell all epidemic calamities, as

also the threefold naturral calamities.

 

9. `The place of my sanctuary where this poem os duly chanted

everyday, I will never forsake and there my presence is certain.

 

10. `When sacrifice is offered, during worship, in the fire-ceremony,

and at a great festival, all this poem on my acts must be chanted and

heard.

 

11. `I will accept with love the sacrifice and worship that are made

and the fire-offering that is offered likewise, whethere they are

done with due knowledge (of sacrifice) or not.

 

12-13. `During autumnal seasson, when the great annual worship is

performed, the man hearing this glorification of mine with devotion

shall certainly through my grace, be delivered without doubt from all

troubles and be blessed with riches, grains and children.

 

14. `Hearing this glorification and auspicious appearances of mine,

and my feats of prowess in battles, a man becomes fearless.

 

15. `Enemies perish, welfare accrues and the family rejoices for

those who listen to this glorification of mine.

 

16. `Let one listen to this glorification of mine everywhere, at a

propitiatory ceremony, on seeing a bad dream, and when there is the

great evil influence of planets.

 

17. `(By that means) evil protents subside, as also the unfavourable

influence of planets, and the bad dream seen by men turns into a good

dream.

 

18. `It creates peacefulness in children possessed by the seizes of

children(i.e., evil spirits), and it is the best promoter of

friendship among men when split occurs in their union.

 

19. `It diminishes most effectively the power of all men of evil

ways. Verily demons, goblins, and ogres are destroyed by its mere

chanting.

 

20-30. `This entire glorification of mine draws ( a devotee) very

near to me. And by means of finest cattle, flowers, arghya and

incenses, and by perfumes and lamps, by feeding Brahmanas, by

oblations, by sprinkling(consecrated) water, and by various other

offerings and gifts (if one worships) day and night in a year-the

gratificattion, which is done to me, is attained by listening but

once to this holy story of mine. The chanting and hearing of the

story of my manifestations remove sins, and grant perfect health and

protect one from evil spirits; and when my martial exploit in the

form of the slaughter of the wicked daityas is listened to, men will

have no fear from enemies. And the hymns uttered by you, and those

by the divine sages, and those by Brahma bestow a pious mind. He who

is (lost) on a lonesome spot in a forest, or is surrounded by forest

fire, or who is surrounded by robbers in a desolate sopt, or who is

captured by enemies, or who is pursued by a lion, or tiger, or by

wild elephants in a forest, or who, under the orders of a wrathful

kinng, is sentenced to death, or has been imprisoned, or who is

tossed about in his boat by a tempest in the vast sea, or who is in

the most terrible battle under shower of weapons, or who is amidst

all kinds of dreadful troubles, or who is afflicted with pain - such

a man on remembering this story of mine is saved from his strait.

Through my power, lions etc., robbers and enemies, flee from a

distance from him who remembers this story of mine.'

 

The Rishi said:

31-32. Having spoken thus the adorable Chandika, fierce

in prowess, vanished on that very spot even as the Devas were gazing

one.

 

33. Their foes having been killed, all the devas also were delivered

from fear; all of them resumed their own duties as before and

participated in their shares of sacrifices.

 

34-35. When the exceedingly valourous Sumbha and Nisumbha, the most

fierce foes of devas, who brought ruin on the world, and who were

unparallelled in prowess had been slain by the Devi in battle, the

remaining daityas went away to Patala.

 

36. Thus O King, the adorable Devi, although eternal, incarnating

again and again, protects the world.

 

37. By her this universe is deluded, and it is she who creates this

universe. And when entreated, she bestows supreme knowledge, and whne

propitiated, whe bestows prosperity.

 

38. By her, the Mahakali, who takes the form of the great destroyer

at the end of time, all this cosmic sphere is pervaded.

 

39. She indeed takes the form of the great destroyer at the (proper)

time. She, the unborn, indeed becomes this creation (at the time

proper for re-creation), She herself, the eternal Being, sustains

the beings at (another) time.

 

40. In times of prosperity, she indeed is Lakshmi, who bestows

prosperity in the homes of men; and in times of misfortune, she

herself becomes the goddess of misfortune, and brings about ruin.

 

41. When praised and worshipped with flowers, incense, perfumes,

etc., she bestows wealth and sons, and a mind bent on righteousness

and prosperous life.

 

Here ends the twelfth chapter called `Eulogy of the Merits' of

Devi-mahatmya in the period of Markandya-purana, during the period of

Savarni, the Manu.

 

>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.