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Devi Bhagavatam (Devi
Puranam)
Chapter XXVI
On the narration of the sorrows of Harischandra
1-3. Sūta said :-- The King Harischandra with his face bent low thus said
to the Queen :-- O Young One! I am a great sinner, otherwise why shall I be
ready to do this heinous act! However now sit before me. If my hand be
capable to kill you, then it will cut off your head. Thus saying, the King
took the axe and moved forward to cut her. As the King did not recognise her
as His Queen, so the Queen did not recognise him as Her husband, the King.
So the Queen, being very much strained with sorrow, began to utter with a
view to court her death.
4-16. O Chāndāla! If you like, I say something; hear my son is dead and is
lying close to the outer skirts of the city. Wait till I bring my child
before you and do his burning ceremonies. Next you can cut me off by your
axe. The King said :-- Very well; let that be, and gave her permission to
go to her dead son. Then the Queen, emaciated and pale, her body being
covered all over with dust arrived at the burning ground and taking her dead
son, bitten by a serpent, on her lap cried out loudly O Son! O my Child! O
my young Son! and referring to her husband said :-- O King! See, today,
the sad condition of your son, lying on the ground, as his bed. My son went
to play with other boys and, bitten by a cruel poisonous serpent, left his
life. Hearing the pitiful cry of that helpless woman, the King
Harischandra went to the dead and took off the cover of his face. Due to
the long exile and the difficulties thereof, the Queen was changed
altogether in her outer form, so the King could not recognise her weeping as
his wife. On the other hand the King, too, had not the curled hair on his
head as before; it has turned into matted hair and his skin especially has
become like the bark of a dried tree; so the Queen could not make out the
King also. The King then noticed all the King making auspicious signs on the
several limbs of that dead boy, poisoned all over and lying on the ground
and began to think thus :-- The face of the child is very beautiful like the
Full Moon, nowhere there is any scar nor anything like this; the nose is
high; the two cheeks are clean like a mirror and spacious; the hairs are
blue, curling, similar, long and waving, the two eyes are widely expanded
like a full blown lotus, the two lips are red like Bimba fruits; the chest
is wide and spacious, the eyes are stretched up to the ears; the arms are
extending up to the knees; the shoulders are elevated; the legs are
elongated, yet god-like like a lotus stem; the appearance is grave, the
fingers are fine, yet strong enough to hold the world; the navel is deep and
the region of the shoulders elevated. Certainly this boy was born in a royal
family. Alas! What a pain is this! The cruel Death has reduced him to this
state!
17-21. Sūta said :-- Thus looking carefully that boy in the lap of his
mother from his head to foot, the King Harischandra got back to his ancient
recollections. He recognised the boy to be his and wept aloud repeating the
words Oh! Oh! The tears flowed from his eyes and he said :-- This is my boy
that has been reduced to this state! Oh! The cruel Fate! Though the boy is
dead, yet the King remained bewildered for a moment. The queen then spoke
out of terrible pain :-- O Child! What sin is that which has caused this
dire calamity, I cannot imagine!
22-27. O my Husband! O King! I am extremely worried of pains and troubles;
leaving me thus, how is it and where you are passing away your time in a
calm, quiet state! O Fortune! It is You that has brought about the loss of
the Rājarsi Harischandras dominion, the separation from his friends and
what more, you have caused his wife and son to be sold! Has he done so much
mischief to you! Hearing her cries, the Kings patience gave way and he
came to recognise the Devī and the son and exclaimed, She is my wife and
the dead boy is my son. Oh! What a series of troubles, one coming after
another. Being overpowered with extreme trouble and pain, the King fell
unconscious on the ground; the Queen, too, looking at the Kings state, fell
motionless, and, void of senses, no sooner she recognised him as the King
Harischandra. Some time after, the King and Queen both got back at the same
time their consciousness and, with great sorrow and agony, began to lament.
28-49. The King said :--O Child! Why my heart does not rend to thousand
pieces, seeing today your gentle face pale and lifeless, that was once
beautiful with curls of hairs! O Rohitā! When will you come to me saying in
a sweet voice, Father! Father! When shall I address you affectionately,
Oh my child! Oh my child! embracing you within my breast! Whose tawny
coloured dust on his knees will spoil my clothes, lap and my body! O
Delightful Son! I have sold you as if an ordinary thing, though I am your
father. As yet my pleasure of having a son is not satisfied. Owing to the
mockery of the mean Fate, my unbounded kingdom, friends, and abundance of
riches all have vanished away! Finally I had one son and that too is now in
the jaws of death! Oh! With what an amount of terrible pain I am being burnt
up today when I am seeing the lotus-face of my son, smitten by a serpent and
lying dead on the ground! Thus speaking in a voice choked with feelings and
with tears in his eyes, as soon as he was going to take his boy in his lap,
he fell senseless on the ground. Seeing the King lying on the ground,
Saivyā thus thought :-- Such is His voice as makes me certain that He is
the King Harischandra, the best of men and the delighter of the learned
mens hearts. His teeth are like those of the famous Harischandra just like
to Mukul and his nose is elevated and soft like the Tila flower. But if he
be Harischandra, how is it that he has come to this burning ground! Thus
thinking, while she looked at the King, leaving for the moment the sorrow
for his son, joy, pain and surprise attacked her heart simultaneously; and
she, in that state, fell down unconscious on the ground. Then gradually
regaining consciousness, she spoke in a pitiful voice :-- O Fortune! You
have caused to the King who was once like an Immortal, the loss of his
kingdom, friends, and even the sale of his wife and son. And now you have
transformed him into a Chāndāla! You are merciless, religionless, void of
any justice as to what is just and what is unjust. You are shameless. So fie
on you! O King! Where are gone today that royal umbrella, that throne, that
Chāmara, and that pair of fans on your both sides! Oh! What is this
transformation caused by the Vidhātā (the Ordainer of Fate)! When the high-souled
King used to travel, all the kings used to remove as His servants the dust
of the roads by their clothings! Oh! Is He the same King of Kings,
Harischandra who is roaming in this unholy burning ground, burdened too
much by his load of sufferings! Oh! Innumerable human skulls are lying here;
the small earthen pots (brought for the purification of the bodies of the
dead) are lying scattered close to each; the garlands of flowers for the
dead, being intertwined with the hairs of the dead, are presenting a grim
spectacle! The ashes, charcoals, half-burnt dead bodies, bones, and marrows
all arranged one over another make the place more hideous. The marrows of
the dead bodies have come out and are dried up by the sun. At places,
vultures, and Sakunīs are crying hideously and the crows and other birds,
eager to eat flesh, are roaming to and fro. All the quarters of the sky are
looking blue with the smoke, arising out of the burning of the dead. The
Rāksasas are constantly roaming hither and thither, gladly feasting on the
human flesh. Is the King passing his days thus in this place? Alas! Oh! What
a painful thing is this! The daughter of the King, Saivyā, was overpowered
with an awful sorrow; and clasping the neck of the King, began to lament
again, in a pitiful voice. O King! You have spoken that you are a Chāndāla.
