IIMA.45/5,S.K.DEB ROAD; 5TH BYE LANE; LAKE TOWN; KOLKATA-700048; WEST BENGAL; INDIA. E_Mail: wsj@asia.com | Phone: 0091.33.25219130 | Mobile: +91.9874741567 | Cell Phone: 08902178809
The
Devi Mahatmyam or
Devi Mahatmya (
Sanskrit:
devīmāhātmyam,
देवीमाहात्म्यम्), or "Glory of the
Goddess") is a
Hindu religious text describing the victory of the goddess
Durga over the demon
Mahishasura. As part of the
Markandeya Purana, it is one of the
Puranas or secondary
Hindu scriptures, and was composed in
Sanskrit around c. 400-500 CE, with authorship attributed to the sage (
Rishi)
Markandeya.
Devi Mahatmyam is also known as the
Durgā Saptashatī (
ढुर्गासप्तशती) or simply
Saptashatī,
Caṇḍī (
चण्डी) or
Caṇḍī Pāṭha (
चण्डीपाठः) - where
pāṭha – "reading" – refers to the act of ritual reading. The text contains 700 (
saptashata - "seven hundred") verses, arranged into 13 chapters. By far the most important text of
Shaktism,
[1] the text has a central place in Shakta ritual.
Devi Mahatmyam is seen as an attempt to unify the Vedic male pantheon
with the pre-existing mother goddess cult possibly dating to the 9th
millennium BCE,
[2] and an attempt to define divinity as a
female principle. The text synthesizes a number of pre-existing Mother goddess myths of
Aryan and non-Aryan origin into a single narrative.
[3] The position of the Goddess as Shakti, power itself, beyond the
patriarchal position as
consort of an eclipsing male deity, is an important transition in Hindu mythology. Also, there are links to aspects of
Samkhya philosophy in the narrative.
For ritual reading purposes a number of subsidiary texts are appended
before and after. A ritual reading of this text is part of the
Navaratri celebrations in honour of the Goddess. In eastern India, the ritual reading (
chandipATh) is common at several functions, particularly in death rites. On
Mahalaya, the last day of the previous fortnight
Pitru Paksha (
Pitri Pokkho), ‘Fortnight of the Forefathers’, recitation of
Devi Mahatmyam (Chandi Path), and signifies the beginning of
Durga Puja festivities.
Bengalis traditionally wake up at 4 in the morning on Mahalaya day to listen to
Mahisasura Mardini in the voice of the late
Birendra Krishna Bhadra and the late Pankaj Kumar Mullick on
All India Radio as they recite hymns from the scriptures.
Etymology
Sanskrit
māhātmya- "magnanimity, highmindedness, majesty" is a neuter abstract noun of
māha-ātman- "great
soul". The title
devīmāhātmyam is a
tatpurusha compound, literally translating to "the magnanimity of the goddess".
The text is called Saptaśati as it contains 700
shlokas.
(sapta=7,shata=100) verses. This count includes even one line sentences
which are not strictly verses. There is another opinion that the name
should be
Saptasati as it deals with the story of seven Satis or "pious persons". The
seven mothers are
Brāhmi, Māheśwari, Kaumāri, Vaisṇavi, Vārāhi, Indrāṇi, and Cāmunḍa.
[4]
Caṇḍī or
Caṇḍīka is the name by which the Supreme Goddess is referred to in
Devī Māhātmya. According to Coburn, "
Caṇḍīkā is "the violent and impetuous one", from the adjective
caṇḍa "fierce, violent, cruel". The epithet is unprecedented in Vedic literature and is first found in a late insertion to the
Mahabharata, where
Chaṇḍā and
Chaṇḍī appear as epithets."
[5]
Significance
The oldest surviving manuscript of the Devi Māhātmya, on palm-leaf, in an early
Bhujimol script,
Bihar or
Nepal, 11th century.
The Devi Mahatmya was considered significant among the Puranas by
Indologists.
This is indicated by the early dates at which it was translated into
European languages. It was translated into English in 1823, followed by
an analysis with excerpts in French in 1824. It was translated into
Latin in 1831 and Greek in 1853.
