devyuvāca . 1 .
The Devi said:
ebhiḥ stavaiśca māṁ nityaṁ stoṣyate yaḥ samāhitaḥ . tasyāhaṁ sakalāṁ bādhāṁ nāśayiṣyāmyasaṁśayam . 2 .
‘Whoever, with a collected mind, praises Me every day with these stutis, I shall without doubt put an end to every trouble of theirs.’
madhukaiṭabhanāśaṁ ca mahiṣāsuraghātanam . kīrtayiṣyanti ye tadvadvadhaṁ śumbhaniśumbhayoḥ . 3 .
‘And those who tell of the slaying of Madhu and Kaitabha, the killing of Mahishasura, and likewise the slaying of Shumbha and Nishumbha…’
aṣṭamyāṁ ca caturdaśyāṁ navamyāṁ caikacetasaḥ . śroṣyanti caiva ye bhaktyā mama māhātmyamuttamam . 4 .
‘…and those who, with a single mind, listen in bhakti to this highest telling of My glory on the eighth, the fourteenth and the ninth days of the fortnight…’
na teṣāṁ duṣkr̥taṁ kiñcidduṣkr̥totthā na cāpadaḥ . bhaviṣyati na dāridryaṁ na caiveṣṭaviyojanam . 5 .
‘…no wrong will touch them, nor the troubles that wrongdoing brings; there will be no poverty for them, and no parting from those they love.’
śatruto na bhayaṁ tasya dasyuto vā na rājataḥ . na śastrānalatoyaughāt kadācit sambhaviṣyati . 6 .
‘Such a one will never have cause to fear an enemy, a robber or a king, nor weapons, fire or flood.’
tasmānmamaitanmāhātmyaṁ paṭhitavyaṁ samāhitaiḥ . śrotavyaṁ ca sadā bhaktyā paraṁ svastyayanaṁ hi tat . 7 .
‘So this telling of My glory should always be read with a collected mind, and heard with bhakti; for it brings the highest good.’
upasargānaśeṣāṁstu mahāmārīsamudbhavān . tathā trividhamutpātaṁ māhātmyaṁ śamayenmama . 8 .
‘The telling of My glory quiets every trouble born of pestilence, and the three kinds of calamity.’
yatraitatpaṭhyate samyaṅnityamāyatane mama . sadā na tadvimokṣyāmi sānnidhyaṁ tatra me sthitam . 9 .
‘The shrine of Mine where this is duly read every day I shall never leave; My presence abides there.’
balipradāne pūjāyāmagnikārye mahotsave . sarvaṁ mamaitaccaritamuccāryaṁ śrāvyameva ca . 10 .
‘At an offering of bali, at puja, at the fire rite and at a great festival, the whole of this story of Mine should be recited and heard.’
jānatā'jānatā vāpi balipūjāṁ tathā kr̥tām . pratīcchiṣyāmyahaṁ prītyā vahnihomaṁ tathā kr̥tam . 11 .
‘Then, whether the bali and the puja are done knowing the rite or not knowing it, and the fire offering too, I shall accept them gladly.’
śaratkāle mahāpūjā kriyate yā ca vārṣikī . tasyāṁ mamaitanmāhātmyaṁ śrutvā bhaktisamanvitaḥ . 12 .
‘At the great puja held every year in autumn, whoever hears this telling of My glory with bhakti…’
sarvābādhāvinirmukto dhanadhānyasutānvitaḥ . manuṣyo matprasādena bhaviṣyati na saṁśayaḥ . 13 .
‘…will by My grace be freed from every trouble and blessed with wealth, grain and children; of this there is no doubt.’
śrutvā mamaitanmāhātmyaṁ tathā cotpattayaḥ śubhāḥ . parākramaṁ ca yuddheṣu jāyate nirbhayaḥ pumān . 14 .
‘Hearing this telling of My glory, the good stories of how I appeared, and My valour in battle, a person becomes fearless.’
ripavaḥ saṅkṣayaṁ yānti kalyāṇaṁ copapadyate . nandate ca kulaṁ puṁsāṁ māhātmyaṁ mama śr̥ṇvatām . 15 .
‘For those who listen to My glory, enemies come to nothing, good comes to them, and their family rejoices.’
śāntikarmaṇi sarvatra tathā duḥsvapnadarśane . grahapīḍāsu cogrāsu māhātmyaṁ śr̥ṇuyānmama . 16 .
‘In every rite for peace, on seeing a bad dream, and when the grahas press hard, one should hear My glory.’
upasargāḥ śamaṁ yānti grahapīḍāśca dāruṇāḥ . duḥsvapnaṁ ca nr̥bhirdr̥ṣṭaṁ susvapnamupajāyate . 17 .
‘Troubles are stilled, and the hard afflictions of the grahas; and a bad dream a person has seen turns into a good one.’
bālagrahābhibhūtānāṁ bālānāṁ śāntikārakam . saṅghātabhede ca nr̥ṇāṁ maitrīkaraṇamuttamam . 18 .
‘It brings peace to children seized by the balagrahas, and where people have fallen out, it is the best maker of friendship.’
durvr̥ttānāmaśeṣāṇāṁ balahānikaraṁ param . rakṣobhūtapiśācānāṁ paṭhanādeva nāśanam . 19 .
‘It takes away the strength of all who live wickedly; by its mere reading, rakshasas, bhutas and pishachas are destroyed.’
sarvaṁ mamaitanmāhātmyaṁ mama sannidhikārakam . paśupuṣpārghyadhūpaiśca gandhadīpaistathottamaiḥ . 20 .
