MAHĀKĀLI DHYANAM
Meditation on Mahākāli
From the Devī Mahātmyam [Mārkendeya Purana]
Om Namaś Chaṇḍikāyai.
Om khaḍgaṁ chakra-gadeṣu-chāpa-parighāñ
chūlaṃ bhuśuṇḍīṁ śiraḥ
śaṅkhaṁ saṃda-dhatīṁ karai-stri-nayanāṁ
sarvāṅga-bhūṣāvṛitām
Nīlāśma-dyutimāsya pāda-daśakāṁ
seve Mahākālikāṁ
yāmastaut-svapite harau kamalajo
hantuṁ madhuṁ kaiṭabham.
Om Namaś Chaṇḍikāyai.
Om, I bow to the Goddess Chaṇḍikā.
Om, holding a scimitar, disk, mace, arrows and bow, lance, club, a skull and a conch shell in Her ten hands. The three-eyed goddess, Her body covered with ornaments, Her countenance with the brilliance of blue diamonds, with ten limbs. We offer our service to Mahākāli, She who Brahma praised for protection from the demons Madhu and Kaitava, when Vishnu was in sleep.
Om, I bow to the Goddess Chaṇḍikā.
Book 3/Chapter 13/1:59
On the Devî Yajña by S’rî Visnu
1-3. The King spoke :-- O Grandfather! How did Visnu, the Powerful, the Cause of the
world, perform the Devî Yajña? Whose
help did he receive and what priests with their knowledge of the Vedas did he engage,
kindly tell all these to me in special details.
I will very attentively hear
first this Devî Yajña, performed by Visnu; and then I will make arrangements to
do that myself accordingly.
4. Vyâsa said :-- O noble one! Hear in detail that very wonderful thing, how
Visnu celebrated the Devî Yajña comformably to the rules laid down in
the S’âstras.
5. When Brahmâ, Visnu, and Mahes’a were each
given powers by the Devî, the Goddess of the Universe, and when they parted,
these three Devas became free from their womanhood, while they were coming back
in their aerial cars and turned out men, as they were before.
6. These three Devas, found the great ocean
before them. They brought out world from it; and built, in
that world, dwelling abodes; and they themselves began to live in some of them.
7. That world became fixed, steady and the
supporter of all beings when the Goddess imparted the power of fixture,
steadiness, and the power of supporting to the world. The earth, filled with marrow, then, became
fixed and the great supporter by Her power.
8-10. O King!
The name of this earth is Medinî, since it was made out of the marrow of
the two Asuras Madhu and Kaitabha. This earth is termed Dharâ because it supports
all; is termed Prithvî because it is very capacious; and it is called Mahî
because it is great, since it supports so many beings. O King! the Ananta serpent is holding it on her thousand-hoods. To
make the earth remain solid and compact, Brahmâ built at places mountains. As
iron nails in a log of wood, so these hills and mountains within this earth
made it fixed. Therefore the Pundits call these mountains “Mahîdhara,”
holder of the earth.
11. O King!
Thus the golden Meru, the great mountain, many Yojanas wide, adorned with
many golden mountain peaks was created.
12. Next Marîchi, Nârada, Atri, Pulastya, Pulaha,
Kratu, Daksa, and Vas’istha were created by Brahmâ; these are the Brahmâ’s
mental sons (sons created by the sheer power
of mind).
13. The son Kas’yapa was born to Marîchi and
thirteen daughters were born of Daksa. From
these daughters and out of the seed of Kas’yapa, various Devas and Daityas were
born.
14. Then human beings, animals, serpents and many
other classes were created. This is called the Kâsyapî S’rîsti or the Kas’yapa’s
creation.
15. Next Svâyambhava Manu sprang from the lower
half of Brahmâ; and the daughter named S'atarûpâ came out of the left hand side
of the Brahmâ’s body.
16. The two sons Priyavrata and Uttânapâda were
born of Manu in the womb of S’atarûpâ and the three daughters, very beautiful
and fair complexioned, were also born of him.
17. Creating then, the Bhagavân, the lotus born
Brahmâ built the beautiful Brahmaloka, on the top of the Meru mountain.
18. Then the Bhagavân Visnu built the Vaikuntha
city on the top of all the lokas or worlds to dwell with his consort Laksmî.
19. Mahâdeva, too, built the exceedingly beautiful
Kailâs’a and stayed there with his Bhûtas and played with them at his will.
20. The third Loka termed Heaven was built on the
top of Meru, decorated with various precious gems and jewels and stones. It was
fixed as the abode of Indra.
21-22. When the great ocean was churned, Pârijâta,
the best of all the trees, the elephant Airâvata with four tusks, the Heavenly
cow yielding the milk of all desires, the Uchchais’ravâ horse and Apsarâs,
Rambhâ and others, arose and were taken by Indra. These
became the ornaments of Heaven.
23. The Moon and Dhanvantarî, the great phyisician
also came out of the churning of the ocean.
These surrounded with many other
members began to shine, being situated above the Heavens.
24. O King!
Thus the three varieties, human beings, Devas, and Tiryakas (birds,
etc.) and their great subvarieties sprang up.
25. The four classes of Jîvas, Andaja (born from
the eggs), Svedaja (born out of sweats), Udbhija (plants, etc.) and Jarâyujâ
(men, etc.) were created, being endowed with the fruits of their past
auspicious or inauspicious Karmas, as the case may be.
26. Brahmâ, Visnu, and Mahes’a began to play and
walk about at their leisures in their respective spheres, after they finished
all their creations.