[6]
Devi Mahatmya has been translated into most of the Indian languages.
There are also a number of commentaries and ritual manuals. The
commentaries and ritual manual followed vary from region to region
depending on the tradition.
Place in the Hindu canon
Devi Māhātmyam has been called the Testament of
Shakta philosophy
[7] It is the base and root of Shakta doctrine.
[8] It appears as the centre of the great
Shakti tradition.
[9]
Devi portrayed as
Mahishasura Mardini, Slayer of the Buffalo Demon – a central episode of the Devi Mahatmya
Here, for the first time, "the various mythic, cultic and theological
elements relating to diverse female divinities were brought together in
what has been called the 'crystallization of the Goddess tradition."
[10]
The unique feature of Devi Māhātmyam is the oral tradition. Though it
is part of the devotional tradition, it is in the rites of the Hindus
that it plays an important role. The entire text is considered as one
single
Mantra and a collection of 700 Mantras.
The Devi Māhātmyam is treated in the cultic context as if it were a Vedic hymn or verse with sage(
ṛṣi), meter, pradhnadevata, and
viniyoga (for
japa).
It has been approached, both by Hindus and Western scholars, as
scripture in and by itself, where its significance is intrinsic, not
derived from its Puranic context.
[11]
According to Damara Tantra "Like Aswamedha in Yagnas, Hari in Devas,
Sapthsati is in hymns." "Like the Vedas; Saptasati is eternal" says
Bhuvaneshwari Samhita.
[12]
There are many commentaries on Devi Māhātmya.
- Guptavati by Bhaskararaya
- Nagesi by Nagoji Bhat
- Santhanavi
- Puspanjali
- Ramashrami
- Dhamsoddharam
- Durgapradeepam are some of them.[13]
The significance of Devi Māhātmya has been explained in many Tantric
and Puranic texts like Katyayani Tantra, Gataka Tantra, Krodha Tantra,
Meru Tantram, Marisa Kalpam, Rudra Yamala, and Chidambara Rahasya.
[13] A number of studies of
Shaktism appreciate the seminal role of Devi Māhātmya in the development of the
Shakta tradition.
Philosophy
Devi Mahatmya accepts the ancient Vedic tradition in the form of Vāk
and Trayī Vidyā and the philosophical doctrine of the codified system of
Samkhya (
Prakriti manifesting as the three
Gunas) and
Vedānta as Paramavidyā, the cause of
Mukti. Further it synthesizes the then prevailing local
Mother goddess traditions of Aryan and non-Aryan origin.
[14]
In the first chapter it is said "all lives are conscious, but that
knowledge is connected with senses. That goddess Bhagavatī, granting all
kinds of prosperity, makes even the wise attracted to worldly pleasures
and things forcibly with her great power of attraction. This
ever-changing world with all its animate and inanimate things, is
created by her. As the cause of salvation she turns into supreme
spiritual knowledge, and is thus eternal; and again as the cause of
bondage to worldly things she turns into things mundane and is the
mistress of all, including Gods. She is eternal (and is thus beyond our
knowledge) and pervades the world which may accordingly be called her
form. Yet for the assistance of the lustrous souls, she appears in
different forms."
[15]
Significance of Chandi
The image of Durga as Mahishasuramardini epitomizes the Chandi. To
understand the significance of the image we have to understand the
significance of the Chandi.
The gory scene depicted by the image of Durga, and the blood-curdling
descriptions of a warrior Goddess exterminating hordes of evil doers
drenching the earth with blood, may be enigmatic and repulsive to some
people, especially to those who are outside the Shakta tradition of
Hinduism. A mature and realistic understanding of the Divine in the
context of the real situations in human life and society is necessary to
understand the true significance of Chandi. The basic significance of
Chandi may be briefly stated as follows.
1. The main purpose of Chandi is to glorify Shakti. Shakti is the
dynamic aspect of the ultimate Reality known as Brahman. Shakti is
generally regarded as the feminine principle. The feminine principle has
two aspects: a lower, seductive aspect, and a higher, maternal aspect.
