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 5/1:37
On the chanting of hymns by Hara and Brahmâ
1. Brahmâ said :-- O Nàrada! Thus speaking, Visnu stopped; Sankara, the
Destroyer, then stepped in and, bowing down to the Devî said :--
2. S’iva
said :-- O Devî! If Hari be born by Thy
power and the lotus-born Brahmâ have come into existence from Thee, why, then,
I who of Tamo Guna be not born of Thee! O
Auspicious One! Thou art clever in
creating all the Lokas! What wonder is
there in My being created by Thee.
3. O
Mother! Thou art the earth, water, air,
âkâsa and fire. Thou art, again, the organs of senses and the
organs of perception; Thou art Buddhi, mind and Ahankâra (egoism).
4. Those
who say that Hari, Hara, and Brahmâ are respectively the Preserver, the Destroyer
and the Creator of this whole Universe do know anything. All
the three, above mentioned, are created by Thee; then they perform always their
respective functions; their sole refuge being Thyself.
5. O
Mother! If the Universe be created of
the five elements, earth, air, ether, fire, and water, having the properties of
touch, taste, etc. , then how these five
elements possessing attributes and of the nature of effects, can come into
manifestation, without their being born from Thy Chit portion (Intelligence)?
6. O
Auspicious Mother! It is Thou in the
shape of Brahmâ, Visnu and S’iva, That art creating this Universe and it is
Thou that hast assumed the form of this whole Universe, moving and non-moving. Thus
Thou playest, as it wills Thee, under various forms, again and again. Thou
dost cease from play (during pralaya) as it likes Thee.
7. O
Mother! When Brahmâ, Visnu and I become
desirous to create the world, we execute our duties by taking the dust (earth,
etc. ) of Thy lotus feet.
8. O
Mother! It it were not Thy mercy, then
how Brahmâ could have become endowed with Rajoguna, Visnu with Sattvaguna and I
with Tamoguna?
9. O
Mother! If there were no differences
observed in Thy mind, then why hast Thou created in this world rich and poor,
king and councillors, servants, etc., various classes of beings!? Why hast Thou not created all alike happy or
all alike miserable?
10.
So Thou
wilt have to show Thy mercy towards me. Thy three gunas are capable at all times to
create, preserve and destroy the world; then Hari, Hara and Brahmâ, whom Thou
hast created as the cause of the three worlds, is simply Thy will.
11-12. O
Bhavâni! If Thy Gunas had no power in
the acts of creation, etc. , then how can
the fact that while we three Hari, Brahmâ and I were coming in the aeroplane,
we saw on our way new worlds created by Thee, become possible!? Kindly dost Thou say on this. O
World-Mother! It is Thou that desirest
to create, preserve, and destroy this world by Thy part Mâyik power. Thou
art always enjoying with Purusa, Thy husband. O S’iva!
We cannot fathom Thy inscrutable ways.
13-15.
O
auspicious one! How can we understand
Thy sport!? O Mother! We are transformed into young women before
Thee; let us serve Thy lotus feet. If we get our manhood, we will be deprived
from serving Thy feet and thus of the greatest happiness. O
Mother! O Sire! I do not like to leave Thy lotus feet and get
my man-body again and reign in the three worlds. O
Beautiful faced one! Now that I have got
this youthful feminine form before Thee, there is not a
trace of desire within me to get again my masculine form. What
use is there in getting manhood, what happiness is there if I do not get sight
of Thy lotus-feet!
16-18. O
Mother! Let this unsullied fame of mine
be spread over in the three worlds that I have got, in this young womanly form,
the chance of serving Thy lotus feet that has got this effect that the idea of
world goes away. Who is there that will leave Thy service and
desire to enjoy the foeless kingdom in the world!? Oh! even
a moment appears a Yuga to him who has not got Thy lotus feet with him! O Mother!
Those that leave the worship of Thy lotus feet and
become engaged in performing tapasyâ are certainly deprived of the best thing
by the Creator, though their minds be pure and holy. Their
power from their Tapasyâ may be acquired and they be entitled for Mukti; yet
they get dire defeat from not having Thee.
19. O
Unborn One! Austerities, control of
passions, enlightenment or performance of sacrifices, as ordained in the Vedas,
nothing can save, from this ocean of Samsâra.
It is the devotional worship only
of Thy lotus feet that can make one attain the Beatitude. O Devî! If Thou be extremely merciful towards me,
then initiate me in that wonderful holy mantra of Thine; I will repeat that
omnipotent par-excellent nine-lettered mantra of the Chandikâ Devî and be happy.
20-26. O
Mother! In my former birth I got the
nine-lettered mantra but now I have forgotten it O Tarinî! O Saviour!
Give me today that mantra and save me from this ocean of world. Brahmâ
said :-- When S’iva of wonderful fire and energy, said this, the Devî Ambikâ
clearly uttered the nine lettered mantra.
Mahâdeva accepted the mantra and
became very glad. He fell down at the feet of the Devî, and then
and there began to repeat the nine-lettered mantra together
with Vîja (seed) that yields desires and liberation and can be easily
pronounced.
When I saw S'ankara, the Auspicious One to
all the Lokas, in that state, I fell down also at the feet of the Devî and
spoke to Mahâ Mâyâ :-- O Mother! It is
not that the Vedas are unable to ascertain Thy nature; for, in the performances
of sacrifices and other minor actions, they do not mention Thy full Nature, the
Ordainer of all but mention simply Indra and minor deities and Svâhâ Devî, a
portion of Thy essence as the presiding deities of the sacrificial offerings
and oblations. So, O Devî!
