A Prayer to Devi

IN THE LAST COLUMN, I mentioned shades of the Bhagavad Gita in the description of Devi’s greatness. This is from Kurma Purana. Everyone knows the story about Sati giving up her life at Daksha’s sacrifice. Subsequently, the demon Taraka started to oppress everyone and could only be killed by Shiva’s son. Therefore, Shiva needed to remarry, so that Skanda, who killed Taraka, might be born. Meanwhile, Parvati was born as Himalaya’s daughter and went on to marry Shiva. But before that, Himalaya prayed to Devi so that she might be born as his daughter. He used 1,008 names to pray to her. The Kurma Purana is not a very familiar Purana. Nevertheless, I will skip the 1,008 names. In the space of a column, there will be too much to explain. Instead, let me continue with Himalaya’s prayer to Devi. You will again find shades of the Bhagavad Gita.

But before that, Devi’s complexion resembled the petals of a blue lotus. The fragrance was that of a blue lotus. There were two eyes and two arms. The amiable form was adorned with blue-black hair. The soles of the feet were like red lotuses. The palms were like sprouts and were extremely red. A tilaka blazed on the forehead. All the limbs were extremely delicate and were adorned with beautiful ornaments. A large garland, made out of gold, hung atop the breasts. The lips, which were like bimba fruit, seemed to smile a little. The anklets tinkled. The face was pleasant and filled with divine and infinite greatness. (Bimba is a fruit that is scarlet when ripe.)

Himalaya said, “Today, my birth has been rendered successful. Today, my austerities have been rendered successful. The unmanifest refuge has directly come within my range of vision. You created the universe. Starting with Pradhana, everything is established in you. O Devi! It is into you that it is dissolved. Indeed, you are the supreme destination. Some speak of you as Prakriti, or as beyond Prakriti. Others, who know about the supreme meaning, speak of you as Shivaa, with Shiva as a refuge. You are Pradhana and Purusha, Mahat, Brahma and Ishvara. You are ignorance. You are the maya that controls. You are kalaa and the hundreds of parts. You are supreme Shakti. You are infinite Parameshthini. You are free from every kind of difference. You are the refuge that every kind of difference depends on. O Yogeshi! O Mahadevi! Maheshvara is established in you. Staring with Pradhana, you make everything in the universe function and cease to function. It is in association with you that the divinity enjoys bliss in his own atman. You are supreme bliss. You are the one who bestows bliss. You are supreme and without decay. You are space. You are the great illumination. You are without blemish. You are auspicious. You go everywhere. You are subtle. You are the eternal and supreme Brahman. Among all the devas, you are Shakra. Among those who know about the Brahman, you are Brahma. You are Vayu among the strong. O Devi! Among yogis, you are Kumaraka (probably meaning Sanatkumara). Among rishis, you are Vasishtha. Among those who know the Vedas, you are Vyasa. O Devi! You are Kapila among those who follow samkhya. Among the Rudras, you are Shankara. You are Upendra among the Adityas. Among the Vasus, you are Pavaka. Among the Vedas, you are Sama Veda. Among the chhandas of Sama Veda, you are gayatri. Among all kinds of knowledge, you are knowledge about adhyatma. You are the supreme objective among all objectives. Among every kind of Shakti, you are maya. Among those who control, you are Kala. Among everything that is secret, you are OUMKARA.”

‘You are my destination. I seek refuge with you. There is no one who is equal to me in the worlds, not even among devas. Because of my austerities, the mother of the universe has manifested herself as my daughter’

