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 4/Chapter 6/1:58
On the origin of Urvasi
1. Vyâsa said :-- O king! First there appeared on the mountain, the
king of the seasons, Vasanta, the Spring.
All the trees flowered and became
very beautiful; and the bees began to hum round all sides.
2. Mangoes, Bokul trees, the beautiful Tilaka
trees, the good Kimsukas, Sâl, Tâl, Tamâl and Madhuka trees assumed unequalled
beauties, ornamented with their flowers.
3. Cuckoos began to coo coo (warble) beautifully
on the tops of trees; the creepers flowered and began to embrace the trees.
4. The creatures became enamoured with love and
began to look on their paramours with amorous eyes and began to hold pleasant
sexual intercourses.
5. The southern breeze blew gently, full of
pleasant odours and agreeable to touch. The sensual organs became very powerful and
could no longer be brought under their control
by the Munis.
6. Then Kâma, united with Rati, hurriedly entered
into the Hermitage of Badarikâ with the five arrows in his hands.
7. Rambhâ, Tilottamâ, and other prominent Apsarâs
all went to that beautiful hermitage and began to sing in perfect tune with
gamuts, key notes and respective pauses.
8. The two Maharsis awoke on hearing the sweet
music, the warbling of the cuckoos and the nice hummings of the bees.
9. Nara Nârâyana became anxious to see the
untimely bursting of the Vasanta (vernal season) and the flowering of the trees.
10. How can the spring season come now at such an
untimely season. I see, all the creatures are become extremely
amorous with each other and infatuated with
passionate lust.
11. It is very unusual that untimely things should
happen. How has this come to pass? Struck with wonder, Nârâyana began to speak
to Nara with eyes wide apart.
12. Nârâyana said :-- O Brother! See these trees look very elegant with
flowers on them; the cuckoos are sounding sweet notes on all sides; the bees
are humming on all sides.
13. The spring, the lion of the seasons, has burst
asunder the fierce elephant, the winter season, by its sharp nails, as
testified by the budding of Palâsa flowers.
14-18. O Brahman!
See how beautiful and excellent has become this hermitage with the
presence of the Goddess Spring Laksmi? O Devarsî! The Raktâs'oka flower is the palm of her
hand; Kims’uka flower, her excellent feet; Nîlâsoka flowers, her black hairs on
her head, the full-blown lotuses, her eyes; the bel fruits, her breast; the
jolly Kunda flowers, her teeth; Manjari, her beautiful ears; red Bandhu
flowers, her lips; Sindhubâra, her wonderful nails; the peacocks, her
ornaments; the sounds of Sârasa birds, the jingling of her feet ornaments; the
wreaths of flowers, her waist ornaments; the mad gooses, her gait; Kadamba
flower's filaments, her hairs on her body; O best of ascetics! With all these, the Vasanta Laksmî has
assumed a wonderful nice appearance.
19. Why has this occurred untimely? Think over it;
O Devarsi! I am struck with
wonder; surely this
is obstructive of our penances.
20. Hear! There
the Apsarâs are singing sweetly the song, tending to destroy our
Tapasyâs; it seems,
these are the means, no doubt, adopted by Indra to pollute our
Tapasyâ.
21. Why is this spring season now generating our
pleasures? It is clear that that Indra, the enemy of the Asuras, is become afraid
of our Tapasyâ and is creating these obstructions to disturb our asceticisms.
22. Lo! The
cool, odorous, and pleasant breezes are blowing; no other cause can be traced
than the wicked deed of Indra.
23. When the best of the Brâhmins, the Deva
Nârâyana was addressing thus, the whole host of Cupid became visible before
their sight.
24. And the two Risis were very much surprised on
seeing them.
25-27. They saw near to them the Cupid with his
attendants Menakâ, Rambhâ,
Tilottamâ, Puspagandhâ,
Sukes'î, Mahâs'vetâ, Manoramâ, Pramodvarâ, Ghritâchî,
Châruhâsinî, the
expert in music, Chandra Prabhâ, the cuckoo voiced Somâ, the lotus eyed
Vidyunmâlâ, Kânchana malinî, and others.
28. Eight thousand and five hundred Apsarâs and
long multitudes of the hosts of
Cupid, the Munis saw
and were surprised.
29. Then those prostitutes of the Devas, dressed
with their heavenly ornaments and the heavenly flowers, appeared before the
Munis and bowed down their heads on the ground.
30. The Apsarâs began their enchanting songs,
exciting much passion and rarely heard or seen in this world.
31-32. The two Munis Bhagavân Visnu-like Nara
Nârâyana were pleased with their music and addressed them thus :-- O thin
waisted good looking Apsarâs! You have come
here as guests, I see, from your Heavenly world. Stay
here in peace and all comfort; we will gladly serve you as your hosts.
33-34. Vyâsa said :-- O king! The two Munis, thinking that Indra has sent
these
Apsarâs to obstruct their
Tapasyâ, were filled with egoism and determined to create, out of their
strength of Tapasyâ a new Apsarâ, who would be very much more beautiful and
possessing far more heavenly graces than the present ones, who are ordinary looking
and clumsy in their behaviours.