It is the higher maternal aspect that is glorified in the Chandi, and in
the Shakta tradition in general. Sri Ramakrishna used to say: Jini
Brahma tini Shakti, tini i Ma
He who is Brahman is Shakti, and He himself is the Mother of the Universe
A mother has three main functions: to give birth, to nourish, to care
and protect. It is the third aspect that is highlighted in the Chandi.
God is not a disinterested spectator of the drama of human life. She is
an active participant. She protects people from dangers. Think of the
cosmic figure of a Divine Mother towering over millions of people
guarding them from dangers, punishing evil doers. Well, you can see this
image of the Cosmic Mother in the Chandi.
2. The second purpose of the Chandi is to depict the reality of evil.
Vice, wickedness, cruelty, injustice, suffering - all these are as much
real as virtue, love, compassion, cooperation etc which humanity has
idealized and dreamed about from time immemorial. Dharma and Adharma,
virtue and vice, are two inseparable aspects of reality, and we have to
accept both.
We generally tend to associate Godhead only with love and compassion.
We forget that Godhead has also an aspect of power, terror and
destruction. It was this destructive aspect of Godhead that Sri Krishna
showed Arjuna through the Vishwarupa Darshana revelation. What we find
in the Chandi is the same terrible aspect, but associated with the
Eternal Feminine.
Mahishasura, Shumbha, Nishumbha and other characters portrayed in the
Chandi are of course mythological, but this does not make them
irrelevant in the present-day world. Do we not find similar, or even
worse, types of people in modern times? Political leaders who commit
mass genocide, terrorists who bomb crowded trains, buses and market
places, serial murders, rapists et cetra, about whom we read in
newspapers - are these people in any way better than the demons
described in the Chandi? As a matter of fact, Chandi assumes greater
reality and relevance in the contemporary world than at any other time
before.
Chandi is not a book of romance. Nor does it promise a utopian world.
On the contrary, it wakes us up from our futile dreams and situates us
right in the midst of the terrible realities of the present-day world
which we very often fail to face.
3. The third message of the Chandi is the empowerment of women. In
recent years there is a lot of talk about empowerment of women,
especially in rural and tribal areas in India. The Chandi shows to what
heights this empowerment can be raised. In all countries in all times,
women have been indoctrinated from childhood to believe that they are
weak, helpless and totally dependent on men. The Chandi shows how much
power women can wield, how they can work independently, and face boldly
even the worst challenges of life without unduly depending on men.
4. Lastly, Chandi delivers a message of hope, the assurance of divine
help and succour. In spite of all the terrible happenings described in
the book, there is absolutely no pessimistic tone or note of despair in
the Chandi. Let troubles and difficulties come, let even dire calamities
occur; we have nothing to fear, for there is a God, a Mother, who
protects us from all dangers or gives us the inner strength to face
them. In modern times the Divine Mother, born as Sri Sarada Devi, has
given us this assurance:
Always remember, there is somebody behind you … Place your burden upon me and remain unperturbed. This is also the last message of the Chandi.
[16]
Contents
The
Devī Māhātmya consists of chapters 81-93 of the
Mārkandeya Purana,
one of the early Sanskrit Puranas, which is a set of stories being
related by the sage Markandeya to Jaimini and his students (who are in
the form of birds). The thirteen chapters of Devi Māhātmya are divided
into three charitas or episodes. At the beginning of each episode a
different presiding goddess is invoked, none of whom is mentioned in the
text itself.
[17]
The framing narrative of
Devi Mahatmya presents a dispossessed
king, a merchant betrayed by his family, and a sage whose teachings
lead them both beyond existential suffering. The sage instructs by
recounting three different epic battles between the
Devi and various demonic adversaries (the three tales being governed by, respectively,
Mahakali (Chapter 1),
Mahalakshmi (Chapters 2-4) and
Mahasaraswati (Chapters 5-13). Most famous is the story of
Mahishasura Mardini
– Devi as "Slayer of the Buffalo Demon" – one of the most ubiquitous
images in Hindu art and sculpture, and a tale known almost universally
in India. Among the important goddess forms the
Devi Mahatmyam introduced into the Sanskritic mainstream are
Kali and the
Sapta-Matrika ("Seven Mothers").
