On the death of S’umbha [ p. 461 ] 1. Vyâsa said :— O King! S’umbha, the Lord of the Daityas, hearing the words of the soldiers, began to say, then, with eyes rolling with anger.
2-15. S’umbha said :— “O Fools! What are you saying all this? How can I do this unspeakably mean act and then hope to live? How shall I be able to roam in this world when I have become the cause the slaying of my brothers and ministers? Time is the more powerful cause of all that takes place, good or bad; so when this formless Time is the Supreme Ruler, what use is there in my brooding over the result? Let whatever come that is inevitable, let whatever be done that is destined to take place; death or life, I do not think of either. The more so when Time is never able, even when worshipped, to thwart off death or life when their proper moment arrives. See! The God of rain gives us rain in the rainy season; but, it is seen that sometimes it does not rain in the month of S’râvan (the rainy season); whereas it rains sometimes in the month Agrahâyana, Pausa, Mâgha, or Phâlguna (not the rainy season). Therefore it is evident that Time is not the chief factor. Fate is stronger than Time; Time is merely the instrumental cause. It is this Fate that has created all this universe; it cannot be rendered otherwise. I consider Fate Supreme; Fie on this one’s own exertion! For, Lo! Nis’umbha, who had before conquered all the Devas, is slain today by an ordinary woman! Alas!
[ p. 462 ]
When Raktabîja, too, had been slain, how can I desire to hold on to my life, foregoing all my name and fame! Even Brahmâ, who has created all this universe, will not sooner come to an end than his longevity expires. Four thousand Yugas constitute one day of Brahmâ; and in that one day fourteen Indras perished; so twice the life of Brahmâ constitute the life of Visnu; similarly twice the life period of Visnu constitute the life period of Mahes’a; and when their longevities expire, they come to an end. This visible earth, mountains, sun and moon all will perish; so it has been specially ordained by the Destiny; therefore, O Fools! I do not care a bit for the death. When a being is born, he must die; and when anyone dies, he will be born again, there is no doubt in this. So one ought to preserve one’s name and fame which is more permanent in this transitory body. Prepare my chariot; I will go today to the battlefield; let victory or defeat come what it may, as Fate has ordained. I will soon go to fight.”
16-33. Thus saying, S’umbha mounted on the chariot quickly and went where the Devî Ambikâ was staying. Then the four-fold army, cavalry, infantry, chariots, horses and elephants and innumerable soldiers, followed him with weapons in their hands. Going there to the Himâlayâ mountain, he saw the Divine Mother sitting on Her Lion. She appeared so very lovely as to enchant the three worlds. Her body was decorated with various ornaments, all the auspicious gems were manifest; the Devas, Gandarbhas, Yaksas and Kinnaras in the heavens were all worshipping Her with hymns and Pârijâta flowers; and the Devî was making beautiful sounds with bells and conches, indicative of Her victory. Seeing Her S’umbha was very much enchanted with passionate love and struck with, the five arrows of cupid, thought thus :— How wonderful is Her lovely countenance! See! How wonderful and amazing is Her skilfulness! Delicacy and capability to endure the hardships of war, though quite contrary to each other, are both in Her. What a wonder is this! Her bodies are extremely delicate and limbs are lean and thin; besides She is lately blooming into womanhood; still She does not feel any passion; this is undoubtedly very wonderful! She is exquisitely beautiful that can be desired of in one’s mind; and though She is endowed with all the auspicious signs, yet She has no inclinations for all the pleasures and allurements of the world and is now slaying the powerful Asuras; this is wonderful indeed! Now what steps are to be taken so that this Lady comes under my control? All the Mantrams also are not with me now to bring over this Swan-eyed Lady unto me. This proud lovely Lady is the incarnate of all Mantrams; how will She come under my control? This heroic Lady cannot be controlled by conciliatory words, allurements, dissensions; it is not advisable, too, to fly away from the battlefield and to [ p. 463 ] go to Pâtâla. What am I to do? Where shall I go in this critical moment? And if I die at the hands of this Lady, that death is not a glorious one; it will take away my fame. The death in a battlefield is conducive to one’s well being, so the sages say, when both the parties are equally strong. The Devas have created this Lady stronger than even hundred strong men; She is a woman merely in name. This Lady is very powerful and has come here to destroy the Dânavas; there is no doubt in this. What effect will conciliatory words now produce on Her; She has come to slay us; Will She be appeased with good words? Neither will allurements of precious things be of any avail, for She is decked with various arms and weapons; nor will it be of any use to sow dissensions between the Devas and Her. Further all the Devas are under Her control. Therefore it is far better to die than to fly; victory or death would come unto me today as Fate has ordained.
34-46. Vyâsa said :— O King! Thus thinking in his mind, S’umbha became ready to shew his strength; and firmly resolved to fight, he said to the Devî before him :— Devî! Fight. But, O One of delicate limbs! Thy so much toil is in vain. Thou hast no sense at all; for Thou art doing contrary to the doings of woman-kind. The pair of eyes of women are their arrows; the eyebrows are their bows; their gestures and postures are their weapons and their hits are those persons who are skilled in amorous love sentiments. The dyes used in painting the bodies are their armours, their mental desires are their chariots, so sweet soft words and conversations are their trumpet sounds; women have no other things for their war preparations. Therefore, O Beloved! Any other weapons are mere mockeries and ridiculous; their modesty is their ornament; impudence can never grace them. An exquisitely beautiful woman, if engaged in a fight will look harsh; especially when Thou wilt draw Thy bow, how wilt Thou be able to hide Thy breasts? When Thou wilt run with Thy club, where will Thy gentle treadings go? O Beautiful! Thy councillors are this Kâlikâ and the stupid Châmundâ. Chandikâ is Thy adviser; her voice is very hoarse; how can then she be able to nurse Thee? Again this Lion, the terror of all the beings, is Thy carrier. Therefore, O Dear! Leave aside all these and come over unto me. O Beautiful One! That Thou art ringing Thy bells and dost not sound. Thy lute goes quite against Thy beauty and youth. O Sensitive One! If Thou likest to fight, better assume an ugly appearance, let Thy nature be ferocious and cruel; let Thy colour be black like a crow; lips elongated, legs long, nails ugly, teeth horrible, and let Thy eyes be ugly or yellow like those of a cat. O Devî! Assume such an ugly appearance and stand firmly for the fight. O Deer-eyed One! Speak first harsh words [ p. 464 ] unto me; then I will fight with Thee; my hand does not get up to strike Thee with handsome teeth, in the battlefield, Who art like a second Rati.
