मार्कण्डेय उवाच ।
ॐ विशुद्धज्ञानदेहाय त्रिवेदीदिव्यचक्षुषे ।
श्रेयःप्राप्तिनिमित्ताय नमः सोमार्धधारिणे॥
mārkaṇḍeya uvāca | oṃ viśuddhajñānadehāya trivedīdivyacakṣuṣe | śreyaḥprāptinimittāya namaḥ somārdhadhāriṇe || 1||
Sage Markandeya said: Om. Salutations to Shiv ji, who wears the crescent moon, whose body is pure knowledge, whose three divine eyes are the three Vedas, and who is the cause of every good.
सर्वमेतद्विजानीयान्मन्त्राणामभिकीलकम् ।
सोऽपि क्षेममवाप्नोति सततं जाप्यतत्परः॥
sarvametadvijānīyānmantrāṇāmabhikīlakam | so'pi kṣemamavāpnoti satataṃ jāpyatatparaḥ || 2||
One should know that this stotra is the pin (Keelaka) that locks all the mantras. He who constantly devotes himself to reciting it attains peace and well-being.
सिद्ध्यन्त्युच्चाटनादीनि वस्तूनि सकलान्यपि ।
एतेन स्तुवतां देवीं स्तोत्रमात्रेण सिद्ध्यति॥
siddhyantyuccāṭanādīni vastūni sakalānyapi | etena stuvatāṃ devīṃ stotramātreṇa siddhyati || 3||
All actions like Uchatana (eradication of enemies) and other desires are accomplished. For those who praise the Devi with this stotra alone, everything is achieved.
न मन्त्रो नौषधं तत्र न किञ्चिदपि विद्यते ।
विना जाप्येन सिद्ध्येत सर्वमुच्चाटनादिकम्॥
na mantro nauṣadhaṃ tatra na kiñcidapi vidyate | vinā jāpyena siddhyeta sarvamuccāṭanādikam || 4||
Without the need for any other mantra, medicine, or anything else, all actions like Uchatana are accomplished simply by reciting this.
समग्राण्यपि सिद्ध्यन्ति लोकशङ्कामिमां हरः ।
कृत्वा निमन्त्रयामास सर्वमेवमिदं शुभम्॥
samagrāṇyapi siddhyanti lokaśaṅkāmimāṃ haraḥ | kṛtvā nimantrayāmāsa sarvamevamidaṃ śubham || 5||
Seeing the doubt of the people regarding whether all desires can be fulfilled by this alone, Shiv ji invoked every good into this stotra.
स्तोत्रं वै चण्डिकायास्तु तच्च गुप्तं चकार सः ।
समाप्तिर्न च पुण्यस्य तां यथावन्नियन्त्रणाम्॥
stotraṃ vai caṇḍikāyāstu tacca guptaṃ cakāra saḥ | samāptirna ca puṇyasya tāṃ yathāvanniyantraṇām || 6||
He kept this stotra of Devi Chandika a secret. The merit of reciting it never exhausts, provided one follows the proper rules of recitation.
सोऽपि क्षेममवाप्नोति सर्वमेवं न संशयः ।
कृष्णायां वा चतुर्दश्यामष्टम्यां वा समाहितः॥
so'pi kṣemamavāpnoti sarvamevaṃ na saṃśayaḥ | kṛṣṇāyāṃ vā caturdaśyāmaṣṭamyāṃ vā samāhitaḥ || 7||
He undoubtedly attains all well-being. One who recites it with full concentration on the fourteenth or eighth day of the dark fortnight...
ददाति प्रतिगृह्णाति नान्यथैषा प्रसीदति ।
इत्थंरुपेण कीलेन महादेवेन कीलितम्॥
dadāti pratigṛhṇāti nānyathaiṣā prasīdati | itthaṃrupeṇa kīlena mahādevena kīlitam || 8||
...and offers everything to the Devi and receives it back as Her grace, pleases Her; She is not pleased otherwise. In this way, it has been pinned (locked) by Mahadev.
