On Durga Saptashati/Devi Mahatmyam (long)

May 13, 2006

Namaste friends,

> |om gurave namah | > Respected Gurujis,> > I have heard a lot about Durga saprastuti; what is Durga saptastuti? What is its significance in vedic astrology?> > Any pointers or explanation in this regards are appreciated.> > Regards,> Pranav

You asked a good question. I've been thinking of writing about Devi Mahatmyam for a while and have an occasion to do it now.

There is something known as Durga Saptashloki, which is 7 verses in the prayer of Divine Mother. This is a short form of a bigger treatise known as Durga Saptashati. I will focus on the latter in this mail.

Durga Saptashati (aka Devi Mahatmyam or Chandi saptashati or Chandipath) is a collection of 700 verses about Divine Mother. It is from Maarkandeya Puraanam.

The 700 verses are arranged in 13 chapters. Also, they are arranged in 3 parts (charitas). Some parts have more chapters and some parts have less. The three parts have MahaaKaali, MahaaLakshmi and MahaaSaraswati as the deities. They have Rigveda, Yajurveda and Samaveda as the swarupas, i.e. each Veda is a different representation/form/essence of each part. The purposes of the three parts are dharma, artha and kaama respectively. They have aim, hreem and kleem as the beejas.

* * *

Some people mistakenly think that it is merely an account of the exploits of Durgaa and her slaying of demons Mahisha, Chanda, Munda, Raktabeeja, Shumbha, Nishumbha etc. They view it as a collection of stories. But, IMHO, that is a very limited view. Devi mahatmyam is much more than a collection of stories. Vedas are its swarupam!

Devi mahatmyam is the very definition of the nature of Divine Mother. When I say Divine Mother, I am not talking about limited forms. I am talking about unlimited Shakti (energy) behind all limited Shaktis. Some people call her Durgaa, some call her Chandi and some call her Mahaalakshmi. The name does not matter that much. Bottomline is that She is the Moola Prakriti, the root nature, of all that manifests. She is the force that drives everything in the universe.

Towards the end, the 11th chapter (titled "Naaraayani Stuti") describes gods praying to the Divine Mother after slaying all the demons. They address Her as "Naaraayani". This is consistent with the difference between Narayana and Vishnu that we maintain at SJC. Vishnu is one of the Trimurthis. He is of Sattva guna and sustains the creation. Narayana is gunaateeta (above gunas/attributes). He is the Sahasraseersha and Parama Purusha. Some people may describe the same as Samba Sada Shiva, but let us not get caught in names. When we are essentially speaking about an entity that is beyond attributes, it is foolish to argue about the name. After all, name too is an attribute. Though great people gave different names to the Parama Purusha, the names essentially capture the nature of the path those people took to experience the Parama Purusha rather than the nature of Parama Purusha, which is beyond names and attributes.

The bottomline is that there is a Parama Purusha above the Trimurthis (Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva). If we call him Narayana, then Narayani is his Shakti and She is the root cause of all creation. She is inseparable from Him. Don't imagine Narayani as a separate form. That is a mistake. She is simply the power of Narayana. Neither Narayana nor Narayani have a form. After all, Narayana is gunaateeta and formless. Though He CAN take forms, forms only "limit" Him. His highest nature is that He has no form or attributes. Similarly, Amba is not a separate person, but simply the power of Samba Shiva. They are inseparable (just as Sourav said in a separate discussion on "Samba Shiva and Adwaita").

Coming back to the point, the nine Shaktis who fought demons, i.e. Brahmaani, Maaheswari, Kaumaari, Vaishnavi/Lakshmi, Vaaraahi, Naarasimhi, Sivadooti and Chaamundaa/Kaali, are all described as different forms of Naaraayani. I am quoting the slokas below in ITrans format. If you have ITranslator, copy the text into it and see it in Sanskrit.

haMsayuktavimAnasthe brahmANIrUpadhAriNi |

kaushAmbhaHkSarike devi nArAyaNi namo.astu te || 11-13

trishUlachandrAhidhare mahAvR^iShabhavAhini |

mAheshvarIswarUpeNa nArAyaNi namo.astu te || 11-14

mayUrakukkuTavR^ite mahAshaktidhare.anaghe |

kaumArIrUpasaMsthAne nArAyaNi namo.astu te || 11-15

shaMkhachakragadAshAr~NgagR^ihItaparamAyudhe |

prasIda vaiShNavIrUpe nArAyaNi namo.astu te || 11-16

gR^ihItogramahAchakre daMShTroddhR^itavasundhare |

varAharUpiNIshive nArAyaNi namo.astu te || 11-17

nR^isiMharUpeNogreNa hantuM daityAn kR^itodyame |

trailokyatrANasahite nArAyaNi namo.astu te || 11-18

kirITini mahAvajre sahasranayanojjvale |

vR^itraprANahare devi nArAyaNi namo.astu te || 11-19

shivadUtIswarUpeNa hatadaityamahAbale |

ghorarUpe mahArAve nArAyaNi namo.astu te || 11-20

daMShTrAkarAlavadane shiromAlAvibhUShaNe |

chAmuNDe muNDamathane nArAyaNi namo.astu te || 11-21

The nine Shaktis that fought the demons are described as various forms/manifestations of Naaraayani here. Thus, Devi Mahatmyam is essentially about the Shakti of Gunaateeta Parama Purusha (Narayana). All devatas come from Him and hence the shaktis (energies) of all devatas come from His shakti (Narayani). Thus, Devi Mahatmyam is about the nature of the most supreme energy of this universe!

* * *

Though Devi Mahatmyam looks like stories, there are very valuable lessons on Her nature in it. The deeper you go, the more you can understand and appreciate the lessons in the stories. Let me give a couple of examples.

(1) When various Mothers are going to war with demons, this is how it is described (8-14): "Whatever form, decoration, weapons and vehicle each god has, his shakti (energy) came in the same form, decoration, weapons and vehicle." The next 9 verses describe how Brahmaani etc came. For example, Brahmaani came on a swan with aksha sutra and kamandalu (worn by Brahma), Maaheswari came on a great bull with a Trishoola and She wore a big snake and Moon. And so on.

What is the message hidden in the above description? The fact that these female deities are identical to the male counterparts in form, decoration, weapons and vehicles suggests, to me, that they are not really separate from the male counterparts. Brahma and Brahmaani are not separate. Maheswara and Maaheswari are not separate. Vishnu and Vaishnavi are not separate. And so on. Brahmaani is simply the shakti (vitality/energy) of Brahma. Maaheswari is simply the shakti (vitality/energy) of Maheswara. And so on.

Of course, if you imagine Vaishnavi (Lakshmi) as a separate person with certain attributes, She may manifest limited by your imagination and even give you a darshan in that form. However, that is a limited form and Her true nature is beyond that. Her true and highest nature is that She is an inseparable part of Vishnu and represents the energy of Vishnu. She is the part of Vishnu that makes Vishnu think, desire, act etc. Any other external form is a lower nature of Her.

Thus, contemplation on these verses will make you understand the true nature of male devatas and female devatas and their relationship better. It will enable you to appreciate the highest nature of Shakti.

(2) Take Raktabeeja's slaying. Raktabeeja is a demon with a special ability. If a drop of blood falls from his body on the ground, another demon will be born from it and will be of the same size, age and strength as the original Raktabeeja even at birth. As Vaishnavi, Maaheswari, Aindri etc were hurting Raktabeeja in the fight, more and more demons were being born and all the gods were scared. Then Chandikaa told Kaali to expand her face and eat all the demons as they are born. Chandika goes around the war ground eating all the demons as they are born and eventually Raktabeeja runs out of blood.

This looks like a nice story. But, is there is a deeper meaning in it? Why was Kaali the chosen one and not Vaishnavi or Naarasimhi or Aindri?

The word rakta means blood. Another meaning is "desire/passion". Actually, both the meanings are linked and the word comes from the root ranj/rang, which means "to color". Of course, in our astrology also, Moon shows rakta dhatu (blood) and he is also the karaka for desires.

Raktabeeja means "the seed of desire". Raktabeeja fighting with gods symbolizes desires taking the better of our good judgment and good qualities. Each human being is a microcosm of the macrocosm that the universe is. All devatas reside in us as various good qualities and all demons reside in us as various undesirable qualities. When we are overcome by desires and do bad deeds, the Raktabeeja within us is defeating the gods within us.

The thing is that desires are difficult to get rid of. You get rid of one desire and another desire is born. That is what Raktabeeja's special ability means. The "seed of desires" within us will keep producing more and more desires. It is very resourceful.

Then, why Kaali to destroy Him?

In astrology, we associate Mahaakaala and Mahaakaali with Saturn. Kaali shows detachment and vairaagyam. She wears a garland of skulls, symbolizing that there is an endless cycle (garland) of births a material form (skull) goes thru. The way Kaali shows to overcome the cycle is vairaagyam and detachment. She shows meaningful and highest level of vairaagyam that comes with a deep understanding of the cycle of material forms.

To fully cut off the "seed of desires" so that one does not get any more desires, one needs to develop vairaagyam and detachment and keep on destroying desires as they are born and persist like that. After persisting for a long time, the "seed of desires" will run out of desires and one will overcome desires.

Thus, simple stories have deep meanings. This particular story celebrates the value of detachment, vairaagyam and persistence - Saturnine qualities.

* * *

Durga Saptashati is what is used in Chandi homam. It is very auspicious to read everyday or on Ashtami/Navami/Chaturdasi days. It takes 1-2.5 hours. When I read it for the first time on March, it took me 2 hours. Now it takes me 50 min. If you don't have much time, you may want to read one chapter per day.

Merely chanting it without understanding the meaning is also excellent and produces results. Understanding the meaning and marvelling at the power of the Mother makes one fearless and energetic and also give material benefits. Understanding the deeper meanings and appreciating the True Nature of the Mother makes one realize one's own true nature. It has various benefits at various levels of sadhana. It is tough to exactly say what benefit it gives, as that depends on the evolution level of sadhaka and his attitude. But, there is something in Chandipath for everyone!

It is more effective if you read the moola mantra (the Navakshari mantra or, preferably, Dasakshari mantra with Om added) 108 times before AND after chanting 700 verses.

I will give one interesting personal anecdote. I started reading Durga Sapta Shati during Shata Chandi Homam at Chennai in March. I took a vow to read it for 108 consecutive days. After I finished exactly 40 days of reading it, a priest who came to our house gifted me a one foot tall panchaloha idol of Ashtadasa Bhuja Maha Lakshmi (Narayani with 9x2=18 hands).

* * *

There are no classical references, to my knowledge, on the mapping between the the nine planets and the nine forms of Narayani described in Saptashati, who fought with demons. But obviously there must be a link. Here is my first shot at it:

Brahmaani: Jupiter

Maaheswari: Moon

Kaumaari: Mars

Vaishnavi: Mercury

Vaaraahi: Rahu

Naarasimhi: Ketu

Aindri: Sun

Sivadooti: Venus

Chaamundaa/Kaali: Saturn

May the light of Brahman shine within,

Narasimha

-------------------------------

Free Jyotish lessons (MP3): http://vedicastro.home.comcast.net

Free Jyotish software (Windows): http://www.VedicAstrologer.org

Sri Jagannath Centre (SJC) website: http://www.SriJagannath.org

-------------------------------

May 14, 2006

Narasimha,

Thank you for this. May the One who inspired this continue to

manifest in your speech and thereby guide you and others to Her

through the universal yantra of her living poetics.

Warm regards,

Jesse

sohamsa , " Narasimha P.V.R. Rao " <pvr wrote:

>

> Namaste friends,

>

> > |om gurave namah |

> > Respected Gurujis,

> >

> > I have heard a lot about Durga saprastuti; what is Durga

saptastuti? What is its significance in vedic astrology?

> >

> > Any pointers or explanation in this regards are appreciated.

> >

> > Regards,

> > Pranav

>

> You asked a good question. I've been thinking of writing about Devi

Mahatmyam for a while and have an occasion to do it now.

>

> There is something known as Durga Saptashloki, which is 7 verses in

the prayer of Divine Mother. This is a short form of a bigger treatise

known as Durga Saptashati. I will focus on the latter in this mail.

>

> Durga Saptashati (aka Devi Mahatmyam or Chandi saptashati or

Chandipath) is a collection of 700 verses about Divine Mother. It is

from Maarkandeya Puraanam.

>

> The 700 verses are arranged in 13 chapters. Also, they are arranged

in 3 parts (charitas). Some parts have more chapters and some parts

have less. The three parts have MahaaKaali, MahaaLakshmi and

MahaaSaraswati as the deities. They have Rigveda, Yajurveda and

Samaveda as the swarupas, i.e. each Veda is a different

representation/form/essence of each part. The purposes of the three

parts are dharma, artha and kaama respectively. They have aim, hreem

and kleem as the beejas.

>

> * * *

>

> Some people mistakenly think that it is merely an account of the

exploits of Durgaa and her slaying of demons Mahisha, Chanda, Munda,

Raktabeeja, Shumbha, Nishumbha etc. They view it as a collection of

stories. But, IMHO, that is a very limited view. Devi mahatmyam is

much more than a collection of stories. Vedas are its swarupam!

>

> Devi mahatmyam is the very definition of the nature of Divine

Mother. When I say Divine Mother, I am not talking about limited

forms. I am talking about unlimited Shakti (energy) behind all limited

Shaktis. Some people call her Durgaa, some call her Chandi and some

call her Mahaalakshmi. The name does not matter that much. Bottomline

is that She is the Moola Prakriti, the root nature, of all that

manifests. She is the force that drives everything in the universe.