47. Vyâsa said :— O Best of the descendants of Bhârata! When S’umbha said thus, the Divine Mother, seeing him passionate, smiled and said :—
48-50. O Stupid One! Why are you so much distressed with passion? O Fool! If your hand does not come forward to strike weapons at Me, then fight with this ugly Kâlikâ or Châmundâ; they are your best compeers in the battlefield; they will fight with you; I will stand as a mere Witness. Thus saying, the Devî Bhagavatî said to Kâlikâ, in sweet words :— “O Kâlikâ! Your nature is fierce; this S’umbha likes also the fierce; so kill him.”
51-69. Vyâsa said :— O King! That Kâlikâ, the incarnate of Death, thus ordered, took up Her club immediately and became ready to fight, as if sent there direct by the God of Death. A dreadful fight then ensued between the two; and the highsouled Munis and the Devas were present there and witnessed the great event. S’umbha first struck at Kâlikâ, raising his club. Kâlikâ, then, struck S’umbha in return with her club violently. Instantly she made a dreadful sound, broke down his chariot, glittering like gold, into pieces, killed the horses of the chariot and slew the charioteer. Walking, then, on foot with a very heavy club in his hand, S’umbha struck with great anger on the breast of Kâlikâ and began to laugh. Kâlikâ, in the meanwhile, rendering his stroke useless, soon took up Her axe and cut off his left hand, pasted with sandal and decked with arms and weapons. His left hand thus out off, his whole body was drenched with torrents of blood; yet he came up with club in his hand and struck Kâlikâ with it. Kâlikâ, too, laughed and with Her scimitar cut off his right arm holding the club and ornamented with armlet. S’umbha became angry and came up violently to kick Her when Kâlikâ quickly cut off his two legs. His arms and legs thus severed from his body, the Demon frightened Kâlikâ and told Her, “Wait, wait.” And soon he came up before Her. Seeing the Demon coming, Kâlikâ severed his neck from his body like a lotus; blood began to gush out in continuous streams. O King! The head of S’umbha, thus severed from his body, fell on the ground like a mountain. Immediately the life left the body. Seeing the Dânava fall down lifeless, Indra and the other hosts of Devas began to worship the Devî Bhagavatî, Châmundâ, and Kâlikâ and chanted lovely hymns to them. The winds then began to blow pleasantly; all the quarters looked very clear and Fire in sacrificial altars, being circumambulated, became very propitious. On the other hand, those Daityas that remained alive quitted [ p. 465 ] their arms and weapons, bowed down to the Divine Mother, and fled away one and all to the Pâtâla. O King! I have now described in regular order to you how the Devî protected the Devas and destroyed S’umbha and other Asuras. Those human beings on the surface of the earth that read this anecdote from the beginning to the very end or hear it constantly, get all their desires fulfilled; there is no doubt in this. O King! Verily he gets a son who has not got any son; he gets abundance of wealth who is without any wealth; the diseased become cured of their diseases; what more can be said than the fact that he who hears this glorious deed of the Devî in its entirety, gets all that he desires. O King! That man who reads daily this holy anecdote or hears it, has never to fear from his enemies; in addition be gets liberation after leaving his this body.
Here ends the Thirty-first Chapter of the Fifth Book on the death of S’umbha in the Mahâ Purânam S’rî Mad Devî Bhâgavatam of 18,000 verses by Maharsi Veda Vyâsa.
On the King Suratha’s going to the forest [ p. 465 ] 1-4. Janamejaya said :— O Best of Munis! The glory of Chandikâ has been fully described by you. By whom was She worshipped in the ancient times after the reading and hearing of Her three glorious deeds (the killing of Madhu Kaitava, etc.)? Who was it that derived the best effects by worshipping the Devî, the Bestower of all desires? When and with whom was She pleased and then offered boons? O Ocean of mercy! Kindly narrate fully all these things to me. O Brâhmana! Describe to me also the rules how the meditation, worship and Homa of the Great Devî are conducted. Sûta said :— “O Risis! Krisna Dvaipâyana, the son of Satyavatî, was very glad to hear these questions of Janamejaya and began to describe how the worship, etc., of the Mahâ Mâyâ, the Devî Bhagavatî are to be done.”
5-21. Vyâsa said :— O King! In days of yore in Svârochisa Manvantara there was a king, named Suratha, very liberal-minded and devoted to govern well his subjects. He was truthful, active and energetic, and devoted to his Guru; he always served the twice-born and he never used to hold any sexual intercourse except with his legal wife. He was generous, not liking to quarrel with anybody, and expert in the science of archery. While he was thus governing his kingdom, the Mlechchas, the hill tribes, turned out his enemies. They destroyed the city of Kolâ, became very haughty and turbulent and desired to conquer the whole earth by their sheer force. Thus accompanied by the great four-fold army [ p. 466 ] elephants, chariots, cavalry and infantry they came to conquer the dominion of the King Suratha. A dreadful fight then ensued between the King and the dreadful Mlechchas. O King! The Mlechcha forces were not at all numerous whereas the armies of the king were large; still the Mlechchas were lucky to win the battle. The King, defeated, fled to his own city which was a strongly fortified place. The good King, wise in statesmanship when he saw that his ministers had gone over to the enemies’ party, became very anxious and thought whether it was advisable for him to wait for a better opportunity, remaining within his own extensive city, well guarded by a strong wall and ditch or it would be better to fight on. The King thought also that it would not at all be advisable to consult with his ministers who were, then, under the control of his enemies; what then would he do under the circumstances? Those vicious ministers could at any time deliver him to the hands of his enemies; what would then happen to him! Those men, that are avaricious, can do anything in this world; therefore it would never be advisable to trust them. The people under the sway of greed commit injury to their fathers, brothers, friends, acquaintances, their Gurus and the adored Brâhmanas. When the ministers had joined with his enemies, they could well be classed with the vicious; no doubt in this. Never could they be trusted under the above circumstances. Thus pondering over the matter, the King became absent-minded, and, finding no remedy, went out of the city alone, mounted on a horse. The intelligent King, helpless, entered into a dense forest and thought where would he go now? Knowing, then, that there was, at a distance of three Yojanas from that place, a hermitage of the great ascetic the Sumedhâ Risi, the King went there. (N.B. :— A Yojana is a distance measuring four Krosas or eight or nine miles.)
