devyuvaach . 1 .
The Devi said:
ebhih stavaishch maan nityan stoshyate yah samaahitah . tasyaahan sakalaan baadhaan naashayishyaamyasanshayam . 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.’
madhukaitabhanaashan ch mahishaasuraghaatanam . keertayishyanti ye tadvadvadhan shumbhanishumbhayoh . 3 .
‘And those who tell of the slaying of Madhu and Kaitabha, the killing of Mahishasura, and likewise the slaying of Shumbha and Nishumbha…’
ashtamyaan ch chaturdashyaan navamyaan chaikachetasah . shroshyanti chaiv ye bhaktyaa mam maahaatmyamuttamam . 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…’
n teshaan dushkritan kinchiddushkritotthaa n chaapadah . bhavishyati n daaridryan n chaiveshtaviyojanam . 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.’
shatruto n bhayan tasy dasyuto vaa n raajatah . n shastraanalatoyaughaat kadaachit sambhavishyati . 6 .
‘Such a one will never have cause to fear an enemy, a robber or a king, nor weapons, fire or flood.’
tasmaanmamaitanmaahaatmyan pathitavyan samaahitaih . shrotavyan ch sadaa bhaktyaa paran svastyayanan 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.’
upasargaanasheshaanstu mahaamaareesamudbhavaan . tathaa trividhamutpaatan maahaatmyan shamayenmam . 8 .
‘The telling of My glory quiets every trouble born of pestilence, and the three kinds of calamity.’
yatraitatpathyate samyannityamaayatane mam . sadaa n tadvimokshyaami saannidhyan tatr me sthitam . 9 .
‘The shrine of Mine where this is duly read every day I shall never leave; My presence abides there.’
balipradaane poojaayaamagnikaarye mahotsave . sarvan mamaitachcharitamuchchaaryan shraavyamev ch . 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.’
jaanataa'jaanataa vaapi balipoojaan tathaa kritaam . prateechchhishyaamyahan preetyaa vahnihoman tathaa kritam . 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.’
sharatkaale mahaapoojaa kriyate yaa ch vaarshikee . tasyaan mamaitanmaahaatmyan shrutvaa bhaktisamanvitah . 12 .
‘At the great puja held every year in autumn, whoever hears this telling of My glory with bhakti…’
sarvaabaadhaavinirmukto dhanadhaanyasutaanvitah . manushyo matprasaaden bhavishyati n sanshayah . 13 .
‘…will by My grace be freed from every trouble and blessed with wealth, grain and children; of this there is no doubt.’
shrutvaa mamaitanmaahaatmyan tathaa chotpattayah shubhaah . paraakraman ch yuddheshu jaayate nirbhayah pumaan . 14 .
‘Hearing this telling of My glory, the good stories of how I appeared, and My valour in battle, a person becomes fearless.’
ripavah sankshayan yaanti kalyaanan chopapadyate . nandate ch kulan punsaan maahaatmyan mam shrinvataam . 15 .
‘For those who listen to My glory, enemies come to nothing, good comes to them, and their family rejoices.’
shaantikarmani sarvatr tathaa duhsvapnadarshane . grahapeedaasu chograasu maahaatmyan shrinuyaanmam . 16 .
‘In every rite for peace, on seeing a bad dream, and when the grahas press hard, one should hear My glory.’
upasargaah shaman yaanti grahapeedaashch daarunaah . duhsvapnan ch nribhirdrishtan susvapnamupajaayate . 17 .
‘Troubles are stilled, and the hard afflictions of the grahas; and a bad dream a person has seen turns into a good one.’
baalagrahaabhibhootaanaan baalaanaan shaantikaarakam . sanghaatabhede ch nrinaan maitreekaranamuttamam . 18 .
‘It brings peace to children seized by the balagrahas, and where people have fallen out, it is the best maker of friendship.’
durvrittaanaamasheshaanaan balahaanikaran param . rakshobhootapishaachaanaan pathanaadev naashanam . 19 .
‘It takes away the strength of all who live wickedly; by its mere reading, rakshasas, bhutas and pishachas are destroyed.’
sarvan mamaitanmaahaatmyan mam sannidhikaarakam . pashupushpaarghyadhoopaishch gandhadeepaistathottamaih . 20 .