[18]
First Episode
The first story of the Devi Mahatmya depicts Devi in her universal form as
Shakti. Here Devi is central and key to the creation; she is the power that induces
Narayana's
deep slumber on the waters of the cosmic ocean prior to the
manifestation of the Universe which is a continuous cycle of
manifestation, destruction and re-manifestation. Vishnu manifests from
all pervading Narayan and goes into deep slumber on Adi Seshu. Two
demons arise as
thoughtforms from Vishnu's sleeping body and endeavour to vanquish
Brahma who is preparing to create the next cycle of the
Universe.
Brahma sings to the Great Goddess, asking her to withdraw from Vishnu
so he may awaken and slay the demons. Devi agrees to withdraw and Vishnu
awakens and vanquishes the demons. Here Devi serves as the agent who
allows the cosmic order to be restored.
[19]
Middle Episode
"
Durga,
the great Warrior Goddess, represents the lethal energy of divine anger
when turned against evil. The world was under attack by
Mahishasura,
the most evil demon in the world, who took many different forms,
including that of a buffalo. The male gods, fearing total annihilation
endowed Durga with their powers. Riding a lion into battle, Durga slew
the buffalo by cutting off its head and then she destroyed the spirit of
the demon as it emerged from the buffalo's severed neck. It is through
this act that order was established in the world."
[20]
The Goddess Ambika or Durga Leading the Eight
Matrikas in Battle Against the Demon
Raktabija,
Folio from a Devi Mahatmya - (top row, from the left) the Matrikas -
Narashmi, Vaishnavi, Kumari, Maheshvari, Brahmi. (bottom row, from left)
Varahi, Aindri,
Chamunda or
Kali(drinking the demon's blood), Ambika. on the right, demons arising from Raktabija's blood
Final Episode
Kali may be understood to represent or "aspect" the darker,
chthonic,
transformative qualities of Devi's power or Shakti. Kali's emergence is
chronicled in the third story of the Devi Mahatmya. Kali emerges from
Devi's eyebrows as a burst of psychic energy. Kali overpowers and
beheads Chanda and Munda, and when she delivers their severed heads to
Devi, she is dubbed
Chamunda.
During a fierce battle in which the Great Goddess demonstrates her omnipotence by defeating powerful demons who terrify the
devas, she encounters the fierce
Raktabija
(chapter 8). Every drop of blood Raktabija sheds transforms into
another demon as it touches the earth. A unique strategy has to be
devised to vanquish him. A fiery burst of energy emerging from Devi's
third eye takes the dark skeletal form of goddess Kali. With her huge
mouth and enormous tongue she ferociously laps up Raktabija's blood,
thus preventing the uprising of further demons.
The story continues in which Devi, Kali and a group of
Matrikas destroy the demonic brothers
Sumbha (chapter 10) and
Nisumbha (chapter 9). In the final battle against Shumbha,
Devi absorbs Kali and the matrikas and stands alone for the final battle.
[20]
Symbolism of the three episodes
Coburn says: "The sage's three tales are allegories of outer and
inner experience, symbolized by the fierce battles the all-powerful Devi
wages against throngs of demonic foes. Her adversaries represent the
all-too-human impulses arising from the pursuit of power, possessions
and pleasure, and from illusions of self-importance. Like the
battlefield of the
Bhagavad Gita, the
Devi Mahatmya's killing grounds represent the field of human consciousness
...
The Devi, personified as one supreme Goddess and many goddesses,
confronts the demons of ego and dispels our mistaken idea of who we are,
for – paradoxically – it is she who creates the misunderstanding in the
first place, and she alone who awakens us to our true being."
[21] Chapter 1, Chapter 4, chapter 5, chapter 11 describe the praise given to the great Goddess Mahakali yognindra, Goddess
Chandi, who slayed Mahishasura, Goddess Adi-Shakti or
Parvati,
the one who is source of all other Goddesses and power inside all gods
and Goddess Durga, who was born from the partial expansion of the
Goddess
Parvati
respectively declares that Goddess Adi-shakti is Supreme of all and
source of all creation. In chapter 1, Lord Brahma even praises that the
great Goddess has created everything including himself.
