The Devi Mahatmyam Story Being Retold in Brief (in English)

Table of Contents
Item
1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Topic
Procedure for chanting Devi Mahatmyam Story 1: Killing of Madhu and KaiTabha Story 2: Killing of Mahishaasura Story 3: Killing of Shumbha and Nishumbha The metaphorical (esoteric) significance

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2 3 11 23

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1. Procedure for chanting Devi Mahatmyam

The procedure for chanting Durga Saptashati (Devi Mahatmyam) is described by Sriman K. Muralidharan in his compilation, see pages 6 and 7 http://www.ambaa.org/pdf/devii_mahatmyam_1.pdf Exactly the same procedure is discussed by Dr. Satya Prakash Choudhary http://www.vedicastrologer.org/mantras/chandi/chandi_inner_meaning.pdf The following is taken verbatim from Choudharys discussion. Traditionally recitation of the Chandi is a serious and complete sadhana in itself and requires initiation from a Guru. Most people are content with chanting selected slokas of the text or chanting the Durga Saptashloki (seven verses) which contains the essence of Chandi, apart from a devout reading of the myth in a language that they are familiar with. Chanting selected slokas for specific results is a practice that is quite common. Swami Sachchidananda who had initiated me in Chandi parayana had instructed me to prescribe certain slokas as remedies for problems. Accordingly I have been prescribing the chanting of certain slokas as remedies since the last ten years or so. The recitation of the entire text of 13 chapters can be done in several ways: All 13 chapters continuously in one sitting In a span of three days as given below: o Day 1 - Chapter 1 o Day 2 - Chapters 2, 3, 4 o Day 3 Chapters 5 to 13 In a span of nine days - One reading of the text in three days as above, followed by two more repetitions in the next six days thus completing three readings of the text in nine days.
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 In a span of 7 days as given below o o o o o o o Day 1 - Chapter 1 Day 2 - Chapters 2 & 3 Day 3 - Chapter 4 Day 4 - Chapters 5, 6, 7 & 8 Day 5 - Chapters 9 & 10 Day 6 - Chapter 11 Day 7 - Chapters 12 & 13

If there is no time to read all thirteen, at least Madhyama Charitra (chapters 2, 3, 4) can be recited.

2. Story 1: Killing of Madhu and KaiTabha

Dear All: I have complied all the emails that I had sent out over the last two years during the Navarathri season as a single document (click here, see also link below) http://www.scribd.com/doc/109912844/durga-sapta-shlokee-anddevi-mahatmyam available to all. As you know, the Devi Mahatmyam tells the story of the slaying of various asuras (demons) by Devi, during a great battle, over a period of nine nights (hence navarathri). Estoerically speaking, however, our acaryas tell us that this killing of the demons has a deeper significance. In the first chapter of the Devi Mahatmyam, we first find the story of the killing of the two demons named Madhu and KaiTabha who were produced from the dirt in the ears of MahavishNu when
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He was lying in Yoganidra. These two demons represent tamo guna (the mode of ignorance). The killing of these two demons thus represents the conquest of ignorance. We must conquer this ignorance, which appears in the form of kama, krodha, and lobha, in order to make spiritual progress. Krishna mentions the same in chapter 3 (verses 37 to 41) and in chapter 16 (verse 21) of the Bhagavad Gita. In chapter 16, Krishna says that kama (desires, lust), krodha (anger) and lobha (greed) are indeed the three gates to hell and must be renounced or conquered. Like the Gita, the Devi Mahatmyam also has 700 verses and hence is also sometimes called the Durga saptashati (sapta = seven, shata = 100). The story is told by the sage MarkaNDeya and is part of the MarkaNDeya Purana. Interestingly, the very first verse of the first chapter, indeed the very first word is SaavarNi, the name of the eighth Manu. We are living in the era of the seventh Manu. The next Manus name is SaavarNi and we are told that he is also the son of the Sun god. The same information is also found in the Srimad Bhagavatam (Canto 8, chapter 1), where Shukaacarya describes the future eras to King Parikshit (grandson of Arjuna). There Shukaacarya tells Parikshit, You are living in the era of the seventh Manu, who is the son of Vivasvaan, hence this reign (Manvantara) is called Vaivasvata. Then he summarizes the names of the previous six Manus and then lists the names of the future Manus. The Manus (from which is derived the word manava for human, even human is derived from manu) are the progenitors of mankind. The first Manu was Swaayambhuva (or just Swayambhu for some) and his wifes name was Shataroopaa. These two were produced from directly from the body of Brahma while he was meditating upon what he should do to populate the universe with various beings, as ordered by Bhagavan. Anyway, this SaavarNi manu, in his earlier birth (during the reign of Swarocisha, son of Agni, who was the second Manu) was a king named Surata. The first chapter tells about the story of Surata and a Vaishya (the merchant class) named Samadhi. The king was a just king and protected his subjects like his own children. However, his enemies defeated him and he was reduced to lordship over just his capital city. There too, his own ministers robbed him
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and the treasury and deposed him. The king was thus driven out of the kingdom and was wandering in the forest where there was the hermitage of the great sage Medhas. Although without his kingdom, the king was constantly thinking about his glorious past and still deeply attached to his family and subjects and concerned about their welfare. As he was approaching the hermitage, he met the Vaishya named Samadhi and the two started talking to each other and sharing their grief. The Vaishya too was a very successful merchant and born in a wealthy family but was cheated by his own wife and sons who deprived him of his wealth and drove him out of his own house. Surata, the king, and Samadhi, the merchant, both started wondering why they were still so attached to their past and could not let go of those who had caused them such great harm. The king asked, Why are you still so attached to these covetous folk who have deprived you of all your wealth? The merchant replied, I have been wondering about the same thing. Why dont I feel hatred towards these folks? Why this compulsive affection of a father (pitru sneham). The two decided to go the ashram of the sage Medhas and seek his advice and instructions regarding how to get over their delusions. The rishi listened to them and replied to them at length (verses 47 to 58 of chapter 1). He said, Humans are attached to their children because of their greed (lobhaat) and they expect their children to reciprocate to them (pratyupakara), verse 52. This is the power of Mahamaya. It is She who makes possible the existence of this world. She is the Yoganidra of Mahavishnu and deludes the whole world. She forcibly draws the minds of even the wisest and throws them into delusion, verse 55. This verse 55 from chapter 1 is also the first sloka of Durga sapta slokee, which is the summary of the entire Devi Mahatmyam. The first of these seven slokas is given below and appears in chapter one.