‘This whole telling of My glory brings one into My presence. Offering animals, flowers, arghya and incense, fragrance and the finest diyas…’
vipraanaan bhojanairhomaih prokshaneeyairaharnisham . anyaishch vividhairbhogaih pradaanairvatsaren yaa . 21 .
‘…feeding brahmins, giving homa, sprinkling consecrated water day and night, and with many other offerings and gifts, for a whole year…’
preetirme kriyate saa'smin sakritsucharite shrute . shrutan harati paapaani tathaa''rogyan prayachchhati . 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.’
rakshaan karoti bhootebhyo janmanaan keertanan mam . yuddheshu charitan yanme dushtadaityanibarhanam . 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…’
tasminchhrute vairikritan bhayan punsaan n jaayate . yushmaabhih stutayo yaashch yaashch brahmarshibhih kritaah . 24 .
‘…is heard, people have no fear of what enemies may do. And the stutis that you and the brahmarshis have sung…’
brahmanaa ch kritaastaastu prayachchhanti shubhaan matim . aranye praantare vaapi daavaagniparivaaritah . 25 .
‘…and those Brahma sang, give a mind turned to good. In a forest, on a lonely road, or caught in a forest fire…’
dasyubhirvaa vritah shoonye griheeto vaapi shatrubhih . sinhavyaaghraanuyaato vaa vane vaa vanahastibhih . 26 .
‘…surrounded by robbers in a desolate place, or seized by enemies, chased by a lion, a tiger or wild elephants in the forest…’
raajnaa kruddhen chaajnapto vadhyo bandhagato'pi vaa . aaghoornito vaa vaaten sthitah pote mahaarnave . 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 chaapi shastreshu sangraame bhrishadaarune . sarvaabaadhaasu ghoraasu vedanaabhyardito'pi vaa . 28 .
‘…when weapons are falling in a most terrible battle, in every dreadful trouble, or when racked with pain…’
smaranmamaitachcharitan naro muchyet sankataat . mam prabhaavaatsinhaadyaa dasyavo vairinastathaa . 29 .
‘…whoever remembers this story of Mine is freed from the danger. By My power, lions and the like, robbers and enemies…’
dooraadev palaayante smaratashcharitan mam . 30 .
‘…flee far from one who remembers My story.’
rishiruvaach . 31 .
The Rishi said:
ityuktvaa saa bhagavatee chandikaa chandavikramaa . 32 .
Having spoken so, Bhagavati Chandika, fierce in Her valour…
pashyataamev devaanaan tatraivaantaradheeyat . te'pi devaa niraatankaah svaadhikaaraan yathaa puraa . 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…
yajnabhaagabhujah sarve chakrurvinihataarayah . daityaashch devyaa nihate shumbhe 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…
jagadvidhvansake tasmin mahogre'tulavikrame . nishumbhe ch mahaaveerye sheshaah paataalamaayayuh . 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.
evan bhagavatee devee saa nityaapi punah punah . sambhooy kurute bhoop jagatah paripaalanam . 36 .
In this way, O King, Bhagavati Devi, though She is eternal, appears again and again and protects the world.
tayaitanmohyate vishvan saiv vishvan prasooyate . saa yaachitaa ch vijnaanan tushtaa riddhin prayachchhati . 37 .
It is She who deludes this universe, and She who gives it birth; asked, She gives true knowledge, and pleased, She gives prosperity.
vyaaptan tayaitatsakalan brahmaandan manujeshvar . mahaakaalyaa mahaakaale mahaamaareesvaroopayaa . 38 .
O King, this whole universe is pervaded by Her, Mahakali, who at the great dissolution takes the form of the great pestilence.
saiv kaale mahaamaaree saiv srishtirbhavatyajaa . sthitin karoti bhootaanaan saiv kaale sanaatanee . 39 .
She, in Her time, is the great pestilence; She, the unborn, becomes creation; and She, the eternal, sustains all beings in their time.
bhavakaale nrinaan saiv lakshmeervriddhipradaa grihe . saivaabhaave tathaa'lakshmeervinaashaayopajaayate . 40 .
In good times She is Lakshmi in people's homes, giving increase; and in hard times She Herself becomes Alakshmi, and brings ruin.
stutaa sampoojitaa pushpairdhoopagandhaadibhistathaa . dadaati vittan putraanshch matin dharme gatin shubhaam . 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.