>

> Towards the end, the 11th chapter (titled " Naaraayani Stuti " )

describes gods praying to the Divine Mother after slaying all the

demons. They address Her as " Naaraayani " . This is consistent with the

difference between Narayana and Vishnu that we maintain at SJC. Vishnu

is one of the Trimurthis. He is of Sattva guna and sustains the

creation. Narayana is gunaateeta (above gunas/attributes). He is the

Sahasraseersha and Parama Purusha. Some people may describe the same

as Samba Sada Shiva, but let us not get caught in names. When we are

essentially speaking about an entity that is beyond attributes, it is

foolish to argue about the name. After all, name too is an attribute.

Though great people gave different names to the Parama Purusha, the

names essentially capture the nature of the path those people took to

experience the Parama Purusha rather than the nature of Parama

Purusha, which is beyond names and attributes.

>

> The bottomline is that there is a Parama Purusha above the

Trimurthis (Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva). If we call him Narayana, then

Narayani is his Shakti and She is the root cause of all creation. She

is inseparable from Him. Don't imagine Narayani as a separate form.

That is a mistake. She is simply the power of Narayana. Neither

Narayana nor Narayani have a form. After all, Narayana is gunaateeta

and formless. Though He CAN take forms, forms only " limit " Him. His

highest nature is that He has no form or attributes. Similarly, Amba

is not a separate person, but simply the power of Samba Shiva. They

are inseparable (just as Sourav said in a separate discussion on

" Samba Shiva and Adwaita " ).

>

> Coming back to the point, the nine Shaktis who fought demons, i.e.

Brahmaani, Maaheswari, Kaumaari, Vaishnavi/Lakshmi, Vaaraahi,

Naarasimhi, Sivadooti and Chaamundaa/Kaali, are all described as

different forms of Naaraayani. I am quoting the slokas below in ITrans

format. If you have ITranslator, copy the text into it and see it in

Sanskrit.

>

> haMsayuktavimAnasthe brahmANIrUpadhAriNi |

> kaushAmbhaHkSarike devi nArAyaNi namo.astu te || 11-13

> trishUlachandrAhidhare mahAvR^iShabhavAhini |

> mAheshvarIswarUpeNa nArAyaNi namo.astu te || 11-14

> mayUrakukkuTavR^ite mahAshaktidhare.anaghe |

> kaumArIrUpasaMsthAne nArAyaNi namo.astu te || 11-15

> shaMkhachakragadAshAr~NgagR^ihItaparamAyudhe |

> prasIda vaiShNavIrUpe nArAyaNi namo.astu te || 11-16

> gR^ihItogramahAchakre daMShTroddhR^itavasundhare |

> varAharUpiNIshive nArAyaNi namo.astu te || 11-17

> nR^isiMharUpeNogreNa hantuM daityAn kR^itodyame |

> trailokyatrANasahite nArAyaNi namo.astu te || 11-18

> kirITini mahAvajre sahasranayanojjvale |

> vR^itraprANahare devi nArAyaNi namo.astu te || 11-19

> shivadUtIswarUpeNa hatadaityamahAbale |

> ghorarUpe mahArAve nArAyaNi namo.astu te || 11-20

> daMShTrAkarAlavadane shiromAlAvibhUShaNe |

> chAmuNDe muNDamathane nArAyaNi namo.astu te || 11-21

>

> The nine Shaktis that fought the demons are described as various

forms/manifestations of Naaraayani here. Thus, Devi Mahatmyam is

essentially about the Shakti of Gunaateeta Parama Purusha (Narayana).

All devatas come from Him and hence the shaktis (energies) of all

devatas come from His shakti (Narayani). Thus, Devi Mahatmyam is about

the nature of the most supreme energy of this universe!

>

> * * *

>

> Though Devi Mahatmyam looks like stories, there are very valuable

lessons on Her nature in it. The deeper you go, the more you can

understand and appreciate the lessons in the stories. Let me give a

couple of examples.

>

> (1) When various Mothers are going to war with demons, this is how

it is described (8-14): " Whatever form, decoration, weapons and

vehicle each god has, his shakti (energy) came in the same form,

decoration, weapons and vehicle. " The next 9 verses describe how

Brahmaani etc came. For example, Brahmaani came on a swan with aksha

sutra and kamandalu (worn by Brahma), Maaheswari came on a great bull

with a Trishoola and She wore a big snake and Moon. And so on.

>

> What is the message hidden in the above description? The fact that

these female deities are identical to the male counterparts in form,

decoration, weapons and vehicles suggests, to me, that they are not

really separate from the male counterparts. Brahma and Brahmaani are

not separate. Maheswara and Maaheswari are not separate. Vishnu and

Vaishnavi are not separate. And so on. Brahmaani is simply the shakti

(vitality/energy) of Brahma. Maaheswari is simply the shakti

(vitality/energy) of Maheswara. And so on.

>

> Of course, if you imagine Vaishnavi (Lakshmi) as a separate person

with certain attributes, She may manifest limited by your imagination

and even give you a darshan in that form. However, that is a limited

form and Her true nature is beyond that. Her true and highest nature

is that She is an inseparable part of Vishnu and represents the energy

of Vishnu. She is the part of Vishnu that makes Vishnu think, desire,

act etc. Any other external form is a lower nature of Her.

>

> Thus, contemplation on these verses will make you understand the

true nature of male devatas and female devatas and their relationship

better. It will enable you to appreciate the highest nature of Shakti.

>

> (2) Take Raktabeeja's slaying. Raktabeeja is a demon with a special

ability. If a drop of blood falls from his body on the ground, another

demon will be born from it and will be of the same size, age and

strength as the original Raktabeeja even at birth. As Vaishnavi,

Maaheswari, Aindri etc were hurting Raktabeeja in the fight, more and

more demons were being born and all the gods were scared. Then

Chandikaa told Kaali to expand her face and eat all the demons as they

are born. Chandika goes around the war ground eating all the demons as

they are born and eventually Raktabeeja runs out of blood.

>

> This looks like a nice story. But, is there is a deeper meaning in

it? Why was Kaali the chosen one and not Vaishnavi or Naarasimhi or

Aindri?

>

> The word rakta means blood. Another meaning is " desire/passion " .

Actually, both the meanings are linked and the word comes from the

root ranj/rang, which means " to color " . Of course, in our astrology

also, Moon shows rakta dhatu (blood) and he is also the karaka for

desires.

>

> Raktabeeja means " the seed of desire " . Raktabeeja fighting with gods

symbolizes desires taking the better of our good judgment and good

qualities. Each human being is a microcosm of the macrocosm that the

universe is. All devatas reside in us as various good qualities and

all demons reside in us as various undesirable qualities. When we are

overcome by desires and do bad deeds, the Raktabeeja within us is

defeating the gods within us.

>

> The thing is that desires are difficult to get rid of. You get rid

of one desire and another desire is born. That is what Raktabeeja's

special ability means. The " seed of desires " within us will keep

producing more and more desires. It is very resourceful.

>

> Then, why Kaali to destroy Him?

>

> In astrology, we associate Mahaakaala and Mahaakaali with Saturn.

Kaali shows detachment and vairaagyam. She wears a garland of skulls,

symbolizing that there is an endless cycle (garland) of births a

material form (skull) goes thru. The way Kaali shows to overcome the

cycle is vairaagyam and detachment. She shows meaningful and highest

level of vairaagyam that comes with a deep understanding of the cycle

of material forms.

>

> To fully cut off the " seed of desires " so that one does not get any

more desires, one needs to develop vairaagyam and detachment and keep

on destroying desires as they are born and persist like that. After

persisting for a long time, the " seed of desires " will run out of

desires and one will overcome desires.

>

> Thus, simple stories have deep meanings. This particular story

celebrates the value of detachment, vairaagyam and persistence -

Saturnine qualities.

>

> * * *

>

> Durga Saptashati is what is used in Chandi homam. It is very

auspicious to read everyday or on Ashtami/Navami/Chaturdasi days. It

takes 1-2.5 hours. When I read it for the first time on March, it took

me 2 hours. Now it takes me 50 min. If you don't have much time, you

may want to read one chapter per day.

>

> Merely chanting it without understanding the meaning is also

excellent and produces results. Understanding the meaning and

marvelling at the power of the Mother makes one fearless and energetic

and also give material benefits. Understanding the deeper meanings and

appreciating the True Nature of the Mother makes one realize one's own

true nature. It has various benefits at various levels of sadhana. It

is tough to exactly say what benefit it gives, as that depends on the

evolution level of sadhaka and his attitude. But, there is something

in Chandipath for everyone!

>

> It is more effective if you read the moola mantra (the Navakshari

mantra or, preferably, Dasakshari mantra with Om added) 108 times

before AND after chanting 700 verses.

>

> I will give one interesting personal anecdote. I started reading

Durga Sapta Shati during Shata Chandi Homam at Chennai in March. I

took a vow to read it for 108 consecutive days. After I finished

exactly 40 days of reading it, a priest who came to our house gifted

me a one foot tall panchaloha idol of Ashtadasa Bhuja Maha Lakshmi

(Narayani with 9x2=18 hands).

>

> * * *

>

> There are no classical references, to my knowledge, on the mapping

between the the nine planets and the nine forms of Narayani described

in Saptashati, who fought with demons. But obviously there must be a

link. Here is my first shot at it:

>

> Brahmaani: Jupiter

> Maaheswari: Moon

> Kaumaari: Mars

> Vaishnavi: Mercury

> Vaaraahi: Rahu

> Naarasimhi: Ketu

> Aindri: Sun

> Sivadooti: Venus

> Chaamundaa/Kaali: Saturn

>

> May the light of Brahman shine within,

> Narasimha

> -------------------------------

> Free Jyotish lessons (MP3): http://vedicastro.home.comcast.net

> Free Jyotish software (Windows): http://www.VedicAstrologer.org

> Sri Jagannath Centre (SJC) website: http://www.SriJagannath.org

> -------------------------------

>

May 14, 2006

Om Gurave Namah

Namaste Narasimha garu,

Thanks for the great post on Mother.

Infact, I too was pondering about the significance of Narayana

becoming Jagan mohini. Though it is commonly believed that it is to

delude the asuras, I feel that by the time the distribution of

amrita started, the asuras were already sufficiently intoxicated by

Vaaruni.

I feel that the entire Ksheera saagara mathanam is an allegory for

the yogic process. Vasuki is the kundalini shakti and Mandhara

parvatam is the spine, devas and asuras constitute the controlled

breath. There are many hiccups in the initial stages, which are

overcome through the support given by the Vishnu within (Satyam). In

the begining the symptoms could be scary, but with the grace of an

experienced Guru (Shiva), they can be contained and the birth of

various celestials indicate mastering of successively higher chakras

(Shivam).

After the birth of Amrita, comes the realization of Absolute Beauty

(Sundaram). Here the Beauty is of balance, of bliss, of wisdom, of

discernment, of discretion, of resposibility and of commitment to

the cause of upholding Dharma. Infact, Jagan Mohini avataram can be

said to be that of a perfect " Hamsa " , speparating milk (devas) and

asuras (water) and favouring only the devas. This is a state of

matchless perception (Surya and chandra pointing out the asuras

masquerading as devas) and of supreme power. The devas are good

traits within us and the asuras are undesirable shadripus, which

ofcourse must perish.

The attraction Shiva, the greatest yogi, felt for Mohini, is for

attaining that state of " hamsa " and no wonder another great yogi,

Ayyappa, was born out of that Bliss.

Regards,

Lakshmi

sohamsa , " Narasimha P.V.R. Rao " <pvr

wrote:

>

> Namaste friends,

>

> > |om gurave namah |

> > Respected Gurujis,

> >

> > I have heard a lot about Durga saprastuti; what is Durga

saptastuti? What is its significance in vedic astrology?

> >

> > Any pointers or explanation in this regards are appreciated.

> >

> > Regards,

> > Pranav

>

> You asked a good question. I've been thinking of writing about

Devi Mahatmyam for a while and have an occasion to do it now.

>

> There is something known as Durga Saptashloki, which is 7 verses

in the prayer of Divine Mother. This is a short form of a bigger

treatise known as Durga Saptashati. I will focus on the latter in

this mail.

>

> Durga Saptashati (aka Devi Mahatmyam or Chandi saptashati or

Chandipath) is a collection of 700 verses about Divine Mother. It is

from Maarkandeya Puraanam.

>

> The 700 verses are arranged in 13 chapters. Also, they are

arranged in 3 parts (charitas). Some parts have more chapters and

some parts have less. The three parts have MahaaKaali, MahaaLakshmi

and MahaaSaraswati as the deities. They have Rigveda, Yajurveda and

Samaveda as the swarupas, i.e. each Veda is a different

representation/form/essence of each part. The purposes of the three

parts are dharma, artha and kaama respectively. They have aim, hreem

and kleem as the beejas.

>

> * * *

>

> Some people mistakenly think that it is merely an account of the

exploits of Durgaa and her slaying of demons Mahisha, Chanda, Munda,

Raktabeeja, Shumbha, Nishumbha etc. They view it as a collection of

stories. But, IMHO, that is a very limited view. Devi mahatmyam is

much more than a collection of stories. Vedas are its swarupam!

>

> Devi mahatmyam is the very definition of the nature of Divine

Mother. When I say Divine Mother, I am not talking about limited

forms. I am talking about unlimited Shakti (energy) behind all

limited Shaktis. Some people call her Durgaa, some call her Chandi

and some call her Mahaalakshmi. The name does not matter that much.

Bottomline is that She is the Moola Prakriti, the root nature, of

all that manifests. She is the force that drives everything in the

universe.