Is this a dream? Or a Reality? O King! If it be true that you are a slave of
the Chāndāla, then say to me; my mind is being deluded very much! (i.e., I
cannot indulge this idea). O Knower of Dharma! You have shown your great
zeal towards Dharma; and, for that reason, you are displaced from your royal
throne! Now if such help comes out of worshipping the Brāhmins and the Devas,
then Dharma cannot stand and, along with it, the truth, simplicity and
harmlessness cannot exist.
50-55. Sūta said :-- Hearing these words from the thin Saivyā, the King
took a heavy sigh and then described to her in detail with tears flowing on
his neck, how he got the Chāndāla state. The fearful Queen became very much
pained to hear all this and heaving a deep sigh, described, as it was, how
her son died. On hearing this, the King fainted and fell unconscious on the
ground. Then regaining gradually his consciousness, he began to kiss, with
his tongue, the face of his dead son. Saivyā then said in a choked voice
:-- Now sever off my head and obey your masters word. O King! You will be
saved then as having kept your truth; and your masters order would be
carried out. Hearing this, the King fainted and fell down senseless.
Getting up conscious in a moment, he began to weep bitterly.
56. The King said :-- O Beloved! How have you uttered such cruel words? How
can I execute that which is hard even to utter!
57-58. Saivyā said :-- O Lord! I have worshipped the Devī Gaurī and other
Devas and the Brāhmins; so, with their mercy, I will get you as my husband
in my future birth. Hearing this, the King again fell down instantly on the
ground; getting up immediately, he was overpowered with sorrow and began to
kiss the face of the dead son.
59-71. The King said :-- O Dear! I wont be able to suffer an longer for a
long time. But, O thin-bodied One! See, I am so very unfortunate that I have
no command even over my heart. If I enter into the fire without the
permission of the Chāndāla, then I will have to become again the slave of a
Chāndāla in my future birth. Think it over. After that I will have to go to
the hell and be tormented there. But this too I find beneficial to me.
Rather I will go to the hell Mahā Raurava and there suffer for a long time
the torments of the hell, yet I do not like to live a little longer when my
boy, the continuer of my family, has left his life out of the queer fancies
of the Great Time and I be merged in the sorrows for my son. My body is now
at the command of the Chāndāla. How can I in this state quit my life without
his permission. If I leave my body, I will be indebted to him and I will
have to suffer in hell. Let this be so; still I will leave off my body, the
receptacle of all these pains and troubles. Nowhere, in the Triloki, is any
pain like that felt in the demise of a son, not in crossing the Vaitaranī
nor in the Asipatravanam! So I will now throw myself on the burning fire
along with the dead body of my son. So, O Thin-bodied One! You should now
excuse me (i.e., do not prevent me). O Sweet-smiling One! I now permit you
to go back to the house of the Brāhmin. If ever I have given in charity
riches, offered oblation to the fire, and given satisfaction to my superiors
then, in the other world, I will get you and my son. But there is no such
chance now in this world. O Sweet-smiling One! If ever I had given you
offence while conversing or making jokes with you, now at the time of my
parting, excuse them all. O Auspicious One! Never despise the Brāhmin out of
your pride as a Queen. Look on your master as a Deva and try all your best
to satisfy him.
72-73. The Queen said :-- O Rājarsi! I will also throw myself on the
burning fire. O Deva! I will not be able to carry on this burden, so I will
accompany You. It is better for me to accompany you; so there will not be
otherwise. O Giver of Honour! I will enjoy with You heaven or suffer with
You in the hell. Hearing this, the King said :-- O Chaste One! Do as you
please.
Here ends the Twenty-sixth Chapter of the Seventh Book on the narration of
the sorrows of Harischandra in the Mahāpurānam S'rī Mad Devī Bhāgavatam, of
18,000 verses, by Maharsi Veda Vyāsa.
Chapter XXVII
On the going of Harischandra to the Heavens
1-7. Sūta said :-- The King Harischandra then prepared the funeral pile and
placed his son on it. Next he and his wife with folded palms merged
themselves in the meditation of the Paramesvarī, the Lady of of the
Universe. That Hundred-eyed is reigning within these five Kosas (or sheaths)
Annamaya, etc. She resides in the sacral plexus of the nature of Brāhman, of
the Purusa composed of Anna and Rasa. And She is the Ocean of Mercy. Wearing
the red robe, She is ever ready with various weapons in Her hands for the
preservation of the Universe. When the King was engaged thus in meditating
on Her, Indra and all the Devas with Dharma in their front came to the King
Harischandra with no delay. They all coming up said to the King :-- O
King! Hear. I am the Grand Sire and here are present Dharma Himself, the
Bhagavān Visnu, the Sādhyas, Visvadevās, Maruts, the Lokapālas, the
Chāranas, the Nāgas, the Gandharbas, Siddhas, Rudras, the twin Asvins, and
all the other Devas and Visvāmitra himself. Visvāmitra, who going ever the
three worlds wishes to make friendship according to the law ordained by
Dharma, is now himself desirous to grant you your desired objects.
8. Dharma said :-- O King! Do not risk such an hazardous undertaking. I am
Dharma; I am satisfied with your patience and forbearance, control of your
senses, and the other Sāttvic qualities and have therefore come to you.
9-10. Indra said :-- O Harischandra! I have also come to you. So your good
fortune knows no bounds today. You with your wife and son have conquered the
Eternal World. O King! What is hardly attainable by any human being, you
have conquered that, by dint of your own merits. So get up to the Heavens
(vibrations of the Fourth-dimensional Space) with your wife and son.
11-16. Sūta said :-- Indra then sprinkled over the dead son on the funeral
piles, the nectar, destroying the fatal effect produced by unnatural death.
At that time big showers of flowers were thrown on him and Dundubhis were
sounded. In the meanwhile, the prince got up from the funeral pile. He got
back his former beautiful body and he looked peaceful, healthy, and greatly
satisfied. Harischandra embraced his son instantly in his bosom; the King
and Queen also both regained their former beautiful appearance at that time
and were decked with clothes and garlands. Their hearts were then deeply
filled with great joy at their getting back their desired object and their
health. Indra then said to the King :-- O Highly Fortunate One! Now ascend
to the Heavens with your son and wife, by dint of your meritorious deeds and
get the holy happy ends of your endeavours.
17. Harischandra said :-- O King of the Devas! The Chāndāla is my master;
so until I get freedom from his bondage, I cannot go to the Heavens without
his permission.
18. Dharma said :-- I am myself that Chāndāla and had assumed that form and
shewed you the city of the Chāndālas. Knowing that you will suffer.
19. What more than this, that I myself am that very Chāndāla, I am that very
Brāhmin and I am that very poisonous serpent who had smitten your boy.