22-33. O King! That hermitage was more beautiful than even the Heavens; it was on the bank of a river; various kinds of trees were there; it was frequented with wild animals having no enmity with each other; the whole place was echoed with the sounds of cuckoos. The students were studying and reverberating the atmosphere with their Vedic chants; hundreds of herds of deers were running there; rice trees had grown there wildly at places and their harvests were collected at places; good flowery trees and others with delicious fruits were seen there; at places fragrant smells of oblations of ghee, etc., were coming; all these were delighting to any man who went or stayed there. The King Suratha was very glad to see that Âs’rama; he became fearless and wanted to stay there in the hermitage of the Brâhmin. Fastening his horse at the root of a tree, the King approached humbly to the Risi, and saw that the [ p. 467 ] Muni was seated on a deer skin under the shade of dense Sâl trees. He was peaceful, lean and thin by tapasyâ. His stature was straight; and he was teaching his disciples and explaining to them the meaning of the Veda S’âstras.
He was void of anger, greed, etc., beyond all the dualities, without any jealousy, always devoted to the contemplation of his Self, truthful and full of peace. Seeing him the King was filled with tears and prostrated before him and fell like a stick before him. The Muni, seeing him thus asked him to get up and enquired about his welfare. A disciple then at the sign of the Guru, gave him a Kus’âsan, to take his seat. The King got up and at his permission took his seat on that kus’âsan; the the Muni worshipped the King duly by offering to him water to wash his feet, and Arghya (an offer of green grass, rice, etc). Then the Muni asked him, “Who are you? What for are you come here? Why are you so anxious? Tell frankly all these that are not yet known to me. What do you want? Speak out your mind. Even if that be impracticable, I will no doubt try my best to accomplish your desired ends.”
34-36. The King said :— “O Muni! I am the King Suratha; defeated by my enemy, I have left my kingdom, palace, and wife and have come to your refuge. O Brâhmana! I am ready to do whatever you order me; on this surface of the earth there is no one but you who can protect me. Now I am very much terrified by my enemy; therefore I have come to you. O Muni! You protect those who come to seek your refuge; I have now come here to seek your shelter; so save me from this danger.”
37-38. The Maharsi said :— “O King! Stay here without any fear; none of your enemies would be able to enter this hermitage by my power of Tapasyâ, even if they be very powerful. O Best of Kings! You will not be allowed to kill any animals here; you will have to sustain yourself on this wild rice, roots and fruits, etc., as the rules of the forest living permit.”
39-48. Vyâsa said :— Thus hearing his words, the King began to live there, with all purity and without any fear, on roots and fruits. Once the King, while taking rest under the shade of a tree, while thinking of various things, thought of his own house thus :— “My enemies have, no doubt acquired my kingdom, but they are vicious and wicked, shameless Mlechchas and always addicted to sinful deeds; certainly they are tormenting my subjects. My elephants and horses are not regularly getting their food and have all become powerless; certainly they are suffering very much from my enemies. All the servants that were nourished by me before are now all suffering from troubles, having been subjected by my enemies. The wicked enemies are certainly squandering away my hoarded [ p. 468 ] wealth to bad immoral purposes, in gambling, drinking and in revelling with prostitutes. Those Mlechchas and my ministers are always intent on vicious acts; they do not know who are the proper persons to be given charities; so they will no doubt exhaust away my coffers in doing sinful acts.” While the King was thus meditating, seated at the root of a tree, there came one man of the Vais’ya caste looking very distressed. The King saw and instantly bade him take his seat beside him; then the King asked the Vais’ya :— “O Noble One! Of what caste are you? Whence are you coming to this forest? What is your name? What for you look so pale and distressed? What calamity has befallen to you? O Good One! Two persons become friends whenever they speak seven words amongst them; according to this rule I am your friend; tell me, therefore, truly all these things.”
49. Vyâsa said :— The Vais’ya, hearing these words from the King, took his seat and felt himself much relieved and thinking that he has met with a saint, began to speak thus :—
50-52. O my Friend! I belong to the Vais’ya caste; my name is Samâdhi; I was rich, never I had any jealousy towards anybody; always I used to speak truth and was devoted to religious acts. My wife and sons are very greedy of money and are irreligious; so they cut off all their affections and connections with me, very difficult to cut though, and have driven me out of the house on the pretext that I am very miserly. Thus forsaken by my relatives, I have now come to this forest. You look to be a fortunate man; therefore kindly, O Dear One! give me now your introduction and oblige.
53-55. The King said :— I am the King Suratha; lately I had a defeat from the dacoits; moreover my ministers deceived me; consequently I am deprived of my kingdom and have now come here. O Best of Vais’yas! Fortunately you have come to me today as my friend. We two will repose here gladly in this beautiful forest covered with trees. O Intelligent One! Now quit your sorrow; be calm and quiet and rest with me, at your leisure, here happily.
