Chapter 11
(Praise of Narayani)
After Ambika Devi eliminates Shumbh and
Nishumbh, all devtas hail Ma singing her divine glory. They extol the praises
of Ma chanting aloud:
"Hey Devi Ma you’re the one who
alleviates all problems of your seekers. You’re the one presiding over this
universe thus the name "vishweshwari”. You’re the one who has cast her
spell "Maya" on all inhabiting mother Earth. You’re the one praying
to whom one can attain liberation from worldly attachments. All directions lead
to you. All women of this world are your manifestations. You alone are
ubiquitous across the universe. What can be your praise? You’re above all
qualities and way of expressions. You’re the highest form of communication ----
Paraavani. You’re the intellect in all creations. You’re the base on which
Earth is premised. Your valour is non pareil. You’re the water element, you’re
the Vaishnavi, and you’re the one granting all wishes, thus hailed as
"Sarvamangala". You’re the one creating positivity and busting
negativity. You’re the Goddess of virtues. You’re the Brahmani, Vaishnavi, Kaumari,
Shivduuti, Narsinghi, and present in all consorts of powerful deities. You’re
the one embellished with garland of skulls. You’re the one incarnating and
present in various forms as Laxmi, Lajja, Mahavidya, Shraddha, pushti, Swadha, Dhruva,
Maharatri, Mahavidya, Medha, Saraswati , Vara, Parvati, Mahakali, Sanyamsheela,
Sarvaishwari, Katyayani, Bhadrakali.
O Mother protects us from all threats and
fears. Your noble visage with trinetra or three eyes is beautiful. More menacing than the
fire of volcano, may your trident be our protector. May your bell which sucks
out all devilish energy at its mere ring, guard us from evils. May the incisive
sword that you wield in your hands, on which writ large is the blood of asuras,
shepherd us to safety. O mother whenever you’re happy, you become the panacea
to all diseases. Those surrendering to you, never find themselves in any form
of trouble; rather such souls help others rectify their problems.
Who else but you can debilitate such
monstrous savages as Mahishasur, Chand Mund, Shumbh Nishumbh, Rakt Beej et al?
It is our request to you to likewise always accompany us wherever we go and
whoever prays to you, may you save the day for him/her. May you help all overcome
all hurdles.
You find a mention in all sciences, all
studies, and all scriptures. You are the ignorance too who as Maya, foxes
consciousness into darkness. You protect from all evils and in all dire
circumstances, be they getting lost in a forest, getting caught by dacoits or
be stranded in the midst of the sea.
Devi then foretells about how She shall grace
this planet in times of crisis as drought (genesis of Her name Shataksi), help
in overpowering the oppressive regime of Vaiprachitti for Her alias of
Raktdantika being coined. When a devil named Durgam will be killed at Her
hands, she will be hailed Durga. The name Bheema Devi will gain eminence when
she'll protect the saints in Himalayas from all negative forces. She'll be
hailed as Brahmari when she will incarnate as a 6 paw animal and secure all
from the devil "Arun"
Likewise whenever mankind will be in times of
need, Devi will incarnate indeed.
Chapter 12
(Stuti Phal)
Devi contends that the one who with utmost
concentration and dedication prays daily to Her, he/she will receive the
infinite grace for life to be hassle free.The one who shall ruminate over the
essence of Chand Mund vadh, Mahishasur vadh, Shumbh Nishumbh vadh, Madhu
Kiatabh vadh would be blessed in all aspects of life. The lessons from her
conquests are so potent and powerful that they bear the sinew to extricate one
from Maya, raise the energy of the place and individuals engaged in Her
remembrance. Pondering over Her one becomes free of all the phobias,
negativity, ill health, poor financial situation, poor familial relations and
Her name is effective in giving the imaginable and the unimaginable to every
seeker alike.
Whichever form we pray to Ma, She shall with
Her benign presence charm us. Unhappiness, penury, fear etc too are all Her
forms and if we choose to stay in these emotions, Ma is more than happy to
grace us in these deadly ways.