[Note: This is all the one and the same the Fourth Dimensional Space.] Indra
said :-- Harischandra! Now get up, by virtue of your own meritorious deeds
to that place which is highly covetted by all the human beings that exist on
earth.
20-24. Harischandra said :-- O King of the Devas! I bow down to you.
Kindly consider what I say now. All the inhabitants of the city Kosala are
in mourning, due to their being separated from me. How then, can I go to the
Heavens leaving my sorrow-stricken subjects here. To abandon the Bhaktas,
the devotees, is to incur the great sin due to the murder of a Brāhmin, the
killing of a woman, the drinking of liquors and the killing of a cow. O
Indra! It is highly inadvisable to abandon a Bhakta who is always in
service. How can one be happy when one abandons such devotees. So I will not
go to the Heavens without them. You better go back to the Heavens. O Lord of
the Devas! If my subjects can go with me, I am ready to go with them to the
Heavens or to the Hell.
25. Indra said :-- O King! Some of them are more sinful, some are more
meritorious; different grades of people exist there. So, O King! How can you
desire all to go simultaneously to the Heavens.
26-29. Harischandra said :-- O Indra! It is through the power of the
citizens that the Kings enjoy their kingdoms, perform great many sacrifices,
and do many engineering works (in excavating tanks, etc.) There is no doubt
in this. So I, too, have done religious acts and sacrifices through my
citizens help. They gave me all the articles necessary for kings. So how
can I now quit them so that I may get the Heavens. O Lord of the Devas! If
my subjects have no such Punyams as to enable them to go up to the Heavens,
then let the Punyams done by me in giving away charities, in the performance
of sacrifices, and other meritorious works be divided amongst them equally.
If I myself enjoy Svarga for a very long time; but, if by your favour, I
can enjoy with them even one days residence in Svarga for my merits, that
is also superior to me.
30-33. Sūta said :-- Let that be; saying thus Indra, the Lord of the three
worlds, Visvāmitra, and Dharma who were very pleased went immediately to
Ayodhyā from Kāsī by their yogic power. In an instant they reached Ayodhyā,
filled with the Brāhmanas, Ksattriyas, Vaisyas, and Sūdras; and Indra
exclaimed to them all :-- Let all the citizens come before Harischandra,
without any delay. Today they all will go to the Heavens by virtue of the
Punyams of Harischandra. Thus saying, they took all the men to
Harischandra. Then that religious King told his subjects, Let you all now
ascend with me to the Heavens.
34-40. Sūta said :-- Hearing these words of Indra and their King, they all
became very glad. Then those who were engaged in their worldly desires, they
handed over the charge of their worldly concerns to their own sons, gladly
became ready to go up to the Heavens. The high-minded King Harischandra
then installed his son Rohitāsva on the royal throne and permitted him to
go to the beautiful city Ayodhyā, filled with jolly and healthy inhabitants.
Next addressing his son and friends, he took leave of them. Thus, by virtue
of his own good deeds, the King Harischandra attained great celebrity. He
then got up and took his seat in the aerial car that has no equal and that
goes at will. It was beautifully adorned, very rare even to the Devas and
decked with bells emitting jingling Kinkini sounds. The high-souled
Sukrāchārya, versed in the Sāstras and the Guru of the Daityas, seeing,
Harischandra in the Vimāna, spoke thus :--
41. Oh! What is the glorious result of forbearance (Titiksā)! What is the
great fruit of charity! Oh! Due to whose influence, the King Harischandra
today has attained the same region with Mahendra!
42-43. Sūta said :-- Thus I have described to you all the doings of
Harischandra. Any man, oppressed with sorrows and troubles, no doubt,
attains constant happiness, if he hears it. What more than this, those who
want Svarga get Svarga, those who want son get sons, those who want wife
get wife, and those who want kingdoms get their kingdoms by hearing this
incident.
Here ends the twenty-seventh Chapter of the Seventh Book on the going of
Harischandra to the Heavens, in the Mahāpurānam S'rī Mad Devī Bhāgavatam,
of 18,000 verses, by Maharsi Veda Vyāsa.
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Chapter XXVIII
On the glory of the S'ataksi Devī
1-3. Janamejaya said :-- O Risi! Wonderful is the story of the religious
Rājarsi Harischandra that you have described, the great Bhakta of Satāksī
Devī! Why is that auspicious Sivā, the wife of Siva, called Satāksī?
Explain to me, the cause of it, O Muni! And thus make my birth full of use
and success. Who is there amongst the clear-minded that gets fully
satisfied, when he hears the good deeds of the Devī? Each sentence,
describing the good deeds of the Devī, gives the undecaying fruits of
Asvamedha Sacrifice.
4-45. Vyāsa said :-- O King. Hear; I am describing the story of Satāksī
Devī. You are the great devotee of the Devī; so I have nothing that I cannot
say to you. In olden times, there was a great
Dānava named Durgama: he was very cruel. He, the the son of Ruru, was born
in the family of Hiranyāksa. Once be thought within himself thus :-- The
Munis offer oblations by Mantras as ordained in the Vedas. And the Devas,
eating the clarified butter (ghee) of these oblations, get
nurtured and strengthened. The Vedas is the strength of the Devas; if the
Vedas be destroyed, the Devas also would be destroyed. Thus it is advisable
to destroy the Vedas. (There is no other easy way.) Thus thinking, he went
to the Himālayās to perform tapasyā. He began to meditate Brahmā in the
space of his heart, and, taking air only, passed away his time. [Mark here
that all the Devas reside in space, a magnitude of the Fourth Dimension.] He
practised hard tapasyā for one thousand years and the Devas and the Asuras
and all the Lokas were agitated by the power of his Tejas (fiery lustre).
Then the Bhagavān, the four-faced Brahmā, became pleased with him and
mounting on his carrier, the Swan came up there to grant him the boon.