‘This whole telling of My glory brings one into My presence. Offering animals, flowers, arghya and incense, fragrance and the finest diyas…’
viprāṇāṁ bhojanairhomaiḥ prokṣaṇīyairaharniśam . anyaiśca vividhairbhogaiḥ pradānairvatsareṇa yā . 21 .
‘…feeding brahmins, giving homa, sprinkling consecrated water day and night, and with many other offerings and gifts, for a whole year…’
prītirme kriyate sā'smin sakr̥tsucarite śrute . śrutaṁ harati pāpāni tathā''rogyaṁ prayacchati . 22 .
‘…the joy that is given Me is given in full by hearing this good story of Mine once. Heard, it takes away sins and gives good health.’
rakṣāṁ karoti bhūtebhyo janmanāṁ kīrtanaṁ mama . yuddheṣu caritaṁ yanme duṣṭadaityanibarhaṇam . 23 .
‘The telling of how I came to be born guards from harmful beings; and when the story of My battles, the slaying of the wicked daityas…’
tasmiñchrute vairikr̥taṁ bhayaṁ puṁsāṁ na jāyate . yuṣmābhiḥ stutayo yāśca yāśca brahmarṣibhiḥ kr̥tāḥ . 24 .
‘…is heard, people have no fear of what enemies may do. And the stutis that you and the brahmarshis have sung…’
brahmaṇā ca kr̥tāstāstu prayacchanti śubhāṁ matim . araṇye prāntare vāpi dāvāgniparivāritaḥ . 25 .
‘…and those Brahma sang, give a mind turned to good. In a forest, on a lonely road, or caught in a forest fire…’
dasyubhirvā vr̥taḥ śūnye gr̥hīto vāpi śatrubhiḥ . siṁhavyāghrānuyāto vā vane vā vanahastibhiḥ . 26 .
‘…surrounded by robbers in a desolate place, or seized by enemies, chased by a lion, a tiger or wild elephants in the forest…’
rājñā kruddhena cājñapto vadhyo bandhagato'pi vā . āghūrṇito vā vātena sthitaḥ pote mahārṇave . 27 .
‘…sentenced to death or bound in prison at the word of an angry king, or tossed by the wind in a boat on the great sea…’
patatsu cāpi śastreṣu saṅgrāme bhr̥śadāruṇe . sarvābādhāsu ghorāsu vedanābhyardito'pi vā . 28 .
‘…when weapons are falling in a most terrible battle, in every dreadful trouble, or when racked with pain…’
smaranmamaitaccaritaṁ naro mucyeta saṅkaṭāt . mama prabhāvātsiṁhādyā dasyavo vairiṇastathā . 29 .
‘…whoever remembers this story of Mine is freed from the danger. By My power, lions and the like, robbers and enemies…’
dūrādeva palāyante smarataścaritaṁ mama . 30 .
‘…flee far from one who remembers My story.’
r̥ṣiruvāca . 31 .
The Rishi said:
ityuktvā sā bhagavatī caṇḍikā caṇḍavikramā . 32 .
Having spoken so, Bhagavati Chandika, fierce in Her valour…
paśyatāmeva devānāṁ tatraivāntaradhīyata . te'pi devā nirātaṅkāḥ svādhikārān yathā purā . 33 .
…vanished on that very spot, even as the devas looked on. Then the devas, their fear gone, took up their own offices as before…
yajñabhāgabhujaḥ sarve cakrurvinihatārayaḥ . daityāśca devyā nihate śumbhe devaripau yudhi . 34 .
…and all of them, their enemies slain, once more received their share of the yajnas. And when Shumbha, foe of the devas, had been slain by the Devi in battle…
jagadvidhvaṁsake tasmin mahogre'tulavikrame . niśumbhe ca mahāvīrye śeṣāḥ pātālamāyayuḥ . 35 .
…that destroyer of the world, most fierce and of matchless valour, and the mighty Nishumbha too, the daityas who were left went down to Patala.
evaṁ bhagavatī devī sā nityāpi punaḥ punaḥ . sambhūya kurute bhūpa jagataḥ paripālanam . 36 .
In this way, O King, Bhagavati Devi, though She is eternal, appears again and again and protects the world.
tayaitanmohyate viśvaṁ saiva viśvaṁ prasūyate . sā yācitā ca vijñānaṁ tuṣṭā r̥ddhiṁ prayacchati . 37 .
It is She who deludes this universe, and She who gives it birth; asked, She gives true knowledge, and pleased, She gives prosperity.
vyāptaṁ tayaitatsakalaṁ brahmāṇḍaṁ manujeśvara . mahākālyā mahākāle mahāmārīsvarūpayā . 38 .
O King, this whole universe is pervaded by Her, Mahakali, who at the great dissolution takes the form of the great pestilence.
saiva kāle mahāmārī saiva sr̥ṣṭirbhavatyajā . sthitiṁ karoti bhūtānāṁ saiva kāle sanātanī . 39 .
She, in Her time, is the great pestilence; She, the unborn, becomes creation; and She, the eternal, sustains all beings in their time.
bhavakāle nr̥ṇāṁ saiva lakṣmīrvr̥ddhipradā gr̥he . saivābhāve tathā'lakṣmīrvināśāyopajāyate . 40 .
In good times She is Lakshmi in people's homes, giving increase; and in hard times She Herself becomes Alakshmi, and brings ruin.
stutā sampūjitā puṣpairdhūpagandhādibhistathā . dadāti vittaṁ putrāṁśca matiṁ dharme gatiṁ śubhām . 41 .
Praised, and given puja with flowers, incense, fragrance and the rest, She gives wealth and children, a mind set on dharma, and a good end.