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“Among varnas, you are the excellent dvija. Among ashramas, you are garhasthya. You are Maheshvara among Ishvaras. Among men, you alone are Purusha. You are established in the heart of every being. Among all Upanishads, you speak about the secret Upanishad. You are Ishana among all the kalpas. Among yugas, you are krita. You are Aditya among all those who follow paths. Among all speech, you are Devi Sarasvati. Among all those who are beautiful in form, you are Lakshmi. You are Vishnu among those who possess maya. Among faithful wives, you are Arundhati. You are Suparna among the birds. Among suktams, you are Purusha suktam. Among Sama hymns, you are Jyeshthasama. Among those used to perform japa, you are Savitri. Among hymns of the Yajur Veda, you are Shatarudriya. You are the great Meru among mountains. You are Ananta among serpents. Among everything, you are the supreme Brahman. Everything is permeated by you. Your entire form is devoid of all transformations. Your sparkling and single form cannot be perceived. There is no beginning, no middle and no end. You are infinite and primordial. I prostrate myself before the truth that is beyond darkness. Those who possess vijnana about Vedanta have determined the meaning and have seen the origin of the universe. You are bliss alone and are known as Pranava. I seek refuge with that form. This form is hidden inside all beings and is the cause behind the union and separation of Pradhana and Purusha. It is full of energy and is devoid of birth and destruction. I prostrate myself before the form that is known as prana. You are without a beginning and an end. The universe is a form of your atman. Existing in different forms, you are beyond Prakriti. Your form is hidden and not manifest. I prostrate myself before the form that is known as Purusha. You are the refuge for everything. You arrange for the entire universe. You go everywhere. You are devoid of birth and destruction. You are subtle and wonderful, with the three gunas.”

“I prostrate myself before the form Pradhana, with different types of forms. You are the primordial and great one, known as Purusha and established in Prakriti, carrying the seed of the three gunas in the atman. This is full of contrary kinds of dharma, with prosperity and vijnana. O Devi! I prostrate myself before that form. As you were established in the water, the fourteen worlds, with their wonderful differences, were in your atman. You are the absolute Purusha, the lord. There are many types of different entities that reside in those. I prostrate myself before the form that is described as the cosmic egg. You alone are the primordial one, with all the Vedas in your atman. In truth, it is your energy that fills the worlds with differences. You are the cause behind the three periods of time (past, present and future). I prostrate myself before the form that is established in the solar disc and is known as Parameshthi. You are the ancient Purusha, with one thousand arms and one thousand heads, infinite in powers. At the end, you lie down in the waters. I prostrate myself before the form that is known as Narayana. Your form possesses cruel teeth and brings about the fire of destruction that comes at the end of a yuga. You are worshipped by the gods. You are the cause behind the destruction of all the eggs, with the beings inside. I prostrate myself before the form known as Kala. You are worshipped as the foremost Indra among serpents, with one thousand shining hoods spread out. Janardana sleeps, astride that form of yours. I prostrate myself before your form, known as Shesha. Your form, with the odd number of eyes, is unimpeded in its prosperity. It is described as the only one that knows the immortal bliss of the Brahman. At the end of all the yugas, it dances in the firmament. I prostrate myself before your form, known as Rudra. You are devoid of grief. You are devoid of forms. Your lotus-feet are worshipped by gods and asuras. O Devi! You are radiant and extremely delicate. O Bhavani! I prostrate myself before your fair form. OUM! O Mahadevi! I prostrate myself before you. O Parameshvari! I prostrate myself before you. O Bhagavati! O Ishani! I prostrate myself before you. O Shivaa! I prostrate myself before you. I bow down. I am pervaded by you. You are my support. You are my destination. I seek refuge with you. O Parameshvari! Be pleased. There is no one who is equal to me in the worlds, not even among devas and danavas. Because of my austerities, the mother of the universe has manifested herself as my daughter. O Devi! This Menaa, the daughter of the ancestors, has become your mother. Blessed am I. The mother of the universe has granted me this sacred glory. O Ishani! Along with Menaa, always save me. I prostrate myself before your lotus-feet. How wonderful is my great good fortune! Mahadevi has arrived.”

Devi replied and spoke to Himalaya about Shiva. She said, “Listen to this secret about Ishvara, who cannot be perceived. O best among mountains! This is the instruction followed by those who speak about the Brahman. You have directly seen my wonderful form, which is that of Ishvara. It is infinite and is full of all the Shaktis. It is the supreme entity that urges. Be faithful and seek refuge with that supreme form, controlled and tranquil in mind, devoid of any sense of pride and ego.”

I will continue in the next column.

About The Author

Bibek Debroy

Bibek Debroy has translated the Mahabharata and the Valmiki Ramayana into English. He is the Chairman of the Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister

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