Brahmā told clearly the Demon, sitting in Samādhi with his eyes closed, Let
all be well with you; now ask what you desire? Satisfied with your tapasyā,
I have come to grant you the boon. Hearing thus, the Demon got up from his
Samādhi and worshipping Him duly, said :-- O Lord of the Devas! Give me all
theVedas. O Mahesvara! Let all the Vedic Mantrams, that are found in the
three worlds, with the Brāhmanas and the Devas, come to me and give me such
strength as would enable me to conquer the Devas. Hearing this, the God
Brahmā, the author of the four Vedas, replied, Let it be as you wish, and
went away. From that time, the Brāhmanas forgot all about the Vedas. So
bathing, Sandhyā, daily Homas, Srāddha, sacrifice, and Japam and other
rites and performances, all became extinct. Then a cry of universal distress
arose on the surface of this wide earth; the Brāhmins began to say to each
other :-- How has this happened! How has this come to pass! Now what are we
to do? Where the Vedas have disappeared. Thus when great calamities befell
on the earth, the Devas became gradually weaker and weaker, not getting
their share of the sacrificial Havis. At this time, that Demon invested the
city of Amarāvatī. And the Devas, not being able to fight with the Asura, of
a thunder-like body fled to various directions. They took refuge in the
caves of the mountain Sumeru and the inaccessible passes of the mountain and
began to meditate on the Highest Force, the Great Goddess. O King! When
oblations of clarified butter are offered to the Fire, those get transferred
to the Sun (Sūryaloka) and get transformed as rains. So when the Homa
ceremonies disappeared, there was the scarcity of rain. The earth became
quite dry and not a drop of water was found anywhere. The wells, tanks,
pools, rivers all were dried up. And this state of no rains lasted one
hundred years. Countless people, hundreds and thousands of cows, buffaloes
and other beasts went to the jaws of death. The dead bodies of persons
remained in heaps in every house; persons would not be found to perform
their burning ceremonies. When such calamities were seen, the calm and quiet
body of the Brāhmans, in their earnestness to worship the Supreme Goddess,
went to the Himālayās. They with their whole heart and without taking any
food began to worship the Devī daily with their Samādhi, meditation and
worship. O Mahesānī! Shew mercy on us. O Mother! Its not praiseworthy to
Thee to manifest Thy such anger on us, the low persons and guilty of all
sins. So, O Devesī! Forgive us. If Thou art angry on us for our faults,
even then we may be excused, for Thou art the Internal Ruler within us all
and we do whatever Thou impellest us to do. (The other Devas become pleased
and give fruits when they are worshipped by Japam, and other Homa
ceremonies; but that is not even possible due to the disappearance of the
Vedic Mantrams from amongst us. But You are kind as mothers are towards
their children whenever they remember.) So without Thee, there is no other
rescue for these people. O Mahesvarī! Whatever Thou willest, Thou canst do
that; so what art Thou seeing again and again? O Mahesarī! How can we live
without Water, what is called the Life. Now rescue us from this great
difficulty. O Mother of the Worlds! O Mahesvarī! Be pleased. Oh the Ruler
of the endless crores of Brahmāndas! Obeisance to Thee! We bow down to Thee,
the Unchangeable, of the nature of Intelligence. We again and again make
obeisance to Thee, the Lady of the Universe and realisable by the Vedānta
words (not this, not this). All the sayings of the Vedānta declare Thee, by
negating (not this, not this) other transient objects as the Cause of all
this Universe. We with all our hearts bow down to the Devī. When the body of
the Brāhmanas thus praised and chanted the hymns of Mahesvarī, She created
innumerable eyes within Her body and became visible. Her colour was
dark-blue (colour of the fourth dimension, space) like heaps of collyrium
(eye-paint); eyes like the blue lotuses and expanded; breasts hard,
regularly elevated round and so fleshy that they touched each other; four
handed; with Her right hand, holding arrows; on the under hand holding
lotus; on the upper-left hand holding a great bow and on the lower hand,
carrying vegetables, fruits, flower and roots with abundance of juice,
destroying hunger, thirst and fever. She was the Essence of all Beauty,
lovely, luminous like the thousand Suns, and the ocean of mercy. That
Upholder of the Universe, showed Her form and began to shed waters from Her
eyes. For nine nights continuously, the heavy rains poured down out of the
waters flowing from Her eyes. Seeing the misery of all the people, out of
pity, She showered incessantly tears from Her eyes; and all the people and
medicines were satisfied. What more than this, out of those tears, the
rivers began to flow. The Devas that remained hidden in the mountain caves,
now came out. Then the Brāhmins, united with the Devas, began to praise and
sing hymns to the Devī. Thou art known by the Vedānta Mahāvākyas. We bow
down to Thee. Thou ordained everything to all the worlds by Thy Māyā; so
again and again we bow down to Thee. Our Obeisance to Thee! Who art a Kalpa
tree to the Bhaktas yielding all their desires! Thou assumest the body for
the Bhaktas! Thou art always satisfied; without any equal; the Lord of the
Universe! We bow down to Thee. As Thou, O Devī! hast innumerable eyes only
for our welfare and peace, therefore Thou wilt be called henceforth by the
name Satāksī. O Mother! We are very much hungry; so we have no power to
chant hymns to Thee; therefore, O Mahesvarī? Shew mercy on us and deliver
to us our Vedas.
46-68. Vyāsa said :-- O King! Hearing these words of the Devas and the
Brāhmins, the Auspicious One gave them the vegetables, delicious fruits and
roots to them that were on Her Hand, for their eating. After She was prayed,
She gave to men sufficient quantity of various articles of juicy food and to
the beasts, grass, etc., until new crops came out. O King, from that day She
became famous by the name of Sākambharī (because She nourished all by
vegetables, etc.) Great tumult arose and the Demon Durgama heard all from
the emissaries and started out to fight with his weapons and army. He took
one thousand Aksauhinī armies with him (one Aksauhinī army equals large army
consisting of 21,870 chariots, as many elephants, 65,610 horses, and 109,350
foot) and, shooting arrows, he came quickly before the Devī and invested Her
and the Deva army and the Brāhmins. At this, a great tumultuous uproar arose
and the Devas and the Brāhmins united exclaimed :-- O Devī! Save us; save
us. The Auspicious Devī, then, for the safety of the Devas and the Dvījas
created round them a luminous circle and She Herself remained outside. The
terrible fight, then, ensued between the Devī and the Dānavas. The Sun was
covered with their incessant hurling of arrows; and the shooters could not
shoot accurately on account of the darkness that then prevailed. Then by the
collision of the arrows of both the parties, the arrows caught fire and the
battlefield again became filled with light. The quarters on all aides
resounded with harsh bow sounds and nothing could be heard. At this moment,
came, out of the body of the Devī, the principal Saktis (forces incarnate)
Kālikā, Tārinī, Sodasī, Tripurā, Bhairabī, Kamalā, Bagalā, Mātangī, Tripurā
Sundarī, Kāmāksī, Tulajā Devī, Jambhinī, Mohinī, Chchinnamastā, and ten
thousand armed Guhya Kālīs and others. Thirty-two Saktis, sixty-four
Saktis, and then innumerable Saktis, all armed, came out of the Devī
successively. When the Saktis destroyed one hundred Aksauhinī forces,
Mridangas, conch-shells, lutes and other musical instruments were sounded in
the battle-field. At this time, the enemy of the Devas, Durgama, came in
front and first fought with the Saktis. The fight grew to such a terrible
extent that, within ten days, all the Aksauhinī troops were destroyed. So
much so as the blood of the dead soldiers began to flow in torrents like
rivers. When the fatal eleventh day arrive the Dānava, wearing red clothes
on his waist, red garlands on his neck and annointing his body all over with
red sandal paste, celebrated a very grand festivity and mounted on his
chariot and went out to fight. With the strenuous effort, he defeated all
the Saktis and placed his chariot before the Devī. Then a terrible fight
ensued for two Praharas (six hours). The hearts of all shivered with horror.
