{"collection":"Hinduism","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/browse/hin/db/bk09ch26.htm","path":"hin/db/bk09ch26.htm","source_url":"https://sacred-texts.com/hin/db/bk09ch26.htm","text":"THE NINTH BOOK\nChapter XXVI\nOn the narration of S\u00e2vitr\u00ee\n1-2. N\u00e2rada said :-- I have heard the anecdote of Tulas\u00ee. Now describe in detail the history of S\u00e2vitr\u00ee. S\u00e2vitr\u00ee is considered as the Mother of the Vedas. Why was She born, in days gone by? By whom was She first worshipped and subsequently also?\n3-4. N\u00e2r\u00e2yana said :-- O Muni! She was first worshipped by Brahm\u00e2. Next the Vedas worshipped her. Subsequently the learned men worshipped her. Next the King As\u2019vapati worshipped Her in India. Next the four Varnas (castes) worshipped Her.\n5. N\u00e2rada said :-- O Br\u00e2hman! Who is that As\u2019vapati? What for did he worship? When the Dev\u00ee S\u00e2vitr\u00ee became adorable by all, by which persons was She first worshipped and by which persons subsequently?\n6-14. N\u00e2r\u00e2yana said :-- O Muni! The King As\u2019vapati reigned in Bhadrades\u2019a, rendering his enemies powerless and making his friends painless. He had a queen very religious; her name was M\u00e2lat\u00ee; She was like a second Laksm\u00ee. She was barren; and desirous of an issue, She under the instruction of Vas\u2019istha, duly worshipped S\u00e2vitr\u00ee with devotion. But She did not receive any vision nor any command; therefore She returned home with a grievous heart. Seeing her sorry, the king consoled her with good words and himself accompanied her to Puskara with a view to perform Tapas to S\u00e2vitr\u00ee with devotion and, being self-controlled, practised tapasy\u00e2 for one hundred years. Still he could not see S\u00e2vitr\u00ee, but voice came to him. An incorporeal, celestial voice reached his ears :-- \u201cPerform Japam (repeat) ten lakhs of G\u00e2yatr\u00ee Mantram.\u201d At this moment Par\u00e2sara came up there. The king bowed down to him. The Muni said :-- O King! One japa of G\u00e2yatr\u00ee, destroys the days sins. Ten Japams of G\u00e2yatr\u00ee destroy day and night\u2019s sins.\n15-40. One hundred G\u00e2yatr\u00ee Japams destroy one month\u2019s sins. One thousand Japams destroy one year\u2019s sins. One lakh G\u00e2yatr\u00ee Japams destroy the sins of the present birth and ten lakh G\u00e2yatr\u00ee Japams destroy the sins of other births. One hundred lakhs of Japams destroy the sins of all the births. If ten times that (i.e., 1,000 lakhs) be done, then liberation is obtained. (Now the method, how to make Japam). Make the palm of the (right) hand like a snake\u2019s hood; see that the fingers are all close, no holes are seen; and make the ends of the fingers bend downwards; then being calm and quiet and with one\u2019s face eastward, practise Japam. Then count from the middle of the ring (name-less) finger and go on counting right-handed (with the hands of the watch) till you come to the bottom of the index finger. This is the rule of counting by the hand. O King! The rosary is to be of the seed of white lotus or of the crystals; it should be consecrated and purified. Japam is to be done then in a sacred T\u00eertha or in a temple. Becoming self-controlled one should place the rosary on a banyan leaf or on a lotus leaf and smear it with cowdung; wash it, uttering G\u00e2yatr\u00ee Mantra and over it perform one hundred times G\u00e2yatr\u00ee Japam intently in accordance with\nthe rules. Or wash it with Pa\u00f1chagavya, milk, curds, clarified butter, cow urine and cowdung, and then consecrate it well. Then wash it with the Ganges water and perform best the consecrations. O R\u00e2jarsi! Then perform ten lakhs of Japam in due order. Thus the sins of your three births will be destroyed and then you will see the Dev\u00ee S\u00e2vitr\u00ee. O King! Do this Japam, being pure, everyday in the morning, mid-day, and in the evening. If one be impure and devoid of Sandhy\u00e2, one has no right to do any action; and even if one performs an action, one does not get any fruit thereby. He who does not do the morning Sandhy\u00e2 and the evening Sandhy\u00e2, is driven away from all the Br\u00e2hminic Karmas and he becomes like S\u2019\u00fbdras. He who does Sandhy\u00e2 three times throughout his life, becomes like the Sun by his lustre and brilliance of tapas. What more than this, the earth is always purified by the dust of his feet. The Dv\u00eeja who does his Sandhy\u00e2 Bandanam and remains pure, becomes energetic and liberated while living. By his contact all the T\u00eerthas become purified. All sins vanish away from him as snakes fly away at the sight of Garuda. The Dv\u00eeja who becomes void of Sandhy\u00e2 three times a day, the Devas do not accept his worship nor the Pitris accept his Pindas. He who has no Bhakti towards