दुर्गासप्तशती
Thirteen chapters, seven hundred mantras. It is also called the Devi Mahatmya and the Chandi Patha. Tapping any chapter’s card opens the page for that chapter, where the mantras can be read in Kannada, Devanagari and English IAST. For now the page for the first chapter is ready.
ध्यानम्
या चण्डी मधुकैटभादिदैत्यदलनी या माहिषोन्मूलिनी
या धूम्रेक्षणचण्डमुण्डमथनी या रक्तबीजाशनी ।
शक्तिः शुम्भनिशुम्भदैत्यदलनी या सिद्धिदात्री परा
सा देवी नवकोटिमूर्तिसहिता मां पातु विश्वेश्वरी ॥
Madhukaiṭabhavadhaḥ: Suratha and Samadhi meet the sage Medhas, Brahma’s hymn to Yoganidra and the end of Madhu and Kaitabha
104 mantrasRead Chapter 1 →
Mahiṣāsurasainyavadhaḥ: The Goddess arises from the radiance of the gods and destroys Mahisha’s army
69 mantras
Mahiṣāsuravadhaḥ: The fall of Mahisha’s generals such as Chikshura and Chamara, and then of Mahisha himself
44 mantras
Śakrādistutiḥ: Indra and the gods praise the Goddess in gratitude, and she promises to come whenever they remember her in distress
42 mantras
Devyā Dūtasaṃvādaḥ: Shumbha and Nishumbha oppress the gods, the hymn beginning ya devi sarvabhuteshu, and the Goddess answers the envoy
129 mantras
Dhūmralocanavadhaḥ: Dhumralochana, sent to drag her away by force, is burnt to ash by her mere cry of hum
24 mantras
Caṇḍamuṇḍavadhaḥ: Kali emerges, slays Chanda and Munda and receives the name Chamunda
27 mantras
Raktabījavadhaḥ: The Matrikas appear, and Raktabija, who springs up again from every drop of his blood, is ended
63 mantras
Niśumbhavadhaḥ: A fierce battle with Nishumbha and his death
41 mantras
Śumbhavadhaḥ: The Goddess draws all her powers back into herself, stands alone and ends Shumbha
32 mantras
Devīstutiḥ: The gods’ hymn with the refrain narayani namostu te, and her promise of incarnations to come
55 mantras
Phalastutiḥ: The Goddess herself speaks of the fruit of reciting this account
41 mantras
Surathavaiśyayorvarapradānam: Suratha and Samadhi worship the Goddess: the king is granted his kingdom and the merchant is granted knowledge
29 mantras
॥ ॐ तत्सत् ॥
About the Durga Saptashati
The Durga Saptashati is a part of the Markandeya Purana. In the common reckoning it forms chapters eighty one to ninety three of that Purana, though some editions number them a little differently. Saptashati means a collection of seven hundred. Because it tells the glory of the Goddess it is also called the Devi Mahatmya, and because it is the text of Chandika it is also called the Chandi Patha.
The frame of the story is this. The sage Markandeya tells his disciple Kraushtuki how the eighth Manu, Savarni, came to be. That Savarni was once a king named Suratha. Suratha, who has lost his kingdom, and a merchant named Samadhi, whose own family has turned him out, meet at the hermitage of the sage Medhas. They ask him about the attachment that still grips their minds, and in answer the sage tells them three stories of the Goddess.
The three charitras
- The first charitra (chapter 1): Mahakali. Vishnu’s yogic sleep and the slaying of Madhu and Kaitabha.
- The middle charitra (chapters 2 to 4): Mahalakshmi. The slaying of Mahishasura and the hymn of the gods.
- The highest charitra (chapters 5 to 13): Mahasarasvati. The slaying of Shumbha, Nishumbha and their generals, the Narayani hymn, the account of the fruits and the boons to Suratha and Samadhi.
Each charitra has its own viniyoga and meditation verse. Tradition understands the three goddesses as three forms of one great Shakti. The Pradhanika Rahasya, recited after the text, explains exactly this.
How the seven hundred are counted
The seven hundred here is not a count of full verses. Lines such as Markandeya uvacha or Raja uvacha, which say that someone spoke, half verses and full verses each count as one mantra and receive a number. The first chapter, for example, has fourteen uvacha lines, twenty four half verses and sixty six full verses. Together these make one hundred and four mantras. Counted this way, the mantras of the thirteen chapters add up to seven hundred.
What is recited before and after
The Saptashati is not usually recited on its own. An order of passages to be recited before and after it has grown up over time. The order varies a little from family to family. What is commonly seen is this:
- Before: the Devi Kavacha, the Argala Stotra and the Kilaka Stotra, followed by japa of the Navarna mantra and the Ratri Sukta.
- After: the Devi Sukta and the three Rahasyas, called Pradhanika, Vaikritika and Murti.
This site already has pages for the Devi Kavacha, the Argala Stotra, the Kilaka Stotra and the Saptashloki Durga. The Saptashloki Durga is a short hymn that holds the essence of the whole text in seven verses.
Recitation during Navaratri
During Navaratri, and especially the Navaratri of the autumn, the Saptashati is recited in many homes and temples. Some recite the whole text at one sitting. Others spread it over seven days. In one such scheme the first day takes chapter one, the second day chapters two and three, the third day chapter four, the fourth day chapters five to eight, the fifth day chapters nine and ten, the sixth day chapter eleven, and the seventh day chapters twelve and thirteen.
A rule commonly kept is that a chapter once begun should be finished without a break. Tradition holds that recitation done with faith removes fear and hardship, and the account of the fruits in chapter twelve puts these words in the mouth of the Goddess herself. It is best to learn the method of recitation from the elders of the family or from a teacher.
About these pages
Each chapter has a page, and each mantra has a meaning page. The numbering of the mantras follows the Gita Press edition. On the chapter page the uvacha lines appear with their own numbers. On the meaning pages, however, each uvacha line is shown on the page of the verse it introduces.
The meaning pages carry the mantra in three scripts, word meanings, meanings in Kannada and English, and two boxes of commentary and of thoughts for life today. For now the pages for the first ten verses of the first chapter (mantras 1 to 11) are ready. The rest are being added one by one.
Sources: several.
ಪಾಠದಲ್ಲಿ ತಪ್ಪೋ ಬೇರೆ ಪಾಠಾಂತರವೋ ಕಂಡಿತೇ? ನಮಗೆ ತಿಳಿಸಿ.
Noticed a mistake or a different reading? Tell us.
ಪ್ರತಿಕ್ರಿಯೆ ಬರೆಯಿರಿ