It is Thou that hast been extolled in this Universe as the Universal
Consciousness, all knowing and transcending all the Devas and all the Lokas.
Note :-- The nine lettered mantra is “Om
Hrîm S'rîm Chandikâyai namah. ”
27. I have
created this greatly wondrous Universe; I am the Lord of this Brahmânda. Who is
there more powerful than me in these three worlds!? When I am Brahmâ, transcending all the Lokas,
then I am blessed; there is no doubt in this.
By reason of this vanity I am
plunged in this widely extended ocean of Samsàra.
28-31. That
now I have been able to get the dust of Thy lotus feet, has now made me really
proud; and truly I am blessed today and by Thy grace this manifestation of
pride on my part has become quite justified.
Thou destroyest the fear of this
Samsâra and givest Mukti. So, O Goddess!
pray unto Thee that Thou dost cut asunder this iron chain of my delusion, full of great troubles and
make me devoted to Thee.
O Auspicious One! I am born fromthe lotus discovered by Thee;
now I am extremely anxious how I can get Mukti.
I am Thy obedient servant; I am
merged in the delusion of this ocean of world.
Save me O S’iva! from this Samsâra. Those
who do not know Thy character, think that I am the Creator and Lord of this
Universe; those, who do not worship Thee and worship Indra and other Devas and
perform sacrifices to attain Heaven are certainly ignorant of Thy glory.
O Prime Mâyâ! Thou art the Eternal Mahâ Mâyâ! It is Thou that dost want to play this
worldplay, and for that purpose hast created me as Brahmâ.
Then I created these four sorts of beings,
engendered by heat and moisture (said of insects and worms),
those that are oviparous
those that are sprung from germs or
shoots,
and those that are born from womb,
viviparous and exhibit my pride “That I am omniscient” So forgive this sin of
mine, this my pride.
32-37. O
Mother ! Those ignorant persons blinded
by passion, who take recourse to the eight-fold Yoga and Samâdhi and labour
under it, do not know for certain, they would get Moksa, if they utter Thy
name, even under a pretext.
O Bhavânî!
are they not deluded by error and blinded by passion for this world, who
discriminate only the Tattvas (essences) and forget Thy name!? For it is Thou that dost give Mukti from thisworld. O Thou
Unborn! Can Hari, Hara, etc. , and other ancient persons who have realised
the highest Truth, forget, even for a second Thy holy character and Thy names S’iva,
Ambikâ, S'akti, Isvarî and others!? Canst
Thou not create, by Thy glance merely, this fourfold creation!? In fact, for mere recreation and will, it is
Thou that hast made me as a Creator from the earliest times. Is it
not that Thou didst save Hari in the ocean from the two Daityas Madhu and Kaitabha!?
Is it not again the fact that Thou
destroyest Hara even who is the great destroyer, when Thou dissolvest the
creation!? Otherwise why is it that Hara
becomes born from my eye-brows at the time of fresh creation!? So Hari is not the Preserver of all. Hara
is not the Destroyer of all. Had they been such, why would they be
preserved and destroyed respectively by Thee!?
So Thou alone art the Creatrix and Preservatrix of all.
O Bhavânî; no one has heard of or seen
Thee taking birth; nobody knows whence Thou art born. Thou
art, indeed, the One and only S'akti! Only
the four Vedas can make one understand Thy Nature.
O Mother!
It is only by Thy help that I am able to create this creation; Hari, to
preserve; and Hara, to destroy. Without
Thy aid, we are able to do nothing.
There is nobody, in this world, born or that
was born or that will be born, who does not become doubtful as we are. This
Thine wondrously variegated Universe, full of Thy Lîlâ, consisting in variety,
is the common ground of dispute of the imperfect intellects; who are not
deluded here!
In this Samsârâ, full of things, visible
and invisible, there is another one who is more ancient than Thee; there is
another Highest Person who is Thy substratum.
If it be argued nicely, it will
be seen that there is no other third Person that can be proved as far as
evidences or proofs go to measure it.
The wise persons, knowing all the laws,
declare that there is the One God attributeless, inactive, without any object
in view, without any upâdhis or adjunct without any parts, who is the witness
of Thy widely extended Leelâ
“One alone exists; and that is Brahmân,
and there is nothing else. ” This is the
saying of the Vedas. Now I feel in my mind a doubt as to the
discrepancy with this Veda saying. I cannot say that the Veda is false. So I
ask Thee :-- Art Thou the Brahmân, the one and the secondless
that is mentioned in the Vedas!? or Is the other Person Brahmâ!?
Kindly solve this doubt of mine. My
mind is not completely free from doubts; this little mind is still discussing whether
the Reality is dual or one; I cannot solve myself. So
dost Thou say from Thy mouth and cut my doubts asunder. Whether Thou art male or female, describe in
detail to me.
So that, knowing the Highest
S'akti, I be freed from this ocean Samsâra.
Thus ends the fifth chapter of the Third
Skandha on the chanting of hymns by Hara and Brahmâ in the Mahâ Purânam S'rîmad
Devî Bhâgavatam of 18,000 verses by Maharsi Veda Vyâsa.
Source: Translation of The Srimad Devi Bhagvatam by Swami Vijnanananda
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