>

> Towards the end, the 11th chapter (titled " Naaraayani Stuti " )

describes gods praying to the Divine Mother after slaying all the

demons. They address Her as " Naaraayani " . This is consistent with

the difference between Narayana and Vishnu that we maintain at SJC.

Vishnu is one of the Trimurthis. He is of Sattva guna and sustains

the creation. Narayana is gunaateeta (above gunas/attributes). He is

the Sahasraseersha and Parama Purusha. Some people may describe the

same as Samba Sada Shiva, but let us not get caught in names. When

we are essentially speaking about an entity that is beyond

attributes, it is foolish to argue about the name. After all, name

too is an attribute. Though great people gave different names to the

Parama Purusha, the names essentially capture the nature of the path

those people took to experience the Parama Purusha rather than the

nature of Parama Purusha, which is beyond names and attributes.

>

> The bottomline is that there is a Parama Purusha above the

Trimurthis (Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva). If we call him Narayana, then

Narayani is his Shakti and She is the root cause of all creation.

She is inseparable from Him. Don't imagine Narayani as a separate

form. That is a mistake. She is simply the power of Narayana.

Neither Narayana nor Narayani have a form. After all, Narayana is

gunaateeta and formless. Though He CAN take forms, forms

only " limit " Him. His highest nature is that He has no form or

attributes. Similarly, Amba is not a separate person, but simply the

power of Samba Shiva. They are inseparable (just as Sourav said in a

separate discussion on " Samba Shiva and Adwaita " ).

>

> Coming back to the point, the nine Shaktis who fought demons, i.e.

Brahmaani, Maaheswari, Kaumaari, Vaishnavi/Lakshmi, Vaaraahi,

Naarasimhi, Sivadooti and Chaamundaa/Kaali, are all described as

different forms of Naaraayani. I am quoting the slokas below in

ITrans format. If you have ITranslator, copy the text into it and

see it in Sanskrit.

>

> haMsayuktavimAnasthe brahmANIrUpadhAriNi |

> kaushAmbhaHkSarike devi nArAyaNi namo.astu te || 11-13

> trishUlachandrAhidhare mahAvR^iShabhavAhini |

> mAheshvarIswarUpeNa nArAyaNi namo.astu te || 11-14

> mayUrakukkuTavR^ite mahAshaktidhare.anaghe |

> kaumArIrUpasaMsthAne nArAyaNi namo.astu te || 11-15

> shaMkhachakragadAshAr~NgagR^ihItaparamAyudhe |

> prasIda vaiShNavIrUpe nArAyaNi namo.astu te || 11-16

> gR^ihItogramahAchakre daMShTroddhR^itavasundhare |

> varAharUpiNIshive nArAyaNi namo.astu te || 11-17

> nR^isiMharUpeNogreNa hantuM daityAn kR^itodyame |

> trailokyatrANasahite nArAyaNi namo.astu te || 11-18

> kirITini mahAvajre sahasranayanojjvale |

> vR^itraprANahare devi nArAyaNi namo.astu te || 11-19

> shivadUtIswarUpeNa hatadaityamahAbale |

> ghorarUpe mahArAve nArAyaNi namo.astu te || 11-20

> daMShTrAkarAlavadane shiromAlAvibhUShaNe |

> chAmuNDe muNDamathane nArAyaNi namo.astu te || 11-21

>

> The nine Shaktis that fought the demons are described as various

forms/manifestations of Naaraayani here. Thus, Devi Mahatmyam is

essentially about the Shakti of Gunaateeta Parama Purusha

(Narayana). All devatas come from Him and hence the shaktis

(energies) of all devatas come from His shakti (Narayani). Thus,

Devi Mahatmyam is about the nature of the most supreme energy of

this universe!

>

> * * *

>

> Though Devi Mahatmyam looks like stories, there are very valuable

lessons on Her nature in it. The deeper you go, the more you can

understand and appreciate the lessons in the stories. Let me give a

couple of examples.

>

> (1) When various Mothers are going to war with demons, this is how

it is described (8-14): " Whatever form, decoration, weapons and

vehicle each god has, his shakti (energy) came in the same form,

decoration, weapons and vehicle. " The next 9 verses describe how

Brahmaani etc came. For example, Brahmaani came on a swan with aksha

sutra and kamandalu (worn by Brahma), Maaheswari came on a great

bull with a Trishoola and She wore a big snake and Moon. And so on.

>

> What is the message hidden in the above description? The fact that

these female deities are identical to the male counterparts in form,

decoration, weapons and vehicles suggests, to me, that they are not

really separate from the male counterparts. Brahma and Brahmaani are

not separate. Maheswara and Maaheswari are not separate. Vishnu and

Vaishnavi are not separate. And so on. Brahmaani is simply the

shakti (vitality/energy) of Brahma. Maaheswari is simply the shakti

(vitality/energy) of Maheswara. And so on.

>

> Of course, if you imagine Vaishnavi (Lakshmi) as a separate person

with certain attributes, She may manifest limited by your

imagination and even give you a darshan in that form. However, that

is a limited form and Her true nature is beyond that. Her true and

highest nature is that She is an inseparable part of Vishnu and

represents the energy of Vishnu. She is the part of Vishnu that

makes Vishnu think, desire, act etc. Any other external form is a

lower nature of Her.

>

> Thus, contemplation on these verses will make you understand the

true nature of male devatas and female devatas and their

relationship better. It will enable you to appreciate the highest

nature of Shakti.

>

> (2) Take Raktabeeja's slaying. Raktabeeja is a demon with a

special ability. If a drop of blood falls from his body on the

ground, another demon will be born from it and will be of the same

size, age and strength as the original Raktabeeja even at birth. As

Vaishnavi, Maaheswari, Aindri etc were hurting Raktabeeja in the

fight, more and more demons were being born and all the gods were

scared. Then Chandikaa told Kaali to expand her face and eat all the

demons as they are born. Chandika goes around the war ground eating

all the demons as they are born and eventually Raktabeeja runs out

of blood.

>

> This looks like a nice story. But, is there is a deeper meaning in

it? Why was Kaali the chosen one and not Vaishnavi or Naarasimhi or

Aindri?

>

> The word rakta means blood. Another meaning is " desire/passion " .

Actually, both the meanings are linked and the word comes from the

root ranj/rang, which means " to color " . Of course, in our astrology

also, Moon shows rakta dhatu (blood) and he is also the karaka for

desires.

>

> Raktabeeja means " the seed of desire " . Raktabeeja fighting with

gods symbolizes desires taking the better of our good judgment and

good qualities. Each human being is a microcosm of the macrocosm

that the universe is. All devatas reside in us as various good

qualities and all demons reside in us as various undesirable

qualities. When we are overcome by desires and do bad deeds, the

Raktabeeja within us is defeating the gods within us.

>

> The thing is that desires are difficult to get rid of. You get rid

of one desire and another desire is born. That is what Raktabeeja's

special ability means. The " seed of desires " within us will keep

producing more and more desires. It is very resourceful.

>

> Then, why Kaali to destroy Him?

>

> In astrology, we associate Mahaakaala and Mahaakaali with Saturn.

Kaali shows detachment and vairaagyam. She wears a garland of

skulls, symbolizing that there is an endless cycle (garland) of

births a material form (skull) goes thru. The way Kaali shows to

overcome the cycle is vairaagyam and detachment. She shows

meaningful and highest level of vairaagyam that comes with a deep

understanding of the cycle of material forms.

>

> To fully cut off the " seed of desires " so that one does not get

any more desires, one needs to develop vairaagyam and detachment and

keep on destroying desires as they are born and persist like that.

After persisting for a long time, the " seed of desires " will run out

of desires and one will overcome desires.

>

> Thus, simple stories have deep meanings. This particular story

celebrates the value of detachment, vairaagyam and persistence -

Saturnine qualities.

>

> * * *

>

> Durga Saptashati is what is used in Chandi homam. It is very

auspicious to read everyday or on Ashtami/Navami/Chaturdasi days. It

takes 1-2.5 hours. When I read it for the first time on March, it

took me 2 hours. Now it takes me 50 min. If you don't have much

time, you may want to read one chapter per day.

>

> Merely chanting it without understanding the meaning is also

excellent and produces results. Understanding the meaning and

marvelling at the power of the Mother makes one fearless and

energetic and also give material benefits. Understanding the deeper

meanings and appreciating the True Nature of the Mother makes one

realize one's own true nature. It has various benefits at various

levels of sadhana. It is tough to exactly say what benefit it gives,

as that depends on the evolution level of sadhaka and his attitude.

But, there is something in Chandipath for everyone!

>

> It is more effective if you read the moola mantra (the Navakshari

mantra or, preferably, Dasakshari mantra with Om added) 108 times

before AND after chanting 700 verses.

>

> I will give one interesting personal anecdote. I started reading

Durga Sapta Shati during Shata Chandi Homam at Chennai in March. I

took a vow to read it for 108 consecutive days. After I finished

exactly 40 days of reading it, a priest who came to our house gifted

me a one foot tall panchaloha idol of Ashtadasa Bhuja Maha Lakshmi

(Narayani with 9x2=18 hands).

>

> * * *

>

> There are no classical references, to my knowledge, on the mapping

between the the nine planets and the nine forms of Narayani

described in Saptashati, who fought with demons. But obviously there

must be a link. Here is my first shot at it:

>

> Brahmaani: Jupiter

> Maaheswari: Moon

> Kaumaari: Mars

> Vaishnavi: Mercury

> Vaaraahi: Rahu

> Naarasimhi: Ketu

> Aindri: Sun

> Sivadooti: Venus

> Chaamundaa/Kaali: Saturn

>

> May the light of Brahman shine within,

> Narasimha

> -------------------------------

> Free Jyotish lessons (MP3): http://vedicastro.home.comcast.net

> Free Jyotish software (Windows): http://www.VedicAstrologer.org

> Sri Jagannath Centre (SJC) website: http://www.SriJagannath.org

> -------------------------------

>

May 15, 2006

|om gurave namah | Dear Narasimha ji, Thank you for the wonderful explanation and sharing your knowledge with everyone. Warm Regards, Pranav"Narasimha P.V.R. Rao" <pvr wrote: Namaste friends, > |om gurave namah | > Respected Gurujis,> > I have heard a lot about Durga saprastuti; what is Durga saptastuti? What is its significance in vedic astrology?> > Any pointers or explanation in this regards are

appreciated.> > Regards,> Pranav You asked a good question. I've been thinking of writing about Devi Mahatmyam for a while and have an occasion to do it now. There is something known as Durga Saptashloki, which is 7 verses in the prayer of Divine Mother. This is a short form of a bigger treatise known as Durga Saptashati. I will focus on the latter in this mail. Durga Saptashati (aka Devi Mahatmyam or Chandi saptashati or Chandipath) is a collection of 700 verses about Divine Mother. It is from Maarkandeya Puraanam. The 700 verses are

arranged in 13 chapters. Also, they are arranged in 3 parts (charitas). Some parts have more chapters and some parts have less. The three parts have MahaaKaali, MahaaLakshmi and MahaaSaraswati as the deities. They have Rigveda, Yajurveda and Samaveda as the swarupas, i.e. each Veda is a different representation/form/essence of each part. The purposes of the three parts are dharma, artha and kaama respectively. They have aim, hreem and kleem as the beejas. * * * Some people mistakenly think that it is merely an account of the exploits of Durgaa and her slaying of demons Mahisha, Chanda, Munda, Raktabeeja, Shumbha, Nishumbha etc. They view it as a collection of stories. But, IMHO, that is a very limited

view. Devi mahatmyam is much more than a collection of stories. Vedas are its swarupam! Devi mahatmyam is the very definition of the nature of Divine Mother. When I say Divine Mother, I am not talking about limited forms. I am talking about unlimited Shakti (energy) behind all limited Shaktis. Some people call her Durgaa, some call her Chandi and some call her Mahaalakshmi. The name does not matter that much. Bottomline is that She is the Moola Prakriti, the root nature, of all that manifests. She is the force that drives everything in the universe. Towards the end, the 11th chapter (titled "Naaraayani Stuti") describes gods praying to the Divine Mother after slaying all the demons. They address Her as "Naaraayani". This is consistent with the difference between Narayana and Vishnu

that we maintain at SJC. Vishnu is one of the Trimurthis. He is of Sattva guna and sustains the creation. Narayana is gunaateeta (above gunas/attributes). He is the Sahasraseersha and Parama Purusha. Some people may describe the same as Samba Sada Shiva, but let us not get caught in names. When we are essentially speaking about an entity that is beyond attributes, it is foolish to argue about the name. After all, name too is an attribute. Though great people gave different names to the Parama Purusha, the names essentially capture the nature of the path those people took to experience the Parama Purusha rather than the nature of Parama Purusha, which is beyond names and attributes. The bottomline is that there is a Parama Purusha above the Trimurthis (Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva). If we call him Narayana, then Narayani is his Shakti and She is the root cause of all creation. She is

inseparable from Him. Don't imagine Narayani as a separate form. That is a mistake. She is simply the power of Narayana. Neither Narayana nor Narayani have a form. After all, Narayana is gunaateeta and formless. Though He CAN take forms, forms only "limit" Him. His highest nature is that He has no form or attributes. Similarly, Amba is not a separate person, but simply the power of Samba Shiva. They are inseparable (just as Sourav said in a separate discussion on "Samba Shiva and Adwaita"). Coming back to the point, the nine Shaktis who fought demons, i.e. Brahmaani, Maaheswari, Kaumaari, Vaishnavi/Lakshmi, Vaaraahi, Naarasimhi, Sivadooti and Chaamundaa/Kaali, are all described as different forms of Naaraayani. I am quoting the slokas below in ITrans format. If you have ITranslator, copy the text into it and see it in Sanskrit. haMsayuktavimAnasthe brahmANIrUpadhAriNi | kaushAmbhaHkSarike devi nArAyaNi namo.astu te || 11-13 trishUlachandrAhidhare mahAvR^iShabhavAhini | mAheshvarIswarUpeNa nArAyaNi namo.astu te || 11-14 mayUrakukkuTavR^ite mahAshaktidhare.anaghe | kaumArIrUpasaMsthAne nArAyaNi namo.astu te || 11-15 shaMkhachakragadAshAr~NgagR^ihItaparamAyudhe | prasIda vaiShNavIrUpe nArAyaNi namo.astu te || 11-16 gR^ihItogramahAchakre daMShTroddhR^itavasundhare | varAharUpiNIshive nArAyaNi namo.astu te ||