56-58. The Vais’ya said :— O King! My friends and relatives must have been helpless, very sorrowful and they are distressed at my absence; they must have been troubled very much by diseases and misfortunes no doubt and have become very anxious. O King! I cannot remain quiet; my mind is being troubled with the thought how my wife and sons are spending their times now in pain or happiness? I am always thinking when I would see again my sons, wife, relatives, friends, acquaintances and my house? I cannot make me calm and quiet. [ p. 469 ] 59-60. The King said :— O Intelligent One! What pleasure can you expect to see your wicked sons and treacherous relatives who have driven you out of your house? Even the enemies are far better, provided they do good to us; what sorts of friends are they who impose on us afflictions and sorrows. Do you, therefore, make your mind calm and quiet and remain here in greatest peace and happiness.
61. The Vais’ya said :— O King! Even those that are wicked and cruel cannot quit their relatives. Today my mind is greatly agitated with the thought of my relatives; I cannot remain quiet.
62. The King said :— My mind too, is incessantly troubled with the thought of my kingdom. Come; let both of us go to the Muni and ask him what is the medicine for the cure of these our mental agonies.
63-64. Vyâsa said :— O King! Thus making their determinations, they went humbly to the Muni to ask him what were the causes of their sorrows? The King then went close to him and bowing down before him, took his seat and began to ask calmly and quietly the Muni who was sitting calm and serene.
Here ends the Thirty-second Chapter of the Fifth Book on the King Suratha’s going to the forest in the Mahâpurânam, S’rî Mad Devî Bhâgavatam of 18,000 verses by Maharsi Veda Vyâsa.
On the description of the greatness of the Devî [ p. 469 ] 1-8. The king Suratha said :— “O Muni! This Vais’ya is now become a friend of mine in this forest; he has been expelled from his home by his sons and wife and he has come lately here in this forest. He is now suffering very much from the bereavement of his family and has become very much troubled in his mind. He is not getting any peace whatsoever. I am also become like him and have become very distressed owing to my kingdom being robbed away. This thought, though really devoid of any substantial cause, is not leaving my heart now. Oh! My elephants and horses, now under my enemies, have become weak; My servants are suffering very much owing to my absence! My enemies will, within no time squander away forcibly all my hoarded riches. This thought is not giving me any happiness; nay, I cannot get any sleep owing to this care and anxiety. O Lord! I know that this world is false as a dream; yet my mind is so deluded that I cannot make me quiet. Who am I? What are those horses and elephants to me? They are not my brothers, sons, nor friends; yet I feel very much for them and am troubled with [ p. 470 ] their troubles. O Muni! I know these all are delusions; still I am not able to make my mind free from them. This is very wonderful indeed! What is the cause of all this? O Lord! Nothing is veiled from your sight, you are fully able to solve all these doubts. Therefore, O Ocean of mercy! Kindly explain to me and this Vais’ya the cause of all this delusion.”
9. Vyâsa said :— O King! When the King Suratha asked thus, the Muni in reply said to him the following words, full of wisdom, so that his delusion and sorrow might vanish.
10-25. The Muni said :— “O King! I am telling you the cause of bondage as well the cause of release of all the beings in this Universe. She is known as Mahâ Mâyâ. She is the Mûla Prakriti, the state of equilibrium of the three Gunas, Sâttva, Râjas and Tâmas. Even Brahmâ, Visnu, Mahes’vara, Indra, Varuna, Vâyu, and the other Devas, Gandarbhas, Nagas, Râksasas, men, deer, animals, birds, trees and various kinds of creepers all are under Mâyâ; thus they are all bound; again they all get release when they are released by that Mâyâ. By Her is created all this world, moving and not moving, all the beings are caught in Her net and all are under the control of Her. You are a Ksattriya; so Râjoguna preponderates in you and your heart is thus rendered impure. She, by Her Mâyâ, deludes even the minds of those who are Jñânins or wise; you are but an ordinary man compared to them. Even Brahmâ, Visnu and Mahes’a, though possessed of vast wisdom, still roam, under the sway of Mâyâ, in the three worlds completely deluded by their attachments to the sensual objects. O King! In the Satya Yuga, in ancient times Visnu Nârâyana himself performed a very hard tapasyâ in S’vetadvîpa. He passed away full ten thousand years in meditation, with the object of attaining the unbroken everlasting Bliss and becoming steadfastly attached to Brahmâ Vidyâ. O King! Brahmâ, too, became engaged in performing a tapasyâ, meditating the Primordial Force, Âdyâ S’akti, in a very wonderful solitary place for the cessation of delusion. Once on a time Vâsudeva Hari wanted to go to another place; he got up and started to see other places. Brahmâ, also, left his place and started for another destination. When they met each other in their way, each one asked the other, “Who are you?” The Prajâpati answered :— “I am the Creator Brahmâ.” Hearing thus the Brahmâ’s words, Visnu said :— “O You Stupid! I am Achyuta Visnu; therefore I am the Creator of this world. You are inferior to Me as there is so much of Râjoguna in preponderance in you. Know Me as the eternal Vâsudeva, preponderating in Sâttva Guna. Do you not remember that I fought a dreadful battle for you and thus saved your life a short while ago, I slew the two Dânavas Madhu and Kaitava [ p. 471 ] when you were much distressed by them and took My refuge. How then do you boast now! O Fool! Quit your this vain boasting now. In this wide world, there is none superior to Me.”
26-31. The Risi said :— Thus engaged in disputing with each other, their lips were quivering with anger and their eyes got red. When, Behold! there appeared suddenly between those two disputants, a nectar-like white phallic emblem (Lingam), wonderfully long and extensive. Then a voice, from without anybody, broke out in the Heavens and addressed Brahmâ and Visnu who were quarrelling thus! Whoever amongst you will be able to go to the other end of this Lingam whether beyond its top or below its bottom, he is certainly the superior of you two; let one of you therefore go down to Pâtâla and let the other go up to the Heavens. Leave off your useless disputations and take my word as proof. It is always advisable to select an umpire to decide such a quarrel as this that has sprung up between you two.
