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 20/1:71
On the Svayamvara hall and the kings’
conversation there
1. Vyâsa
said :-- O Noble minded one! The king
Yudhâjit replied to the address of the king of Keral, thus :--
2-3. O King! You are truthful and have restrained your
passions. What you have told just now in
this assembly of kings is all correct and approved by morality. O best of the kings! You are born of a high family; you better say
how can this take place that when so many fit persons are present here to
become the bridegroom, can an unworthy person take away the offer?
4. As a
jackal never becomes fit to enjoy what are the dues of a lion, so this
Sudars’ana is also unfit to acquire this bride elect.
5. The
Brâhmanas have the Vedas as their strength; the Ksattriya kings take bows and arrows
to be their source of strength; this is ordained everywhere. Therefore O King! What wrong have I done in my statement. Kindly explain.
6-7. The
power of the kings is the befitting money given to the parents of a bride; according
to this, the strongest man is to acquire the bride, a jewel. The Ksattriyas that are weak can never
acquire that. Make this the rule in this
marriage. This earth is fit to be
enjoyed by the heroes only and not by the cowards and intriguing persons. Otherwise quarrels are sure to ensue amongst
the kings.
8. The
dispute thus arose in that Svayamvara hall; and the king Subâhu was called in.
9. The
kings that could see the reality of things then addressed the king Subâhu. “O king!
You are requested to establish a golden rule in this marriage ceremony.
10. What is
your object in calling this Svayamvara. Better
give it out after a mature consideration.
Please be explicit whom have you intended to give over your daughter in this
marriage?”
11-12. Subâhu
said :-- “My daughter has mentally selected Sudars’ana; I prevented her repeatedly
from doing this; but she did not accept my word. What shall I do now? The mind of my daughter now is not at her
will. Sudars’ana, too, though uninvited,
has come here singly and is residing calmly, without any signs of disturbance
in his mind.”
13-14. Vyâsa
said :-- Then the chief kings all invited Sudars’ana there; Sudars’ana, too, came
there quietly, and the princes, seeing his quiet nature, asked him, “O one, engaged
in practising vows! Who has invited you
here? Why have you come here singly, in
this assembly of kings?
15. You have
no force, no ministers, no help, no wealth, and no army. O intelligent! Then explain why have you come here alone?
16. In this
assembly of kings you see that the powerful monarchs are ready to fight with
each other for the sake of this princess.
What do you intend to do under those circumstances?
17. Your brother,
too, is come here to have the princess; he has got his army and is also marked
with his strength and valor. The
powerful Yudhâjit has come here also to help him.
18. O
observer of good vows! Seeing you
without any army, we have narrated to you all the facts. Now think and do accordingly. If you please, remain here or go anywhere else.”
19-20. Sudars’ana
replied :-- “True, I have no army, no help, no wealth, no forts, no friends or
no kings to protect me. Hearing that
Svayamvara will be held here, I have come here to witness it. But there is one particularity here; it is
this :-- The Devî Bhagavatî has ordered me in my dream to come here. Under Her command I have come here; there is
no doubt in this.
21. I have
got no other object in view; I have obeyed what the Bhagavatî
Bhuvanes’varî has ordered me to do. Today will happen, no doubt, what She has ordained.
22-23. O kings! I am seeing everywhere the Supreme Goddess
Bhagavatî Bhavânî. Therefore there is no
enemy of mine in this world; but he who will turn out an enemy of mine, will be
duly punished by the Mahâ Vidyâ Mahâ Mâyâ.
I do not know what is enmity?
24. O kings! What is inevitable will surely come to pass. There will be nothing otherwise. I am always depending on Fate, Destiny. What is the use, then, in thinking what will
be the result?
25. Everywhere
in the Devas, in the spirits, in men, in all the beings, the Devî’s power is
existent; it cannot be otherwise.
26. O kings! Whenever She wishes, She makes kings, masters
of wealth or devoid of wealth. What is,
then, the use of bothering my head in this?
27. When
even the Gods Brahmâ, Visnu, and Mahes’a without Her presence, become powerless
enough to move their hands or feet, then why shall I be anxious for the result?
28. O kings! Whether I am unable or able or an ordinary
person, you have nothing to consider; I have come here in this assembly hall
under the command of the Supreme Bhagavatî.
29-30. What She
has willed, She will do that. I am not
to care for that. O high minded ones! You need not be afraid at all in this. I have told you all truth. Victory or defeat, I feel no shame in either
of them. For I am always under the
control of Bhagavatî; therefore if there be any shame here, it is all Hers.”
31-33. Vyâsa
said :-- Hearing thus his words, and seeing that his mind is firmly devoted to
Bhagavatî, the kings saw each other and said thus :-- “O Sudars’ana! What you have said is quite true; it is never
otherwise; still Yudhâjit, the king of Ujjain is intent on killing you. O intelligent! O sinless!
we have all come to know that there is no trace of evil in you. We were all overcome with pity for you; hence
we have informed you; now think and do the needful?”
34. Sudars’ana
said, “You are all kind and large hearted; what you all have said is quite true. What shall I tell you, being a minor as yet!
35. O kings! No one can cause the death of another. All this world, moving and unmoving, is under
the control of Fate.
