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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 22/1:52
On the part incarnations of the several Devas
1. Janamejaya asked :-- O grandfather! What bad act did that child commit, that no sooner
he was born than he was killed by Kamsa?
2. Especially, Maharsi Nârada is the the best
amongst the Munis and foremost amongst the Brahmâ-vids (Knowers of Brahmâ),
always doing virtuous acts, and learned; why did he become the agent in this
very sinful act?
3. Pundits declare that the doers and stimulators
of any evil deed both are equally responsible; then how
is it that Nârada, being the best of the Munis, instigated the wicked Kamsa to do
this evil act!
4. I am very much in doubt on this point. Kindly
describe, in detail, the act that the child did as the result of which be had
to meet with this fate of being killed.
5. Vyâsa said :-- The Devarsi Nârada is always
fond of seeing quarrels brought about amongst parties; he always likes thus to
see the fun. Here specially to serve the gods’ purpose he
went to Kamsa and incited him to such an act.
6. Really he never intends to speak a lie; he is
always truth speaking; pure hearted, and always ready to serve the gods.
7. Thus the six sons were born to Devakî; and
Kamsa, too, killed those six sons
consecutively as they
were born. These six sons named Sadgarbha, were killed
just after their births, owing to their having been previously cursed.
8. O King!
Hear why they were cursed before.
In the reign of Svâyambhuva Manu,
were born to Urnâ; the wife of Maharsi Marîchi, the six powerful sons, all of a
virtuous disposition.
9-11. Once, on an occasion, the Prajâpati Brahmâ, on
seeing his daughter, became
passionate, and was
ready to hold sexual intercourse with her.
At this, those six sons laughed
at him. Brahmâ cursed them saying “You all go quickly
and take your birth in the wombs of the asuras.
” Therefore those six sons became the sons of Kâlanemi in their first
birth. At their second birth, they became the sons of
Hiranyakas’ipu. This second time they had the fear of curse in
their minds and therefore were born endowed with knowledge.
12. In this birth they became peaceful and,
collecting all their energies, they began to practise austerities. Brahmâ
was pleased at this and asked the Sadgarbha to take boons.
13. Brahmâ said :-- O my sons! I was very angry to you before and cursed
you; now I am very much pleased with you; ask boons from me that you all desire.
14-15. Vyâsa said :-- Hearing Brahmâ’s words, they
were very glad and becoming very anxious to secure their objects of desire,
said :-- O our grand sire! Today thou art pleased unto us; now favour us
with our desired boons. That we may be invulnerable to all the Devas,
human beings, the big serpents the Gandarbhas, and the Lord of Siddhas,
(semi-divine beings supposed to be of great purity and holiness and said to be
particularly characterised by eight supernatural faculties called Siddhis).
16. Vyâsa said :-- Brahmâ told them “What you have
asked, you would certainly get; O blessed ones!
better go now; my words will be found to be literally true. No
doubt in this. ”
17-19. Granting them boons, Brahmâ went away; they
then became very glad. O best of Kurus! Hiranyakas’ipu began to think “My sons now
have pleased the Grandsire Brahmâ and are now regardless of me” and got very
angry and said :-- You all are become very proud on account of receiving boons;
and since you have ceased your good feelings towards me I also henceforth cut
off my connection with you. Now better go to Pâtâla; you will be known in
this world as Sadgarbha.
20-21. At present you would be always involved in
deep sleep and remain in Pâtâla for many years; and when you will be born one
after another in the womb of Devakî, then your father Kâlanemi of previous
birth will be born as Kamsa; and he would be cruel hearted and surely kill you
all, no sooner you be born.
22. Vyâsa said :-- Thus because they were cursed,
they took their births repeatedly and Kamsa, too, being urged on by the same
curse, killed those sons of Devakî, the Sadgarbha, no sooner they were born.
23-24. In the seventh womb of Devakî, Ananta made his
appearance. The foetus in the womb was attracted by Yoga
mâyâ and placed in the womb of Rohinî. But there was the rumour that there was
miscarriage in the womb of Devakî in the fifth month; and this became known to
the public.
25. Kamsa came to know that there had been
miscarriage. That wicked soul became exceedingly glad to
hear this gladdening news.
26. And at about this time the Bhagavân, the
Protector of the devotee appeared in the eighth womb of Devakî to serve the
purpose of the gods and to relieve the load of the Earth.