[22]
Hymns
Mahalakshmi - The presiding Goddess of the Middle episode.
Coburn has said:
"While, in terms of quantity of verses, the Goddess's martial
exploits are predominant, in terms of quality, these are surpassed by
verses of another genre, viz., the hymns to the Goddess. Much of the
power of the Devī Māhātmya derives from the way in which the hymnic
material is held in counterpoint to the discursive account of her
salvific activity in
the world, but to the reader-hearer it is clear that the devotional
fervor of the text, and the synthetic work it is performing, emerge most
intensely in the hymns."[23]
The four Hymns are:
- Brahma-stuti also known as Tantrik Ratri Suktam (Chapter 1): In the first episode, when Brahma hymns Yoganidra, requesting her withdrawal from Vishnu so that he can slay Madhu and Kaitaba.[24]
- Sakradi-stuti (Chapter 4): At the end of second episode, after the Goddess has vanquished demon Mahishasura and his hordes, the Gods with first god Indra, praise her.[25]
- The "Ya Devi" Hymn also known as Aparajita-stuti or Tantrik Devi Suktam
(Chapter 5): At the beginning of the third episode, when the
beleaguered gods recall the Goddess's promise to assist them, they head
to Mount Himavan and there offer a hymn to the Goddess.[26]
- Narayani-stuti (Chapter 11): At the conclusion of the third
episode, after the Goddess has disposed of Sumbha and Nisumbha, she is
hymned by the Gods.[27]
Angās (Appendages)
As an independent text, Devī Māhātmya has acquired a number of
"limbs" or "subsidiary texts" or "appendages" (angas) over the years
"fore and aft". According to Coburn "artistic evidence suggests that the
angas have been associated with the text since the fourteenth century."
The angas are chiefly concerned with the ritual use of Devī Māhātmya
and based on the assumption that the text will be recited aloud in the
presence of images.
[28]
There are two different traditions in the Anga parayana. One is the
trayanga parayana (Kavacha, Argala,Keelaka). The other is the Navanga
parayana (Nyasam, Avahanam, Namani, Argalam, Keelakam, Hrudayam, Dhalam,
Dhyanam, Kavacham). The navanga format is followed in
kerala and some other parts in South India.
Preceding subsidiary texts
- Durga Saptasloki also known as "Amba Stuti" - They are introduced as one-verse query from Siva
who asks about the means of achieving what is desired, and a one verse
response from the Goddess who says she will proclaim the relevant
discipline (sadhana) by revealing Amba Studi which consists of the seven verses indicated.[29]
- Devi-kavacham - The Devi Kavacham consisting of 61 Slokas is
in Markandeya Purana. This Kavacham (armour) protects the reader in all
parts of his body, in all places and in all difficulties.[30]
- Argala-stotram - Here Rishi Markandeya is telling his
disciples in 27 inspiring couplets on the greatness of Devi. She has
been described in all aspects and names and at the end of each Sloka,
prayer is offered to Devi for material prosperity, physical fitness,
fame and victory.[30]
- Keelakam - Here also Rishi Markandeya tells his disciples in
16 Slokas, the ways and means of removing obstacles faced by devotees,
while reading Devi Mahatmya.[30]
- Ratri Suktam (Vedic) - Ratri Suktam (8 Slokas) has been taken
from Rig Veda, 10th Mandala, 10th Anuvaka, 127 th Sukta,which shows
that Devi was worshipped from time immemorial. Devi is described as the
all-pervading Supreme Lord of the Universe appearing in Omkara. Here
Ratri is the Goddess who fulfills our prayers.[30]
- Kunjika Stotram is also a beautiful hymn written in the
saptashati which is said to be the mixture of the three hymns
i.e.,Kavacham,Argala stotram,Keelakam and also Rahasya parvam (Murthy
Rahasyam and Vaikrutika Rahasyam).It is said that Lord Shiva had recited
this shloka to Parvathi at her attainment of BramhaGyaan. This shloka
plays an importantrole in Devi Saptashati. It is at the ending of the
book.