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Jnaaninaam api cetaamsi Devee Bhagavatee hi saa l Balaat aakrushya mohaaya Mahamaayaa prayacchati ll (Baalaat aakrushya = balaadaakrushya, with sandhi)

l ll
Notice that in the above sloka, the vowel sound in devee, with ee, and bhagavatee, is the long vowel sound (deergham) and the vowel sound with one single I as in hi, api, etc. is the short sound. When we chant the Devi Mahatmyam slokas (Yaa devee sarva bhooteshu) the sound is again a long vowel sound. Following this, the king and merchant asked the sage to tell them more about this Mahamaya. The sage Medhas then tell them the story of Mahaamaaya and how she was created. This is the rest of chapter 1. In brief, the story is as follows. At the end of the kalpa (the day of Brahma), the Lord MahavishNu was lying on the serpent bed (Shesha naaga) and in Yoganidra (divine slumber). From the dirt in his ears sprung the two asura, Madhu and KaiTabha. They saw Brahma seated on the lotus that springs from the navel of MahavishNu and immediately tried to attack and kill him. Brahma was gripped with fear and started extolling the praises of the Lord in order to protect him (Brahma) and awaken the Lord from His slumber. To awaken Lord Hari, Brahma started extolling Yoganidra, who resides in His eyelids. The Devi extolled in this way (this is called Brahma Stuti, or Tantrika Ratri Suktam, click here, see page 10), withdrew Herself from the eyes, nostrils, arms, heart and breast of MahavishNu and appeared before Brahma. This awakened Janardana and He saw the two demons and fought with them for five thousand (5000) years.

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Madhu and Kaitabha battle with MahavishNu. Courtesy: http://www.artoflegendindia.com/vishnu-kills-madhu-kaitabha-p-4951.html The two demons, deluded by Mahamaayaa and infatuated by their own strength then asked MahavishNu to ask for a boon from them. MahavishNu replied, If you are pleased with My strength and valor, then I wish that you agree now to be slain by Me. The two demons were perplexed and seeing the waters of the deluge (pralaya) all over the Universe said, You can slay us where there is no pralaya water. They thought that there is no such place in the whole Universe. The Lord Hari said, Be it so. Then he put them on his lap (jaghana, or loins) and killed them (by severing their heads using the Sudarshana chakra) since the waters of the pralaya had not risen to that level.

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MahavishNu places the demons Madhu and KaiTabha on His lap and severs their heads with His Sudarshana chakra. The waters of the pralaya are all over the Universe. Courtesy:

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ec/Death_of_Madhu_Kaitabha.jpg

And so this is how Mahamaaya appeared after being extolled by Brahma. The sage then says that he would tell them more about Devi. Thus ends the first chapter. The subsequent chapters describe the killing of other demons, notably Mahishaasura and the brothers Shumbha and Nishumbha, who wanted Devi for their wife. We will continue this in subsequent emails.

Very sincerely V. Laxmanan October 2, 2013

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Understanding Madhu and KaiTabha

3
In the first two verses of the Venkatesa Suprabhatam, the devotee refers to the Lord as Raama and Govinda and is trying to wake Him up. In the third verse He is referred to as MadhukaiTabhari (the enemy, ari, hence aareh, of Madhu and KaiTabha). The third verse is being addressed The Divine Mother, the Mother of the whole Universe (sanasta jagataam. She is residing in His bosom of MadhukaiTabha.