यो निष्कीलां विधायैनां नित्यं जपति संस्फुटम् ।
स सिद्धः स गणः सोऽपि गन्धर्वो जायते नरः॥
yo niṣkīlāṃ vidhāyaināṃ nityaṃ japati saṃsphuṭam | sa siddhaḥ sa gaṇaḥ so'pi gandharvo jāyate naraḥ || 9||
He who unpins (unlocks) this stotra and recites it clearly every day becomes a Siddha, an attendant of Shiva, and a Gandharva.
न चैवाप्यटतस्तस्य भयं क्वापीह जायते ।
नापमृत्युवशं याति मृतो मोक्षमवाप्नुयात्॥
na caivāpyaṭatastasya bhayaṃ kvāpīha jāyate | nāpamṛtyuvaśaṃ yāti mṛto mokṣamavāpnuyāt || 10||
Wandering anywhere in this world, he faces no fear. He is never subject to untimely death, and upon death, he attains liberation.
ज्ञात्वा प्रारभ्य कुर्वीत ह्यकुर्वाणो विनश्यति ।
ततो ज्ञात्वैव सम्पूर्णमिदं प्रारभ्यते बुधैः॥
jñātvā prārabhya kurvīta hyakurvāṇo vinaśyati | tato jñātvaiva sampūrṇamidaṃ prārabhyate budhaiḥ || 11||
One must begin the recitation only after knowing this procedure of unlocking; failing to do so brings ruin. Therefore, the wise begin it only after knowing this completely.
सौभाग्यादि च यत्किञ्चिद् दृश्यते ललनाजने ।
तत्सर्वं तत्प्रसादेन तेन जाप्यमिदं शुभम्॥
saubhāgyādi ca yatkiñcid dṛśyate lalanājane | tatsarvaṃ tatprasādena tena jāpyamidaṃ śubham || 12||
Whatever good fortune, beauty, and other qualities are seen in women are all by Her grace. Therefore, this stotra should be recited.
शनैस्तु जप्यमानेऽस्मिन् स्तोत्रे सम्पत्तिरुच्चकैः ।
भवत्येव समग्रापि ततः प्रारभ्यमेव तत्॥
śanaistu japyamāne'smin stotre sampattiruccakaiḥ | bhavatyeva samagrāpi tataḥ prārabhyameva tat || 13||
When this stotra is recited softly and steadily, it brings immense wealth and all-round prosperity. Hence, one must certainly undertake its recitation.
ऐश्वर्यं यत्प्रसादेन सौभाग्यारोग्यसम्पदः ।
शत्रुहानिः परो मोक्षः स्तूयते सा न किं जनैः॥
aiśvaryaṃ yatprasādena saubhāgyārogyasampadaḥ | śatruhāniḥ paro mokṣaḥ stūyate sā na kiṃ janaiḥ || 14||
By Her grace, one attains sovereignty, good fortune, health, wealth, destruction of enemies, and supreme liberation. Why should She not be praised by people?
चण्डिकां हृदयेनापि यः स्मरेत् सततं नरः ।
हृद्यं काममवाप्नोति हृदि देवी सदा वसेत्॥
caṇḍikāṃ hṛdayenāpi yaḥ smaret satataṃ naraḥ | hṛdyaṃ kāmamavāpnoti hṛdi devī sadā vaset || 15||
The person who constantly remembers Devi Chandika in his heart attains his heart's desires, and the Devi always resides in his heart.
अग्रतोऽमुं महादेवकृतं कीलकवारणम् ।
निष्कीलञ्च तथा कृत्वा पठितव्यं समाहितैः॥
agrato'muṃ mahādevakṛtaṃ kīlakavāraṇam | niṣkīlañca tathā kṛtvā paṭhitavyaṃ samāhitaiḥ || 16||
First, one should remove this pin (Keelaka) created by Mahadev. Having unlocked it thus, one should read the text with a concentrated mind.