At this time, the Devī shot fifteen very awful arrows at the Dānava. His
four horses (Vāhanas) were pierced by Her four arrows; the charioteer was
pierced by one arrow; his two eyes were pierced by two arrows; his arms by
two arrows, his flag by one arrow and his heart was pierced by five arrows.
He then left his body before the Devī, vomitting blood. The vital spirit,
the luminous counterpart, emitting from his body, merged in the space-like
body of the Devī. The three worlds, then, assumed a peaceful appearance when
that greatly powerful Dānava was killed. Then Hari, Hara, Brahmā and the
other Devas began to praise and chant hymns to the World Mother with great
devotion and in voices, choked with feelings.
69-73. The Devas said :-- O Auspicious One! Thou art the only Cause of this
Illusion of this world, presenting an unreal appearance (while Brahmā is the
Only Reality). So Thou art the Lady of all the beings (otherwise why it
would be that Thou hast nourished all the beings with vegetables, etc). So,
Obeisance to Thee, the Sākambharī! Hundred-eyed! O Auspicious One! Thou art
sung in all the Upanisadas; The Destroyer of the Durgama Asura! We bow down
to Thee, the Lord of Māyā, the Dweller in the five sheaths Anna, Rasa, etc.
We meditate upon Thee, the Lady of the universe, as demonstrated by Pranava
Aum, whom the chief Munis meditate with their Nirvikalpa hearts (hearts free
from any Vikalpa, doubts or ignorance). Thou art the Mother of the endless
crores of universe! Thou assumest the Divine Bodies at times for our
welfare! Thou art the Mother of Brahmā, Visnu and others; we bow down to
Thee with all our heart.
p. 692
Thou art the Mother of all; so, out of mercy, Thou hast shed tears from the
hundred eyes, to remove the miseries of the low humble persons. Thou art the
Ruler of all!
74-80. Vyāsa said :-- O King! Thus when Brahmā, Visnu, Hara and the other
Devas praised and chanted various hymns to the Devī and worshipped Her with
various excellent articles, She became instantly pleased. Then the Devī,
graciously pleased, handed over the Vedas to the Brāhmanas. At last, She,
the Cuckoo-voiced, made a special address to them. These Vedas are the
excellent parts of My body. So preserve these with your greatest care. The
more so, when you all have seen with your own eyes what a great calamity
befell on you when these Vedas went away out of your hands! You should all
worship and serve Me (the Controller of the Space) always; there is no other
thing higher than this that I can advise you for your welfare. Read always
these My excellent glorious deeds. I will be pleased thereby and will
destroy all your bad calamities and misfortunes. My name is Durgā, because I
have killed this demon Durgama; so he, who will take My name Durgā and
Satāksī, he will be able to unveil my Māyā and walk freely. No use in
telling more than this that I tell you now, O Devas, the Essence of all
essences :-- Both the Suras and the Asuras would always serve Me and Me,
alone.
81-83. Vyāsa said :-- O King! Thus giving pleasures to the Devas by these
words, the Devī of the nature of Existence, Intelligence and Bliss
disappeared before them. O King! This Grand Mystery I have described to you
in detail; but this is the source of good to all; so keep it secret with
every care. The person that hears daily with great devotion this Chapter,
gets all that he wants and at last gets the worship in the Devī Loka.
Here ends the Twenty-eighth Chapter of the Seventh Book on the glory of the
S'ataksi Devī in the Mahāpurānam Srī Mad Devī Bhāgavatam, of 18,000 verses,
by Maharsi Veda Vyāsa.
Chapter XXIX
On the birth of the Bhagavatī in the house of Daksa
1-19. Vyāsa said :-- O King! Thus I have described the glory of the Devī.
Now I will narrate, as far as I can, the excellent lives of the kings of the
the Solar and the Lunar dynasties respectively. They all attained their
excellent glories, simply because they were favoured by the Grace of the
Highest Sakti; they were all the great devotees of the Supreme Deity. All
their prowess, bravery, prosperity and all their glory, know that those all
were derived from the mere parts of the Parā Sakti. O King! Those Kings and
others as well were able to out off the Tree of this World by the Axe of
their Knowledge, simply because they were the devotees of the Parā Sakti.
So with all the care possible, the Lady of the Universe is to be worshipped
and served. Men should avoid worshipping any other gods, as people avoid the
husk to get the grain inside. O King! By churning the ocean of the Vedas, I
have got the jewel as the lotus-feet of the Parā Sakti; and I think that I
have discharged all my duties and think myself satisfied and successful.
Brahmā, Visnu Rudra, and Isvara are the four feet and Sadā Siva is the
plank overhead; thus these five form the seat on which the Devī is seated.
There is no other deity superior to Her. To show this (to the ordinary
ignorant people) the Mahā Devī has taken this seat composed of the five
Brahmā, Visnu, Rudra, Isvara and Sadā Siva. Superior to these five, what
is stated in the Vedas as Vyaktam and in which all this Universe is sewn, as
it were, crosswise and lengthwise, lying in and through, that is
Bhuvanesvarī, the Goddess of the Universe.
[Note: Brahmā, Visnu, Rudra, Isvara and Sadā Siva are the Regents or the
presiding Deities of earth, water, fire, air and Ākāsa]. No man can be free
unless he until the Goddess. When men will be able to encircle the Ākāsa,
of the fourth dimension, as if it were an antelope skin, then they will be
able to root out the miseries of the world, without knowing the nature of
the Devī (i.e., impossible). Thus the Svetāsvataropanisada says :-- Those
that were engaged in meditation, Dhyāna Yoga, they saw the Devī covered by
the Gunas Sāttva, Rājas and Tāmas and the forces incarnate respectively of
the several Devas. So to make the human birth a success, first avoid all
companies, be it out of shame, or fear, or devotion, or out of love; then
bring the mind and keep it steady in your heart and then be devoted to Her
and consider Her as the Supreme. This is the Vedānta Dindima (the
declaration of the Vedānta). Whoever takes the name of the Devī, either in
sleeping, going or resting or in any other condition, he is certainly freed
from the bondage of the world, no doubt. O King! So worship the Māhesvarī
with all the care that you can. Go on step by step; first worship Her Virāt
Rūpa (cosmic form); then Sūksma Rūpa (subtle form) and then her Antaryāmī
Rūpa (inner form, ruling within). Thus when your heart is purified, worship
the Parā Sakti, of the nature of Brahmā, beyond this Māyā, this Prapancha
Ullāsa, of the nature of Existence, Intelligence and Bliss. When the Chitta
(heart) melts in Parā Sakti, then comes the real Ārādhanā (the real
worship). So dilute your heart in Her. O King! Thus I have described to you
the sanctifying deeds of the extremely devoted kings of the Parā Sakti, who
were noble minded and religious. One who will hear this will acquire fame,
dharma, intelligence, good end, and merits that have no equal. Now what else
do you like to hear?