32-39. The Risi said :— O King! Hearing thus the divine word, both of them became ready and began energetically to measure the length of the wonderful Lingam that stood in front of them. Visnu went down to Pâtâla and Brahmâ went up to Âkâs’a to measure the Lingam and thus to ascertain their superiority. Going down some distance Visnu got tired and doing his best, when he could not find out the end of the Lingam, he returned and remained at the desired meeting place. On the other hand, Brahmâ was ascending to the skies when he got one Ketakî flower dropping from the head of the Lingam. He became over glad and returned also to the desired meeting place. Brahmâ became very much elated with vanity and when he returned, he at once showed that flower to Visnu and spoke thus the false words :— “O Visnu! This Ketakî flower has been obtained from the head of the Lingam. I have brought this to you simply that you would recognise it and be convinced in your heart.” Hearing these words of Brahmâ, Visnu saw the Ketakî flower and said :— “O Brahmâ! Who is your witness in this matter? He whose words are true, who is equal to all, who is intelligent, pure, and always of good conduct, he can be the witness in such matters of dispute.”
40-44. Brahmâ said :— “Who will come now as witness from that far off place? This Ketakî flower is the witness; this will give evidence.” Thus saying, Brahmâ requested Ketakî to give evidence; Ketakî soon replied thus to convince Visnu. O Visnu! I was on the head of Mahâdeva; Brahmâ has brought me from there down to this place; you ought not therefore to have any doubt on this point. My word is the evidence; Brahmâ has gone to the other end of the Lingam. Some devotee [ p. 472 ] of S’iva put me on His head and Brahmâ has got me down from there. Hearing thus the words of Ketakî, Visnu was very much astonished and said this :— “I cannot trust your word; if Mahâ Deva comes and speaks this Himself, then I can trust and take it as a proof.”
45-53. The Risi said :— O King! The eternal Mahâ Deva, hearing the words of Visnu, spoke thus to Ketakî with great anger, “O Liar! Do not utter such false words; You dropped down from My head and Brahmâ while ascending up, picked you up on the way. Now as you have told a lie, I will never take you; you are henceforth forsaken by Me.” Brahmâ was then very much put to shame; he bowed down to Visnu; Mahâ Deva, forsook the Ketakî flower from that date. O King! Such is the power of Mâyâ; when Brahmâ, Visnu and other wise persons are so self-deluded by Her, what need to speak of other ordinary mortals! See! Visnu, the Lord of Laksmî, is self-deluded and is always deceiving the Daityas for the welfare of the Devas, without any fear whatsoever of the sin that he is thereby incurring. Though He is the Lord of all yet He has to take several incarnations in several wombs, forsaking the pleasures of the Heavens and fighting with the Daityas. O King! Visnu is omniscient and He is the Lord of this world; specially He is the only One, Supreme in the creation of the Gods. Now when Mâyâ exercises such a powerful influence on Visnu, what wonder is there that the other ordinary beings would be deluded by Her? O King! That Highest Prakriti draws away violently the hearts of the wise and drags them down into the ocean of world. That Omnipresent Bhagavatî is ever the cause of bondage of all when She casts Her net of delusion and She is again ever the cause of liberation when She imparts Her knowledge to them.
54. The King said :— O Brâhman! What is the nature of Her? and what is the Supreme Force? What is the Cause of this creation? And where is Her highest place? Kindly narrate all these to me.
55-66. The Risi said :— O King! She is beginningless; therefore She had no origin at any time; that Highest Devî is Eternal and She is always the Cause of all Causes. (How then can any other be powerful like Her). O King! She resides in all the beings as the essential vital Force; deprived of that Force, every being is reduced to a dead carcass. She is pervading as the Universal Force of Consciousness in all the beings. The form of this S’akti (Force) is the form made up of consciousness itself, the Brahmâ. (For the force of Fire is Fire itself; it is not seen in any other form). Her appearances and disappearances at times are simply for serving the purposes of the Gods. O King! Whenever the Devas and men worship Her, Ambikâ makes Her appearance visible to destroy their pains and sufferings. She assumes various [ p. 473 ] forms and possesses various powers. That Highest Îs’varî comes down of Her free will to serve Her some purpose or other. She is not like the Devas, under the control of Daiva or Fate; She is not under the influence of Time (as both Fate and Time are created by Her). She puts always every being to action according to his capacity. Purusa is not the Doer; He is simply the Witness. This whole Universe is the object seen. That Devî is the Mother of all this that is witnessed. She is the Manifested and She is the Unmanifested and She is the Effect also. She alone is the Actress and manifests thus the world and thus gives the colouring to the Purusa. When the Purusa is coloured thus, She destroys quickly these worlds. It is said that Brahmâ, Visnu and Mahes’a are respectively the Creator, Preserver and Destroyer of the world; but this is merely a statement; really they are merely instruments in Her hands. Bhagavatî has created them in reality for Her Pastime and stationed them in their respective posts. She has bestowed to them Her part manifestations, i.e., Sarasvatî to Brahmâ, Laksmî to Visnu, and Girijâ to Mahes’a and has thus rendered them more powerful. They, the lords of the Devas, always meditate and worship Her as the Creatrix, Preservrix and Destructrix of this Universe. O King! I have thus described to you, as far as my intelligence and knowledge go, the holy greatness and the excellent glory of Her (in reality, I have not been able to come to the end of it).
“Aim Hrîm Klîm Châmundâyai bichche” is the (9) nine lettered mantra.
Here ends the Thirty-third Chapter of the Fifth Book on the description of the greatness of the Devî in S’rî Mad Devî Bhâgavatam, the Mahâ Purânam, of 18,000 verses by Maharsi Veda Vyâsa.
On the methods of the worship of the Devî [ p. 473 ] 1. The King said :— O Bhagavân! Kindly narrate to me in detail now the methods how to serve and worship the Goddess and the Mantrams that are used on such occasions.
