दुर्गासप्तशती, प्रथमोऽध्यायः: मधुकैटभवधः
One hundred and four mantras. A king who has lost his kingdom and a merchant turned out by his own family come together at one hermitage, and their question sets the whole Saptashati in motion. This page first gives the viniyoga of the first charitra and the meditation verse on Mahakali. After that every mantra is given in its own card with its number. Where the meaning page for a mantra is ready, tapping its card opens that page.
विनियोगः
अस्य श्रीप्रथमचरित्रस्य ब्रह्मा ऋषिः । महाकाली देवता । गायत्री छन्दः । नन्दा शक्तिः । रक्तदन्तिका बीजम् । अग्निस्तत्त्वम् । ऋग्वेदः स्वरूपम् । श्रीमहाकालीप्रीत्यर्थं प्रथमचरित्रजपे विनियोगः ।
This viniyoga, a declaration of purpose said before recitation, recalls that the seer of the first charitra is Brahma, its metre Gayatri, its deity Mahakali, its shakti Nanda, its seed Raktadantika, its element Agni and its form the Rigveda, and states that the recitation is offered for the pleasure of Mahakali.
ध्यानम्
ॐ खड्गं चक्रगदेषुचापपरिघाञ्छूलं भुशुण्डीं शिरः
शङ्खं सन्दधतीं करैस्त्रिनयनां सर्वाङ्गभूषावृताम् ।
नीलाश्मद्युतिमास्यपाददशकां सेवे महाकालिकां
यामस्तौत्स्वपिते हरौ कमलजो हन्तुं मधुं कैटभम् ॥
This meditation verse pictures Mahakali with ten faces, ten feet and three eyes, shining like a blue gem, holding in her hands a sword, a discus, a mace, arrows, a bow, a parigha or iron club, a spear, a bhushundi or missile weapon, a severed head and a conch, and says that she is the one whom Brahma praised, while Vishnu slept, so that Madhu and Kaitabha might be slain.
ॐ नमश्चण्डिकायै ॥
निशामय तदुत्पत्तिं विस्तराद्गदतो मम ॥ 2 ॥Meaning of verse 1.1 and 1.2 →3महामायानुभावेन यथा मन्वन्तराधिपः ।
स बभूव महाभागः सावर्णिस्तनयो रवेः ॥ 3 ॥Meaning of verse 1.3 →4स्वारोचिषेऽन्तरे पूर्वं चैत्रवंशसमुद्भवः ।
सुरथो नाम राजाभूत्समस्ते क्षितिमण्डले ॥ 4 ॥Meaning of verse 1.4 →5तस्य पालयतः सम्यक् प्रजाः पुत्रानिवौरसान् ।
बभूवुः शत्रवो भूपाः कोलाविध्वंसिनस्तदा ॥ 5 ॥Meaning of verse 1.5 →6तस्य तैरभवद् युद्धमतिप्रबलदण्डिनः ।
न्यूनैरपि स तैर्युद्धे कोलाविध्वंसिभिर्जितः ॥ 6 ॥Meaning of verse 1.6 →7ततः स्वपुरमायातो निजदेशाधिपोऽभवत् ।
आक्रान्तः स महाभागस्तैस्तदा प्रबलारिभिः ॥ 7 ॥Meaning of verse 1.7 →8अमात्यैर्बलिभिर्दुष्टैर्दुर्बलस्य दुरात्मभिः ।
कोशो बलं चापहृतं तत्रापि स्वपुरे ततः ॥ 8 ॥Meaning of verse 1.8 →9ततो मृगयाव्याजेन हृतस्वाम्यः स भूपतिः ।
एकाकी हयमारुह्य जगाम गहनं वनम् ॥ 9 ॥Meaning of verse 1.9 →10स तत्राश्रममद्राक्षीद्द्विजवर्यस्य मेधसः ।
प्रशान्तश्वापदाकीर्णं मुनिशिष्योपशोभितम् ॥ 10 ॥Meaning of verse 1.10 →11तस्थौ कञ्चित्स कालं च मुनिना तेन सत्कृतः ।
इतश्चेतश्च विचरंस्तस्मिन् मुनिवराश्रमे ॥ 11 ॥Meaning of verse 1.11 →
मत्पूर्वैः पालितं पूर्वं मया हीनं पुरं हि तत् ॥ 12 ॥
न जाने स प्रधानो मे शूरो हस्ती सदामदः ॥ 13 ॥
ये ममानुगता नित्यं प्रसादधनभोजनैः ॥ 14 ॥
असम्यग्व्ययशीलैस्तैः कुर्वद्भिः सततं व्ययम् ॥ 15 ॥
एतच्चान्यच्च सततं चिन्तयामास पार्थिवः ॥ 16 ॥
स पृष्टस्तेन कस्त्वं भो हेतुश्चागमनेऽत्र कः ॥ 17 ॥
इत्याकर्ण्य वचस्तस्य भूपतेः प्रणयोदितम् ॥ 18 ॥