11-17 nR^isiMharUpeNogreNa hantuM daityAn kR^itodyame | trailokyatrANasahite nArAyaNi namo.astu te || 11-18 kirITini mahAvajre sahasranayanojjvale | vR^itraprANahare devi nArAyaNi namo.astu te || 11-19 shivadUtIswarUpeNa hatadaityamahAbale | ghorarUpe mahArAve nArAyaNi namo.astu te || 11-20 daMShTrAkarAlavadane shiromAlAvibhUShaNe | chAmuNDe muNDamathane nArAyaNi namo.astu te || 11-21 The nine Shaktis that fought the demons are described as various forms/manifestations of Naaraayani here. Thus, Devi Mahatmyam is

essentially about the Shakti of Gunaateeta Parama Purusha (Narayana). All devatas come from Him and hence the shaktis (energies) of all devatas come from His shakti (Narayani). Thus, Devi Mahatmyam is about the nature of the most supreme energy of this universe! * * * Though Devi Mahatmyam looks like stories, there are very valuable lessons on Her nature in it. The deeper you go, the more you can understand and appreciate the lessons in the stories. Let me give a couple of examples. (1) When various Mothers are going to war with demons, this is how it is described (8-14): "Whatever form, decoration, weapons and

vehicle each god has, his shakti (energy) came in the same form, decoration, weapons and vehicle." The next 9 verses describe how Brahmaani etc came. For example, Brahmaani came on a swan with aksha sutra and kamandalu (worn by Brahma), Maaheswari came on a great bull with a Trishoola and She wore a big snake and Moon. And so on. What is the message hidden in the above description? The fact that these female deities are identical to the male counterparts in form, decoration, weapons and vehicles suggests, to me, that they are not really separate from the male counterparts. Brahma and Brahmaani are not separate. Maheswara and Maaheswari are not separate. Vishnu and Vaishnavi are not separate. And so on. Brahmaani is simply the shakti (vitality/energy) of Brahma. Maaheswari is simply the shakti (vitality/energy) of Maheswara. And so on. Of course, if you imagine Vaishnavi (Lakshmi) as a separate person with certain attributes, She may manifest limited by your imagination and even give you a darshan in that form. However, that is a limited form and Her true nature is beyond that. Her true and highest nature is that She is an inseparable part of Vishnu and represents the energy of Vishnu. She is the part of Vishnu that makes Vishnu think, desire, act etc. Any other external form is a lower nature of Her. Thus, contemplation on these verses will make you understand the true nature of male devatas and female devatas and their relationship better. It will enable you to appreciate the highest nature of Shakti. (2) Take Raktabeeja's slaying. Raktabeeja is a demon with

a special ability. If a drop of blood falls from his body on the ground, another demon will be born from it and will be of the same size, age and strength as the original Raktabeeja even at birth. As Vaishnavi, Maaheswari, Aindri etc were hurting Raktabeeja in the fight, more and more demons were being born and all the gods were scared. Then Chandikaa told Kaali to expand her face and eat all the demons as they are born. Chandika goes around the war ground eating all the demons as they are born and eventually Raktabeeja runs out of blood. This looks like a nice story. But, is there is a deeper meaning in it? Why was Kaali the chosen one and not Vaishnavi or Naarasimhi or Aindri? The word rakta means blood. Another meaning is "desire/passion". Actually, both the meanings are linked and the

word comes from the root ranj/rang, which means "to color". Of course, in our astrology also, Moon shows rakta dhatu (blood) and he is also the karaka for desires. Raktabeeja means "the seed of desire". Raktabeeja fighting with gods symbolizes desires taking the better of our good judgment and good qualities. Each human being is a microcosm of the macrocosm that the universe is. All devatas reside in us as various good qualities and all demons reside in us as various undesirable qualities. When we are overcome by desires and do bad deeds, the Raktabeeja within us is defeating the gods within us. The thing is that desires are difficult to get rid of. You get rid of one desire and another desire is born. That is what Raktabeeja's special ability means. The "seed of desires" within us will

keep producing more and more desires. It is very resourceful. Then, why Kaali to destroy Him? In astrology, we associate Mahaakaala and Mahaakaali with Saturn. Kaali shows detachment and vairaagyam. She wears a garland of skulls, symbolizing that there is an endless cycle (garland) of births a material form (skull) goes thru. The way Kaali shows to overcome the cycle is vairaagyam and detachment. She shows meaningful and highest level of vairaagyam that comes with a deep understanding of the cycle of material forms. To fully cut off the "seed of desires" so that one does not get any more desires, one needs to develop vairaagyam and detachment and keep on destroying desires as they are born and

persist like that. After persisting for a long time, the "seed of desires" will run out of desires and one will overcome desires. Thus, simple stories have deep meanings. This particular story celebrates the value of detachment, vairaagyam and persistence - Saturnine qualities. * * * Durga Saptashati is what is used in Chandi homam. It is very auspicious to read everyday or on Ashtami/Navami/Chaturdasi days. It takes 1-2.5 hours. When I read it for the first time on March, it took me 2 hours. Now it takes me 50 min. If you don't have much time, you may want to read one chapter per day. Merely chanting it without understanding the meaning is also excellent and produces results. Understanding the meaning and marvelling at the power of the Mother makes one fearless and energetic and also give material benefits. Understanding the deeper meanings and appreciating the True Nature of the Mother makes one realize one's own true nature. It has various benefits at various levels of sadhana. It is tough to exactly say what benefit it gives, as that depends on the evolution level of sadhaka and his attitude. But, there is something in Chandipath for everyone! It is more effective if you read the moola mantra (the Navakshari mantra or, preferably, Dasakshari mantra with Om added) 108 times before AND after chanting 700 verses. I will give one interesting personal anecdote. I started reading Durga Sapta Shati during Shata Chandi Homam at Chennai in March. I took a vow to read it for 108 consecutive days. After I finished exactly 40 days of reading it, a priest who came to our house gifted me a one foot tall panchaloha idol of Ashtadasa Bhuja Maha Lakshmi (Narayani with 9x2=18 hands). * * * There are no classical references, to my knowledge, on the mapping between the the nine planets and the nine forms of Narayani described in Saptashati, who fought with demons. But obviously there must be a link. Here is my first shot at it: Brahmaani: Jupiter Maaheswari: Moon Kaumaari: Mars Vaishnavi: Mercury Vaaraahi: Rahu Naarasimhi: Ketu Aindri: Sun Sivadooti: Venus Chaamundaa/Kaali: Saturn May the light of Brahman shine within, Narasimha ------------------------------- Free Jyotish lessons (MP3): http://vedicastro.home.comcast.net Free Jyotish software (Windows): http://www.VedicAstrologer.org Sri Jagannath Centre (SJC) website: http://www.SriJagannath.org -------------------------------

May 16, 2006

Jaya Jagannatha

Dear Narasimha,

Namaste

There are no classical references, to my knowledge, on the mapping between

the thenine planets and the nine forms of Narayani described in Saptashati, who

fought withdemons. But obviously there must be a link. Here is my first shot at

it:

Brahmaani: Jupiter

Maaheswari: Moon

Kaumaari: Mars

Vaishnavi: Mercury

Vaaraahi: Rahu

Naarasimhi: Ketu

Aindri: Sun

Sivadooti: Venus

Chaamundaa/Kaali: Saturn

May the light of Brahman shine within,

Narasimha

Though I do not have the list for the 9 forms, what I have culled out from

the Puranas are the following:

Devi Directions Tithis Planet

> Namaste friends,

>

>> |om gurave namah |

>> Respected Gurujis,

>>

>> I have heard a lot about Durga saprastuti; what is Durga saptastuti?

>> What is its significance in vedic astrology?

>>

>> Any pointers or explanation in this regards are appreciated.

>>

>> Regards,

>> Pranav

>

> You asked a good question. I've been thinking of writing about Devi

> Mahatmyam for a while and have an occasion to do it now.

>

> There is something known as Durga Saptashloki, which is 7 verses in the

> prayer of Divine Mother. This is a short form of a bigger treatise

> known as Durga Saptashati. I will focus on the latter in this mail.

>

> Durga Saptashati (aka Devi Mahatmyam or Chandi saptashati or

> Chandipath) is a collection of 700 verses about Divine Mother. It is

> from Maarkandeya Puraanam.

>

> The 700 verses are arranged in 13 chapters. Also, they are arranged in

> 3 parts (charitas). Some parts have more chapters and some parts have

> less. The three parts have MahaaKaali, MahaaLakshmi and MahaaSaraswati

> as the deities. They have Rigveda, Yajurveda and Samaveda as the

> swarupas, i.e. each Veda is a different representation/form/essence of

> each part. The purposes of the three parts are dharma, artha and kaama

> respectively. They have aim, hreem and kleem as the beejas.

>

> * * *

>

> Some people mistakenly think that it is merely an account of the

> exploits of Durgaa and her slaying of demons Mahisha, Chanda, Munda,

> Raktabeeja, Shumbha, Nishumbha etc. They view it as a collection of

> stories. But, IMHO, that is a very limited view. Devi mahatmyam is much

> more than a collection of stories. Vedas are its swarupam!

>

> Devi mahatmyam is the very definition of the nature of Divine Mother.

> When I say Divine Mother, I am not talking about limited forms. I am

> talking about unlimited Shakti (energy) behind all limited Shaktis.

> Some people call her Durgaa, some call her Chandi and some call her

> Mahaalakshmi. The name does not matter that much. Bottomline is that

> She is the Moola Prakriti, the root nature, of all that manifests. She

> is the force that drives everything in the universe.

>

> Towards the end, the 11th chapter (titled " Naaraayani Stuti " ) describes

> gods praying to the Divine Mother after slaying all the demons. They

> address Her as " Naaraayani " . This is consistent with the difference

> between Narayana and Vishnu that we maintain at SJC. Vishnu is one of

> the Trimurthis. He is of Sattva guna and sustains the creation.

> Narayana is gunaateeta (above gunas/attributes). He is the

> Sahasraseersha and Parama Purusha. Some people may describe the same as

> Samba Sada Shiva, but let us not get caught in names. When we are

> essentially speaking about an entity that is beyond attributes, it is

> foolish to argue about the name. After all, name too is an attribute.

> Though great people gave different names to the Parama Purusha, the

> names essentially capture the nature of the path those people took to

> experience the Parama Purusha rather than the nature of Parama Purusha,

> which is beyond names and attributes.

>

> The bottomline is that there is a Parama Purusha above the Trimurthis

> (Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva). If we call him Narayana, then Narayani is

> his Shakti and She is the root cause of all creation. She is

> inseparable from Him. Don't imagine Narayani as a separate form. That

> is a mistake. She is simply the power of Narayana. Neither Narayana nor

> Narayani have a form. After all, Narayana is gunaateeta and formless.

> Though He CAN take forms, forms only " limit " Him. His highest nature is

> that He has no form or attributes. Similarly, Amba is not a separate

> person, but simply the power of Samba Shiva. They are inseparable (just

> as Sourav said in a separate discussion on " Samba Shiva and Adwaita " ).

>

> Coming back to the point, the nine Shaktis who fought demons, i.e.

> Brahmaani, Maaheswari, Kaumaari, Vaishnavi/Lakshmi, Vaaraahi,

> Naarasimhi, Sivadooti and Chaamundaa/Kaali, are all described as

> different forms of Naaraayani. I am quoting the slokas below in ITrans

> format. If you have ITranslator, copy the text into it and see it in

> Sanskrit.

>

> haMsayuktavimAnasthe brahmANIrUpadhAriNi |

> kaushAmbhaHkSarike devi nArAyaNi namo.astu te || 11-13

> trishUlachandrAhidhare mahAvR^iShabhavAhini |

> mAheshvarIswarUpeNa nArAyaNi namo.astu te || 11-14

> mayUrakukkuTavR^ite mahAshaktidhare.anaghe |

> kaumArIrUpasaMsthAne nArAyaNi namo.astu te || 11-15

> shaMkhachakragadAshAr~NgagR^ihItaparamAyudhe |

> prasIda vaiShNavIrUpe nArAyaNi namo.astu te || 11-16

> gR^ihItogramahAchakre daMShTroddhR^itavasundhare |

> varAharUpiNIshive nArAyaNi namo.astu te || 11-17

> nR^isiMharUpeNogreNa hantuM daityAn kR^itodyame |

> trailokyatrANasahite nArAyaNi namo.astu te || 11-18

> kirITini mahAvajre sahasranayanojjvale |

> vR^itraprANahare devi nArAyaNi namo.astu te || 11-19

> shivadUtIswarUpeNa hatadaityamahAbale |

> ghorarUpe mahArAve nArAyaNi namo.astu te || 11-20

> daMShTrAkarAlavadane shiromAlAvibhUShaNe |

> chAmuNDe muNDamathane nArAyaNi namo.astu te || 11-21

>

> The nine Shaktis that fought the demons are described as various

> forms/manifestations of Naaraayani here. Thus, Devi Mahatmyam is

> essentially about the Shakti of Gunaateeta Parama Purusha (Narayana).