2-12. The Risi said :— O King! I am now describing the method how to worship the Goddess. Hear. This leads to the fulfilment of all desires, to the liberation from one’s bondage, to self-realisation and to the destruction of all miseries. The worshipper has to perform his bath; then putting on a white cloth, he will have to perform his Vaidik and Tântrik Sandhyâ; then he should, with his heart controlled, perform his Âchamana ceremony and select a good auspicious site for his own Poojâ purposes. Next he should plaster the site with cow-dung and spread his sacred carpet (Âsana) whereon he is to take his seat with a cheerful mind and sip water for Âchamana three times. Then he is to collect the articles for worship according to [ p. 474 ] his best capacity and place them duly in their respective positions. He is to perform Prânâyâma (regulate his breath); and then follows the Bhuta-S’uddhi, the purification of the old and the formation of the celestial body and Jîva-S’uddhi by which the Sâdhaka becomes the Devatâ-maya; he then proceeds to Mâtrikâ Nyâsa (i.e., setting mentally in their several places in the six Chakras and then externally by physical action the letters of the alphabet which form the different parts of the body of the Devatâ. He then places his hand on different parts of his body, uttering distinctly at the same time the appropriate Mâtrikâ for that part).
Bhuta-S’uddhi :— Dissolve earth into water, water into fire, fire into air, air into ether; ether into Ahamkâra, Ahamkâra into Mahat and Mahat into Prakriti, the final Cause. This process is called Bhuta-S’uddhi.
He is to mention then the time, date, tithi, and month of the year and make his Sankalpa; then he will have to assign to the different parts of his body the Mâtrikâ Mantrams duly as well as his own Mantram; next he is to meditate in his own body the seat of the different Devatâs and do the internal worship. He is to breathe life into the Deity outside to be worshipped as well as within himself to be meditated and worshipped; then he is to do the same with the articles for worship and purify them by sprinkling with water and Astra or Phat Mantram, thus removing all sources of obstacles that are likely to interfere with the act. Next, on an auspicious copper plate, he is to draw inside a six-angled (hexagonal) figure (two triangles crossing each other with their vertices one upward and the other below) with white sandal paste or with eight perfumed things and outside this figure, an octagonal figure of eight petals; outside this he is to draw the boundary lines that is called the Bhûpura. On each of the eight petals he is to write each letter of the nine-lettered Vîja (Seed) Mantram and the ninth letter in the central ovum. Next by the Mantram by which breath is infused or by the Vedic Mantram he will have to place the Yantra in the proper position and then worship the Âdhâra S’akti (the vital Force) in the central ovum and the holy seat with the Pîtha Mantrams. He will have to invoke the Devî, uttering the Seed Mantram over a golden plate or figure and carefully worship Her by offering seats and other articles duly as enunciated in the Yâmala Tântras, etc. Then he will have to perform the six-fold worship of the Ganas in the six angles and worship Indra, etc., and Vajra and others in the Bhûpura (the boundary) and thus finish the Poojâ of the Yantra. (For the Poojâ see the Prapancha Sâra.) Note :— Bhûpura is what is thought over outside front or in the beginning. Here the Gana Devatâs are first thought over and worshipped. Worship outside, worship inside and See the Deity in and out, everywhere and be free is the motto of the worship. In the absence of the Yantra, one [ p. 475 ] will have to make a metalled image of Bhagavatî and worship Her with the greatest caution with the Mantras as expounded by S’iva in the Tantrams (of Jâmalâ and others). Note :— Yantra is that which restrains. This human body is the Yantra. And its imitation is placed outside in various shapes and figures. The Yantra is the mystical diagram used by the devotees for worship. Or one may use the Vaidik Mantrams in worshipping the Deity in accordance with the prescribed rules and with his mind controlled; then, merged in meditation, one is to mutter silently (perform the Japam of) the nine-lettered Mantram. (The Mantram is Krîm Daksine Kâlike Svâhâ). Japam (muttering or repeating silently the Mantram) is of two kinds :— Nitya (daily) and Pauras’charanik (repetition of the name of the deity accompanied with burnt offerings). In the Nitya Japam, Nitya Homas are performed and in the occasional Pauras’charanik Japam, one tenth of this is offerred; Abhiseka, too, is one-tenth of this Homa; Tarpanam is one-tenth of Abhiseka and the feeding of the Brâhmanas is one-tenth of what is done in the Tarpanam. O King! Thus completing the Japam one is to read daily the Chandî (do the Chandîpâtha) where the three glorious deeds of the Devî are narrated; next he will have to allow the Deity invoked to depart to Her own place. The Navarâtra Vrata (nine night vow) is next to be observed according to the proper rites and ceremonies. Hrîm Mahisa Mardinyai Svâhâ is the Mantra.