- Ratri Suktam (Tantrik) - The hymn in the first chapter is the Tantrik Ratri Sukta.[31]
Either the
Ratri Suktam (Vedic) or
Ratri Suktam (Tantrik) is read depending upon whether the ritual is Vaidic or Tantrik.
One of the texts recited by some traditions is the
Devī-Atharva-Śirṣa-Upaniṣad (Devi Upaniṣad).
Succeeding subsidiary texts
- Pradhana Rahasyam - "Deals with the process of creation. It is the secret about mula Prakrti who is the cause of creation."[32]
- Vaikritika Rahasyam - "Describes how the Godhead beyond change subjected itself to change, how the mula prakrti (productive) ,became vikriti (produced); hence the name Vaikritika Rahasyam."[32]
- Murti Rahasyam - "The incarnations, the Avatar murtis of the Goddess are mentioned."[32]
- Devi Suktam (Rig Vedoktam) - (According to Rig Veda): "The 8 Slokas composed by Vak, the daughter of Maharshi Ambharin, are from the Rig Veda, 10th Mandala,
10th Anuvaka, 125th Sukta. These Slokas express the truth realised by
Vak, who identifies herself as Brahma Sakti, and expresses herself as 11
Rudras, 8 Vasus, 12 Adityas and all the Devas,— Indra, Agni and Asvini Kumaras—who
are sustained by Her and She is the source, substratum and support of
the whole world. She is verily Brahmasvarupini (embodiment of Brahman)."[30]
- Devi Suktam (Tantrik) - The hymn in chapter 5 is Tantrik Devi Suktam.[31]
The number and order of these depend on the
Sampradaya (tradition).
[33][34]
Either the Devi Suktam (Vedic) or Devi Suktam (Tantrik) is read depending upon whether the ritual is Vedic or Tantrik.
At the end of a traditional recitation of the text, a prayer craving pardon from the Goddess known as
Aparadha Kshmapana Stotram is recited.
Mantra
Bhāskararāya in his commentary "Guptavatīi" has noted that, among the
mantras related to the worship of Brahman vis a vis Sakthi with
attributes, the Navārna mantra and Saptasati are preeminent. Saptasati
here is understood as constituting one very long mantra. Navārna mantra
has been explained in
Devī-Atharva-Śirṣa-Upaniṣad (
Devi Upaniṣad).
[35]
In popular tradition
Recitation of Durga Mahatmya on
Mahalaya marks the formal beginning of the
Durga Puja festival
The recitation of Devi Mahatmya is done during the Sharad
Navaratri (Oct. - Nov.) in
India, other countries in
Indian Subcontinent and all over the world where
Hindus are settled. The text is also recited during the Vasantha
Navaratri (March - April) in
Uttarakhand, Jammu, Himachal Pradesh and other states of north India.
[1][2]. It is also chanted during special occasions like temple kumbabhishekam and as a general parihara.
Devi Mahatmya is the ritual text for performing
Chandi Homam . This is one of the most popular Yagnas conducted throughout India. This is performed for the general welfare of people.
[3]
See also
Notes
- Jump up ^ Narayanan, Renuka, "To Devi, who abides in all beings as strength...', Hindustan Times, October 13, 2007.
Refers to the Devimahatmyam as the "Shakta Bible"
- Jump up ^ Kali, Davadatta (translator and commentator) (2003). Devimahatyam: In praise of the Goddess. Motilal Banarsidass.
- Jump up ^ *Swami Jagadiswarananda, Devi Māhātmyam. p vi
- Jump up ^ Sankaranarayanan, p 7
- Jump up ^ Coburn, Thomas B., Devī Māhātmya. p 95
- Jump up ^ Coburn, Thomas B., Devī Māhātmya. p 52
- Jump up ^ Manna, Sibendu, p 92
- Jump up ^ Swami Sivananda p 5
- Jump up ^ Coburn, Thomas B., Devī Māhātmya. p 55
- Jump up ^ Brown, C. MacKenzie, The Triumph of the Goddess
- Jump up ^ Coburn, Thomas B., Devī Māhātmya. p 51–55
- Jump up ^ Anna, p vii
- ^ Jump up to: a b Anna, p v
- Jump up ^ Goyal S.R., p 295
- Jump up ^ Goyal S.R., p 297
- Jump up ^ http://www.belurmath.org/durga_puja/article_on_durga_puja.htm
- Jump up ^ Coburn, Thomas B., Encountering the Goddess. p 100
- Jump up ^ Kali, Davadatta, p. xvii
- Jump up ^ "Devi".