> All devatas come from Him and hence the shaktis (energies) of all

> devatas come from His shakti (Narayani). Thus, Devi Mahatmyam is about

> the nature of the most supreme energy of this universe!

>

> * * *

>

> Though Devi Mahatmyam looks like stories, there are very valuable

> lessons on Her nature in it. The deeper you go, the more you can

> understand and appreciate the lessons in the stories. Let me give a

> couple of examples.

>

> (1) When various Mothers are going to war with demons, this is how it

> is described (8-14): " Whatever form, decoration, weapons and vehicle

> each god has, his shakti (energy) came in the same form, decoration,

> weapons and vehicle. " The next 9 verses describe how Brahmaani etc

> came. For example, Brahmaani came on a swan with aksha sutra and

> kamandalu (worn by Brahma), Maaheswari came on a great bull with a

> Trishoola and She wore a big snake and Moon. And so on.

>

> What is the message hidden in the above description? The fact that

> these female deities are identical to the male counterparts in form,

> decoration, weapons and vehicles suggests, to me, that they are not

> really separate from the male counterparts. Brahma and Brahmaani are

> not separate. Maheswara and Maaheswari are not separate. Vishnu and

> Vaishnavi are not separate. And so on. Brahmaani is simply the shakti

> (vitality/energy) of Brahma. Maaheswari is simply the shakti

> (vitality/energy) of Maheswara. And so on.

>

> Of course, if you imagine Vaishnavi (Lakshmi) as a separate person with

> certain attributes, She may manifest limited by your imagination and

> even give you a darshan in that form. However, that is a limited form

> and Her true nature is beyond that. Her true and highest nature is that

> She is an inseparable part of Vishnu and represents the energy of

> Vishnu. She is the part of Vishnu that makes Vishnu think, desire, act

> etc. Any other external form is a lower nature of Her.

>

> Thus, contemplation on these verses will make you understand the true

> nature of male devatas and female devatas and their relationship

> better. It will enable you to appreciate the highest nature of Shakti.

>

> (2) Take Raktabeeja's slaying. Raktabeeja is a demon with a special

> ability. If a drop of blood falls from his body on the ground, another

> demon will be born from it and will be of the same size, age and

> strength as the original Raktabeeja even at birth. As Vaishnavi,

> Maaheswari, Aindri etc were hurting Raktabeeja in the fight, more and

> more demons were being born and all the gods were scared. Then

> Chandikaa told Kaali to expand her face and eat all the demons as they

> are born. Chandika goes around the war ground eating all the demons as

> they are born and eventually Raktabeeja runs out of blood.

>

> This looks like a nice story. But, is there is a deeper meaning in it?

> Why was Kaali the chosen one and not Vaishnavi or Naarasimhi or Aindri?

>

> The word rakta means blood. Another meaning is " desire/passion " .

> Actually, both the meanings are linked and the word comes from the root

> ranj/rang, which means " to color " . Of course, in our astrology also,

> Moon shows rakta dhatu (blood) and he is also the karaka for desires.

>

> Raktabeeja means " the seed of desire " . Raktabeeja fighting with gods

> symbolizes desires taking the better of our good judgment and good

> qualities. Each human being is a microcosm of the macrocosm that the

> universe is. All devatas reside in us as various good qualities and all

> demons reside in us as various undesirable qualities. When we are

> overcome by desires and do bad deeds, the Raktabeeja within us is

> defeating the gods within us.

>

> The thing is that desires are difficult to get rid of. You get rid of

> one desire and another desire is born. That is what Raktabeeja's

> special ability means. The " seed of desires " within us will keep

> producing more and more desires. It is very resourceful.

>

> Then, why Kaali to destroy Him?

>

> In astrology, we associate Mahaakaala and Mahaakaali with Saturn. Kaali

> shows detachment and vairaagyam. She wears a garland of skulls,

> symbolizing that there is an endless cycle (garland) of births a

> material form (skull) goes thru. The way Kaali shows to overcome the

> cycle is vairaagyam and detachment. She shows meaningful and highest

> level of vairaagyam that comes with a deep understanding of the cycle

> of material forms.

>

> To fully cut off the " seed of desires " so that one does not get any

> more desires, one needs to develop vairaagyam and detachment and keep

> on destroying desires as they are born and persist like that. After

> persisting for a long time, the " seed of desires " will run out of

> desires and one will overcome desires.

>

> Thus, simple stories have deep meanings. This particular story

> celebrates the value of detachment, vairaagyam and persistence -

> Saturnine qualities.

>

> * * *

>

> Durga Saptashati is what is used in Chandi homam. It is very auspicious

> to read everyday or on Ashtami/Navami/Chaturdasi days. It takes 1-2.5

> hours. When I read it for the first time on March, it took me 2 hours.

> Now it takes me 50 min. If you don't have much time, you may want to

> read one chapter per day.

>

> Merely chanting it without understanding the meaning is also excellent

> and produces results. Understanding the meaning and marvelling at the

> power of the Mother makes one fearless and energetic and also give

> material benefits. Understanding the deeper meanings and appreciating

> the True Nature of the Mother makes one realize one's own true nature.

> It has various benefits at various levels of sadhana. It is tough to

> exactly say what benefit it gives, as that depends on the evolution

> level of sadhaka and his attitude. But, there is something in

> Chandipath for everyone!

>

> It is more effective if you read the moola mantra (the Navakshari

> mantra or, preferably, Dasakshari mantra with Om added) 108 times

> before AND after chanting 700 verses.

>

> I will give one interesting personal anecdote. I started reading Durga

> Sapta Shati during Shata Chandi Homam at Chennai in March. I took a vow

> to read it for 108 consecutive days. After I finished exactly 40 days

> of reading it, a priest who came to our house gifted me a one foot tall

> panchaloha idol of Ashtadasa Bhuja Maha Lakshmi (Narayani with 9x2=18

> hands).

>

> * * *

>

> There are no classical references, to my knowledge, on the mapping

> between the the nine planets and the nine forms of Narayani described

> in Saptashati, who fought with demons. But obviously there must be a

> link. Here is my first shot at it:

>

> Brahmaani: Jupiter

> Maaheswari: Moon

> Kaumaari: Mars

> Vaishnavi: Mercury

> Vaaraahi: Rahu

> Naarasimhi: Ketu

> Aindri: Sun

> Sivadooti: Venus

> Chaamundaa/Kaali: Saturn

>

> May the light of Brahman shine within,

> Narasimha

> -------------------------------

> Free Jyotish lessons (MP3): http://vedicastro.home.comcast.net

> Free Jyotish software (Windows): http://www.VedicAstrologer.org

> Sri Jagannath Centre (SJC) website: http://www.SriJagannath.org

> -------------------------------

May 17, 2006

|| Om Gurave Namah ||Dear Narasimhaji and Jyotishas, I forwarded Narasimhaji's mail to Ram Baba, who is Bagalamba worshipper from a Nepali tradition. His comments are as below. If anyone can help me with the book he mentions, " Sadhan Samar " by Shri Brahma Dev, I would be happy.

Warm RegardsSanjay P---------- Forwarded message ----------Ram B Chherti <rambchhetri

>May 17, 2006 3:22 AMRE: Fwd: On Durga Saptashati/Devi Mahatmyam (long)sanjaychettiar

Thank you,Sanjaya for the excellent treatise on Durga Saptasloki.It is very enlightening.One can just read " Sidhakunjika Stotra " if one cannot complete the whole 700 Mantras-Verses.Also by doing Samputit Path one can gain one's desires fulfilled including material success.

I would strongly recommend a book in 3 parts by Shri Brahma Dev called " Sadhan Samar " which was originally published in Kolkotaa in Bengali, and later few translated version in Hindi.This is the most authorative book on the spiritual meanings of the sacred Book of the Divine Mother.I tried to find it in Nepal and through friends in India.I could not.I read these few times after borrowing from an acquintance.If you find these books I would really appreciate if I can also get the Hindi translation.

Shri Brahma Dev was a fully realized spiritual Master;and such personage never advertise about themselves or hanker after eartly trinkets like name,fame or money.This is one of the tested criteria to know about such enlightened beings.This is my humble opinion.

Narsimhaji is very fast.It takes me a few hours to complete the readings and 7-8 hours for Samputit Path.

May the Supreme Goddess bless us.

Ram B.

" Sanjay Prabhakaran " <

sanjaychettiar " Ram B Chherti " <rambchhetri

Fwd: On Durga Saptashati/Devi Mahatmyam (long)Tue, 16 May 2006 11:28:34 -0400

---------- Forwarded message ----------Narasimha P.V.R. Rao <

pvrMay 13, 2006 4:42 PM On Durga Saptashati/Devi Mahatmyam (long)

sohamsa

Namaste friends,

> |om gurave namah | > Respected Gurujis,> > I have heard a lot about Durga saprastuti; what is Durga saptastuti? What is its significance in vedic astrology?

> > Any pointers or explanation in this regards are appreciated.> > Regards,> Pranav

You asked a good question. I've been thinking of writing about Devi Mahatmyam for a while and have an occasion to do it now.

There is something known as Durga Saptashloki, which is 7 verses in the prayer of Divine Mother. This is a short form of a bigger treatise known as Durga Saptashati. I will focus on the latter in this mail.

Durga Saptashati (aka Devi Mahatmyam or Chandi saptashati or Chandipath) is a collection of 700 verses about Divine Mother. It is from Maarkandeya Puraanam.

The 700 verses are arranged in 13 chapters. Also, they are arranged in 3 parts (charitas). Some parts have more chapters and some parts have less. The three parts have MahaaKaali, MahaaLakshmi and MahaaSaraswati as the deities. They have Rigveda, Yajurveda and Samaveda as the swarupas, i.e. each Veda is a different representation/form/essence of each part. The purposes of the three parts are dharma, artha and kaama respectively. They have aim, hreem and kleem as the beejas.

* * *

Some people mistakenly think that it is merely an account of the exploits of Durgaa and her slaying of demons Mahisha, Chanda, Munda, Raktabeeja, Shumbha, Nishumbha etc. They view it as a collection of stories. But, IMHO, that is a very limited view. Devi mahatmyam is much more than a collection of stories. Vedas are its swarupam!

Devi mahatmyam is the very definition of the nature of Divine Mother. When I say Divine Mother, I am not talking about limited forms. I am talking about unlimited Shakti (energy) behind all limited Shaktis. Some people call her Durgaa, some call her Chandi and some call her Mahaalakshmi. The name does not matter that much. Bottomline is that She is the Moola Prakriti, the root nature, of all that manifests. She is the force that drives everything in the universe.

Towards the end, the 11th chapter (titled " Naaraayani Stuti " ) describes gods praying to the Divine Mother after slaying all the demons. They address Her as " Naaraayani " . This is consistent with the difference between Narayana and Vishnu that we maintain at SJC. Vishnu is one of the Trimurthis. He is of Sattva guna and sustains the creation. Narayana is gunaateeta (above gunas/attributes). He is the Sahasraseersha and Parama Purusha. Some people may describe the same as Samba Sada Shiva, but let us not get caught in names. When we are essentially speaking about an entity that is beyond attributes, it is foolish to argue about the name. After all, name too is an attribute. Though great people gave different names to the Parama Purusha, the names essentially capture the nature of the path those people took to experience the Parama Purusha rather than the nature of Parama Purusha, which is beyond names and attributes.

The bottomline is that there is a Parama Purusha above the Trimurthis (Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva). If we call him Narayana, then Narayani is his Shakti and She is the root cause of all creation. She is inseparable from Him. Don't imagine Narayani as a separate form. That is a mistake. She is simply the power of Narayana. Neither Narayana nor Narayani have a form. After all, Narayana is gunaateeta and formless. Though He CAN take forms, forms only " limit " Him. His highest nature is that He has no form or attributes. Similarly, Amba is not a separate person, but simply the power of Samba Shiva. They are inseparable (just as Sourav said in a separate discussion on " Samba Shiva and Adwaita " ).

Coming back to the point, the nine Shaktis who fought demons, i.e. Brahmaani, Maaheswari, Kaumaari, Vaishnavi/Lakshmi, Vaaraahi, Naarasimhi, Sivadooti and Chaamundaa/Kaali, are all described as different forms of Naaraayani. I am quoting the slokas below in ITrans format. If you have ITranslator, copy the text into it and see it in Sanskrit.

haMsayuktavimAnasthe brahmANIrUpadhAriNi |

kaushAmbhaHkSarike devi nArAyaNi namo.astu te || 11-13

trishUlachandrAhidhare mahAvR^iShabhavAhini |

mAheshvarIswarUpeNa nArAyaNi namo.astu te || 11-14

mayUrakukkuTavR^ite mahAshaktidhare.anaghe |

kaumArIrUpasaMsthAne nArAyaNi namo.astu te || 11-15

shaMkhachakragadAshAr~NgagR^ihItaparamAyudhe |

prasIda vaiShNavIrUpe nArAyaNi namo.astu te || 11-16

gR^ihItogramahAchakre daMShTroddhR^itavasundhare |

varAharUpiNIshive nArAyaNi namo.astu te || 11-17

nR^isiMharUpeNogreNa hantuM daityAn kR^itodyame |

trailokyatrANasahite nArAyaNi namo.astu te || 11-18

kirITini mahAvajre sahasranayanojjvale |

vR^itraprANahare devi nArAyaNi namo.astu te || 11-19

shivadUtIswarUpeNa hatadaityamahAbale |

ghorarUpe mahArAve nArAyaNi namo.astu te || 11-20

daMShTrAkarAlavadane shiromAlAvibhUShaNe |

chAmuNDe muNDamathane nArAyaNi namo.astu te || 11-21

The nine Shaktis that fought the demons are described as various forms/manifestations of Naaraayani here. Thus, Devi Mahatmyam is essentially about the Shakti of Gunaateeta Parama Purusha (Narayana). All devatas come from Him and hence the shaktis (energies) of all devatas come from His shakti (Narayani). Thus, Devi Mahatmyam is about the nature of the most supreme energy of this universe!