13-31. In the bright fortnight of the month of Âsvin or Chaitra, is to be observed the fasting of the Navarâtra by those who desire for their own welfare. Homas are to be offered, many in number, and Mantrams are to be recited, the same as in one’s own Mantram, good Pâyasam with sugar, ghee, and honey mixed is to be offered in this ceremony. Goat meat, or holy leaves of the Bel tree, or red Karavîr flowers or til (sesamum seed) mixed with honey can be used instead in the Homa ceremony. The special days for the worship of the Devî are the eighth, ninth, or fourteenth day (tithi) of the half month. The feeding of the Brâhmins must be done on each occasion. O King! Thus the poor become wealthy, the diseased get cured, and the persons that have no issue get obedient and well qualified sons. The King, expelled from his kingdom, gets back by the grace of Mahâ Mâyâ, dominion over the whole earth and becomes able to destroy all those enemies of his, by whom he was before vanquished, when he worships the Devî. The persons, desirous of learning, get undoubtedly the learning honourable and auspicious, provided he worships the Devî with his senses restrained. Persons of all castes, Brâhmins, Ksatriyas, Vais’yas or S’ûdras can become masters of all pleasures and happiness provided they worship with devotion the Devî, the Preserver of the World (the Jagaddhâtrî). A man or woman whoever [ p. 476 ] performs the Navarâtra vow always full of devotion, gets all the desired fruits. Whoever celebrates the holy Navarâtra ceremony in the bright fortnight of the month of Âs’vin with his heart full of the thought of the Devî, gets all his desired fruits. O King! Now I am describing the rites and ceremonies; here a square raised platform or altar is to be made according to the prescribed rules; a water-jar is then to be placed on it with the Vedic mantrams and due rites and ceremonies. One will have to make a beautiful Yantra according to the previously laid rules and the water-jar is to be placed on it; then spread the beautiful Yava grains all around the jar. An awning or pandal is to be erected over the altar and the place of worship, and the site is to be decorated with flowers. Lights and Dhûpas, incense and perfumes are then to be used in the hall of the Chandikâ Devî. O King! The Devî is to be worshipped thrice; morning, midday and evening; no miserliness is to be shown in spending wealth for this purpose. Light, dhûp, good presents of rice and other edibles, flowers, and fruits of various kinds are to be offered in this worship of the Devî; the chanting of the hymns of the Vedas, songs, and music with the various instruments are to be done and a grand festivity is to be made. Moreover, note this carefully that virgins are to be worshipped duly with sandal, ornaments, clothings, various edibles, sweet scented oil, and beautiful garlands. (This worship of the virgins is one of the essentials.) Thus completing the worship of the Devî, Homa is to be done duly with Mantrams and other necessary articles on the eighth or the ninth tithi. Lastly the Brâhmins are to be fed duly; then the worshipper is to take his first meal after fasting (i.e., make pâranam) on the tenth day; then presents and various articles are to be offered to the Brâhmin, according to one’s might and with devotion.
32-44. O King! Any man, or any chaste married woman or a chaste widow whoever performs thus the Navarâtra Vrata gets in this world all the desired fruits and enjoys all sorts of enjoyments and gets unbounded happiness and after death goes to the highest place. And if, owing to some cause or other, he has to take his birth again in this world, he would be born in an excellent family and would become endowed with good conduct and qualifications and get the unflinching devotion towards the Ambikâ Devî. O King! I have thus described to you the rules of the Navarâtra ceremony; this vow is the best of all; highest and greatest pleasures and happinesses are obtained in worshipping thus the auspicious Mahâ Mâyâ. O King! Better worship Chandikâ duly according to the prescribed rules; then you would be able, by Her grace, to conquer all your enemies and you will regain your excellent dominion, unshaken by any, and you will get again the highest pleasure and happiness when you [ p. 477 ] will be reunited with your wife and sons in your own palace; there is no doubt in this. O Vais’ya! You, too, better worship the same Mahâ Mayâ, the Goddess of the Universe, worshipping Whom leads to the fructification of all desires. You will then be able to regain all your worldly pleasures in your own home and be respected by your relatives and acquaintances and finally, after your death, you will go to the holy abode of the Devî. There is no doubt in this. Those that do not worship the Devî, go to Naraka or hell; moreover they suffer much from various diseases in this world. Those that do not worship the Devî are always defeated by their enemies, are void of wife and sons, become stupid and suffer pains from their unsatisfied desires. And those that worship the Preservrix of this world with the Bel leaves, Karavîra flowers, S’atapatra and Champaka flowers, that blessed man, devoted to the Devî, gets filled with all sorts of enjoyments. O King! What more can I say than this, that those who have worshipped the Devî Bhavânî with the Mantrams approved by the Nigama S’âstras, those very persons get honour in this world and are filled with all sorts of power and wealth. Verily, they stand foremost in the rank of best men, becoming the only repositories of all the best qualities in this world.
Here ends the Thirty-fourth Chapter of the Fifth Book on the methods of the worship of the Devî in S’rî Mad Devî Bhâgavatam, the Mahâ Purânam of 18,000 verses by Maharsi Veda Vyâsa.
On the receiving of the boons by the King Suratha and the Vais’ya Samâdhi [ p. 477 ] 1-12. Vyâsa said :— O King! Hearing thus the Risi’s words, the king Suratha and Vais’ya, who were very distressed in their minds, became very much comforted and bowed down to the Muni with great humility and modesty. Their eyes expressed their gladness and their hearts were filled with loving devotion. Both of them, then, clever in speaking and of calm and quiet temper, began to address him with their folded hands. O Bhagavân! We were passing our days in a very humble and distressed spot; we are today purified by your good words, just as the country was rendered pure by Bhagîratha when he brought down the river Ganges here. The saints, adorned with purely good qualities, are incessantly engaged in doing good to others and how the people can be made happy. O Intelligent One! Surely we have come to this auspicious Âs’rama owing to our past good deeds (in previous births) and all our miseries are therefore brought to their ends today. There are good many persons that roam in this world for their selfish ends; very few there exist like you who are always ready to do good to others. O Muni! True that I am very much distressed [ p. 478 ] but this Vais’ya is more distressed than me. Both of us, very much afflicted by the miseries of the world, have come gladly to your Âs’rama and are relieved of our bodily sufferings by your sight; and now, hearing your words, we are relieved also of our mental pain and sufferings. O Brâhmana! We are very much blessed and our objects have been gained by your nectar-like words; O Thou, the Ocean of mercy! You have purified us, out of your unbounded mercy. We are quite tired of this world; knowing this, do you lead us beyond this world by holding our hands and by initiating us with Mantrams. O Best of Munis! We will first of all practise a very hard Tapasyâ (asceticism) and worship Bhagavatî, the Awarder of happiness; then, seeing Her, we will go to our respective abodes. Now we expect the nine-lettered Mantram of the Devî from your mouth and practising the Navarâtra varam we will fast and meditate on the Mantram.
[Note :— The nine-lettered Mantram is “Om Mahisamardinyai Svâhâ.” Instead of Om, any of the following may be used :— Hrîm, Klîm, Aim, Strîm, or Hûm mentioned in Sâradâ Tilaka, Nârâyanî Tantra, or in Vis’vasâra Tantra (see page 125 of Tantra Sâra ).]
