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 7/1:52
On the creation and the
Tattvas and their presiding deities
1. O Brahmâ said :-- Nârada! Thus we three I, Visnu, and Mahâdeva saw
that highly effulgent Goddess: we also saw separately Her attendant goddesses,
one after another, that form, as it were, a veil to her? Who were also preeminently grand.
2-3. Vyâsa said :-- O king! Nârada, the foremost of the Munis, hearing
thus his father's words, was exceedingly pleased and asked :-- O Grandsire of
all the Lokas! Now describe in detail
that ancient and indestructible undecaying, unchangeable, eternal Purusa, that
is Nirguna (free from Prâkritic qualities) that you have seen and realised.
4. Father!
You have seen the S’akti (the Prime Energy) personified the Saguna
energy, the Supreme Goddess, having hands and feet; but cannot understand of
what kind is that Nirguna S’akti which cannot be seen and which is devoid of
all Prâkritic qualities. O Lotus-born! Be good enough to describe to me the real
nature of that Prakriti and Purusa and thus satisfy me.
5-6. O Lord of Creation! I practised severe austerities in the
Svetadvîpa (white island), so that I might realise and see the Nirguna Highest
Self and the Nirguna S’akti, the Supreme Goddess; I saw there many other
Mahatmâs (high class spiritual persons) who attained siddhis (supernatural
powers) practise Tapasyâ with their passions and anger conquered.
But I did not realise nor did I see anything about that Nirguna Highest
Self. Father, I was not despaired; again
and again I continued with my ascetic practices; but still I failed.
7. Father, you have been so successful as to see
that beautiful S’akti with qualities; I have heard about Her from you, but how
and of what sort, is that invisible attributeless energy as well as that
Nirguna Purusa. Please narrate and
explain all these and satisfy my desires that always reign in my breast.
8. Vyâsa said :-- O King! Thus asked by Nârâda, the Lord of creation,
the grandsire of the Lokas, smiled, and began to speak the truth in the
following words :--
9. O best of Munis! The form of the Nirguna Purusa (the Supreme
Spirit beyond the Prâkritic qualities) cannot exist or be visible; for
everything that comes within the range of sight is transitory. How can, then, that Eternal Spirit have form
and how can He become visible!
10. O Nârada!
The Nirguna Energy or Nirguna Purusa comes not easily within the range
of knowledge; but both of them can be realised by the Munis in their meditation
in their consciousness.
11. Prakriti and Purusa have no beginning nor
end; they can be realised only through faith; those that have no faith can
never realise them.
12.
Nârada!
The universal consciousness, that is felt in all the beings, know that
as the Highest Self; the Energy that is universal and is seen always in all the
beings, know that as the Highest Self.
13. O blessed one! That Purusa and Prakriti pervade everywhere
and exist in all the things; in this Universe nothing can exist without the
presence of both of them.
14. Both of them are the highest intelligent
self, nirguna (free from all material qualities), without any tinge of
impurity, and undecaying. The one form
that is a combination of these two is always to be meditated in the heart.
15. What is S’akti (energy) is the Highest Self;
what is the Highest Self is the Highest S’akti.
O Nârada! Nobody can ascertain
the subtle difference between these two.
16. O Nârada!
Merely the study of all the S’âstras and the Vedas with their Angas without
renunciation does not enable one to ascertain the difference between these two.
17. O Child!
This whole universe, moving and non-moving, comes out of Ahamkâra (egoism). How can one ascertain the above difference
even if he tries for one hundred kalpas, unless one frees oneself from
Ahamkâra.
18. The Jîvas are Saguna (with qualities), how
can the Sagunas see the Nirguna One with their physical eyes? Therefore O Intelligent one! try to see the Saguna (Brahmâ) only within
your heart (until you free yourself from the material qualities and thus be fit
to realise the Nirguna Brahmâ).
19-20. O best of Munis! If the tongue (organ of taste) and eyes
(organ of sight) be affected with over biliousness, the pungent taste and the
yellow colour do not appear what it appeared before; so the hearts of Jîvas,
overpowered with material qualities, are quite unfit for realisation of the
Nirguna Brahmân. O Nârada! That heart again has come
out of Ahamkâra; how can then that heart
be free from Ahamkâra?
21. Until one becomes able to cut asunder all
connections with qualities, the seeing of that Nirguna Brahmâ is impossible. No sooner one is totally free from Ahamkâra,
than the Nirguna Brahmâ is at once seen by him within his heart.
22-24. Nârada said :-- O best of the Devas! Ahamkâra
is three-fold, Sâtvik, Râjasik and Tâmasik; describe in detail the differences
between these three sub-divisions as well the real nature of the Gunas. Also describe to me about that knowledge,
knowing which will lead to my salvation.
Also describe, in detail, the characteristics of the several
Gunas, in due order.
25-26. Brahmâ said :-- O Sinless one! The energy of Ahamkâra is of three kinds :-- Jnâna S’akti, Kriyâ S’akti, and Artha or
Dravya S’akti. The power by which
knowledge is produced or obtained is the Sâttvic Ahamkâra; the power by which
action or activity or motion is produced is the Râjasic Ahamkâra; and that by
which the material things or objects of have senses are generated is called the
Tâmasic Ahamkâra. O Nârada!
thus I described to you, in due order, the
threefold Ahamkâra.
27-30. Now I describe to you their merits and
workings in detail; hear. Out of the Dravya
S’akti of the Tâmasic Ahamkâra come sound, touch, form, taste and smell. From these five qualities, the five Tanmâtrâs
or the five subtle-elements (primary atoms) are produced.
Sound is the quality of Âkâ'sa (ether);
touch is the quality of Vâyu (Air); the form is the quality of Agni (fire); the
taste is the quality of Jala (water); and the smell is the quality of earth.