* * *

Though Devi Mahatmyam looks like stories, there are very valuable lessons on Her nature in it. The deeper you go, the more you can understand and appreciate the lessons in the stories. Let me give a couple of examples.

(1) When various Mothers are going to war with demons, this is how it is described (8-14): " Whatever form, decoration, weapons and vehicle each god has, his shakti (energy) came in the same form, decoration, weapons and vehicle. " The next 9 verses describe how Brahmaani etc came. For example, Brahmaani came on a swan with aksha sutra and kamandalu (worn by Brahma), Maaheswari came on a great bull with a Trishoola and She wore a big snake and Moon. And so on.

What is the message hidden in the above description? The fact that these female deities are identical to the male counterparts in form, decoration, weapons and vehicles suggests, to me, that they are not really separate from the male counterparts. Brahma and Brahmaani are not separate. Maheswara and Maaheswari are not separate. Vishnu and Vaishnavi are not separate. And so on. Brahmaani is simply the shakti (vitality/energy) of Brahma. Maaheswari is simply the shakti (vitality/energy) of Maheswara. And so on.

Of course, if you imagine Vaishnavi (Lakshmi) as a separate person with certain attributes, She may manifest limited by your imagination and even give you a darshan in that form. However, that is a limited form and Her true nature is beyond that. Her true and highest nature is that She is an inseparable part of Vishnu and represents the energy of Vishnu. She is the part of Vishnu that makes Vishnu think, desire, act etc. Any other external form is a lower nature of Her.

Thus, contemplation on these verses will make you understand the true nature of male devatas and female devatas and their relationship better. It will enable you to appreciate the highest nature of Shakti.

(2) Take Raktabeeja's slaying. Raktabeeja is a demon with a special ability. If a drop of blood falls from his body on the ground, another demon will be born from it and will be of the same size, age and strength as the original Raktabeeja even at birth. As Vaishnavi, Maaheswari, Aindri etc were hurting Raktabeeja in the fight, more and more demons were being born and all the gods were scared. Then Chandikaa told Kaali to expand her face and eat all the demons as they are born. Chandika goes around the war ground eating all the demons as they are born and eventually Raktabeeja runs out of blood.

This looks like a nice story. But, is there is a deeper meaning in it? Why was Kaali the chosen one and not Vaishnavi or Naarasimhi or Aindri?

The word rakta means blood. Another meaning is " desire/passion " . Actually, both the meanings are linked and the word comes from the root ranj/rang, which means " to color " . Of course, in our astrology also, Moon shows rakta dhatu (blood) and he is also the karaka for desires.

Raktabeeja means " the seed of desire " . Raktabeeja fighting with gods symbolizes desires taking the better of our good judgment and good qualities. Each human being is a microcosm of the macrocosm that the universe is. All devatas reside in us as various good qualities and all demons reside in us as various undesirable qualities. When we are overcome by desires and do bad deeds, the Raktabeeja within us is defeating the gods within us.

The thing is that desires are difficult to get rid of. You get rid of one desire and another desire is born. That is what Raktabeeja's special ability means. The " seed of desires " within us will keep producing more and more desires. It is very resourceful.

Then, why Kaali to destroy Him?

In astrology, we associate Mahaakaala and Mahaakaali with Saturn. Kaali shows detachment and vairaagyam. She wears a garland of skulls, symbolizing that there is an endless cycle (garland) of births a material form (skull) goes thru. The way Kaali shows to overcome the cycle is vairaagyam and detachment. She shows meaningful and highest level of vairaagyam that comes with a deep understanding of the cycle of material forms.

To fully cut off the " seed of desires " so that one does not get any more desires, one needs to develop vairaagyam and detachment and keep on destroying desires as they are born and persist like that. After persisting for a long time, the " seed of desires " will run out of desires and one will overcome desires.

Thus, simple stories have deep meanings. This particular story celebrates the value of detachment, vairaagyam and persistence - Saturnine qualities.

* * *

Durga Saptashati is what is used in Chandi homam. It is very auspicious to read everyday or on Ashtami/Navami/Chaturdasi days. It takes 1-2.5 hours. When I read it for the first time on March, it took me 2 hours. Now it takes me 50 min. If you don't have much time, you may want to read one chapter per day.

Merely chanting it without understanding the meaning is also excellent and produces results. Understanding the meaning and marvelling at the power of the Mother makes one fearless and energetic and also give material benefits. Understanding the deeper meanings and appreciating the True Nature of the Mother makes one realize one's own true nature. It has various benefits at various levels of sadhana. It is tough to exactly say what benefit it gives, as that depends on the evolution level of sadhaka and his attitude. But, there is something in Chandipath for everyone!

It is more effective if you read the moola mantra (the Navakshari mantra or, preferably, Dasakshari mantra with Om added) 108 times before AND after chanting 700 verses.

I will give one interesting personal anecdote. I started reading Durga Sapta Shati during Shata Chandi Homam at Chennai in March. I took a vow to read it for 108 consecutive days. After I finished exactly 40 days of reading it, a priest who came to our house gifted me a one foot tall panchaloha idol of Ashtadasa Bhuja Maha Lakshmi (Narayani with 9x2=18 hands).

* * *

There are no classical references, to my knowledge, on the mapping between the the nine planets and the nine forms of Narayani described in Saptashati, who fought with demons. But obviously there must be a link. Here is my first shot at it:

Brahmaani: Jupiter

Maaheswari: Moon

Kaumaari: Mars

Vaishnavi: Mercury

Vaaraahi: Rahu

Naarasimhi: Ketu

Aindri: Sun

Sivadooti: Venus

Chaamundaa/Kaali: Saturn

May the light of Brahman shine within,

Narasimha

-------------------------------

Free Jyotish lessons (MP3):

http://vedicastro.home.comcast.net

Free Jyotish software (Windows):

http://www.VedicAstrologer.org

Sri Jagannath Centre (SJC) website:

http://www.SriJagannath.org

-------------------------------

*tat savitur varenyam*

May 18, 2006

Namaskar Ram ji,

Thank you for the info on Sri Brahma Dev ji.

> Narsimhaji is very fast.It takes me a few hours to complete the readings and> 7-8 hours for Samputit Path.

The priests who were reading Saptashati at the time of Shata Chandi Homam were actually reading faster than me! I still have to reach their speed.

What is the verse you use for making it "samputit"? I never read Chandipath with samputikaran.

However, I did read Vishnu sahasranaam (Vishnu's 1000 names) with samputikaran in the past.

Actually, I was thinking of mentioning one thing and it is interesting that you mention samputikaran. A thought came to me a few days back while reading Vishnu sahasranaam. It may or may not be worth anything, but I will mention it anyway. This is what struck to me:

Suppose you want to read Vishnu sahasranaam with a specific goal (e.g. birth of a child). Take the lord of a relevant house or a relevant karaka (e.g. 5th lord or Jupiter). Find the navamsa occupied by that planet. Count which navamsa it is from the navamsa corresponding to the first quarter of Sravana nakshatra. Take the verse corresponding to that count and use that in doing samputikaran of Vishnu sahasranaam. Read the samputikrit Vishnu sahasranaam for 40 successive days. They will reach the goal.

Please note that Vishnu sahasranaam has 108 verses, including the final "vanamAlI gadI..." verse.

Example: Suppose someone has 10th lord Jupiter in Revati 3rd quarter and wants to perform good karma and have some good accomplishments. Counting from Sravana, Revati is the 6th star (Sravana, Dhanishtha, Satabhishak, Poorvabhadra, Uttarabhadra and Revati). So the 3rd quarter in Revati is 5x4+3=23rd quarter from the first quarter of Sravana. So take the 23rd verse:

gururgurutamo dhAma satyassatyaparAkrama@H |

nimiSho.animiSha@H sragvI vAcaspatirudAradhI@H || 23

Of course, what struck to my intuition may or may not be correct. Those who want to try may try. Make a sankalpam and then read the samputit Vishnu sahasranaam path with that verse.