- ^ Jump up to: a b "Devi".
- Jump up ^ Coburn, Thomas B., Encountering the Goddess
- Jump up ^ Durga Saptashati
- Jump up ^ Coburn, Thomas B., Devī Māhātmya. p 72
- Jump up ^ Coburn, Thomas B., Devī Māhātmya. p 290
- Jump up ^ Coburn, Thomas B., Devī Māhātmya. p 291
- Jump up ^ Coburn, Thomas B., Devī Māhātmya. p 295
- Jump up ^ Coburn, Thomas B., Devī Māhātmya. p 298
- Jump up ^ Coburn, Thomas B., Encountering the Goddess.p 100–101
- Jump up ^ Coburn, Thomas B., Encountering the Goddess.p 223
- ^ Jump up to: a b c d e Swami Sivananda, p 3
- ^ Jump up to: a b Swami Satyananda Saraswati, Chaṇḍī Pāṭh
- ^ Jump up to: a b c Sankaranarayanan. S., p 271–273
- Jump up ^ Sarma, Sarayu Prasad, Saptashatī Sarvasvam
- Jump up ^ Sri Durga Saptashatī, Gita Press
- Jump up ^ Coburn, Thomas B., Encountering the Goddess, p 136
References
- Anna, Sri. Devi Māhātmyam with commentary in Tamil, Sri Ramakrishna Matam, Chennai, India, 1973. (ISBN 81-7120-128-8)
- Brown, C. MacKenzie, The Triumph of the Goddess: The Canonical Models and Theological Issues of the Devi-Bhagavata Purana. State University of New York Press (Suny Series in Hindu Studies, 1991). (ISBN 0791403637)
- Coburn, Thomas B., Encountering the Goddess: A translation of the Devi-Mahatmya and a Study of Its Interpretation. State University of New York Press, 1991. (ISBN 0791404463)
- Coburn, Thomas B., Devī Māhātmya, The Crystallization of the Goddess Tradition. South Asia Books, 2002. (ISBN 81-208-0557-7)
- Goyal S.R., A religious History of Ancient India, Volume Two, Kusumanjali Prakashan, Meerut, India, 1986.
- Kali, Davadatta, In Praise of the Goddess: The Devimahatmya and Its Meaning. Nicolas-Hays, Inc., Berwick, Maine, 2003. (ISBN 8120829530)
- Manna, Sibendu, Mother Goddess, Chaṇḍī, Punthi Pustak, Calcutta, India, 1993. (ISBN 81-85094-60-8)
- Sankaranarayanan, S., Glory of the Divine Mother (Devī Māhātmyam), Nesma Books, India, 2001. (ISBN 81-87936-00-2)
- Sarma, Sarayu Prasad, Saptashatī Sarvasvam, in Sanskrit, - A
cyclopaedic work on Devī Māhātmya. Rashtriya Sanskrita Samsthan, New
Delhi, India, 2006.
- Sri Durga Saptashatī, - Original text and ritual manual with Hindi translation, Gita Press, Gorakpur, India.
- Swami Jagadiswarananda, Devi Māhātmyam English translation, Sri Ramkrishna Math, Madras, 1953. (ISBN 978-8171201396)
- Swami Satyananda Saraswati, Chaṇḍī Pāṭh, Devi Mandir Publications, USA and Motilal Banarsidass Publishers Pvt. Ltd., Delhi, India, 1995. (ISBN 81-208-1307-3)
- Swami Sivananda, Devi Māhātmya (with a lucid running translation), The Divine Life Society, Shivanandanagar, India, 1994. (ISBN 81-7052-103-3)
Further reading
External links