विहीनश्च धनैर्दारैः पुत्रैरादाय मे धनम् ॥ 22 ॥
सोऽहं न वेद्मि पुत्राणां कुशलाकुशलात्मिकाम् ॥ 23 ॥
किं नु तेषां गृहे क्षेममक्षेमं किं नु साम्प्रतम् ॥ 24 ॥
यैः सन्त्यज्य पितृस्नेहं धनलुब्धैर्निराकृतः ॥ 31 ॥
किमेतन्नाभिजानामि जानन्नपि महामते ॥ 32 ॥
तेषां कृते मे निःश्वासो दौर्मनस्यं च जायते ॥ 33 ॥
कृत्वा तु तौ यथान्यायं यथार्हं तेन संविदम् ॥ 37 ॥
ममत्वं गतराज्यस्य राज्याङ्गेष्वखिलेष्वपि ॥ 41 ॥
अयं च निकृतः पुत्रैर्दारैर्भृत्यैस्तथोज्झितः ॥ 42 ॥
एवमेष तथाहं च द्वावप्यत्यन्तदुःखितौ ॥ 43 ॥
तत्किमेतन्महाभाग यन्मोहो ज्ञानिनोरपि ॥ 44 ॥
दिवान्धाः प्राणिनः केचिद्रात्रावन्धास्तथापरे ॥ 48 ॥
ज्ञानिनो मनुजाः सत्यं किं तु ते न हि केवलम् ॥ 49 ॥
ज्ञानं च तन्मनुष्याणां यत्तेषां मृगपक्षिणाम् ॥ 50 ॥
ज्ञानेऽपि सति पश्यैतान् पतङ्गाञ्छावचञ्चुषु ॥ 51 ॥
मानुषा मनुजव्याघ्र साभिलाषाः सुतान् प्रति ॥ 52 ॥
तथापि ममतावर्ते मोहगर्ते निपातिताः ॥ 53 ॥
तन्नात्र विस्मयः कार्यो योगनिद्रा जगत्पतेः ॥ 54 ॥
ज्ञानिनामपि चेतांसि देवी भगवती हि सा ॥ 55 ॥
तया विसृज्यते विश्वं जगदेतच्चराचरम् ॥ 56 ॥
सा विद्या परमा मुक्तेर्हेतुभूता सनातनी ॥ 57 ॥
यत्प्रभावा च सा देवी यत्स्वरूपा यदुद्भवा ॥ 61 ॥
देवानां कार्यसिद्ध्यर्थमाविर्भवति सा यदा ॥ 65 ॥
योगनिद्रां यदा विष्णुर्जगत्येकार्णवीकृते ॥ 66 ॥
तदा द्वावसुरौ घोरौ विख्यातौ मधुकैटभौ ॥ 67 ॥
स नाभिकमले विष्णोः स्थितो ब्रह्मा प्रजापतिः ॥ 68 ॥
तुष्टाव योगनिद्रां तामेकाग्रहृदयः स्थितः ॥ 69 ॥
विश्वेश्वरीं जगद्धात्रीं स्थितिसंहारकारिणीम् ॥ 70 ॥
अर्धमात्रा स्थिता नित्या यानुच्चार्याविशेषतः ॥ 74 ॥
त्वयैतद्धार्यते विश्वं त्वयैतत् सृज्यते जगत् ॥ 75 ॥
विसृष्टौ सृष्टिरूपा त्वं स्थितिरूपा च पालने ॥ 76 ॥
महाविद्या महामाया महामेधा महास्मृतिः ॥ 77 ॥
प्रकृतिस्त्वं च सर्वस्य गुणत्रयविभाविनी ॥ 78 ॥
त्वं श्रीस्त्वमीश्वरी त्वं ह्रीस्त्वं बुद्धिर्बोधलक्षणा ॥ 79 ॥
खड्गिनी शूलिनी घोरा गदिनी चक्रिणी तथा ॥ 80 ॥
सौम्या सौम्यतराशेषसौम्येभ्यस्त्वतिसुन्दरी ॥ 81 ॥
यच्च किञ्चित्क्वचिद्वस्तु सदसद्वाखिलात्मिके ॥ 82 ॥
यया त्वया जगत्स्रष्टा जगत्पात्यत्ति यो जगत् ॥ 83 ॥
विष्णुः शरीरग्रहणमहमीशान एव च ॥ 84 ॥
सा त्वमित्थं प्रभावैः स्वैरुदारैर्देवि संस्तुता ॥ 85 ॥
प्रबोधं च जगत्स्वामी नीयतामच्युतो लघु ॥ 86 ॥
नेत्रास्यनासिकाबाहुहृदयेभ्यस्तथोरसः ॥ 90 ॥
उत्तस्थौ च जगन्नाथस्तया मुक्तो जनार्दनः ॥ 91 ॥
मधुकैटभौ दुरात्मानावतिवीर्यपराक्रमौ ॥ 92 ॥
समुत्थाय ततस्ताभ्यां युयुधे भगवान् हरिः ॥ 93 ॥
तावप्यतिबलोन्मत्तौ महामायाविमोहितौ ॥ 94 ॥
आवां जहि न यत्रोर्वी सलिलेन परिप्लुता ॥ 101 ॥
कृत्वा चक्रेण वै छिन्ने जघने शिरसी तयोः ॥ 103 ॥
प्रभावमस्या देव्यास्तु भूयः शृणु वदामि ते ॥ 104 ॥
॥ स्वस्ति श्रीमार्कण्डेयपुराणे सावर्णिके मन्वन्तरे देवीमाहात्म्ये मधुकैटभवधो नाम प्रथमोऽध्यायः ॥
About the slaying of Madhu and Kaitabha
The chapter is named after the slaying of Madhu and Kaitabha, yet more than its first half is the story of the distress of two ordinary men. Markandeya begins to tell Kraushtuki the background of the eighth Manu, Savarni. That Savarni was King Suratha in an earlier birth. In answer to the question put by him and by a merchant named Samadhi, the sage Medhas tells the first story of Mahamaya.
The course of the chapter