May the light of Brahman shine within,

Narasimha

-------------------------------

Free Jyotish lessons (MP3): http://vedicastro.home.comcast.net

Free Jyotish software (Windows): http://www.VedicAstrologer.org

Sri Jagannath Centre (SJC) website: http://www.SriJagannath.org

-------------------------------

> || Om Gurave Namah ||> Dear Narasimhaji and Jyotishas,> I forwarded Narasimhaji's mail to Ram Baba, who is Bagalamba worshipper> from a Nepali tradition. His comments are as below.> If anyone can help me with the book he mentions, "Sadhan Samar" by Shri> Brahma Dev, I would be happy.> > Warm Regards> Sanjay P> > ---------- Forwarded message ----------> Ram B Chherti <rambchhetri> May 17, 2006 3:22 AM> RE: Fwd: On Durga Saptashati/Devi Mahatmyam (long)> sanjaychettiar > Thank you,Sanjaya for the excellent treatise on Durga Saptasloki.It is very> enlightening.One can just read "Sidhakunjika Stotra" if one cannot complete> the whole 700 Mantras-Verses.Also by doing Samputit Path one can gain one's> desires fulfilled including material success.> > I would strongly recommend a book in 3 parts by Shri Brahma Dev called> "Sadhan Samar" which was originally published in Kolkotaa in Bengali, and> later few translated version in Hindi.This is the most authorative book on> the spiritual meanings of the sacred Book of the Divine Mother.I tried to> find it in Nepal and through friends in India.I could not.I read these few> times after borrowing from an acquintance.If you find these books I would> really appreciate if I can also get the Hindi translation.> > Shri Brahma Dev was a fully realized spiritual Master;and such personage> never advertise about themselves or hanker after eartly trinkets like> name,fame or money.This is one of the tested criteria to know about such> enlightened beings.This is my humble opinion.> > Narsimhaji is very fast.It takes me a few hours to complete the readings and> 7-8 hours for Samputit Path.> > May the Supreme Goddess bless us.> > Ram B.> > > > > ------------------------------> *"Sanjay Prabhakaran" <sanjaychettiar*> *"Ram B Chherti" <rambchhetri*> *Fwd: On Durga Saptashati/Devi Mahatmyam (long)*> *Tue, 16 May 2006 11:28:34 -0400*> > > > > ---------- Forwarded message ----------> Narasimha P.V.R. Rao <pvr> May 13, 2006 4:42 PM> On Durga Saptashati/Devi Mahatmyam (long)> sohamsa > > Namaste friends,> > > |om gurave namah |> > Respected Gurujis,> >> > I have heard a lot about Durga saprastuti; what is Durga saptastuti?> What is its significance in vedic astrology?> >> > Any pointers or explanation in this regards are appreciated.> >> > Regards,> > Pranav> > You asked a good question. I've been thinking of writing about Devi> Mahatmyam for a while and have an occasion to do it now.> > There is something known as Durga Saptashloki, which is 7 verses in the> prayer of Divine Mother. This is a short form of a bigger treatise known as> Durga Saptashati. I will focus on the latter in this mail.> > Durga Saptashati (aka Devi Mahatmyam or Chandi saptashati or Chandipath) is> a collection of 700 verses about Divine Mother. It is from Maarkandeya> Puraanam.> > The 700 verses are arranged in 13 chapters. Also, they are arranged in 3> parts (charitas). Some parts have more chapters and some parts have less.> The three parts have MahaaKaali, MahaaLakshmi and MahaaSaraswati as the> deities. They have Rigveda, Yajurveda and Samaveda as the swarupas, i.e.> each Veda is a different representation/form/essence of each part. The> purposes of the three parts are dharma, artha and kaama respectively. They> have aim, hreem and kleem as the beejas.> > * * *> > Some people mistakenly think that it is merely an account of the exploits of> Durgaa and her slaying of demons Mahisha, Chanda, Munda, Raktabeeja,> Shumbha, Nishumbha etc. They view it as a collection of stories. But, IMHO,> that is a very limited view. Devi mahatmyam is much more than a collection> of stories. Vedas are its swarupam!> > Devi mahatmyam is the very definition of the nature of Divine Mother. When I> say Divine Mother, I am not talking about limited forms. I am talking about> unlimited Shakti (energy) behind all limited Shaktis. Some people call her> Durgaa, some call her Chandi and some call her Mahaalakshmi. The name does> not matter that much. Bottomline is that She is the Moola Prakriti, the root> nature, of all that manifests. She is the force that drives everything in> the universe.> > Towards the end, the 11th chapter (titled "Naaraayani Stuti") describes gods> praying to the Divine Mother after slaying all the demons. They address Her> as "Naaraayani". This is consistent with the difference between Narayana and> Vishnu that we maintain at SJC. Vishnu is one of the Trimurthis. He is of> Sattva guna and sustains the creation. Narayana is gunaateeta (above> gunas/attributes). He is the Sahasraseersha and Parama Purusha. Some people> may describe the same as Samba Sada Shiva, but let us not get caught in> names. When we are essentially speaking about an entity that is beyond> attributes, it is foolish to argue about the name. After all, name too is an> attribute. Though great people gave different names to the Parama Purusha,> the names essentially capture the nature of the path those people took to> experience the Parama Purusha rather than the nature of Parama Purusha,> which is beyond names and attributes.> > The bottomline is that there is a Parama Purusha above the Trimurthis> (Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva). If we call him Narayana, then Narayani is his> Shakti and She is the root cause of all creation. She is inseparable from> Him. Don't imagine Narayani as a separate form. That is a mistake. She is> simply the power of Narayana. Neither Narayana nor Narayani have a form.> After all, Narayana is gunaateeta and formless. Though He CAN take forms,> forms only "limit" Him. His highest nature is that He has no form or> attributes. Similarly, Amba is not a separate person, but simply the power> of Samba Shiva. They are inseparable (just as Sourav said in a separate> discussion on "Samba Shiva and Adwaita").> > Coming back to the point, the nine Shaktis who fought demons, i.e.> Brahmaani, Maaheswari, Kaumaari, Vaishnavi/Lakshmi, Vaaraahi, Naarasimhi,> Sivadooti and Chaamundaa/Kaali, are all described as different forms of> Naaraayani. I am quoting the slokas below in ITrans format. If you have> ITranslator, copy the text into it and see it in Sanskrit.> > haMsayuktavimAnasthe brahmANIrUpadhAriNi |> kaushAmbhaHkSarike devi nArAyaNi namo.astu te || 11-13> trishUlachandrAhidhare mahAvR^iShabhavAhini |> mAheshvarIswarUpeNa nArAyaNi namo.astu te || 11-14> mayUrakukkuTavR^ite mahAshaktidhare.anaghe |> kaumArIrUpasaMsthAne nArAyaNi namo.astu te || 11-15> shaMkhachakragadAshAr~NgagR^ihItaparamAyudhe |> prasIda vaiShNavIrUpe nArAyaNi namo.astu te || 11-16> gR^ihItogramahAchakre daMShTroddhR^itavasundhare |> varAharUpiNIshive nArAyaNi namo.astu te || 11-17> nR^isiMharUpeNogreNa hantuM daityAn kR^itodyame |> trailokyatrANasahite nArAyaNi namo.astu te || 11-18> kirITini mahAvajre sahasranayanojjvale |> vR^itraprANahare devi nArAyaNi namo.astu te || 11-19> shivadUtIswarUpeNa hatadaityamahAbale |> ghorarUpe mahArAve nArAyaNi namo.astu te || 11-20> daMShTrAkarAlavadane shiromAlAvibhUShaNe |> chAmuNDe muNDamathane nArAyaNi namo.astu te || 11-21> > The nine Shaktis that fought the demons are described as various> forms/manifestations of Naaraayani here. Thus, Devi Mahatmyam is essentially> about the Shakti of Gunaateeta Parama Purusha (Narayana). All devatas come> from Him and hence the shaktis (energies) of all devatas come from His> shakti (Narayani). Thus, Devi Mahatmyam is about the nature of the most> supreme energy of this universe!> > * * *> > Though Devi Mahatmyam looks like stories, there are very valuable lessons on> Her nature in it. The deeper you go, the more you can understand and> appreciate the lessons in the stories. Let me give a couple of examples.> > (1) When various Mothers are going to war with demons, this is how it is> described (8-14): "Whatever form, decoration, weapons and vehicle each god> has, his shakti (energy) came in the same form, decoration, weapons and> vehicle." The next 9 verses describe how Brahmaani etc came. For example,> Brahmaani came on a swan with aksha sutra and kamandalu (worn by Brahma),> Maaheswari came on a great bull with a Trishoola and She wore a big snake> and Moon. And so on.> > What is the message hidden in the above description? The fact that these> female deities are identical to the male counterparts in form, decoration,> weapons and vehicles suggests, to me, that they are not really separate from> the male counterparts. Brahma and Brahmaani are not separate. Maheswara and> Maaheswari are not separate. Vishnu and Vaishnavi are not separate. And so> on. Brahmaani is simply the shakti (vitality/energy) of Brahma. Maaheswari> is simply the shakti (vitality/energy) of Maheswara. And so on.> > Of course, if you imagine Vaishnavi (Lakshmi) as a separate person with> certain attributes, She may manifest limited by your imagination and even> give you a darshan in that form. However, that is a limited form and Her> true nature is beyond that. Her true and highest nature is that She is an> inseparable part of Vishnu and represents the energy of Vishnu. She is the> part of Vishnu that makes Vishnu think, desire, act etc. Any other external> form is a lower nature of Her.> > Thus, contemplation on these verses will make you understand the true nature> of male devatas and female devatas and their relationship better. It will> enable you to appreciate the highest nature of Shakti.> > (2) Take Raktabeeja's slaying. Raktabeeja is a demon with a special ability.> If a drop of blood falls from his body on the ground, another demon will be> born from it and will be of the same size, age and strength as the original> Raktabeeja even at birth. As Vaishnavi, Maaheswari, Aindri etc were hurting> Raktabeeja in the fight, more and more demons were being born and all the> gods were scared. Then Chandikaa told Kaali to expand her face and eat all> the demons as they are born. Chandika goes around the war ground eating all> the demons as they are born and eventually Raktabeeja runs out of blood.> > This looks like a nice story. But, is there is a deeper meaning in it? Why> was Kaali the chosen one and not Vaishnavi or Naarasimhi or Aindri?> > The word rakta means blood. Another meaning is "desire/passion". Actually,> both the meanings are linked and the word comes from the root ranj/rang,> which means "to color". Of course, in our astrology also, Moon shows rakta> dhatu (blood) and he is also the karaka for desires.> > Raktabeeja means "the seed of desire". Raktabeeja fighting with gods> symbolizes desires taking the better of our good judgment and good> qualities. Each human being is a microcosm of the macrocosm that the> universe is. All devatas reside in us as various good qualities and all> demons reside in us as various undesirable qualities. When we are overcome> by desires and do bad deeds, the Raktabeeja within us is defeating the gods> within us.> > The thing is that desires are difficult to get rid of. You get rid of one> desire and another desire is born. That is what Raktabeeja's special ability> means. The "seed of desires" within us will keep producing more and more> desires. It is very resourceful.> > Then, why Kaali to destroy Him?> > In astrology, we associate Mahaakaala and Mahaakaali with Saturn. Kaali> shows detachment and vairaagyam. She wears a garland of skulls, symbolizing> that there is an endless cycle (garland) of births a material form (skull)> goes thru. The way Kaali shows to overcome the cycle is vairaagyam and> detachment. She shows meaningful and highest level of vairaagyam that comes> with a deep understanding of the cycle of material forms.> > To fully cut off the "seed of desires" so that one does not get any more> desires, one needs to develop vairaagyam and detachment and keep on> destroying desires as they are born and persist like that. After persisting> for a long time, the "seed of desires" will run out of desires and one will> overcome desires.> > Thus, simple stories have deep meanings. This particular story celebrates> the value of detachment, vairaagyam and persistence - Saturnine qualities.> > * * *> > Durga Saptashati is what is used in Chandi homam. It is very auspicious to> read everyday or on Ashtami/Navami/Chaturdasi days. It takes 1-2.5 hours.> When I read it for the first time on March, it took me 2 hours. Now it takes> me 50 min. If you don't have much time, you may want to read one chapter per> day.> > Merely chanting it without understanding the meaning is also excellent and> produces results. Understanding the meaning and marvelling at the power of> the Mother makes one fearless and energetic and also give material benefits.> Understanding the deeper meanings and appreciating the True Nature of the> Mother makes one realize one's own true nature. It has various benefits at> various levels of sadhana. It is tough to exactly say what benefit it gives,> as that depends on the evolution level of sadhaka and his attitude. But,> there is something in Chandipath for everyone!> > It is more effective if you read the moola mantra (the Navakshari mantra or,> preferably, Dasakshari mantra with Om added) 108 times before AND after> chanting 700 verses.> > I will give one interesting personal anecdote. I started reading Durga Sapta> Shati during Shata Chandi Homam at Chennai in March. I took a vow to read it> for 108 consecutive days. After I finished exactly 40 days of reading it, a> priest who came to our house gifted me a one foot tall panchaloha idol of> Ashtadasa Bhuja Maha Lakshmi (Narayani with 9x2=18 hands).> > * * *> > There are no classical references, to my knowledge, on the mapping between> the the nine planets and the nine forms of Narayani described in Saptashati,> who fought with demons. But obviously there must be a link. Here is my first> shot at it:> > Brahmaani: Jupiter> Maaheswari: Moon> Kaumaari: Mars> Vaishnavi: Mercury> Vaaraahi: Rahu> Naarasimhi: Ketu> Aindri: Sun> Sivadooti: Venus> Chaamundaa/Kaali: Saturn> > May the light of Brahman shine within,> Narasimha> -------------------------------> Free Jyotish lessons (MP3): http://vedicastro.home.comcast.net> Free Jyotish software (Windows):>

May 18, 2006

Narasimha

Any reason why sravana nakshtra to be the basis for count?

thx

Srinivas

sohamsa , " Narasimha P.V.R. Rao " <pvr

wrote:

>

> Namaskar Ram ji,

>

> Thank you for the info on Sri Brahma Dev ji.

>

> > Narsimhaji is very fast.It takes me a few hours to complete the

readings and

> > 7-8 hours for Samputit Path.

>

> The priests who were reading Saptashati at the time of Shata

Chandi Homam were actually reading faster than me! I still have to

reach their speed.

>

> What is the verse you use for making it " samputit " ? I never read

Chandipath with samputikaran.

>

> However, I did read Vishnu sahasranaam (Vishnu's 1000 names) with

samputikaran in the past.

>

> Actually, I was thinking of mentioning one thing and it is

interesting that you mention samputikaran. A thought came to me a

few days back while reading Vishnu sahasranaam. It may or may not be

worth anything, but I will mention it anyway. This is what struck to

me:

>

> Suppose you want to read Vishnu sahasranaam with a specific goal

(e.g. birth of a child). Take the lord of a relevant house or a

relevant karaka (e.g. 5th lord or Jupiter). Find the navamsa

occupied by that planet. Count which navamsa it is from the navamsa

corresponding to the first quarter of Sravana nakshatra. Take the

verse corresponding to that count and use that in doing samputikaran

of Vishnu sahasranaam. Read the samputikrit Vishnu sahasranaam for

40 successive days. They will reach the goal.

>

> Please note that Vishnu sahasranaam has 108 verses, including the

final " vanamAlI gadI... " verse.

>

> Example: Suppose someone has 10th lord Jupiter in Revati 3rd

quarter and wants to perform good karma and have some good

accomplishments. Counting from Sravana, Revati is the 6th star

(Sravana, Dhanishtha, Satabhishak, Poorvabhadra, Uttarabhadra and

Revati). So the 3rd quarter in Revati is 5x4+3=23rd quarter from the

first quarter of Sravana. So take the 23rd verse:

>

> gururgurutamo dhAma satyassatyaparAkrama@H |

> nimiSho.animiSha@H sragvI vAcaspatirudAradhI@H || 23

>

> Of course, what struck to my intuition may or may not be correct.

Those who want to try may try. Make a sankalpam and then read the

samputit Vishnu sahasranaam path with that verse.

>

> May the light of Brahman shine within,

> Narasimha

> -------------------------------

> Free Jyotish lessons (MP3): http://vedicastro.home.comcast.net

> Free Jyotish software (Windows): http://www.VedicAstrologer.org

> Sri Jagannath Centre (SJC) website: http://www.SriJagannath.org

> -------------------------------

>

> > || Om Gurave Namah ||

> > Dear Narasimhaji and Jyotishas,

> > I forwarded Narasimhaji's mail to Ram Baba, who is Bagalamba

worshipper

> > from a Nepali tradition. His comments are as below.

> > If anyone can help me with the book he mentions, " Sadhan Samar "

by Shri

> > Brahma Dev, I would be happy.

> >

> > Warm Regards

> > Sanjay P

> >

> > ---------- Forwarded message ----------

> > Ram B Chherti <rambchhetri@>

> > May 17, 2006 3:22 AM

> > RE: Fwd: On Durga Saptashati/Devi Mahatmyam

(long)

> > sanjaychettiar@

> >

> > Thank you,Sanjaya for the excellent treatise on Durga

Saptasloki.It is very

> > enlightening.One can just read " Sidhakunjika Stotra " if one

cannot complete

> > the whole 700 Mantras-Verses.Also by doing Samputit Path one

can gain one's

> > desires fulfilled including material success.

> >

> > I would strongly recommend a book in 3 parts by Shri Brahma Dev

called

> > " Sadhan Samar " which was originally published in Kolkotaa in

Bengali, and

> > later few translated version in Hindi.This is the most

authorative book on

> > the spiritual meanings of the sacred Book of the Divine Mother.I

tried to

> > find it in Nepal and through friends in India.I could not.I read

these few

> > times after borrowing from an acquintance.If you find these

books I would

> > really appreciate if I can also get the Hindi translation.

> >

> > Shri Brahma Dev was a fully realized spiritual Master;and such

personage

> > never advertise about themselves or hanker after eartly trinkets

like

> > name,fame or money.This is one of the tested criteria to know

about such

> > enlightened beings.This is my humble opinion.

> >

> > Narsimhaji is very fast.It takes me a few hours to complete the

readings and

> > 7-8 hours for Samputit Path.

> >

> > May the Supreme Goddess bless us.

> >

> > Ram B.