Chapter 13
(Blessings to King Surath and Vaishy)
Medha Rishi, the narrator of the folklore of
Durga to Vaishy and King Surath then avers that all that unfolds in the world
is through the influence of Devi Ma and that all must hanker after Her auspices
in order that positivity per se continues to be solicited in everyone's life.
Devi Ma as Maya will continue to transfix all who have taken birth on this
planet. However those humble enough to seek her blessings through sadhna will
be liberated from this cycle of cause and effect.
Hearing of the legendary tales, Vaishy and
King Surath then leave for meditation. They follow the meditation procedure to
the hilt. They reduce their food intake moving from cereals to fruits and
ultimately divert all their energies to rigorous sadhna for 3 years.
Both the King and merchant
penance and meditate for 3 years
Ultimately an appeased Ma Ambika appears
before the two, asking them to seek their wishes from Her. The king seeks
return of his kingdom and a kingdom for his next birth too.
The King's wish
The Vaishy, disillusioned with life and the
world on the whole, wishes the grant of divine Wisdom to him , which is capable
of Self realization.
The Vaishy's wish
Blessing both, Devi then disappears into thin
air.
Durga
Saptashati--- What's not to be missed
Although all chapters of this divine text
have their own distinct implications and meanings, all through the Saptashati,
there are recurring lessons which merit a mention and which must be borne in
mind forever.
·
United we
stand divided we fall- Not that
Ambika Devi was any weak to not have been able to combat all asuras
single-handedly but the humility and modesty of the devtas, Brahma, Vishnu and
Mahesh brought forth the virtue of united power. Baba ji talks about collective
healing and collective chanting on the same lines. Higher level Shree Vidya
however must not be done collectively.
·
Ego, the
king of vices- In all the
allegorical stories of Saptashati, one trend that is observed is that greed,
lust, anger, sycophancy, criticism all stem from ego and which became the root
cause of the demise of the asuras. Thus doing sadhna, a sadhak shuns the word
"I" and soon "Shiva" takes over. The emotion of
selflessness is born. Happiness is sought not from others but by bowing to the
Shiva in others----- Namah shivay.
·
Humbleness
and Gratitude-The
demi-gods, Lord Shiva, Lord Brahma, Lord Vishnu et al despite being infinite
themselves do not forget to thank the Devi whenever She defeats the asuras at
their insistence. They sing hymns to Her, praise Her and pray that may
Her blessings be always with one and all exhibiting their altruism too. Thus a
thank you at all times at even slight favours is a must.
·
Sadhna
the panacea for all diseases-One thing that became quite apparent
after meditating through Saptashati is that whether it’s the Mahishasur in us
or Raktabeej or any disease, fear, materialization of any wish, the Shakti is
capable of obliterating all sorts of devils and granting all wishes . Shakti here
refers to sadhna shakti, generated when one practices sadhna daily.
·
Seeking
Devi-
The most interesting aspect about Shakti is that in whichever form you worship
Her, She shall come in that form. If one complains, cribs and cries all the
time, wishes bad for others and indulges in cheating, forgery, Ma will come to
the person as "Daridrata" or Penury or Poverty. She has pledged that
She will never leave Her creations. So in one form or the other She is present
everywhere.
As a Shiv Sadhak invoke Ma in Shree
Chakra form by chanting Swadhyay daily, indulging in sadhna daily and keeping
all family members happy. If one wishes to invoke Ma as Laxmi swaroopa, what
better way than spending money on charity? Do bhandara for the needy. Engage in
Sewa. Ma is ever ready to serve devtas and people of the world. This is the
best example of the will to do sewa. Such a burning desire to help must be
there in all Shiv Yogis.
Extend the fast from vices to the whole
year long than mere Navratras.
Mere reading of these teachings and
casting a perfunctory glance for entertainment sake would not solve the purpose
of this note. Do sadhna daily and read the note again and again. This is Brahma
gyan. This is Baba ji's gyan narrated ornamentally in your language.
Avail yourselves of this opportunity
to attain Moksha in this birth itself. Remember the year is 2012.
Om Guruve Namah !
Om Namas Chandikaye !
Namah shivay.