27. Thus the wheel of creation being started, the
Great God Bhagavân Visnu Achyuta remained in sport with Mahâ Laksmî in His own
sphere Vaikuntha.
28. Then Bhagavân Visnu, while sitting one day in
Vaikuntha, got in his mind the memory of that beautiful island, called Mani
Dvîpa, adorned with precious stones, gems and jewels.
29-33. O King!
In this Mani Dvîpa, the Bhagavân Visnu got the vision of the Mahâ Mâyâ
and the auspicious mantra. He now thought to celebrate a Yajña in honour
of the Devî, when he recollected the highest Energy, the Great Goddess. He
then went out of his abode and invited Brahmâ, Mahes’vara, Kuvera, Indra,
Varuna, Fire, Yama, Vas’istha, Kas’yapa, Daksa, Vâmadeva, Brihaspati and others
and began to collect lots of materials necessary for the Devî sacrifice. Selecting
a site Sâttvik, beautiful, and possessing great spiritual powers, Visnu erected, with the help of
the great artists and engineers, a wide capacious sacrificial hall, and for the
due celebration and fulfillment of it, appointed twenty seven priests; who
pledged a solemn vow to complete it duly.
34. When the big altar and chiti (pile of wood for
burning, stack of sacrificial bricks) were finished, the Brâhmanas began to
recite slowly the Devî mantrams with their root mantrams.
Note :-- Chiti, lit pile of wood for burning, is perhaps the
Mûlâdhâra, the sacral plexus, where the fire called Kundalinî is first kindled
by processes of Yoga.
35-37. Then the profuse quantities of ghee were
offered as oblations to to the Sacred Fire.
Thus when the Homa, (offering
oblations of ghee to the fire) ceremony was finished elaborately and conforming
to the rules of the S’âstras, the sweet and melodious Heavenly voice was heard
in the air, addressing Visnu Bhagavân, thus :-- O Visnu! Let You be the supreme amongst the gods;
honour and worship shall be Thine first; and you would be the most powerful of
the Devas. Indra together with Brahmâ, and the other Devas, all will worship You.
38-39. O Achyuta!
(O Infallible One!) Those men on the earth that will be devoted to you,
will certainly be endowed with power and you shall be the bestower of boons and
all their desires. O Visnu!
you will be the Supreme of the Devas and you will be the God of the
gods; you will be the first and foremost in all the sacrifices and you will be worshipped
by the sacrificers.
40-41. People will worship you; and you will favour
them with the boons. O best of the Purusas! When the Devas will be troubled by the
Asuras, they will come and take refuge in Thee.
You will be the Protector of all,
there is no doubt in this. In all the Purânas and all this vast Vedas,
You will be first worshipped.
42. O Kes’ava!
Wherever there will be decay and decline in religion, You will incarnate
in your parts and preserve the religion.
43-44. O Mâdhava!
Avatâras, renowned in all the worlds, will come down on earth as Your
part incarnations in all sorts of wombs, in due order, and will be respected by
all the high souled personages. O Madhusûdana!
Those Avatâras will be the best of all the Avatâras and will be famous
all the Lokas, the worlds.
45. In all your Avatâras, you will get your
attendants, the S’aktis (females) drawing their energies from My parts; and
they will serve your purposes.
46-47. Vârâhî, Nârasimhî, etc., and various other S’aktis
of auspicious appearances, endowed with various weapons and decked with all the
ornaments will serve as your attendants; no doubt in this. O
Visnu! Always with their help and under
the influence of My favour, you will no doubt be quite competent to serve the
purposes of the Devas.
48. You should respect and
worship all those powers by all means and with very great attention; never shew
the slightest trace of pride to them; never do you thus insult them.
49. These S’aktis, capable of bestowing all the
desires, will be worshipped in Pratimâs (images of clay, etc.) in the whole of
India.
50. O Deva of the Devas! The fame of all these S’aktis, as well as of
You will be spread in the seven worlds and in the whole Universe.
51. O Hari!
The human beings on this earth will constantly worship with selfish ends
these powers and you, for the fructification of their desires.
52. Having various desires, men will, in your
worship, present various offerings, recite the Veda mantrams, and repeat the
names of you and the powers.
53. O Visnu!
You will be the God of the Immortals and your glory will be enhanced by the
worship offered by the human beings in the world as well as in the heavens.
54. Vyâsa said :-- O king! The heavenly voice, thus, bestowing boons on
Visnu, ceased. Visnu Bhagavân became very glad to hear this.
55-58. Then Hari, the God of Gods, completed duly the
sacrifice and dismissed the Devas and the Munis, the sons of Brahmâ. Then
ascending on Garuda, (His Vâhana), He
went up to Vaikuntha with his followers.
The Devas also went to their own respective
places. The Munis also retired gladly to their own
hermitages, all thunderstruck to see these things, conversing with each other
about this sacrifice.
59. O king!
All were filled with best devotion towards the Supreme Force, on hearing
this clear beautiful, sonorous heavenly voice; then the Dvîjas, the Munis, and Munîndras
began to worship with devotion, according to the Vedas, that Highest Force, the
Supreme Goddess, giving all desired objects profusely in all the details.
Here ends the thirteenth chapter on the Devî Yajña by S’rî Visnu
in the third Adhyaya in S’rîmad Devî Bhâgavatam; the Mahâ Purânam by Maharsi
Veda Vyâsa.
Source: Translation of The Srimad Devi Bhagvatam by Swami Vijnanananda
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