> >

> > ------------------------------

> > * " Sanjay Prabhakaran " <sanjaychettiar@>*

> > * " Ram B Chherti " <rambchhetri@>*

> > *Fwd: On Durga Saptashati/Devi Mahatmyam

(long)*

> > *Tue, 16 May 2006 11:28:34 -0400*

> >

> > ---------- Forwarded message ----------

> > Narasimha P.V.R. Rao <pvr@>

> > May 13, 2006 4:42 PM

> > On Durga Saptashati/Devi Mahatmyam (long)

> > sohamsa

> >

> > Namaste friends,

> >

> > > |om gurave namah |

> > > Respected Gurujis,

> > >

> > > I have heard a lot about Durga saprastuti; what is Durga

saptastuti?

> > What is its significance in vedic astrology?

> > >

> > > Any pointers or explanation in this regards are appreciated.

> > >

> > > Regards,

> > > Pranav

> >

> > You asked a good question. I've been thinking of writing about

Devi

> > Mahatmyam for a while and have an occasion to do it now.

> >

> > There is something known as Durga Saptashloki, which is 7 verses

in the

> > prayer of Divine Mother. This is a short form of a bigger

treatise known as

> > Durga Saptashati. I will focus on the latter in this mail.

> >

> > Durga Saptashati (aka Devi Mahatmyam or Chandi saptashati or

Chandipath) is

> > a collection of 700 verses about Divine Mother. It is from

Maarkandeya

> > Puraanam.

> >

> > The 700 verses are arranged in 13 chapters. Also, they are

arranged in 3

> > parts (charitas). Some parts have more chapters and some parts

have less.

> > The three parts have MahaaKaali, MahaaLakshmi and MahaaSaraswati

as the

> > deities. They have Rigveda, Yajurveda and Samaveda as the

swarupas, i.e.

> > each Veda is a different representation/form/essence of each

part. The

> > purposes of the three parts are dharma, artha and kaama

respectively. They

> > have aim, hreem and kleem as the beejas.

> >

> > * * *

> >

> > Some people mistakenly think that it is merely an account of the

exploits of

> > Durgaa and her slaying of demons Mahisha, Chanda, Munda,

Raktabeeja,

> > Shumbha, Nishumbha etc. They view it as a collection of stories.

But, IMHO,

> > that is a very limited view. Devi mahatmyam is much more than a

collection

> > of stories. Vedas are its swarupam!

> >

> > Devi mahatmyam is the very definition of the nature of Divine

Mother. When I

> > say Divine Mother, I am not talking about limited forms. I am

talking about

> > unlimited Shakti (energy) behind all limited Shaktis. Some

people call her

> > Durgaa, some call her Chandi and some call her Mahaalakshmi. The

name does

> > not matter that much. Bottomline is that She is the Moola

Prakriti, the root

> > nature, of all that manifests. She is the force that drives

everything in

> > the universe.

> >

> > Towards the end, the 11th chapter (titled " Naaraayani Stuti " )

describes gods

> > praying to the Divine Mother after slaying all the demons. They

address Her

> > as " Naaraayani " . This is consistent with the difference between

Narayana and

> > Vishnu that we maintain at SJC. Vishnu is one of the Trimurthis.

He is of

> > Sattva guna and sustains the creation. Narayana is gunaateeta

(above

> > gunas/attributes). He is the Sahasraseersha and Parama Purusha.

Some people

> > may describe the same as Samba Sada Shiva, but let us not get

caught in

> > names. When we are essentially speaking about an entity that is

beyond

> > attributes, it is foolish to argue about the name. After all,

name too is an

> > attribute. Though great people gave different names to the

Parama Purusha,

> > the names essentially capture the nature of the path those

people took to

> > experience the Parama Purusha rather than the nature of Parama

Purusha,

> > which is beyond names and attributes.

> >

> > The bottomline is that there is a Parama Purusha above the

Trimurthis

> > (Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva). If we call him Narayana, then

Narayani is his

> > Shakti and She is the root cause of all creation. She is

inseparable from

> > Him. Don't imagine Narayani as a separate form. That is a

mistake. She is

> > simply the power of Narayana. Neither Narayana nor Narayani have

a form.

> > After all, Narayana is gunaateeta and formless. Though He CAN

take forms,

> > forms only " limit " Him. His highest nature is that He has no

form or

> > attributes. Similarly, Amba is not a separate person, but simply

the power

> > of Samba Shiva. They are inseparable (just as Sourav said in a

separate

> > discussion on " Samba Shiva and Adwaita " ).

> >

> > Coming back to the point, the nine Shaktis who fought demons,

i.e.

> > Brahmaani, Maaheswari, Kaumaari, Vaishnavi/Lakshmi, Vaaraahi,

Naarasimhi,

> > Sivadooti and Chaamundaa/Kaali, are all described as different

forms of

> > Naaraayani. I am quoting the slokas below in ITrans format. If

you have

> > ITranslator, copy the text into it and see it in Sanskrit.

> >

> > haMsayuktavimAnasthe brahmANIrUpadhAriNi |

> > kaushAmbhaHkSarike devi nArAyaNi namo.astu te || 11-13

> > trishUlachandrAhidhare mahAvR^iShabhavAhini |

> > mAheshvarIswarUpeNa nArAyaNi namo.astu te || 11-14

> > mayUrakukkuTavR^ite mahAshaktidhare.anaghe |

> > kaumArIrUpasaMsthAne nArAyaNi namo.astu te || 11-15

> > shaMkhachakragadAshAr~NgagR^ihItaparamAyudhe |

> > prasIda vaiShNavIrUpe nArAyaNi namo.astu te || 11-16

> > gR^ihItogramahAchakre daMShTroddhR^itavasundhare |

> > varAharUpiNIshive nArAyaNi namo.astu te || 11-17

> > nR^isiMharUpeNogreNa hantuM daityAn kR^itodyame |

> > trailokyatrANasahite nArAyaNi namo.astu te || 11-18

> > kirITini mahAvajre sahasranayanojjvale |

> > vR^itraprANahare devi nArAyaNi namo.astu te || 11-19

> > shivadUtIswarUpeNa hatadaityamahAbale |

> > ghorarUpe mahArAve nArAyaNi namo.astu te || 11-20

> > daMShTrAkarAlavadane shiromAlAvibhUShaNe |

> > chAmuNDe muNDamathane nArAyaNi namo.astu te || 11-21

> >

> > The nine Shaktis that fought the demons are described as various

> > forms/manifestations of Naaraayani here. Thus, Devi Mahatmyam is

essentially

> > about the Shakti of Gunaateeta Parama Purusha (Narayana). All

devatas come

> > from Him and hence the shaktis (energies) of all devatas come

from His

> > shakti (Narayani). Thus, Devi Mahatmyam is about the nature of

the most

> > supreme energy of this universe!

> >

> > * * *

> >

> > Though Devi Mahatmyam looks like stories, there are very

valuable lessons on

> > Her nature in it. The deeper you go, the more you can understand

and

> > appreciate the lessons in the stories. Let me give a couple of

examples.

> >

> > (1) When various Mothers are going to war with demons, this is

how it is

> > described (8-14): " Whatever form, decoration, weapons and

vehicle each god

> > has, his shakti (energy) came in the same form, decoration,

weapons and

> > vehicle. " The next 9 verses describe how Brahmaani etc came. For

example,

> > Brahmaani came on a swan with aksha sutra and kamandalu (worn by

Brahma),

> > Maaheswari came on a great bull with a Trishoola and She wore a

big snake

> > and Moon. And so on.

> >

> > What is the message hidden in the above description? The fact

that these

> > female deities are identical to the male counterparts in form,

decoration,

> > weapons and vehicles suggests, to me, that they are not really

separate from

> > the male counterparts. Brahma and Brahmaani are not separate.

Maheswara and

> > Maaheswari are not separate. Vishnu and Vaishnavi are not

separate. And so

> > on. Brahmaani is simply the shakti (vitality/energy) of Brahma.

Maaheswari

> > is simply the shakti (vitality/energy) of Maheswara. And so on.

> >

> > Of course, if you imagine Vaishnavi (Lakshmi) as a separate

person with

> > certain attributes, She may manifest limited by your imagination

and even

> > give you a darshan in that form. However, that is a limited form

and Her

> > true nature is beyond that. Her true and highest nature is that

She is an

> > inseparable part of Vishnu and represents the energy of Vishnu.

She is the

> > part of Vishnu that makes Vishnu think, desire, act etc. Any

other external

> > form is a lower nature of Her.

> >

> > Thus, contemplation on these verses will make you understand the

true nature

> > of male devatas and female devatas and their relationship

better. It will

> > enable you to appreciate the highest nature of Shakti.

> >

> > (2) Take Raktabeeja's slaying. Raktabeeja is a demon with a

special ability.

> > If a drop of blood falls from his body on the ground, another

demon will be

> > born from it and will be of the same size, age and strength as

the original

> > Raktabeeja even at birth. As Vaishnavi, Maaheswari, Aindri etc

were hurting

> > Raktabeeja in the fight, more and more demons were being born

and all the

> > gods were scared. Then Chandikaa told Kaali to expand her face

and eat all

> > the demons as they are born. Chandika goes around the war ground

eating all

> > the demons as they are born and eventually Raktabeeja runs out

of blood.

> >

> > This looks like a nice story. But, is there is a deeper meaning

in it? Why

> > was Kaali the chosen one and not Vaishnavi or Naarasimhi or

Aindri?

> >

> > The word rakta means blood. Another meaning is " desire/passion " .

Actually,

> > both the meanings are linked and the word comes from the root

ranj/rang,

> > which means " to color " . Of course, in our astrology also, Moon

shows rakta

> > dhatu (blood) and he is also the karaka for desires.

> >

> > Raktabeeja means " the seed of desire " . Raktabeeja fighting with

gods

> > symbolizes desires taking the better of our good judgment and

good

> > qualities. Each human being is a microcosm of the macrocosm that

the

> > universe is. All devatas reside in us as various good qualities

and all

> > demons reside in us as various undesirable qualities. When we

are overcome

> > by desires and do bad deeds, the Raktabeeja within us is

defeating the gods

> > within us.

> >

> > The thing is that desires are difficult to get rid of. You get

rid of one

> > desire and another desire is born. That is what Raktabeeja's

special ability

> > means. The " seed of desires " within us will keep producing more

and more

> > desires. It is very resourceful.

> >

> > Then, why Kaali to destroy Him?

> >

> > In astrology, we associate Mahaakaala and Mahaakaali with

Saturn. Kaali

> > shows detachment and vairaagyam. She wears a garland of skulls,

symbolizing

> > that there is an endless cycle (garland) of births a material

form (skull)

> > goes thru. The way Kaali shows to overcome the cycle is

vairaagyam and

> > detachment. She shows meaningful and highest level of vairaagyam

that comes

> > with a deep understanding of the cycle of material forms.

> >

> > To fully cut off the " seed of desires " so that one does not get

any more

> > desires, one needs to develop vairaagyam and detachment and keep

on

> > destroying desires as they are born and persist like that. After

persisting

> > for a long time, the " seed of desires " will run out of desires

and one will

> > overcome desires.

> >

> > Thus, simple stories have deep meanings. This particular story

celebrates

> > the value of detachment, vairaagyam and persistence - Saturnine

qualities.

> >

> > * * *

> >

> > Durga Saptashati is what is used in Chandi homam. It is very

auspicious to

> > read everyday or on Ashtami/Navami/Chaturdasi days. It takes 1-

2.5 hours.

> > When I read it for the first time on March, it took me 2 hours.

Now it takes

> > me 50 min. If you don't have much time, you may want to read one

chapter per

> > day.

> >

> > Merely chanting it without understanding the meaning is also

excellent and

> > produces results. Understanding the meaning and marvelling at

the power of

> > the Mother makes one fearless and energetic and also give

material benefits.

> > Understanding the deeper meanings and appreciating the True

Nature of the

> > Mother makes one realize one's own true nature. It has various

benefits at

> > various levels of sadhana. It is tough to exactly say what

benefit it gives,

> > as that depends on the evolution level of sadhaka and his

attitude. But,

> > there is something in Chandipath for everyone!

> >

> > It is more effective if you read the moola mantra (the

Navakshari mantra or,

> > preferably, Dasakshari mantra with Om added) 108 times before

AND after

> > chanting 700 verses.

> >

> > I will give one interesting personal anecdote. I started reading

Durga Sapta

> > Shati during Shata Chandi Homam at Chennai in March. I took a

vow to read it

> > for 108 consecutive days. After I finished exactly 40 days of

reading it, a

> > priest who came to our house gifted me a one foot tall

panchaloha idol of

> > Ashtadasa Bhuja Maha Lakshmi (Narayani with 9x2=18 hands).

> >

> > * * *

> >

> > There are no classical references, to my knowledge, on the

mapping between

> > the the nine planets and the nine forms of Narayani described in

Saptashati,

> > who fought with demons. But obviously there must be a link. Here

is my first

> > shot at it:

> >

> > Brahmaani: Jupiter

> > Maaheswari: Moon

> > Kaumaari: Mars

> > Vaishnavi: Mercury

> > Vaaraahi: Rahu

> > Naarasimhi: Ketu

> > Aindri: Sun

> > Sivadooti: Venus

> > Chaamundaa/Kaali: Saturn

> >

> > May the light of Brahman shine within,

> > Narasimha

> > -------------------------------

> > Free Jyotish lessons (MP3): http://vedicastro.home.comcast.net

> > Free Jyotish software (Windows):

> > http://www.VedicAstrologer.org<http://www.vedicastrologer.org/>

> > Sri Jagannath Centre (SJC) website:

> > http://www.SriJagannath.org<http://www..org/>

> > -------------------------------

>

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