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 9/1:57
On the curse on Visnu by Bhrigu
1-4. Janamejaya said :-- O Son of Parâs'ara! There has arisen a great doubt in my mind on
hearing just now your words. These Nara Nârâyana are the two sons of
Dharma; they are ascetics, calm and quiet, the Ams'as of Visnu; they reside in
a holy place of pilgrimage! They are
filled with the Sattvic qualities, subsisting always on roots and fruits of the
forest, the highsouled hermits and truthful.
How were they addicted to such warfare?
Why had they left their invaluable asceticism? And with what object were they
fighting for full one thousand Deva years with Prahlâda.
5. What was the end, O Muni, of their fight with
Prahlâda? Kindly explain to me in detail the cause of this warfare.
6. Women, wealth or any other worldly object can
be the cause of any quarrel or fight amongst any persons; but, in this case,
the two ascetics had none of these; how then this idea of fight sprung within
their minds.
7-8. And why did they practise such severe
austerities? Was it that they had to
overpower others, or
enjoy pleasures themselves or to reach Heaven that they practised tapasyâ? What
fruits did they eventually obtain from such penances?
9. They became very lean and thin through their
asceticism; still how could they fight full one thousand Deva years without
getting fatigued.
10. They were not entangled in this fight for
kingdom, or wealth or for women or for any other worldly object; then why did
they fight with the high souled Prahlâda?
11. Having no attachment for any worldly object
nor any desire to gain any thing therefrom, why did
they engage themselves so thoroughly, in such pains giving battle?
12. Intelligent persons always do works leading to
bliss; they never do painful works; this is the long standing rule of the world.
13. The two sons of Dharma were the Ams'as of
Hari, all knowing and adorned with all qualities; why did they fight,
subversive of religion?
14. O Mahârsi!
Even the dull and stupid persons in the world won't go to these deadly battles
leaving asceticism and samâdhi, leading to the purification of all desires.
15. I have heard that Yayâti, the Lord of the
earth was dropped from Heaven to this world, owing to his Ahamkâra, though he
was a virtuous king devoted to charities and sacrifices.
16-17. No sooner Yayâti, said the king :-- did
As'vamedha sacrifice, etc., with
Ahamkâra, egoism, he
was dropped by Indra with thunderbolt in his hands. So one
can see that, without Ahamkâra no fight can occur. The
ascetics had no bodily strength; therefore if they had to fight, it is through
the waste of their Tapasyâ that they could do so.
18. Vyâsa said :-- O king! The all knowing sages that have realised the
truth or Dharma declare the threefold Ahamkâra arising out the Sattvic, Rajasic
and Tamasic qualities respectively to be the causes of this world.
19. How, then, can these two Munis being embodied
forego their Ahamkâras? Without any cause, no actions follow; this is quite
certain.
20. Tapas, charities, sacrifices all originate
from the Sattvic qualities. And quarrels arise from the Rajasic or Tamasic
qualities.
21. All arise from Ahamkâra, whether good or bad;
this is quite certain.
22. There is no other thing that enchains a soul
than this Ahamkâra. It is out of Ahamkâra that this
Universe is created: how can it be then free from it?
23. O King!
Brahma, Visnu, Mahes'ha, even these are with Ahamkâras. Then
how can you expect other ordinary Munis to be free from it?
24. Encased with Ahamkâra, this Universe is
rolling. Births and death occur
repectively through
this Karma.
25. O Lord of the earth. The
Devas, birds and men are revolving in this world like the wheel of a chariot.
26. In this wide world who can count how many
Avatâras Visnu had to take in all sorts of wombs, good or low.
27. Ordained by the Lord of the Universe, Nârayâna
Himself had to take the Fish, Tortoise, Boar, Man
Lion and the Dwarf incarnations.
28. Vasudeva Janârdana the Lord, had to undertake
countless Avatâras births in this world.
29. In the Vaivasvata manvantara, the Avatâras of
Bhagavân Hari are being mentioned to you.
Hear!
30. The all pervading Lord of the world, the God
of the Gods, had to take several incarnations in this
world, owing to the curses inflicted by Bhrigu.
31. The king said :-- There has now again arisen
another fresh doubt, why was Visnu cursed by Bhrigu Muni?
32. O Muni!
What injury did Hari commit to that Muni, and whereof the Muni Bhrigu cursed
him.
33-34. Vyâsa said :-- Hear, O king! the cause of the curse; I will narrate to you. In
days of yore, the king Hiranyakasipu, the son of Kasyapa often quarrelled with
the Devas; owing to this incessant warfare, the whole universe was much alarmed
and perplexed.
35. And when Hiranyakasipu was slain by the
Man-Lion incarnation, Prahlâda, the tormentor of the foes, continued his enmity
towards the Devas and began to annoy them.
36. Thus one hundred years dreadful battle
occurred between the Devas and Prahlâda, to the astonishment of all.
37-38. O king!
The Devas fought very hard and were victorious. Prahlâda was defeated and was sorely grieved. Hearing that the Eternal Religion is the best,
he handed his kingdom over to his son Bali and went to the Gandhamâdan hill to
practise tapasyâ.
39-40. The prosperous Bali, too, on gaining his
kingdom, began to quarrel with the Devas and the war thus went on. Ultimately the powerful Indra and the Devas
defeated the Asuras.
41-42. O king!
Indra, of unequalled prowess, with the aid of Visnu, deprived the
Daityas of their
kingdom. The defeated Daityas took refuge of their
family spiritual guide S'ukrâchârya and addressed him thus, O Brâhmana! You are endowed with your fiery strength of
Tapasyâ and you are now powerful; why are you not lending your helping hands to
your Daitya followers. O foremost of the councillors. If you
do not help us and save us, we will not be able to stay in this earth
and will soon have to go down to Pâtâla.
43-44. Vyâsa said :-- Thus addressed by the Daityas,
the very kind hearted
S'ukrâchârya said, O
Daityas! Do not be afraid; I will
protect you by my fire of strength and vigour; and help you with sound counsels
and medicines. Be brave and energetic and cast aside your
mental agony and sorrow.
45-47. Vyâsa said :-- O king! The Daityas became fearless under the
patronage of S'ukrâchârya. The Devas had their spies and knew all about
these. They held councils with Indra and settled that
before the Daityas had time to dislodge us from our Heaven with the mantra of
S'ukrâchârya, we will speedily go and attack them. Thus
attacked all on a sudden, they will all be slain by us and we will drive them
down to the Pâtâla.
48. Thus forming their resolves, with fully
equipped arms and weapons, they went out of rage to fight with the Daityas and
orderd by Indra and aided by Visnu, they began to kill the Demons.
49. When the Devas were thus slaying the Demons,
they got very much terrified and exclaimed ?
O Lord! Protect us! Protect us!?
and took the refuge of Sukra.
50. S'ukrâchârya, seeing the Daityas very much
perplexed and distracted, at once cried aloud out of the influence of his
Mantra ? No fear, no fear,? Then
the Devas on seeing S'ukrâchârya left the Daityas and fled away to their own
places.
Here ends the Tenth
Chapter of the Fourth Book of the Mahâ Purânam, S'rî Mad Devî Bhâgavatam, of
18000 verses by Maharsî Veda Vyâsa on the curse on Visnu by Bhrigu.
Source: Translation of The Srimad Devi Bhagvatam by Swami Vijnanananda
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