36-38. No soul is independent; every one is under the effects of one’s
own Karma. The Pundits that have
realised the Truth, say that Karma is of three kinds, Accumulated, Present, and
Prârabdha? This whole world is due to
Kâla (Time), Karma (action) and Svabhâva (Nature); unless the proper time
comes, even the Devas cannot kill men. The
men are killed on account of some cause, immediate; but the Great Time is the
real Destroyer.
39. My
father, though a destroyer of many others, was himself killed by a lion and my mother’s
father was slain by Yudhâjit in the battle.
40. The
Jîvas, though caring hard to preserve their lives, are killed by Fate in spite
of all their cares; and they live thousand years though there is none to
protect them.
41. O
religious kings! I do not fear a bit
from Yudhâjit. I consider Fate as the
Supreme and I therefore remain always undisturbed, calm and quiet.
42. Daily and constantly I
remember Bhagavatî, Who is the Mother of all this Universe. She will look after my welfare.
43. Behold! One will have certainly to bear the burden of
one’s past Karma, whether it be good or it be bad; one’s own actions must bear
their fruits. Then why shall he be sorry,
who has come to know this?
44. The less
intelligent deluded persons, on getting pain from their own actions, turn out
enemies on very trifling matters.
45. I do not
grieve nor do I fear on account of such enemies. I am staying here in this assembly of kings,
cool-minded.
46. Under
the order of Chandikâ, I have come here to see this Svayamvara; whatever is inevitable
will surely come to pass.
47. The
words of the Bhagavatî are the best proof; I do not know any other. My mind is entirely given up to Her. There will be nothing otherwise than what She
has ordained; whether it is good or whether it is bad.
48. O kings! Let Yudhâjit remain in peace. I have no enmity with him. He, who will deal inimically with me, will
certainly reap his reward. There is not
the least doubt in this.”
49. Vyâsa
said :-- O king! When Sudars’ana
addressed them thus, all the kings became very glad and they all remained there
for the Svayamvara. Sudars’ana, too,
went to his camp and remained also calm and quiet.
50. Next day
the king Subâhu invited all the kings present in his city to their respective seats
in the Svayamvara hall.
51. The
princes and kings, decorated with best ornaments, came and took their seats on their
respective platforms, covered with valuable carpets of best workmanship.
52. The
kings then looked like the celestial Devas, wearing divine ornaments and apparels,
blazing with the lustrous light of gems, and remained to see the Svayamvara affair.
53. Every
one there had this foremost thought in his mind when will the princess, the bride
elect, would come there; and who will be the man so fortunate as to be blessed with
garlands offered by her (as a token of selection of the bridegroom)!
54. If,
accidentally, she offers the garland to Sudars’ana in this Svayamvara assembly,
then will ensue, no doubt, desperate struggles amongst the kings.
55. While
they were thus meditating, sounds of drums were loudly sounded.
56-58. Then
Subâhu, the king of Benares, went to her daughter and found that S’as’ikalâ had
just taken her bath and put on her silken clothes, and adorned herself with
various ornaments and sweet garlands. Thus,
dressed in complete marriage dress, she began to shine like another Goddess
Laksmî, the Goddess of wealth. The king,
on seeing his daughter dressed in silken cloth, afflicted with anxious
thoughts, just smiled and said, “Child! Rise
and take the beautiful garlands by your hands and go to the the
Svayamvara hall and just look at the assembly of kings.
59. O lean
bodied one! Whoever, well-qualified,
beautiful, and of noble birth, amongst the kings is reigning in your mind,
better select him.
60. O
graceful! The kings from various
quarters are adorning their respective seats; better go and see and select
whomever you like.”
61. Vyâsa
said :-- When Subâhu had spoken thus, S’as’ikalâ, who generally talked little,
replied with sweet sonorous words, impregnated with religious truth.
62. “Father! I won’t go before the kings who are inspired
by lust; women like me never go there; it is those that are dissolute that
attend those places.
63. Father! I have heard from the religious texts that
women should cast their glances on their husbands only and not on any other.
64. The
woman that goes to many persons is mentally claimed by all; each of them contemplates
strongly “Let this woman be mine.” Thus her chastity is destroyed.
65-66. Desirous
of selecting her husband, when the woman holding in her hands, the garland for
her would-be-husband, goes to the Svayamvara hall, then she turns out like an
ordinary unchaste woman. As a prostitute
going to a public shop looks on many persons and judges of their merits and
demerits according to her own power of judgment, the maid that goes in the
Svayamvara hall does exactly the same.
67. How can
I behave myself in the hall of the assembly of kings like a prostitute, who does
not attach her feelings firmly on a single individual but glances constantly at
many lustful persons.
68. Though
this system of Svayamvara is approved by the elderly persons, I am not going to
follow that now. I will take the vow of
a chaste woman and act up to that doctrine as perfectly.
69. I will
never be able to act like an ordinary woman going in the Svayamvara hall, mentally
determining many and finally selecting one.
70. Father! From the very beginning I have given myself
up to Sudars’ana in mind, word and deed.
I have not the least inclination to leave him and select another in his stead.
71. O King! If you want to have my welfare, then give
your daughter on an auspicious day and in an auspicious lagna to Sudars’ana,
according to the prescribed rites.”
Thus ends the 20th Chapter on the Svayamvara hall and the kings’
conversation there in S’rîmad Devî Bhâgavatam of 18,000 verses by Mahârsi Veda
Vyâsa.
Source:
Translation of The Srimad Devi Bhagvatam by Swami Vijnanananda