The following is extracted verbatim from the discussion of the significance of the Devi Mahatmyam by Dr. Satya Prakash Choudhary (click here or go to http://www.vedicastrologer.org/mantras/chandi/chandi_inner_meaning.pdf#p age=31&zoom=auto,0,380 The other approach to understanding Madhu and Kaitabha is etymological. Madhu denotes something sweet. Madhu is in fact the actual word for honey while Kaitabha denotes an insect. Thus Madhu and Kaitabha are honey and the honey bee. This world and its fruits are an extension of the Divine Mothers very own manifestation. In a way She is not separate from the world that is created by Her own Self. But if one hankers after the fruits of the world without being able to see Her behind this world or its fruits, sooner or later the inevitable result of this obsession with gathering honey is pain. Honey and the sting of the bee are inseparable. If you want honey you should dare the inevitable sting of the insect. We are all busily engaged in collecting one more drop of honey telling ourselves that this is the purpose of our lives. The more honey we collect the more the stings on our swollen faces. But we
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endure the pain of the sting preparing ourselves for the next drop of honey. It is our ignorance that keeps us busily engaged in this perpetual cycle of gathering more honey daring more stings. This simple insight can be the start of the loosening of the grip of the world over the Self. It is so simple yet immensely powerful, the power of Maha Maya. One needs discernment (viveka) and dispassion (vairagya) to see through this beautiful play of Maha Maya. And that happens only through Divine grace, or through great merit in many lives, or through the grace of a Sadguru. Suratha the king and Samadhi the merchant find a Sadguru in the sage Medhas who can lead them to this insight by revealing the glory of Maha Maya to them. Understanding the true nature of this world is important to be able to see the Supreme Being behind this manifest world. Otherwise, the world can be a source of much misery and pain through its lure of honey and the inevitable pain of the sting. That is why the wise sage Medhas preferred to narrate the MadhuKaitabha myth (story) to the king and the merchant when they seek his counsel since their predicament is surely related to the lure of the things of this world and the inevitable pain that they have experienced from it. Later in the same section, For instance let us examine the esoteric interpretation of Madhu-Kaitabha. Honey is sweet. It is heavy. Any sweet in less quantity is sattvic, but in excess it is tamasic and thereby dangerous. Madhu is thus potentially tamasic. The insect (Kaitabha) is famous for its busyness. Busy as a bee is a common expression. Busyness is inherent to rajas. Thus Kaitabha is rajas. As one can see the etymological interpretation is in line with the cross-scriptural references from the Mahabharata that clearly equate Madhu and Kaitabha with tamas and rajas. Of course the psycho-spiritual interpretation too fits very well with the creation myth (story) of Madhu-Kaitabha and Brahma.

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 3. Story 2: Killing of Mahishaasura

Mahishaasura mardini Stotram Verse 2 of Mahishasura mardini stotram (durdata) (durmukha) (durmada) (born of, or sons of, danu), (sons of Diti) Verse 4 (ChanDa) (MuNDa) hence CaamuNDee

Dear All: Thanks to Adi Sankaras highly popular Mahishaasura mardini Stotram, which is usually chanted on all the nine days of Navarathri, the killing of Mahishaasura (demon with the head of a Mahisha, or buffalo) is the most widely known of all the demon slayings. Before killing Mahishaasura, Devi also killed many of his generals. This is the topic of chapters 2 and 3. Adi Sankara mentions some of their names in his stotram, as listed above with the iconic image of Devi killing Mahishaasura. The grateful devas then praise and extol Devi with their hymns in chapter 4. Chapter 5 starts with the famous hymn, Yaa Devee sarva bhooteshu., which is again usually recited on all the nine days of Navarathri. This hymn was sung to plead with Devi to kill the two demon brothers Shumbha and Nishumbha who had conquered the three worlds and vanquished the devas. The metaphorical significance of Devi Mahatmyam and the deeper meaning of the killing of the various demons has been discussed in detail in by Dr. Satya
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Prakash Choudhary, click here, or go to the link given http://www.vedicastrologer.org/mantras/chandi/chandi_inner_meaning.pdf; see, for example, the discussion of the meaning of Madhu (honey) and KaiTabha (an insect, or the honey bee) which has been added above. The story begins as follows in chapter 2. The sage says, When Mahishaasura was the king of the asuras and Indra the king of the devas, there was a great battle between the two (devas and asura) that lasted for a full one hundred years. The devas were vanquished and they, headed by Brahma went to visit Lord Shiva and Mahavishnu. The two heard the plight of the devas and got visibly angry as seen from the frowns on their faces. Then a great light issued forth from the face of Vishnu as well as Shiva and Brahma. A great light also issued from the bodies of Indra and the other devas. All of these lights united into one female form. Different parts of Her body were manifested from these lights, such as Shivas light which became the face, Vishnus light her arms, Brahmas light her feet, Indras light her waist and so on. The devas experienced immense joy when they looked at Her. The Shiva presented a trident to Her, which came from his own trident and Vishnu a discus (chakra) which came from his own discus. Other devas likewise gave Her various choice weapons. Others gave Her various choice ornaments. Kaala (Time) gave Her a sword and a shield, the Milk Ocean gave Her a necklace made of undecaying jewels, Kubera (the lord of wealth) a drinking cup which was ever full of wine and so on. Honored in this way by all the devas, She laughed aloud (aTTaa haasam) again and again and sound of Her laughter turned into a mighty roar that made all the worlds tremble. The devas and rishis (sages) were happy and all said Jaya, Jaya, victory to you, victory to you when they saw the devi seated on a lion, which became Her vehicle. The sages bowed to Her reverentially and extoled Her with their hymns and praises. Hearing all this uproar, Mahishaasura is wonder struck and exclaimed in wrath, What is this? asnd rushed forth towards Her. The sage continued the narration. Then he saw the Devi, who had pervaded all the three worlds. The earth was bent by Her footsteps. Her crown was tearing the sky. The sound issuing from Her bow had filled all the worlds, up
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to the lowest of all (Paataala). Then began the battle between the Devi and enemies of the devas, i.e., the asuras. The rest of chapter 2 provides a description of the various generals of Mahishaasuras army, whose names are mentioned, and how they battled Her ferociously. The Devi, Ambika, destroyed them in no time. Her carrierlion too roared, quivering his mane, and prowled around the battlefield as if searching for the vital breath from the bodies of the asuras. The devas were immensely pleased and showered flowers upon the Devi.