35. And the Munis, by clapping or striking their
thighs, instantly created a woman, exquisitely beautiful in all respects.
36. This good looking woman was named Urvas'î,
since she was produced from the thighs. And all the other Apsarâs present there were
very much thunderstruck on seeing that Urvas'î.
37. Then the Muni Nârâyana easily created as many
women as there were Apsarâs to serve them.
38. The just produced Apsarâs brought with them
all sorts of offering in their hands, and, singing and smiling, came before the
Munis and with clasped hands bowed down before them.
39. The heavenly damsels sent by Indra, though
enchanting to others were themselves now bewildered on beholding Urvas'i,
beautiful in all respects and produced out of the Tapasyâ of the Munis; and
their hairs over the bodies stood on their ends. Then
they tried to make their faces as beautiful as they could and began to address
the Munis thus :--
40. O Munis!
We are ignorant girls; how can we praise you and the greatness of your Tapasyâ
and at your steadiness. Oh! There
is no one in this Universe, that is not burnt with the passion by the arrows of
our sharp eyesight? But there is no trace of mental disturbance and defilement
in you; Oh! Wonderful is your greatness,
indeed!
41. We are convinced that both of you are the
Amsas of Visnu and that your treasures are your incessant peace and control of
mind. We have come here not to serve you but to
hinder you in your penances, that we may fulfill the desires of Indra.
42. By what good luck of ours we have got a sight
of thee, we do not know; we do not know also what merits we did? We have
committed great offence to you; still you have not cursed us. You
have considered us as those of your own family and have pardoned us. Therefore our minds are free from sorrow and
anxiety. Much praise be to your forgiveness! Wise saints do not squander away their occult
powers, derived from austerities, in trivial ways like cursing others.
43. Vyâsa said :-- Very pleased were those two
Dharma's sons, the two Maharsis, self controlled and desireless, to hear these
words of those godly behaved heavenly
damsels; they then
spoke to the damsels, blazing with the fire of their Tapas.
44-45. Nara and Nârâyana said :-- O Damsels! We are pleased with you; better ask from us
your desired boons; we will instantly grant them to you. You
better take with you to your Heaven this beautiful eyed Urvas'î, born of our
thighs as a present to your Deva Râja, the Indra.
46. Now peace be to all the Devas; you better go
to your own places; do not, in future, disturb the Tapasyâ of others.
47. The damsels said :-- Where will we go now? We
have reached your lotus feet
through our devotion,
and our joy knows no bounds; O Nârâyana the Supreme amongst the Gods!
48. O Lord!
O Madhusûdana! O Lotus-eyed! If Thou art pleased with us and dost want to
give us our desired boons, we disclose to you our wished for object.
49. O Lord of the Devas! Thou art the Lord of the world; so beest Thou
the Lord of us. O Destroyer of the foes! We will gladly put ourselves at the service
of your feet.
50. Let those sixteen hundred and fifty
beautiful-eyed damsels including Urvas'î, that are your creation and that are
now existing here, let them go unto Heaven by your command.
51. And we, the sixteen hundred and fifty damsels
that have come before, may be
allowed to remain
here at your service.
52. O Mâdhava!
You are the Lord of the Devas; be true to your word and give us our desires. Those
seers, the Munis, who know what is Dharma, declare that it is sin, equivalent
to murder, to destroy the hopes of those women that are struck with passion.
53. We are very fortunate to come here from Heaven
and we are filled with extreme love for you, O Deves'a! You are the Lord of the world; you can do all
things; therefore do not leave us.
54. Nârâyana said :-- O thin bodied damsels! I am practising at this place the tapasyâ for
full one thousand years, controlling my passions; how can I now break it by engaging
myself to enjoy sensual things.
55. I have no inclination to indulge in sexual
pleasures, tending to destroy the Highest Bliss as well as the Highest Dharma. What
intelligent person will like to indulge like a beast in sensual pleasures.
56-57. The Apsarâs said :-- Of the five senses;
sound, etc., the pleasures attained
through the sensation
of touch are excellent, and are reckoned as the source of Bliss; no other
pleasures stand equal to it. Therefore do then fulfill our words, and enjoy
incessantly this highest bliss and roam freely in this Gandhamâdan mountain.
58. If you like to go to Heaven, be pleased to
know that there is no Superior Heaven to Gandhamâdan (the mountain like
intoxicating happiness of the senses). Dost thou enjoy the highest bliss, the
pleasant sexual intercourse with us, the heavenly damsels in this very
beautiful and lovely place.
Thus ends the Sixth
Chapter in the Fourth Book of S'rîmad Devî Bhâgavatam, the
Mahâ Purânam of
18,000 verses by Maharsi Veda Vyâsa on the origin of Urvas'î.
Source:
Translation of The Srimad Devi Bhagvatam by Swami Vijnanananda
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