13-30. Vyâsa said :— O King! When the king and Vais’ya prayed thus to the Muni Sumedha, the best of the Munis, gave them the auspicious Mantram with its seed (Vîja) and as well what is to be meditated (Dhyân). On getting the Mantram (with Risi, Chhanda, seed S’akti, and Devatâ) duly, they welcomed the Muni and with his permission went to the holy bank of a river. Both of them were of delicate frames and both of them were fully determined; they went to a very solitary place and selected their place and took their seats there. There they spent one month in repeating silently the Mantram and in chanting the three glorious deeds of Chandî. In this short period of one month, they became very much attached to the lotus-feet of Bhavânî and their minds were also much pacified. They attended to no other business; only they used to go to the Muni once a day and bowing down before him they returned to their own seats of Kus’a grass and gave themselves up to the meditation of the Devî and always repeated silently their Mantrams. O King! One year thus passed away; they then abstained from taking fruits and subsisted on the leaves of trees. Thus engaged in meditation and asceticism they passed away another year sustaining themselves with dry leaves only. O King! When the two years thus passed, they got in their dreams the beautiful vision of the Goddess Bhagavatî. They were very much delighted to see in their dreams the Ambikâ Devî in red robes and decorated with various ornaments. They practised tapasyâ in the third year with water as [ p. 479 ] their only food. Thus when they found that, after practising the tapas for three years, they could not see face to face the Devî they became very anxious to see the Devî and thought thus :— “When we have not been so fortunate as to see the Devî, Who art the Bestower of peace and happiness to the human beings, we will then leave our bodies, in deep distress and sorrow!” Thus thinking, the King prepared a beautiful triangular Kunda (pit), firm and of one hand measure. Lighting a fire in that pit, the King began to cut off slices of flesh from his own body and offered them as oblations to the fire. The Vais’ya, too, then did the same. O King! Both of them were very much excited and began to offer their blood as oblation to the Devî. The Devî Bhagavatî, then, seeing them thus grieved, and that their hearts were over flown with devotion towards Her, appeared direct before them and said thus :—
31-32. O King! You are my favourite devotees; I am pleased with your Tapasyâ; now ask whatever you desire; I will grant you that boon. Then She spoke to the Vais’ya :— “O Highly Fortunate One! I am pleased; ask without any delay any boon; I will grant that just now.”
33-52. Vyâsa said :— O King! Hearing thus the words of the Devî, the king Suratha was very much delighted and said thus :— “O Devî! Grant me this boon that I be able today to conquer my enemies with my own power and that I may regain my kingdom.” The Devî then spoke to him thus :— “O King! Go to your own abode; your enemies are now enfeebled and will certainly be defeated.
(Note :— The Devî has now withdrawn Her own power from the enemies with which they were filled before. This is the result of the real sacrifice to the Devî.)
O Fortunate One! Your ministers will all come and prostrate themselves before your feet and will be obedient to you; you can now go back to your city and govern your subjects happily. O King! Thus reign for Ajuta years (10,000 years) over your widely extended dominion; then, when you quit your body, you will again be born from Sûrya, and be known widely as Sâvarni Manu.” Vyâsa said :— O King! The pure-natured Vais’ya said with folded hands :— “O Devî! I have nothing to do with house, sons, nor wealth. O Mother! The house, wealth and sons, all these are so many sources of bondage to this world and are very transitory like dreams. Therefore give me knowledge so that my ties to this world be cut asunder. Persons who are devoid of knowledge, those fools are merged in this ocean of world. The wise never prefer this Samsâra; therefore they can cross this world. Vyâsa [ p. 480 ] said :— O King! Hearing this, the Mahâmâyâ said to the Vais’ya, that stood in front of Her thus :— “O Vais’ya! No doubt you will acquire knowledge.” Thus granting boons to them, the Devî then and there disappeared. After the Devî had disappeared, the King bowed down to the Muni, mounted on his horse and expressed a desire to go back to his kingdom. Just at that time all his ministers and subjects came humbly before him, bowed down to him and standing before him with folded hands, said :— “O King! Your enemies all had acted very sinfully; hence they were all slain in battle; you be pleased now to remain in your city, free from any enemy and govern your subjects.” The King, hearing thus, bowed down to the Muni and with his permission, started towards his kingdom, surrounded by his ministers. On regaining his own kingdom, wife, relatives and kinsmen he began to enjoy the sea-girt earth. On the other hand, the Vais’ya became illumined with the Spiritual Knowledge and all his connections and attachments being completely severed, became free from all bondages. He became liberated in his lifetime and travelled always from one place of pilgrimage to another and passed away his time in singing the glorious deeds of the Devî. O King! Thus I have described to you the most wonderful character of the Devî, what fruits were obtained by the King and the Vais’ya on their worshipping Her, how the Daityas were killed by Her and about Her auspicious appearances on this earth. Oh! Such is the glory of the Devî, leading to fearlessness amongst Her devotees. The mortal who hears constantly this excellent pure narrative of the Devî Bhagavatî, gets truly all the best and wonderful pleasures of this world. No doubt anybody who hears this wonderful incident, will obtain knowledge, liberation, fame, happiness and purity. The essence of all religions lies in this narration; therefore it leads, above all, to Dharma, Artha, Kama, and Moksa (religion, wealth, desire and liberation). It grants all desires to human beings.
53-54. Sûta said :— O Risis! The Maharsi Vyâsa, the son of Satyavatî, versed in all the departments of knowledge, asked by the King Janamejaya, narrated to him this divine Samhitâ. The character of Chandikâ, the killing of the Daitya S’umbha, were thus narrated by the merciful Muni Veda Vyâsa. O Munis! I, too, have described to you the main points of this Purâna. Here ends the Fifth Book.
Here ends the Thirty-fifth Chapter of the Fifth Book on the receiving of the boons by the King Suratha and the Vais’ya Samâdhi in the Devî Bhâgavatam, the Mahâ Purânam, of 18,000 verses by Maharsi Veda Vyâsa.
The Fifth Book Completed.