Courtesy: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/da/AshtaMatrika.jpg

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Devyaa gaNaish ca taistatra krutam yuddham tathaasuraih l Yathaishaam tushTuvuh Devaah pushpavrushTi mumoca divi ll

l ll ll
Thus ends the story in chapter 2 which describes the preliminaries of the battle between Mahishaasuras troops and Devi.

Very sincerely

V. Laxmanan Oct 3, 2013

Chapter 3: Killing of Mahishaasura

Dear All: Chapter 2 of the Devi Mahatmyam describes how Mahishaasura gained lordship over the devas after a great battle which lasted for 100 years. The devas then went to the abode of Shiva and Vishnu to plead for help. The chapter then describes the creation of the Devi from the light that emerged from Lord Shiva, Mahavishnu, Brahma, and the other devas. They then gave the Devi their choicest weapons and ornaments. The Devis aTTaahaasam (loud laughter) struck terror in the hearts of the asuras. Mahishaasura rushed forth with his armies to battle Devi. The Devi was seated on a lion and even the roar of lion and the quivering of his body terrorized the asuras. The story continues in chapter 3 which ends with the killing of Mahishaasura himself.

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The rishi (sage Medhas who is narrating the story to King Surata and the merchant Samadhi) said, Cikshura, the general of Mahishaasuras army, saw that their troops were being killed Devi rushed forth to battle Her and attacked Her with a shower of arrows. The Devi cut asunder his arrows, killed his horses, split his bow and banner, and broke his chariot. The asura then rushed with his sword and smote the head of Devis lion with it and also struck Devis left arm with his sword. But, this sword broke into pieces when it struck Devi. The the asura hurled a spike (shoolam, like a spear) at Devi and that too was shattered by Devi into a hundred pieces and also killed Cikshura. Then came Caamara to battle Devi, who also hurled his spear at Her. Devi dismissed it with just a whoop (humkaara), the roaring breath emanating from the nostrils. Caamara was mounted on an elephant for the battle and Devis lion pounced upon the elephant and the two (lion and elephant) battled fiercely. The lion then struck Caamara with his paw and killed him. Other generals came to battle Devi -Udgara, Uddata, Ugarveerya, Durdhara, and Durmukha - and were all vanquished. Then Mahishaasura himself rushed to battle Devi. He attacked some of Devis troops with the blows of his muzzle. He stomped some with his hooves (the buffalo form) and poked others with his horns and still others with the blast of his breath. He pounded the earth with his hooves, hurled mountains with his horns and bellowed terribly. This enraged Devi and She displayed Her wrath in order to kill him. She hurled Her noose and bound him. But Mahishaasura quit his buffalo form and turned into a lion. Then he turned into a human and attacked Devi with his sword. When the Devi chopped him off with Her arrows, he turned into an elephant and roared loudly. Devi cut off the trunk of the elephant and the asura then turned into his buffalo form again and literally shook up the three worlds with his buffalo body. The Devi was enraged and started drinking the divine wine in Her cup. She drank again and again and laughed and Her eyes turned red. The asura (demon) also roared and was intoxicated and hurled mountains at Devi which got pulverized instantly. Then in a final challenge the Devi said, Roar, roar, O

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fool, until I have done with drinking this wine. Very soon, when I will kill you, the devas will be roaring right here.

Devi uvaaca
Garja garja kshanam mooDha madhu yaavat pibaamyaham l Mayaa tvayi hatEtraiva garjayishyantyaashu Devataahaa ll 3. 38 ll

l ll . ll
And having said this, She then pounced upon the asura and stood on top of him and held his throat firmly under Her foot. The asuras true form half emerged by this action of Devi and he continued to fight Her in this half revealed form (ardha nishkranta, verses 41 and 42). The Devi chopped off his head with Her Great sword. The entire asura army cried in consternation and they all perished. The devas all exulted in the heavens with the triumphant killing of Mahishaasura by Devi. They all started extoling and praising Devi, along with all the divine rishis. The Gandharvas started singing and the apsara bevies started dancing with great joy. TushTuvustaam suraa Deveem saha divyaih maharshibhih l Jagur gandharva patayo nanrutush caapasro gaNaah ll 3. 44 ll