20-22. Janamejaya said :-- O Bhagavān! In olden times, the World mother
Parā Sakti handed over Gaurī to Hara, Laksmī to Hari, and Sarasvatī to
Brahmā, born of the lotus from the navel of Hari. Now I hear that Gaurī is
the daughter of Himālayā as well of Daksa; and Mahā Laksmī is the daughter
of the Ksiroda ocean (ocean of milk). They were all originated from the
Prime Devī; how, then, Gaurī and Laksmī came to be the daughters of others?
O great Muni! This is next to impossible; so my doubt arises. O Bhagavān!
You are quite competent to cut off all my doubts; so by your axe of
knowledge, cut off my present doubt.
23-44. Veda Vyāsa said :-- O King! Hear. I am telling you this wonderful
secret. You are greatly devoted to the Devī; so nothing there can be that I
cannot disclose to you. Since the time the Great Mother gave over to Hara,
Hari and Brahmā, Gaurī, Laksmī and and Sarasvatī, respectively, these three
Devas, Hara, etc. were performing their tasks, preserving, etc. O King! Once
on a time, certain Dānavas, named Halāhalas were born. In time, they became
very powerful and in a short time conquered the three worlds. What more than
this, that they being elated with the boon granted to them by Brahmā, took
their forces and invested the Mount Kailāsa and the Vaikuntha regions!
Seeing this, Mahā Deva and Visnu both made preparations for war. A terrible
fight ensued between both the parties. For sixty thousand years the battle
lasted incessantly but the result was stalemate. Gradually there was a great
cry of consternation in the two parties. When Siva and Visnu with great
effort destroyed the Dānavas. O King! Siva and Visnu then returned to their
own houses and began to brag of their powers before their own Saktis Gaurī
and Laksmī; whereas the Demons were killed on account of the Saktis of
Gaurī and Laksmī. Seeing them boast, Gaurī and Laksmī laughed not sincerely
whereon the two gods were very much angry. They under the magic spell of the
Prime Māyā insulted them and even used offensive languages. Gaurī and Laksmī
quitted them and disappeared. A great uproar then arose in the worlds.
Both Hari and Hara became lustreless due to their insulting the two Saktis.
They become powerless and unconscious and turned out mad. Seeing this Brahmā
became very anxious. Hari and Hara are the two chief Deities; how then these
two have become unable to perform the actions of the world! What is the
cause? Why this calamity has sprung up out of season? Will there be a
Pralaya (a general dissolution) of the world out of some offence, when no
actions are being done! I know nothing about this. So how can I find a
remedy! Being thus very distressed, he began to meditate with his eyes
closed in the fourth dimensional space in the heart. O King! The Lotus born
Brahmā then found out by his meditation that this calamity was brought about
by the great wrath of the Parā Sakti. He then tried to find out the remedy
until Hari and Hara did not regain the former natural position. Brahmā began
by his own Sakti to carry on the functions of them both, viz., that of
preservation and destruction for some time. The religious-minded Prajāpati
quickly called his son Manu and Sanaka, etc., the Risis, for bringing peace
on the two great Gods! When they came to him, the great ascetic four-faced
Brahmā told them :-- I am now busy with many more works; so I am unable
carry on my tapasyā? By the wrath of the Highest Force, Hari and Hara have
become somewhat distracted; so for the satisfaction of the Parā S'akti I am
performing the three functions, i.e., those of Creation, Preservation and
Destruction. So you both practise this hard tapasyā with the greatest
devotion and bring about Her satisfaction. O sons! Do such as Hari and Hara
gain their former states and then be united with their own Saktis
respectively. Your fame will increase thereby, no doubt. Rather that family
where the two Saktis will take their birth, will purify the whole world and
that man himself will be crowned with success.
45. Vyāsa said :-- O King! The pure-hearted Daksa and other mind-born sons
of Brahmā, hearing the words of the Grandsire expressed their desire to
worship the Parā Sakti and went to the forest.
Here ends the Twenty-ninth Chapter of the Seventh Book on birth of the
Bhagavatī in the house of Daksa in the Mahāpurānam S'rī Mad Devī Bhāgavatam,
of 18,000 verses, by Maharsi Veda Vyāsa.
Chapter XXX
On the birth of Gaurī, the seats of the Deity, and the distraction of Siva
1-12. Vyāsa said :--O King! They went to the forest and fixed their seats on
the slope of the Himālayān mountain and engaged themselves in repeating
silently the seed Mantra of Mahā Māyā and thus practised their austerities.
O King! One hundred thousand years passed in the meditation of the Parā
Sakti. The Devī, pleased, became visible to them. Her form was three-eyed,
and of the form of Existence, Intelligence and Bliss (Sachhidānanda); She
was filled with mercy. In Her one hand there was the noose, in another hand,
goad; in another hand there was the sign bidding her devotees discard all
fear, and in the other hand She was ready to offer boons. The good-natured
Munis, seeing this Form of the World Mother began to praise Her. O Devī!
Thou art existing separately in every gross body; we bow down to Thee. Thou
art existing wholly (cosmically) in all the gross bodies; we bow down to
Thee. O Paramesvarī! Thou art existing separately in every subtle body; we
bow down to Thee; Thou art existing universally in all the subtle bodies; we
bow down to Thee, Thou art existing separately in all the causal bodies
wherein all the Linga Dehas (subtle bodies) are interwoven; we bow down to
Thee. Thou art existing universally in all the causal bodies; we bow down to
Thee. Thou art of the nature of the unchangeable Brahmā, the receptacle of
all the Jīvas and thus residest in all the bodies; so we bow down to Thee.
Thou art of the nature of Ātman, the Goal of all the beings; we bow again
and spin to Thee. Thus the pure-natured Daksa and the other Munis praised
Her with voice, choked with feelings of intense devotion and bowed down to
Her feet. Then the Devī, pleased, spoke to them in a cuckoo voice. O Highly
Fortunate Ones! I am ever ready to grant boons; so ask what you desire. O
King! Hearing thus, they asked that Hari and Hara both regain their former
natural states and be united respectively with their Saktis, Laksmī and
Gaurī. Daksa again asked :-- O Devī! Let your birth be in my family. O
Mother! I will, no doubt, consider myself as having then realised the
fulfilment of my life. So, O Paramesvarī! Speak by Thy own mouth how Thy
worship, Japam, meditation will be conducted as well the various fit places
where they would be performed.
13-16. The Devī said :-- The insult shown towards my Saktis has led to
this calamitous state of Hari and Hara. So they should not repeat such
crime. Now, by My favour, they will regain their health and, of the two
Saktis, one will be born in your family and the other will take Her birth
in the Ksiroda Sāgara, the ocean of milk. Hari and Hara will get back their
Saktis, when I will send them the chief Mantra. The chief Mantra of Mine is
the said Mantra of Māyā; this is always sweet to Me; so worship this Mantra
and make Japam of this. The Form that you are seeing before you, this is My
Bhuvanesvarī form (that of the Goddess of the Universe), or worship My
Virāt (cosmic) form; or Sachchidānanda form. The whole world is my place of
worship; so you can meditate on Me and worship Me always and in all places.