the M\u00fbla Prakriti, who does not worship the specific seed Mantra of M\u00e2y\u00e2 and who does not hold festivities in honour of M\u00fbla Prakriti, know him verily to be an Ajagara snake without poison. Devoid of the Visnu mantra, devoid of the three Sandhy\u00e2s and devoid of the fasting on the Ek\u00e2das\u2019i Tithi (the eleventh clay of the fortnight), the Br\u00e2hmin becomes a snake devoid of poison. The vile Br\u00e2hmin who does not like to take the offerings dedicated to Hari and who does the washerman\u2019s work and eats the food of S\u2019\u00fbdra and drives the buffaloes, becomes a snake devoid of poison. The Br\u00e2hmin who burns the dead bodies of the S\u2019\u00fbdras, becomes like the man who is the husband of an unmarried girl. The Br\u00e2hmin also who becomes a cook of a S\u2019\u00fbdra, becomes a snake void of poison. The Br\u00e2hmin who accepts the gifts of a S\u2019\u00fbdra, who performs the sacrifice of a S\u2019\u00fbdra, who lives as clerks and warriors becomes like a snake void of poison. The Br\u00e2hmin who sells his daughter, who sells the name of Hari or eats the food of a woman who is without husband and son, as well as of one who has just bathed after her menstruation period, becomes like a serpent void of poison. The Br\u00e2hmin who takes the profession of pimps and pampers and lives on the interest, is also like a serpent void of poison. The Br\u00e2hmin who sleeps even when the Sun has risen, eats fish, and does not worship the Dev\u00ee is also like a poisonless serpent. Thus stating all the rules of worship in order, the best of the Munis told him the Dhy\u00e2nam, etc., of the Dev\u00ee\nS\u00e2vitr\u00ee, what he wanted. Then he informed the King of all the mantras and went to his own \u00c2s\u2019rama. The king, then worshipped accordingly and saw the Dev\u00ee S\u00e2vitr\u00ee and got boons.\n41-43. N\u00e2rada said :-- What is the S\u00e2vitr\u00ee\u2019s Dhy\u00e2n, what are the modes of her worship, what is stotra, mantra, that Par\u00e2s\u2019ara gave to the King before he went away? And how did the King worship and what boon did he get? This great mystery, grand and well renowned in the S\u2019rutis, about S\u00e2vitr\u00ee, I am desirous to hear in brief on all the points.\n44-78. N\u00e2r\u00e2yana said :-- On the thirteenth day (the trayodas\u2019i tithi) of the black fortnight in the month Jyaistha or on any other holy period, the fourteenth day (the chaturdas\u2019i tithi) this vow is to be observed with great care and devotion. Fourteen fruits and fourteen plates with offerings of food on them, flowers and incense are to be offered and this vow is to be observed for fourteen years consecutively. Garments, holy threads and other articles are also offered and after the Vrata is over, the Br\u00e2hmins are to be fed. The lucky pot (mangal ghat) is to be located duly according to the rules of worship with branches and fruits. Ganes\u2019a, Agni, Visnu, S\u2019iva and S\u2019iv\u00e2 are to be worshipped duly.\nIn that ghat S\u00e2vitr\u00ee is to be next invoked and worshipped. Now hear the Dhy\u00e2nam of S\u00e2vitr\u00ee, as stated in the M\u00e2dhyan Dina Sakh\u00e2, as well the stotra, the modes of worship, and the Mantra, the giver of all desires. I meditate and adore that S\u00e2vitr\u00ee, the Mother of the Vedas, of the nature of Pranava (Om), whose colour is like the burnished gold, who is burning with Brahm\u00e2 teja (the fire of Brahm\u00e2), effulgent with thousands and thousands of rays of the midday summer Sun, who is of a smiling countenance adorned with jewels and ornaments, wearing celestial garment (purified and uninflammable by fire), and ready to grant blessings to Her Bhaktas; who is the bestower of happiness and liberation, who is peaceful and the consort of the Creator of the world, who is all wealth and the giver of all riches and prosperity, who is the Presiding Deity of the Vedas and who is the Vedas incarnate, I meditate on Thee. Thus reciting the Dhy\u00e2nam, mantra and meditating on Her, one is to offer Naivedyas (offerings of food) to Her and then place one\u2019s fingers on one\u2019s head; one is to meditate again, and then invoke the Dev\u00ee within the pot. One should next present fourteen things, uttering proper mantras according to the Vedas. Then one must perform special p\u00fbj\u00e2 and chant hymns to the Dev\u00ee and worship Her. The fourteen articles of worship are as under :--\n(1) Seat (\u00c2san); (2) water for washing feet (P\u00e2dya), (3) offering of rice and Durba grass (Arghya), (4) water for bath (Sn\u00e2n\u00eeya), (6) anointment with sandalpaste and other scents (Anulepana), (7) incense (Dh\u00fbpa), (8) Lights (Dipa), (9) offerings of food (Naivedya), (10) Betels (Tamb\u00fbl), (11) Cool water, (12) garments, (13) ornaments, (14) garlands, scents, offering of water