l ll . ll
Thus ends the story of the killing of Mahishaasura in chapter 3 of Devi Mahatmyam.
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Esoterically speaking, the conquest of Mahishaasura represents the next step in our path to liberation (Mukti or Moksha). The first step is the conquest of our tamo guna (the mode of ignorance), which is like the dirt from which Madhu and KaiTabha arose. But that is not enough. Even with the conquest of ignorance, we still have to overcome many desires (see also article by Swami Krishnananda, click here). And they take different forms - like Mahishaasura who kept transforming from a buffalo, to a lion, to a man, to an elephant, and then back to a buffalo. When one desire is fulfilled another springs and takes it place. There is a never ending transformation and multiplication of multifarious desires. This is called Vikshepa Shakti and it rooted in called Rajo guna (the mode of passion). The mind is being continuously tossed around, like Mahishasura was tossing himself around in the battle with Devi and taking many different forms. The conquest of this rajo guna is also mentioned by Krishna in chapter 3, verse 47, of the Gita. He tells Arjuna that kama and krodha, the product of rajo guna, these impel us into sinful activities (Mahaapaapmaa). Know them to be your true enemies (viddhi enam iha vairiNam). Kaama esha krodha esha rajo guna samudbhavah l MahaashanO Mahaapaapmaa viddhyenam iha vairiNam ll 3.47 ll BG The next two chapters of Devi Mahatmyam describe the prayers and hymns offered by the grateful sages (rishis) and devas (gods) who were being tormented by Mahishaasuras domination over their realms. Chapter 5 includes the verses (from No. 9 to 82) which describes all the qualities of Devi and how She pervades the Universe, not just the physical Universe but through everything that makes us what we are with our manas, buddhi, and ahankara. Each verse goes as: Yaa Devi Sarvabhooteshu. and ends with Namas tasyai namas tasyai namas tasyai namo namahaa.

Very sincerely V. Laxmanan October 4, 2013.

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Chapter 4: The Devas Chant a Hymn to Praise Devi for slaying the asuras
As we saw from the story in chapter 2, the Devi appeared from the light that emerged from Lord Shiva, Vishnu, Brahma, and all the other devas (celestial beings, or gods with the lower case g). Each limb of Her body was beautiful and was created by the light that emerged by each celestials. They also then gave Her many weapons and gifted Her with various ornaments. She was radiantly beautiful yet filled the hearts of the asuras (the demons, opposite of sura, which means devas) with terror. Instead of being awed by Devis beauty, he rushed to attack Her and struck Her. This is described eloquently by the devas, in verse 12 of chapter 4, when they started singing the praises of Devi and started extolling Her after She had killed Mahishaasura, all of his generals (Cikshura, Caamara, Durdhara, Durmukha, Udgara, and many others), and all of his armies. The entire chapter 4, with 30 verses total, is a hymn addressed to Devi. The devas are expressing their grateful thanks for relieving them from their sorrows and miseries due to their being under the control of Mahishaasura. All of their wealth and valor was no avail with Mahishaasura being the lord of all the worlds. Verse 12, just mentioned, goes as follows. Eeshat sahaasam amalam paripoorNa Chandrabimbaanukaari KanakOttama kaanti kaantam l Atyadbhutam prahrutam-aatta rushaa tathaapi Vaktram vilokya sahasaa MahishaasureNa ll 4.12 ll

l ll . ll
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O Devi, with a very gentle (eeshat) smile (haasam), Your extremely pure (amalam) face (vaktra) seems like the disc (bimabaakari) full moon (paripoorNa Chandra) itself. It is radiant (kaanti kaantam) like the lustre of the purest and most exalted gold (kankOttama). It is indeed the most splendid and bewitching (atyadbhutam). Yet, even so (instead of being awestruck), after seeing it (vilokya), Mahishaasura, overcome by extreme anger (aatta rushaa) chose to attack and strike (prahrutam) You! I cannot but help recall Krishnas teachings in verses 62 and 63 of chapter 2 of the Bhagavad Gita. There Krishna is talking about how anger destroys everything. From anger arises total delusion (krodhaat bhavati sammohahaa), this utter delusion leads to total loss of all memory (sammohaat smruti vibhramahahaa), one cannot remember all the good teachings that one has learnt. The angry person is indeed insane (hence insanity pleas in court cases, to escape severe punishment). Mahishaasura, from the above description, certainly fits that category. Another example is RavaNa. After Hanumaan was captured (or rather Hanumaan allowed himself to be captured) and dragged joyfully by the rakshasaas to RavaNas court, Hanumaan presented a glorious sermon where he used every means to convince RavaNa to follow the path of dharma. This is called Hanumat upadesha sarga in Valmiki Ramayanam. (Indrajit had used the Brahmaastram against Hanumaan and Hanumaan was duty bound to respect that astram, weapon, due to his reverence for Brahma, so he allowed himself to be bound by Brahmaastra). Instead of taking Hanuman advice to heart and making peace with Lord Raama, as told by Hanumaan, RavaNa got angry and that anger got the better of him. He ordered the killing of Hanumaan. After his younger brother VibhishaNa interceded and advised RavaNa against this course (an emissary from a king cannot be killed according to the laws of dharma that apply to kings), RavaNa heeded that advice and ordered the burning of Hanumaans tail. We know the rest of the story. As we see here, Mahishaasuras anger got the better of him and led to the total destruction of the asuraas (buddhi naashaat praNashyati, as stated by Krishna in verse 63, chapter 2 of the Gita).
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In chapter 4 of the Devi Mahatmyam we also encounter the famous verse which one of the seven verses included in the Durga sapta shlokee. This is verse 17 of the hymn by the devas and is reproduced below (in the earlier document, uploaded last year, I had incorrectly given the verse as No. 14.)

