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 11/1:57
On Shukracharya going to Mahadeva to get the Mantra
1. Vyâsa said :-- When the Devas retired from the
battlefield, S’ukrâchârya addressed the Demons thus :-- O best of the Demons! Please hear, what had been told to me by Brahmâ
in days of yore.
2-3. Janârdan Visnu is coming here to slay all the
Demons, He killed before Hiranyâksa, the king
of the Asuras, in His Boar incarnation. He killed Hiranyakasipu by assuming His
Man-Lion appearance; now too, he will kill all the Daityas, no doubt, with
great enthusiasm.
4-5. Now my mantra force will not be of any avail
before S’rî Hari. And without my help you will not be able to
conquer the Devas. Therefore, O Demons, wait for some time for
me; I will start today to the presence of S'iva Mahâdeva to obtain from him the
Mantra S’akti.
6. I will return, as early as possible, getting
the Mantra from S’rî Mahâdeva; and with the help of the power of those great
Mantras I will be able to protect you thoroughly.
7. The Daityas said :-- O best of the Munis! We are now defeated and our forces are well
nigh exhausted; how will we be able to stay on this earth and expect your
return for so long a time?
8. Those who were of great strength amongst us,
they all are slain; now we are left very few in number. In
this crisis it is not advisable and auspicious for us to remain here in this
battlefield.
9. S’ukrâchârya said :-- Better you all stay here
until I return, getting the requisite Mantra; remain
peaceful and engaged in asceticism.
10. The heroes apply one or other of the following
four measures :-- conciliation, alliance, gifts and
bribery, partitions and sowing dissensions and punishment or open attack
according to the conditions of time, place strength and circumstances.
11. Intelligent and well wishing persons do serve
their enemies even in time of distress; but no sooner they find that their
strength and army have increased, than they try at once to kill all their
enemies.
12. Now, therefore, pretend your meekness and
allegiance and adopt peace and remain in your own place until my arrival.
13. O Demons!
I will come back with the Mantra from Mahâdeva. I will
fight again with the Devas, by that veritable mantra power.
14. O king!
Thus firmly making up his mind to have the Mantra, S’ukrâchârya went to Mahâdeva.
15. The Dânavas sent Prahlâda to the Devas for
conciliation. The Devas regarded Prahlâda truthful and they
all trusted on him.
16. Prahlâda with Asuras addressed thus the Devas
with gentleness and humility.
17. O Immortals!
We all have abandoned our weapons and armour. Now we
desire to wear barks of trees and practise asceticism.
18. The Devâs took Prahlâda's words to be true and
deserted from further fight; were freed of anxiety and felt all delighted.
19. On the Daitya’s leaving their weapons, the
Gods desisted from battle, went to their respective places and freely gave
themselves up to pleasure and amusements.
20. The Daityas controlled themselves and
practised asceticism in the Kas’yapa’s hermitage, expecting
the return of S’ukrâchârya.
21. S’ukrâchârya went to Kailâsa and made
respectful obeisance to the God Mahâdeva.
Mahâdeva enquired of the cause of
his coming.
22. S’ukrâchârya said :-- I ask for Mantras, O
Deva! from you that are not possessed by
Brihaspatî, for the defeat of the Devas, and the victory of the Asuras.
23. Vyâsa said :-- On hearing his words, the
all-knowing S’ankara S’iva began to think what He would do in this matter.
24. Certainly, this is with the revengeful object
of attacking the Devas, for their defeat and for the victory of the Asuras that
this Muni has come.
25. The Devas ought to be protected by me; thus
thinking, S’ankara Mahes’vara advised him an
entirely difficult tapasyâ to practise.
26. Full one thousand years he would practise
tapasyâ with feet upwards and head downwards, he will
have to inhale the smoke of burnt husk. Then he will get the Mantra and his
desires will be fulfilled.
27. That would be done; thus saying to S’ankara,
S’ukrâchârya practised that excellent vow, peaceful and inhaling the smoke of
husk to get that Mantra.
28-29. The Devas came to know that S’ukrâchârya is
practising his vow and the Daityas have become
arrogant. They then counselled.
30. And came to the conclusion, took up weapons
and arms and went to the Daityas, ready to fight.
31. The Daityas, seeing the Devas dressed in
armour and holding weapons and coming from all sides, became very much afraid
and anxious.
32. The Daityas, seeing this all on a sudden, were
attacked with fear and began to address the Devas,
proud with their army, in words, full of good meanings and morals.