- Mantras 1 to 16: Markandeya begins the story. Suratha is defeated by his enemies, and his own ministers seize his treasury and his army. Going into the forest on the pretext of a hunt, he stays at the hermitage of the sage Medhas, yet his thoughts keep returning to his city, his state elephant, his servants and his treasury.
- Mantras 17 to 34: There he meets a merchant named Samadhi. His wife and sons, greedy for wealth, have turned him out of his home, yet his mind still worries about their welfare.
- Mantras 35 to 45: The two go to the sage and ask why the mind clings to the very people who have abandoned them.
- Mantras 46 to 58: The sage says that animals and birds too have knowledge of the world of the senses, yet out of attachment they feed grain to their young. Mahamaya forcibly draws even the minds of the wise into delusion, he says, and she is the cause of both bondage and liberation.
- Mantras 59 to 72: The king asks who this Mahamaya is. The sage says she is eternal, yet appears for the work of the gods. At the end of an aeon, while Vishnu lies in yogic sleep, Madhu and Kaitabha, born from the wax of his ear, set out to kill Brahma.
- Mantras 73 to 87: Brahma praises Yoganidra so that Vishnu may be woken. This is the hymn that calls her svaha, svadha and the power of creation, preservation and dissolution.
- Mantras 88 to 104: The Goddess leaves Vishnu’s body and Vishnu wakes. After a long fight the demons, deluded by maya, offer Vishnu a boon. Vishnu asks for the boon that both of them die at his hands. When they ask to be killed where there is no water, he places them on his thigh and cuts off their heads with his discus.
Why do even those who know stay attached?
The question of the king and the merchant is simple. They know very well who abandoned them and why. Still the mind goes back to those people again and again. Why this attachment, when the knowledge is there? That is their confusion. The king even calls this state, his own and the merchant’s, the bewilderment of those blind to discernment.
The sage’s answer does not blame them. Mahamaya draws even the minds of the wise, he says. He also says that the same power, when pleased, grants the boon of liberation. All the remaining stories of the Saptashati unfold as the answer to the king’s question: who is this Mahamaya?
About this page
The text and the numbering of the mantras follow the Gita Press edition. This chapter has fourteen uvacha lines, twenty four half verses and sixty six full verses, one hundred and four mantras in all. In the cards on this page each one carries its own number.
On the meaning pages alone, each uvacha line is shown on the page of the verse it introduces. For example, the first mantra, Markandeya uvacha, is on the page for the second mantra. For now the meaning pages for the first ten verses (mantras 1 to 11) are ready. The rest are being added one by one.
Sources: several.
ಪಾಠದಲ್ಲಿ ತಪ್ಪೋ ಬೇರೆ ಪಾಠಾಂತರವೋ ಕಂಡಿತೇ? ನಮಗೆ ತಿಳಿಸಿ.
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