Durgey smrutaa harasi bheetim ashesha jantoh l Swasthaih smrutaa matim ateeva shubhaam dadaasi ll Daaridrya duhkha bhaya haarini ka twad anyaa l Sarvopakaara karanaaya sadaardra Chitta ll 4.17 ll l ll . ll
O Devi Durga! You dispel all the fears of all living beings (jantoh) completely (nothing left, ashesha) when they just as much as remember You (smrutaa). When they remember You under more agreeable conditions (swasthaih, i.e., when they are NOT gripped with fear), You bestow upon them the highest auspiciousness. Does anyone else even compare with You (tvad anyaa) when it comes to removing all the sorrows (dhukha) and poverty (utter helplessness) of beings? You are indeed always eager to bestow Your benevolence on all beings (sarva upakaara). The aardra in the last line means filled with compassion, wet with compassion, oozing with compassion for all living beings who just as much as think about Her. Finally, I would like to call attention also to verse No. 11 given below. This is the only verse that alludes to the killing of the two demons Madhu and KaiTabha described in chapter 1. Also, the hrusva form (short vowel sound)
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should be used in Gauri, since the Devas are directly addressing Devi (sambodhanam, or the eighth case in conjugation of nouns). Notice that the hrusva (short vowel form) is used in the first line to address Devi as opposed Devee ( ) which is used in the verses of chapter 5, where again the devas are extolling Devi in the famous hymn Yaa Devee sarva bhooteshu Here all are devee, the long vowel sound (or deergham). Medhaasi Devi viditaakhila shaastra saaraa Durgaasi durga-bhava-saagara-nau rasangaa l Shreeh KaiThabhaari-hrudayaika krutaadivaasaa Gauri tvameva Shashi-mauli-kruta pratishThaa ll 4.11 ll DM

l ( ) ll .ll
O Devi, You indeed are the medha (the intellect), the One who knows all of the shastraas (the shaastraas, or scriptures, also tell us the code of conduct, as emphasized by Krishna in chapter 16, verses 23 and 24). You are the protector of all, like a fortress. You are the boat (or ship) that one must use to get across the mighty ocean of this material universe (bhava saagara), or material existence. You are the one residing within the hearts of Shree and Hari, the enemy of KaiTabha (which means You are also the source of the compassion and the benevolence bestowed by Shree, or Mahalakshmi and KaiTabhari, or MahavishNu). O Gauri! You are also the One who adorns always the head of Lord Shiva (He hold the crescent moon, the moon as it appears on the third day of the waxing fortnight, which is generally very hard to see, but the Lord makes it easy to see since it is always held on His head! Ganesha also holds the same crescent moon.)
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Pleased by the hymn of the devas, the Devi appeared before them again and blessed them and told them to ask Her for a boon. The Devas said that the Devi should forever be pleased with all those who remember Her and destroy all of the calamities that befall those who remember Her. The Devas were not content with just seeking this blessing for themselves. They also beseeched Devi and the same should be extended also to all humans who remember Her. They wished that all those remember Her should also increasingly prosper in their lives. Their wealth should increase. Their families should grow and propser and they should be blessed with all good fortunes. Yashca martyah stavaih ebhih tvaam santoshayat amalaanane l Tasya vittarddhi vibhavaih dhana daaraadi sampadaam ll 4.36 ll As described by Krishna in chapter 3 of the Gita, the Devas and the humans form a mutual admiration society. We honor the devas with our prayers and in turn they return the favor by blessing us with all prosperity and fulfilling all of our material needs to be able to live in this world. The blessings sought by the devas, from Durga, on behalf of all humans, is a very touching and eloquent testimony indeed to what Krishna describes in chapter 3 as the mutually interdependent existence of the celestials beings and human beings. (The celestial beings are what I like to call the small g gods, as opposed to the one God, with caps G, the Supreme Beings; the small g gods bestow us with all material prosperity, according to the Gitas teachings.)

Very sincerely V. Laxmanan October 4, 2013 The following is from my Facebook post after this update with chapter 4 discussion. The text was sent in the email to our Gita and Navarathri groups. DEVI MAHATMYAM UPDATE: CHAPTER 4
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Chapter 4 of the Devi Mahatmyam is a a hymn where the devas (celestial beings like Indra, Agni, Vayu, etc.) express their grateful thanks to Devi for killing Mahishaasura and extol the praises of devi. There are 30 verses of which I have called attention to a few. One of them is verse 17, which is included in the Durga sapta shlokee, the seven verses which summarize the entire Devi Mahatmyam. I have also called attention to verses 11 and 12 and verse 36 for good reason since they connect Devi Mahatmyam eloquently with the teaching of Krishna in the Bhagavad Gita. Do read (click here to go to the document) in particular the implications of verses 12 and 36 which I have discussed in some detail. You will indeed be moved by this hymn. May the blessings of Devi shower upon us all as we chant the stotrams during this Navarathri season. The following is from my Facebook post after this update with chapter 4 discussion. The text was sent in the email to our Gita and Navarathri groups. http://www.scribd.com/doc/172684007/Devi-Mahatmyam-Story

Chapter 5: Hymn by Devas (Yaa Devee sarva bhooteshu)