O Nârada, these ten gross and subtle
materials can, when combined, become endowed with power to work out results in
the shape of earth, water, fire, etc., and when the Panchîkarana process is
combined, the building of the whole cosmos takes place as a natural consequence
of the Tâmasa Ahamkâra, endowed with the energy of generating material
substances.
31-34. Now hear what are produced by the Râjasic
energy. The five organs of hearing, touch,
taste, sight, and smell (ears, skin, tongue, eyes and nose) called the five Jñânendriyas
(organs of senses); mouth, hands, feet, anus and the organs of generation called
the five Karmendriyas (organs of action); and Prâna, Apâna, Vyâna, Samâna, and
Udâna, the five Vâyus. The creation out
of these fifteen substances is called the Râjasic energy. Nârada!
All these organs of senses and actions endowed with the Kriyâ S’akti,
called the Karanas and the materials fashioned out of them are called the chidanuvritti
or Mâyâ.
35-38. O Nârada!
From the S'âttvik Ahamkâra are produced the five presiding rulers of the
five internal organs named Dik (quarters), Vâyu, Sun, Varuna, and the twins
Asvini Kumâras and the four presiding rulers of the four fold divisions of
Antahkarana (Buddhis, manas, Ahamkâra and chitta) named Moon, Brahmâ, Rudra,
and Ksetrajña.
Thus the above five organs of senses, the
five organs of action, the five Vâyus and mind, these sixteen substances are
reckoned as the Sâttvic creation.
39-40. O Child!
The Highest Self has two forms; one gross and the other subtle. The formless Self; the Consciousness
incarnate, as it were, is the first form.
The Seers consider this formless self to be the primary cause (the
ultimatum) of all this phenomenal cosmos.
(This is only for the best qualified Jñânis, not for others).
The Second Form is the Gross Form for the
meditation of the second class qualified persons; thus the sages say. This second form of the Supreme Goddess is
conditioned by inherent Mâyâ (time, space and causation); this is also divided
into gross and subtle, according as it is the outer or inner body of the second
form (and the form suited for the meditation of the third class and the second
class devotees).
41. My body is called Sûtrâtmâ; I will now tell
you the gross body of Brahmân, the Highest Self. O Nârada!
This my body and soul having the nature of a string or thread is called Hiranyagarbha;
this is also the gross body of the Paramâtman; therefore the Paramâtman
together with the Sûtrâtmâ, should also be worshipped. O Nârada!
I will now describe to you the outer gross body of Brahmân, the Highest
Self; hear it attentively; if one hears it with faith and devotion, one is sure
to get salvation.
42-43. I have mentioned to you before the five
subtle elements, called the five Tanmâtrâs; these, now, when the Panchî Karana
process is done, are converted into the five gross elements. Now hear what the Panchî Karana process means
:--
44-46. Suppose you are to create the gross element
of water. Divide into two equal parts
the subtle element of water; divide also the other 4 elements into two equal
parts respectively. Now set apart the
first half of each of the five elements; divide the second half of each of the
elements into four equal parts. Mix the
first half of each of the elements with each of the fourth part of the other
four elements; and you get one gross element.
Similarly you get the other four gross elements.
For example :-- You want to get the gross
element of water :-- With the half of the subtle element (½) of water mix the
fourth part, of the halves of the other elements of ether, fire, air and earth;
you get the gross element of water and so on.
The Panchîkarana process is clearly
illustrated in the following table.
TABLE
Ether Air Fire Water Earth
Ether 1/2 1/8 1/8 1/8 1/8
Air 1/8 1/2 1/8 1/8 1/8
Fire 1/8 1/8 1/2 1/8 1/8
Water 1/8 1/8 1/8 1/2 1/8
Earth 1/8 1/8 1/8 1/8 1/2
Gross element 1 1 1 1 1
When the five gross elements are thus
produced, consciousness then enters into these elements as their presiding deities;
next comes the feeling of egoism (I ness) identifying itself with the body thus
created out of the five elements. (I am
this body and so forth).
47. This great “I”, the great consciousness,
creating and considering the Cosmos as its body is called the Bhagavân,
Âdideva, Nârâyana or Vâisvanara.
48. When, by the Panchîkarana process, the five
gross elements, earth, ether, air, etc., are solidified and get their clear
definite forms, one, two, three, four, five, qualities are seen to exist in
ether, air, fire, water, and earth, respectively.
49-51.
Thus ether has one quality only - that is sound: the air has got two
qualities - sound and touch; the fire possesses three
qualities - sound, touch, and form; the water has got four qualities - sound, touch,
form and taste; the earth has got five qualities - sound, touch, form, taste
and smell, and by the various combinations of these five gross elements, is
produced this grand Cosmos, the great body of Brahmân.
52. Similarly the sum-total of Jîvâs is produced
from the several parts of the whole Brahmânda; these Jîvâs are eighty four
lakhs; so the sages say.
Thus ends the Seventh Chapter of the Third
Skandha of S’rî Mad Devî Bhâgavatam, the Mahâ Purânam, of 18,000 verses, on the
creation and the Tattvas and their presiding Deities.
Note :Of these Jîvâs, those who are the
best qualified, the Uttamâdhikâris, are known as the Brahmânas, Jânaghana
Tûrîyas, as denoted by Om Hrîm; the middlings have their gross, subtle and
causal bodies and are called as Brahmâ Vais'vânara, Sûtra, Hiranyagarbhas; and
the third class is known as Vis'va, Taijasa.
and Prâjñas and forms the body, as it were, of the Brahmân. There are others also, animals, etc., in the
lowest class.
Source: Translation of The Srimad Devi Bhagvatam by Swami Vijnanananda