27-28. The King said :-- O best of Munis! “You have described the part incarnations of
(1) Kas’yapa as
Vâsudeva and (2) of Bhagavân Hari to relieve the burden of the
Goddess Earth as
prayed by Her; and (3) of Ananta Deva; but you have not described the part
incarnations of the other Devas. How the other Devas incarnated as their parts on
this earth, kindly describe them now. ”
29. Vyâsa said :-- The part incarnations of Suras
and Asuras on this earth, and their names I am now saying to you in brief; hear.
30-32. Vâsudeva was the part incarnation of Kas’yapa,
Devakî was of Aditi, Baladeva, of Ananta; Vâsudeva S’rî Krisna, of S’rîmân
Nârâyana; the son of Dharma existing even at that time in his physical body;
Arjuna, of Nara, the younger brother of Nârâyana.
33. Yuidhisthira was part incarnate of Dharma,
Bhimasena, of Vâyu, the powerful
twins of Mâdri, Nakul
and Sahadeva, of As’vinî-kumâras?
34. The valiant hero Karna, born of Kuntî, was
part incarnate of the Sun, and the high minded Vidura, the knower of the
Supreme Essence, was incarnate of Yama, the king Dharmarâj. Drona,
the Âchârya of the Kurus and the Pândavas was the part incarnate of Brihaspatî;
and his son As’vatthâmâ was part incarnate of Rudra Deva.
35. S’antanu was the part incarnate of the Ocean;
his wife, of the river Ganges in
human farm. It is
stated in the Purânas that the king Devaka was part incarnate of the Lord of
Gandarvas.
36-41. The Grand-father of the Kauravas, the foremost
of the heroes, Bhîsma Deva was the incarnate of Vasu; Virâta, the Lord of
Matsya was the part incarnate of Maruts; Dhritarâstra, of the Daitya Hamsa, the
son of Arista Nemi; Kripa and Krita Varmâ, of Maruts; Duryodhana, of Kali and
S’akuni, of Dvâpara; Suvarchâkhya Somapraru, of the son of the Moon;
Dhristadyumna was part incarnate of Fire and S’ikhandî of Râksasa; Pradyumna
was part incarnate of Sanatkumâra; the king Drupada was part incarnate of
Varuna; Draupadî, of Laksmî; Draupadî’s five sons, of Visve-devas; Kuntî was
incarnate of Siddhi; Mâdri, of Dhriti; Gândhârî, of Mati; the wives of S’rî
Krisna were the heavenly public women; thus all the Devas came as their part
incarnations,
urged on by Indra.
42-43. Amongst the Asuras, S’is’upâla was the
incarnate of Hiranyakas’ipu;
Jarâsandha, of
Biprachitti, S’alya, of Prahlâda; Kamsa, of Kâlanemi and Kes’î, of Haya S’irâ. The
Asura named Arista of the form of a cow that was killed by Krisna was the son
of Bali.
44. Dhristaketu was part incarnate of Anuhrâdha,
Bhagadatta, of Vâskala; Pralamba, of Lamba; Dhenuka, of Khara.
45. Chânûra and Mus’tika, the two athletes, were
part incarnates of Vârâha, and
Kis’ora, the two
dreadful Daityas.
46-47. Kubalaya, the elephant of Kamsa, was part
incarnate of Arista, the sun of Diti. Vakî
was the daughter of Bali, Vaka was her younger.
The powerful son of Drona,
As’vatthâmâ, though known as the part incarnate of Rudra,was really born of the
four parts of Yama, Rudra, Cupidity and Anger.
48-49. The Daityas and Râksasas that were born to
relieve the heavy burden of the Earth were all incarnates of Asuras. O king! I have thus narrated to you in order the incarnations
of the Suras and Asuras, as they are stated duly in the Purânas.
50-51. When Brahmâ and the other Devas went to Visnu
and prayed to Him then Hari gave to Brahmâ one hair of a black colour and one
hair of a white colour. The Bhagavân S’rî Krisna was born of that
black hair and S’ankarsana Baladeva was born of the white hair. They
were both the incarnations of Visnu.
Note here the black
is the younger and the stronger; and they also represent the
polarities. The
Jîvas are points of those hairs.
52. He who hears with devotion the story of these
part incarnations becomes freed of all sins and passes away his time merrily,
surrounded by his circle of friends; there is no doubt in this.
Thus ends the 22nd
chapter in 4th book of S’rîmad Devî Bhâgavatam the Mahâ
Purânam, of 18,000
verses by Maharsi Veda Vyâsa on the part incarnations of the
several Devas.
Source:
Translation of The Srimad Devi Bhagvatam by Swami Vijnanananda
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