Chapter 5 begins what is known as the Uttama caritam, the third part of Devi Mahatmyam and contains the most well of all the hymns addressed to Devi. Like Mahishaasura, two asura brothers named Shumbha and Nishumbha had conquered all the worlds and were now tormenting the devas (celestial beings). They usurped all the offerings that are made during yajnas (which sustain the devas) and took over the roles of all the devas. The devas then recalled the promise that was made to them by Devi (see chapter 4 and the boon given by Devi after the chapter 4 hymn sung after the killing of Mahishaasura). Verses 9 to 82 of chapter 5 detail this hymn. We will discuss this hymn itself later. The Goddess Parvatee, residing in the Himalayas, who had come to take Her bath in the holy Ganga (Jaahnavee) heard the hymn and the praises sung by
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the devas and She asked them who they were glorifying by their hymn. As she was speaking, a female form, Ambika, emerged from the one of the koshas (sheaths) of Her body and so Ambika is also known as Kaushikee. Parvatees complexion become dark after Ambika emerged from Her and so Parvatee is renowned as Kalikee. Two servants of Shumbha and Nishumbha, named ChaNDa and MuNDahe saw this enchantingly beautiful Ambika, the crest jewel of all females (stree ratnam). They went to their masters and told him about this most beautiful female that they had seen in the regions of the Himalayas. They told them that they deserved to have this most beautiful lady who lustre was radiating all the directions. All the jewels and riches of the world the celestial elephant Airavata, the celestial tree Paarijaata, all the great celestial horses and airplanes (in the form of swans) were all owned by them and were present in their home. They went on and on and finally asked, Why dont you now take over possession of this crest jewel of all females too?. Hearing his servants ChaNDa and MuNDa speak thus, Shumbha sent a messenger named Sugreeva (nothing to do with Sugreeva from Ramayanam) and speak to Her in a pleasing way so that She would willing accept the proposal of marriage to either one of Shumbha or Nishumbha. The messenger Sugreeva went to Ambikaa and spoke to Her very enchantingly and tried to convince Her that She would indeed gain control of all the riches in the world by accepting the marriage proposal that had been made. The Devi replied, O being such a fool (literally one with a small mind, alpabuddhi, verse 119), I had made a vow that only the one who can conquer Me in the battlefield and can subdue My pride, only the one who can match all of My prowess and strength, will become My husband. Therefore, you can go and tell your masters that they should come and fight me if they seek My hand in marriage. The messenger Sugreeva laughed at this idea and mocked Devi saying could She a mere woman battle his masters who can conquered all the mighty
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devas. There is no one in the three worlds who is any match to them. If She did not agree, She would literally be dragged by Her hair and taken to his masters. The Devi, however, told him , Just go to your masters and convey my message and they can then do what they feel fit. There is nothing that can be done now since I have made the vow that was made without thinking too carefully about it (i.e., the battle with the Devi is unavoidable). Each verse (actually known as a mantra) in the hymn at the beginning of chapter 5 describes a unique quality of the Devi, extolling Her praise and ends with the offering of obeisances to Devi three times after each of Her qualities is recalled. Verses 9 to 13 describe the Devi Herself before Her qualities themselves are described. Let consider the first three of these verses. Yaa Devee sarva bhooteshu VishNu maayeti shabditaa l Namas tasyai namas tasyai namas tasyai namo namahaa ll Yaa Devee sarva bhooteshu cetanyetyabhidheeyate l Namas tasyai namas tasyai namas tasyai namo namahaa ll Yaa Devee sarva bhooteshu Buddhi ruupeNa samsthitaa l Namas tasyai namas tasyai namas tasyai namo namahaa ll Each mantra starts with That Devee (yaa devee) who is present (samsthitaa) in all beings (sarva bhooteshu) with a quality (buddhi, the intellect) being mentioned. We bow to that Devee, we bow to that Devee, we bow, bow, to that Devee. The first verse says that Devee is known as the Vishnumaaya the power of Vishnu which operates in all beings. Literally, shabditaa means spoken as by making the sounds of the letters in the language. In other words, we are unable to comprehend and are at a loss for words. We utter some sounds of the language in order to describe Her glories. The second verse states that it is Devee who is the consciousness (cetana) in all beings. This is understood by great sages and they speak about Devee with great reverence (abhidheeyate) in such terms.
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The various qualities listed in the remaining hymns are: Buddhi, Nidraa, Kshudhaa, Chaayaa, Shakti (5 so far), TrushNaa, Kshaanti, Jaati (means every being that has been born or manifested, not caste or subcaste as this word is taken to mean commonly), Lajjaa, Shanti (10 so far), Shraddhaa, Kaanti, Lakshmee, Vrutti, Smruti (15 total) Dayaa, TushTi, Maatru (Mother), and Bhraanti for a total of 18. Translations of these verses (mantras) by many authors are readily available. Hence, I have only listed the qualities themselves here. This is followed by the statement that She has lordship (adhishThaatri) over all the sensory organs (indriyaas) in all the beings. In other words, Devee also impels all beings to act and use their sensory organs. The Devas conclude their hymn by saying that the Devee has indeed filled the entire Universe (krutsnam jagat vyaapya) in the form of citi the divine consciousness. The sage who is reciting this story to the King Surata and the merchant Samadhi then concludes (stutaah suraih poorvam) that the Devee who was thus praised and extolled by the Devas- let Her also dispel all our calamities (aapadah) and bestow upon all good fortunes (bhadraaNi). One only has to remember Her for all the calamities to be destroyed forthwith. She will instantly destroy them, that very moment. Very sincerely