17-23. Vyāsa said :-- When the Bhuvanesvarī Devī living in the Mani Dvīpa
thus giving Her reply, went away, Daksa and other Munis all went to Brahmā
and informed him with great earnestness of everything that happened. O King!
Thus Hari and Hara both became devoid of their haughtiness and got back
their previous natures by the Grace of the Supreme Deity and were thus
enabled to perform their functions as before. Then, on a certain time, the
Devī Bhagavatī, the Fiery Nature of the Parā Sakti, took Her birth in the
house of the Prajāpati Daksa. O King! Everywhere in the Trilokas, great
festivities were held. All the Devas became glad and showered flowers. The
Dundubhis of the Devas were sounded by the hands and made very grave sounds.
The pure-minded saints were gladdened; the Suns rays looked purer and
cleaner; the rivers were elated with joy and began to flow in their
channels. When the World-auspicious Devī, the Destroyer of the birth and
death of the Jīvas took Her birth, everything looked propitious. The wise
Munis named Her Satī as She was of the nature of Parā Brahmā and Truth
Herself. The Prajāpati Daksa handed over the Devī, who was before the Sakti
of Mahādeva, to that Deva of the Devas, Mahādeva. Due to the misfortune of
Daksa, the daughter of Daksa burnt Herself in a blazing fire.
24-25. Janamejaya said :-- O Munis! You have made me now hear a very
inauspicious word. How can such a great thing of the nature of the Highest
Intelligence come to be burnt up in a fire! The mere recollecting of Whose
Name dispels the terrible danger of the burning up by the fire of Samsāra,
how can She be burnt up by fire, I am extremely eager to hear; kindly
describe that to me in detail.
26-37. Vyāsa said :-- O King! Hear. I am describing to you the ancient
history of the burning of Satī. Once on a time, the famous Risi Durvāsā went
to the bank of the river Jambū and saw the Devī there. There he remained
with his senses controlled and began to repeat silently the root Mantra of
Māyā. Then the Goddess of the Immortals, the Bhagavatī was pleased and gave
the Muni a beautiful garland as Her Prasāda that was on Her neck, that
emitted the sweet fragrance of Makaranda (juice of flowers; Jasamine).
Whereon the bees were about to cluster. The Maharsi took it quickly and
placed it on his head. He then hurriedly went to see the Mother to the place
where Satīs Father, the Prajāpati Daksa was staying and bowed down to the
feet of the Satī. The Prajāpati then asked him :-- O Lord! Whose
extraordinary garland is this? How have you got this enchanting garland,
rare to the mortals on this earth! The eloquent Maharsi Durvāsā then spoke
to him with tears of love flowing from his eyes :-- O Prajāpati! I have got
this beautiful garland that has no equal, as the Prasāda (favour) of the
Devī. The Prajāpati asked that garland then from him. He, too, thinking
that there was nothing in the three worlds that cannot be given to the
devotee of the Sakti, gave that garland to the Prajāpati. He took that on
his head; then placed it on the nice bed that was prepared in the bed-room
of the couple. Being excited by the sweet fragrant smell of that garland in
the night, the Prajāpati engaged in a sexual intercourse! O King! Due to
that animal action, the bitter enmity arose in his mind towards Sankara and
His Satī. He then began to abuse Siva. O King! For that offence, the Satī
resolved to quit her body that was born of Daksa, to preserve the prestige
of the Sanātan Darma of devotion to Her Husband and burnt Her body by the
fire arising out of Yoga.
38. Janamejaya said :-- O Muni! What did Mahā Deva do, thus pained by the
bereavement from His consort dearer than His life, when the Satīs body was
thus consumed.
39-50. Vyāsa said :-- O King! I am unable to describe what happened
afterwards. O King! Out of the fire of anger of Siva, the Pralaya seemed to
threaten the three worlds. Vīrabhadra came into existence with hosts of
Bhadra Kālīs, ready to destroy the three worlds. Brahmā and the other Devas
took refuge to Sankara. Though Mahādeva lost everything on Satīs
departure, He, the Ocean of Mercy, destroyed the sacrifice of Daksa, cut off
his head and instead placed the head of a goat, brought him back to life and
thus made the Gods free from all fears. He, the Deva of the Devas, then
became very much distressed and going to the place of sacrifice, began to
weep in great sorrow. He saw that the body of the Intelligent Satī was being
burnt in the fire of the Chitā. He cried aloud :-- Oh my Satī! Oh My Satī!
And taking Her body on His neck, began to roam in different countries, like
a mad man. Seeing that, Brahmā and the other Devas became very anxious and
Bhagavān Visnu cut off the body to pieces by His arrows. Wherever the parts
fell, Sankara remained there in so many different forms. He then said to
the Devas :-- Whoever will worship, with deep devotion in these places, the
Bhagavatī, will have nothing left unattained. The Highest Mother will remain
close to them there. The persons that will make Purascharana (the
repetition) of the Mantrams, especially the Māyā Vīja (the root Mantra of
Māyā), their Mantrams will become, no doubt, fructified and become
incarnate. O King! Thus saying, the Mahādeva, being very much distressed for
Satīs departure, passed His time in those places, making Japam, Dhyānam and
taking to Samādhi.
51-52. Janamejaya said :-- Where, in what places the several parts of the
Satī fell? What are the names of those Siddhapīthas? And what is their
number? Kindly describe these in detail, O Great Muni! No doubt I will
highly consider myself blessed by hearing these words from your blessed
mouth.
53-102. Vyāsa said :-- O King! I will now describe those Pīthas (Sacred
places), the mere hearing of which destroys all the sins of men. Hear. I
describe duly those places where the persons desiring to get lordly powers
and to attain success ought to worship and meditate on the Devī. O Mahārāja!
The face of Gaurī fell in Kāsī; She is well known there by the name
Visālāksī; that which fell in Naimisāranya became known by the name of
Linga Dhārinī. This Mahā Māyā is known in Prayāg (Allahabad) by the name of
Lalitā Devī; in Gandha Mādan, by the name of Kāmukī; in the southern Mānasa,
by Kumudā; in the northern Mānasa, by Visvakāmā, the Yielder of all desires;
in Gomanta, by Gomatī and in the mountain of Mandara, She became known by
the name of Kāmachārinī. The Devī is known in Chaitraratha, by the name of
of Madotkatā; in Hastināpura, by Jayantī; in Kānyakubja by the name of Gaurī;
in the Malaya Mountain, by Rambhā; in the Ekāmrapītha, by Kīrtimatī, in
Visve, by the name of Visvesvarī; in Puskara, by the name of Puruhūtā.