to sip, and beautiful bedding. While offering these articles, one is to utter the mantras, this beautiful wooden or golden seat, giving spiritual merits is being offered by me to Thee. This water from the T\u00eerthas, this holy water for washing Thy feet, pleasant, highly meritorious, pure, and as an embodiment of P\u00fbj\u00e2 is being offered by me to Thee. This holy Arghya with Durba grass and flowers and the pure water in the conch-shell is being offered by me to Thee (as a work of initial worship). This sweet scented oil and water being offered by me to Thee with devotion for Thy bathing purposes. Kindly accept these. O Mother! This sweet-scented water Divine-like, highly pure and prepared of Kunkuma and other scented things I offer to Thee. O Parames\u2019var\u00ee! This all-auspicious, all good and highly meritorious, this beautiful Dh\u00fbpa, kindly take, O World Mother! This is very pleasant and sweet scented; therefore I offer this to Thee. O Mother! This light, manifesting all this Universe and the seed, as it were, to destroy the Darkness is being offered by me to Thee. O Dev\u00ee! Kindly accept this delicious offering of food, highly meritorious, appeasing hunger, pleasant, nourishing end pleasure giving. This betel is scented with camphor, etc., nice, nourishing, and pleasure-giving; this is being offered by me to Thee. This water is nice and cool, appeasing the thirst and the Life of the World. So kindly accept this. O Dev\u00ee! Kindly accept this silken garment as well as the garment made of K\u00e2rp\u00e2sa Cotton, beautifying the body and enhancing the beauty. Kindly accept these golden ornaments decked with jewels, highly meritorious, joyous, beauteous and prosperous. Kindly accept these fruits yielding fruits of desires, obtained from various trees and of various kinds. Please have this garland, all auspicious and all good, made of various flowers, beauteous and generating happiness. O Dev\u00ee! Kindly accept this sweet scent, highly pleasing and meritorious. Please take this Sind\u00fbra, the best of the ornaments, beautifying the forehead, highly excellent and beautiful. Kindly accept this holy and meritorious threads an purefied by the Vedic mantrams and made of highly holy threads and knitted with highly pure knots. Uttering thus, offer the above articles that are to be offered to the Dev\u00ee, every time the specific seed mantra being uttered. Then the intelligent devotee should recite the stotras and subsequently of the Daksin\u00e2s (presents) with devotion to the Br\u00e2hmanas. The Radical or the Specific Seed Mantra mantra is the eight lettered mantra Sr\u00eem Hr\u00eem Kl\u00eem Sv\u00e2itrai Sv\u00e2h\u00e2; So the sages know. The Stotra, as stated in the M\u00e2dhyand\u00eena\nS'\u00e2kh\u00e2, gives fruits of all desires. I am now speaking to you of that mantra, the Life of the Br\u00e2hmanas. Listen attentively. O N\u00e2rada! S\u00e2vitr\u00ee was given to Brahm\u00e2, in the ancient times of old in the region of Goloka by Krisna; but S\u00e2vitr\u00ee did not come to Brahm\u00e2 loka with Brahm\u00e2. Then by the command of Krisna, Brahm\u00e2 praised the mother of the Vedas. And when She got pleased, She accepted Brahm\u00e2 as Her husband.\n79-87. Brahm\u00e2 said :-- Thou art the everlasting existence intelligence and bliss; Thou art M\u00fblaprakriti; thou art Hiranya Garbha; Thou didst get pleased, O Fair one! Thou art of the nature of fire and Energy; Thou art the Highest; Thou art the Highest Bliss, and the caste of the twice-born. Dost thou get appeased, O Fair One! Thou art eternal, dear to the Eternal; thou art of the nature of the Everlasting Bliss. O Dev\u00ee, O Thou, the all auspicious One! O Fair One! Beest thou satisfied. Thou art the form of all (omnipresent)! Thou art the essence of all mantras of the Br\u00e2hmanas, higher than the highest! Thou art the bestower of happiness and the liberator O Dev\u00ee, O Fair One! Beest thou appeased. Thou art like the burning flame to the fuel of sins of the Br\u00e2hmanas! O Thou, the Bestower of Brahm\u00e2 teja (the light of Brahm\u00e2) O Dev\u00ee! O Fair One! Beest appeased. By Thy mere remembrance, all the sins to me by body, mind and speech are burnt to ashes. Thus saying, the Creator of the world reached the assembly there. Then S\u00e2vitr\u00ee came to the Brahmaloka with Brahm\u00e2. The King As\u2019vapati chanted this stotra to S\u00e2vitr\u00ee and saw Her and got from Her the desired boons. Whosoever recites this highly sacred king of Stotras after Sandhy\u00e2 Bandanam, quickly acquires the fruits of studying the Vedas.\nHere ends the Twenty Sixth Chapter of the Ninth Book on the narration of S\u00e2vitr\u00ee in S\u2019r\u00eemad Dev\u00ee Bh\u00e2gavatam of 18,000 verses by Maharsi Veda Vy\u00e2sa.","title":"The Devi Bhagavatam: The Ninth Book: Chapter 26","type":"page"}