V. Laxmanan October 6, 2013.

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5. The Esoteric Significance of Devi Mahatmyam: Body, Mind, Intellect

Dear All: Several acaryas and commentators have discussed the inner meaning of the Devi Mahatmyam: Swami Krishnananda (click here) and Dr. Satya Prakash Choudhary http://www.vedicastrologer.org/mantras/chandi/chandi_inner_meaning.pdf These were discussed, briefly, as the story was being narrated. Let us consider this again in a little more detail. The story begins with a king named Suratha and a merchant named Samadhi who have lost all material possessions and were wandering aimlessly. They exchange the tales of their miseries and then seek the advice and counsel of the sage Medhas. These three characters in the story actually represent the Body, Mind, and the Intellect. The name Surata means one who is fully enjoying (rata = enjoy). The name is also written as Suratha with the word ratha meaning a chariot with the prefix su which means good. In our Gita sessions we have discussed the famous chariot analogy for the body from the Kathopanishad the conversation between Yama and the young Brahmin boy Nachiketa who is cursed by his own father and goes to Yamaloka. You can read the story as told by Swami Krishnananda (click here). But Lord Yama was away when Nachiketa arrived (it was not the time for his death, so Nachiketa was a guest). He waited patiently for three days without any food or water at the doors of Yamaloka. Lord Yama offered his profuse apologies to Nachiketa for not doing the honors due to a guest (atithi, a guest who arrives without a formal invitation, no tithi, or date, means atithi, the highest type of guest). Yama offers the young boy three boons. Yama grants Nachiketa the first two boons that he wanted without any hesitation. For the third boon, Nachiketa wanted to know what happens to the soul after death. Nachiketa wants Lord Yama to bestow this knowledge upon him. Now, Yama is perplexed. He does not want to reply. He tempts Nachiketa with alternative boons but Nachiketa refuses and is

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adamant. Finally, Yama relents and starts explaining to Nachiketa about the body and soul. The soul, Yama tells Nachiketa, is like the person riding in a chariot. The chariot is the body itself. The horses that pull the chariot are the indriyas (the sensory organs). The road traveled by the chariot, followed by the horses, are the vishayas, the sensory pleasures. Think of the charioteer who is controlling the horses as the buddhi, the intellect. The reins held by this charioteer, to control the horses, the indriyas, is the manas, the mind. And so on. When the manas, the mind, is in control, the horses are well behaved and the chariot moves along nicely taking the rider (the atma, soul) on a nice journey. However, when the buddhi (charioteer) is not able to control the manas (reins), which in turn, is not able to control the indriyas (horses), the chariot is out of control and horses can lead it down a dangerous path and crash the chariot. Although the king was named Suratha, he was actually a ratha which was out of control. The king in our story thus represents the body, or indriyas, that are out of control resulting in horrifying journey for the rider in the chariot (the soul). The merchants name is Samadhi and he symbolizes the mind (manas). The word Samadhi actually is derived from sama which means balance or equilibrium, and aadhi which means to hold. Thus, samadhi also refers to the state of meditation, with a focused and concentrated mind when all the indriyas (sensory organs) are held in balance, equilibrium. The merchant was focused too in his pursuit of wealth, being his natural call as a merchant. But, like the king, he too lost everything. Neither the kings power nor the merchants wealth were permanent this is what is implied by their loss. Inspite of their basic good nature, the king and the merchant lost everything but they could not let go of their attachment to their possessions that were no longer their own. Finally they approach the sage Medhas. The word medha itself means intellect, superior intelligence. The sage is like the buddhi (medha) in the Kathopanishad story. The sage is the charioteer. Under the guidance of the wise sage, like an expert charioteer, the king and the merchant are able to regain their composure. After listening to the Devi Mahatmyam story from the sage, they both decide to go the bank of the river nearby and meditate upon and
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worship the Divine Mother with great devotion. Finally, pleased with their devotion the Divine Mother Herself appears before them and grants them their wishes. Even at this stage, the king is not completely devoid of all his attachments. He wishes to regain his kingdom and wants the blessing of perpetual power. The Divine Mother grants him the wish. He regains his kingdom and is reborn as the eighth Manu SaarvarNi in his next birth. (We are now living in the reign of the seventh Manu.) The merchant, on the other hand, has developed vairaagyam, or detachment. He is no longer interested in wordly possessions. He asks to be blessed with Divine knowledge that would help him overcome the feelings of I, or aham, and Mine, or ma-ma. This is the nirmama and nirahamkara that Krishna mentions repeatedly to Arjuna in the Bhagavad Gita, starting with chapter 2, verse 71 (the penultimate verse). Here Krishna says that shanti or peacefulness is attained only by the one who is nirmama and nirahankara. The same message is repeated again in the Bhakti yoga chapter 12 (in verse 13), where Krishna lists nirmama and nirahamkara as the qualities of a devotee that Krishna finds very endearing. In subsequent emails, we will discuss the esoteric significance of the various battles described in Devi Mahatmyam. There are three stages: the killing of Madhu and KaiThabha, the killing of Mahishaasura, and finally the killing of Shumbha and Nishumbha. The three forms of Devi that we worship, Mahakali (or Durga), Mahalakshmi and Mahasaraswati, give us victory over these three types of enemies that we must conquer.

Very sincerely V. Laxmanan October 16, 2012.

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