She is known as Sanmārga Dāyinī in the Kedāra Pītha; as Mandā, in the top of
the Himālayās; and as Bhadrakarnikā in Gokarna. She is known as Bhavānī in
Sthanesvara, as Vilvapatrikā in Vilvake; as Mādhavi in Srīsaila; as
Bhadrā in Bhadresvara. She is known as Jarā in Varāha Saila; as Kamalā in
Kamalālaya; as Rudranī in Rudra Kotī; as Kālī in Kālanjara; She is known as
Mahā Devī in Sālagrāma, as Jalapriyā in Sivalingam; as Kapilā in
Mahālingam, as Mukutesvarī in Mākota. As Kumarī in Māyāpurī, as Lalitāmbikā
in Santānā; as Mangalā in Gayā Ksetra, as Vimalā in Purusottama. As
Utpalāksī in Sahasrāksa; as Mahotpalā in Hiranyāksa; as Amoghāksī in the
Vipāsā river; as Pātalā in Pundra Vardhana. As Nārāyanī in Supārsva, as
Rudra Sundarī in Trikūta; as Vipulā Devī in Vipulā; as Kalyānī in
Malayāchala. As Ekavīrā, in Sahyādri; as Chandrikā in Harischandra; as
Ramanā in Rāma Tīrtha; as Mrigāvatī in the Yamunā. As Kotivī in Kotatīrtha;
as Sugandhā in Mādhavavana; as Trisandhyā in the Godāvarī; as Ratipriyā in
Gangādvāra. As Subhānandā in Siva Kundam, as Nandinī in Devīkātata; as
Rukminī in Dvāravatī; as Rādhā in Brindāvana. As Devakī in Mathurā; as
Paramesvarī in Pātāla; as Sītā in Chitrakuta; as Vindhyādhivāsinī in the
Vindhyā range. O King! As Mahālaksmī in the sacred place of Karavīra, as Umā
Devī in Vināyaka; as Ārogyā in Vaidyānātha; as Mahesvarī in Mahākāla, as
Abhayā in all the Usna tīrthas, as Nitambā in the Vindhyā mountain; as
Māndavī in Māndavya; as Svāhā in Māhesvarīpūra. As Prachandā in Chhagalanda,
as Chandikā in Amarakantaka; as Varārohā in Somesvara; as Puskarāvatī in
Prabhāsa. As Devamātā in Sarasvatī; as Parāvārā in Samudrtata; as Mahābhāgā
in Mahālayā, as Pingalesvarī in Payosnī. As Simhikā in Kritasaucha; as
Atisānkārī in Kārtika; as Lolā in Utpalāvartaka; as Subhadrā in S'ona
Sangam. As the Mother Laksmī in Siddhavana; as Anangā in Bhāratāsrama; as
Visvamukhī in Jālandhara; as Tārā in the Kiskindhya mountain. As Pustī in
Devadāru Vana; as Medhā in Kāsmīramandalam; as Bhīmā in Himādri; as Tustīi
in Visvesvara Ksetra. As Suddhī in Kapālamochana; as Mātā in Kāyāvarohana;
as Dharā in Sankhoddhāra; as Dhritī in Pindāraka; as Kalā in Chandrabhāgā
river; as Sivadhārinī in Achchoda; as Amritā in Venā; as Urvasī in Vadarī.
As medicines in Uttara Kuru; as Kusodakā in Kusadvīpa; as Manmathā in
Hemakūta; as Satyavādinī in Kumuda. As Vandanīyā in Asvattha; as Nidhi in
the Vaisravanālaya; as Gāyatrī in the mouth of the Vedas; as Pārvatī near
to Siva. As Indrāni in the Devalokas; as Sarasvatī in the face of Brahmā;
as Prabhā (lustre) in the Solar disc; as Vaisnavī with the Mātrikās. She is
celebrated as Arundhatī amongst the Satīs, the chaste women and as Tilottamā
in the midst of the Rāmās. Again this Mahādevī of the nature of the Great
Intelligence (Samvid) is always existent in the form of Sakti named
Brahmakalā in the hearts of all the embodied beings. O Janamejaya! Thus I
have mentioned to you the one hundred and eight pīthas (sacred places or
seats of the Deity) and as many Devīs. Thus are mentioned all the seats of
the Devīs and along with that, the chief places in India (the world). He who
hears these excellent one hundred and eight names of the Devī as well as Her
seats, gets himself freed from all sins and goes to the Loka of the Devī. O
Janamejaya! His heart gets purified and is rendered blessed, no doubt, who
duly makes jātrā (sojourn) to all these seats of the Deity, performs
Srāddhas, offers peace-offerings to the Pitris and worships with the
highest devotion the Goddess and asks frequently the pardon of the World
Mother. O King! After worship, one should feed the Brāhmanas, well dressed
virgins (Kumārīs) and Vatukas with good eatables. All the tribes whether
they be Chāndālas, know them all to be of the nature of the Devī and
therefore they should be worshipped. Never one is to accept any donation or
gifts (Pratigrahas) in these seats of the Devī. The saintly persons should
make Purascharanas (repeat the names of their own deities, attended with
burnt offerings, oblations, etc.) of their own Mantrams with all their might
in all these places and should never be miserly in their expenses on this
account. He who starts to these sacred places, with devoted hearts filled
with love, finds his Pitris in the higher and greater Brahmā Loka for one
thousand Kalpas and he gets the highest knowledge, crosses the ocean of the
world and becomes free. Many a people have attained success by repeating
these one hundred and eight names of the Deity. Any place wherein are kept
those names, embodied in a book, becomes free from such dangers as plague,
cholera or any misapprehensions from planetary Deities and so forth. Nothing
remains to be attained by these persons who repeat these one hundred and
eight names. That man, devoted to the Devī, certainly attains blessedness.
That saintly person becomes of the nature of the Devī. The Devas bow down
and worship him when they behold him! What then need be said that the saints
would worship him! The Pitris become pleased and get their good ends when
these one hundred and eight names are read with devotion. These places are,
as it were, Intelligence personified (Chinmaya) and places ready to yield
freedom from bondage. Therefore, O King! Intelligent men should take their
shelter in these places. O King! Whatever secrets and other deeper secrets
about the Great Goddess you asked to know from me, I described to you. What
more do you want to hear. Say.
Here ends the Thirtieth Chapter of the Seventh Book on the birth of Gaurī,
the seats of the Deity, and the distraction of Siva in the Mahāpurānam Srī
Mad Devī Bhāgavatam, of 18,000 verses, by Maharsi Veda Vyāsa.
Note :-- The number one hundred and eight is a holy number, got by taking
the half of 216,000, the number of breaths inhaled by a child in the womb
who promises to take the name of God at his every breath or by taking
one-eighth of 864,000, the number of seconds in a day. The two zeros are
then dropped. Thus the number signifies the one who fulfils ones promise.
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