33. O Devas!
We have abandoned our arms; we are now armless; our spiritual guide is in
his tapasyâ, you gave us words of fearlessness; why then you have come now dressed
in full armour and with armies to kill us.
34. O Devas!
Where is your truth. And where is your religion according to
S’ruti? It is stated in S’ruti never to kill the weaponless, the fear stricken,
and the refugees.
35. The Devas said :-- You sent your good
S’ukrâchârya, out of pretence to acquire the Mantras; your asceticism is veiled
under a deceitful object. Therefore we will fight with you certainly.
36. Be ready now and dress yourself with your arms
and ammunitions, ? Lo! Whenever you get any loop hole in your
enemies, catch hold of it and kill your enemy? This is the eternal religion.
37. Vyâsa said :-- On thus hearing the reply from
the Devas, the Daityas after consideration quitted
that place and fled away with terror.
38. And they took refuge under the S’ukrâchârya’s
mother. She saw the Daityas very much fearstricken and
at once guaranteed to them protection from fear.
39. The mother of Kâvya S’ukrâchârya said :--
Don’t fear; don’t fear; cast away fear. O Dânavas!
In my presence, no fear can overtake you.
40. The Asuras on hearing her words were free from
anxiety and pain and remained in that hermitage, in no way now bewildered or
agitated, though they had no arms.
41-42. Here the Devas, seeing the Daityas flying
away, pursued them and entering the hermitage were ready to kill the Daityas,
not taking into account what strength they gained there. The
mother of S’ukrâ warned the Devas not to kill; but, inspite of her hindrance,
they began to slay the Daityas.
43. Seeing the Daityas thus attacked, the mother
was furiously irritated and told them she would make all of them overpowered by
sleep by her tapas strength, clarified intellectual force.
Note :--Is it by the
asphyxiating gas? Or, by poisonous vapours or liquids?
44. So saying she sent the Goddess of sleep who at
once overpowered the Gods and made them all lie down on the grounds senseless. Indra
with the other Devas lay there dumb, and miserable.
45. On seeing Indra thus stupefied by sleep, the
Bhagavân Visnu told Indra to enter into His body. He
would then carry him to another place and he will be better.
46-47. Indra entered into the Visnu’s body; and,
under His protection, he became free from sleep and fear. On
seeing Indra thus sheltered by Visnu and fearless, the mother of Kâvya spoke.
48. O Indra!
I will devour you with Visnu today by my Tapas force. All
the Devas will presently see all this and my extraordinary power.
N. B. :
Is it by making the earth go down, causing a fissure, thus engulfing the whole army?
Or by blowing them up? Or by showering jets of poisonous gas or hot water or vapour
from all sides.
49. Vyâsa said :-- O king! No sooner the mother spoke thus, than both
Indra and Visnu were both stupefied under her magical spell, superior thought
power, and a thorough learning of the art of warfare.
50. The Devas, seeing them very much overpowered
and bewildered, were greatly struck with wonder; they became desperate and
began to cry aloud.
51. Indra, on hearing the Devas cry aloud, told
Visnu, O Madhusûdana! I am more bewildered
in particular than yourself.
52. O Mâdhava!
No need of any further consideration.
Before this wretch, inflated with
pride by her tapasyâ, burns us, better cause her death as early as possible.
53. When thus requested by Indra who was very much
perplexed, Bhagavân Visnu quickly remembered his Sudars’ana disc, casting aside
the thought that it is hateful to kill a woman.
54-55. The disc, the ever obedient weapon of Visnu
appeared instantly at his remembrance; and
Visnu, becoming angry as prompted by Indra held the disc in His hand, and,
hurling it off on the S’ukrâ’s mother, severed off her head quickly. The god
Indra became very glad at this.
56. The Devas became free from sorrow, got very
much pleased and heartily exclaimed victory to Hari and worshipped Him and
began to chant His praises.
57. Indra and Visnu then became free from all
troubles; but they began to fear that Bhrigu (S’ukrâ’s father) would curse them
terribly and without fail.
Here ends the
Eleventh Chapter in the Fourth Book of S’rî mad Devî Bhâgavatam, the Mahâ
Purânam of 18,000 verses by Maharsi Veda Vyâsa, on S’ukrâ’s going to Mahâdeva to get the
Mantra.
Source: Translation of The Srimad Devi Bhagvatam by Swami Vijnanananda
