{"collection":"Hinduism","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/browse/hin/db/bk09ch43.htm","path":"hin/db/bk09ch43.htm","source_url":"https://sacred-texts.com/hin/db/bk09ch43.htm","text":"THE NINTH BOOK\nChapter XLIII\nOn the history of Sv\u00e2h\u00e2\n1-4. N\u00e2rada said :-- \u201cO Risi N\u00e2r\u00e2yana! O Highly Fortunate One! O Lord! Thou art equal to N\u00e2r\u00e2yana whether in beauty or in qualities, or in fame or in energy or in everything. Thou art equal to N\u00e2r\u00e2yana. Thou art the foremost of the J\u00f1\u00e2nins; there cannot be found a second like Thee as a Siddha Yog\u00ee, the ascetics and the Munis. And Thou art the crest of the knowers of the Vedas. I have heard the wonderful anecdote of Mah\u00e2 Laksm\u00ee that Thou hast told me. Now tell me any other thing that is unknown, very good in everyway, in accordance with Dharma, in the Vedas, and that which is not as yet written in the Pur\u00e2nas.\u201d\n5-6. N\u00e2r\u00e2yana said :-- \u201cThere are many wonderful hidden anecdotes that are not published as yet in the Pur\u00e2nas. What you have heard is very small in fact. Please mention to me what you like to hear, what you think as best amongst them and I will describe that to you.\u201d\n7-8. N\u00e2rada said :-- \u201cWhen clarified butter is poured as libations in all the sacrificial ceremonies to the gods, Sv\u00e2h\u00e2 is to be uttered everywhere as excellent, and commendable; so Svadh\u00e2 is to be repeated in the offerings when the oblations are offered to the Pitris, the deceased ancestors. Then, again, Daksin\u00e2 (the sacrificial fee) is always to be paid as right and excellent. So, O Knower of the Vedas! I like to hear the accounts of Svadh\u00e2, and Daksin\u00e2 and their merits. Please now tell me about them.\u201d\n9. S\u00fbta said :-- \u201cHearing the words of N\u00e2rada, N\u00e2r\u00e2yana Risi smiled and began to speak the very ancient words of the Pur\u00e2nas.\u201d\n10-11. N\u00e2r\u00e2yana said :-- Before the creation, the Devas assembled in the beautiful Brahm\u00e2\u2019s Council to decide on their food question.\nThey all brought to the notice of Brahm\u00e2 the scarcity about their food. Brahm\u00e2 promised to remove their food difficulties and began to chant hymns to Hari.\n12. N\u00e2rada said :-- \u201cO Lord! Bhagav\u00e2n N\u00e2r\u00e2yana Himself incarnated in part as Sacrifice. Are not the Devas satisfied when the Br\u00e2hmanas pour oblations of ghee to the Devas in those sacrifices?\u201d\n13-17. N\u00e2r\u00e2yana said :-- O Muni! The Devas, in fact, did not get the offerings of the clarified butters that were poured in with devotion in sacrificial acts by the Br\u00e2hmanas and Ksattriyas. So they were very much depressed and went again to the council of Brahm\u00e2 and informed Him that they could not get any food for themselves. On hearing this, Brahm\u00e2 at once meditated and took refuge of S\u2019r\u00ee Krisna; Krisna advised them to worship M\u00fbla Prakriti. Brahm\u00e2 then, by the command of S\u2019r\u00ee Krisna, began to meditate on Prakriti, worship Her and chant hymns to Her. Then from the part of Prakriti, an all-powerful Dev\u00ee appeared. She was very beautiful, Shy\u00e2m\u00e2 (of a blue colour) and very lovely. This Dev\u00ee was Sv\u00e2h\u00e2. She looked always gracious with smile in Her face; it seemed that She was always ready to show favour towards the Bhaktas. She appeared before Brahm\u00e2 and said :-- \u201cO Lotus born! Want any boon you desire.\u201d\n18-22. Hearing Her words, the Creator spoke reverentially :-- \u201cO Dev\u00ee! Let Thou be the burning power of Fire; without Thee Fire would not be able to burn anything. At the conclusion of any Mantra, whoever taking Thy name, will pour oblations in the Fire to the Gods, will cause those oblations to go to the Gods and reach them. And then they will be very glad. O Mother! Let Thou be the wealth of Fire, the beauty and housewife of Fire; let Thou be incessantly worshipped in the regions of the Gods and amongst men and other beings.\u201d Hearing these words of Brahm\u00e2, Sv\u00e2h\u00e2 Dev\u00ee became very sad and expressed Her own intentions :-- \u201cI will get Krisna as my husband; let me perform Tapasy\u00e2 as long as it takes. This is my object. All other things are false as dreams.\n23-28. I always meditate with devotion on the lotus-feet of S\u2019r\u00ee Krisna, serving Which You have become the Creator of this world, S\u2019ambhu has become the Conqueror of death, Ananta Deva is supporting this universe, Dharma is the Witness of the virtuous, Ganes\u2019a is getting, first of all, the first worship. Prakriti Dev\u00ee has become the adorable of all and the Munis and the Risis respected by all.\u201d O Child! Having spoken thus to the Lotus-born, Padm\u00e2, with Her lotus-face, meditating incessantly on the Lotus-Feet of S\u2019r\u00ee Krisna, free from any disease, started to perform\ntapasy\u00e2 for attaining Him. She, first of all, stood on one leg and practised austerities for one lakh years. Then She saw the Highest Purusa S\u2019r\u00ee Krisna, Who is beyond Prakriti and Her attributes. The beautiful amorous Sv\u00e2h\u00e2, seeing the Lovely Form of the Lord of Love, fainted.\n29-43. The omniscient Bhagav\u00e2n Krisna knowing Her intentions, took Her to His lap, reduced very much in body by long continued Tapasy\u00e2, and He said :-- \u201cO Dev\u00ee! Thou shalt be My wife in the next Var\u00e2ha Kalpa. Then Thou wilt be the daughter of Nagnajit and wilt be known by the name of N\u00e2gnajit\u00ee. O Beloved! At present let Thou be the Energy of Fire and be His wife. By My boon Thou wilt be worshipped by all. Fire will make Thee the Lady of His house and take the utmost care of Thee. Thou wilt be able to enjoy easily with Him.\u201d O N\u00e2rada! Thus saying to Sv\u00e2h\u00e2, Bhagav\u00e2n disappeared. On the other hand, Fire came in there by the command of Brahm\u00e2, with a doubtful mind and began to meditate on Her, the World Mother as per S\u00e2ma Veda and worshipped Her. He then pleased and married Her with mantrams, etc. For one hundred divine years they enjoyed each other. In a very solitary place while they were enjoying each other, Sv\u00e2h\u00e2 Dev\u00ee felt pregnant. For full twelve divine years She retained Her pregnancy. Then She delivered gradually three sons Daksin\u00e2gni, G\u00e2rhyapaty\u00e2gn\u00ee, and \u00c2havan\u00eey\u00e2gni. The Risis, Munis, Br\u00e2hmanas, Ksattriyas poured oblations of clarified butter pronouncing the terminal mantra \u201cSvah\u00e2.\u201d He who pronounces this excellent terminal Mantra \u201cSv\u00e2h\u00e2\u201d gets immediate success in his actions. Then all the mantras without \u201cSv\u00e2h\u00e2\u201d in the end became impotent as snakes become when void of poison, the Br\u00e2hmanas when they are devoid of the knowledge of the Vedas, the wife when she does not serve her husband, the men when they turn illiterate and the trees, when void of fruits and branches. O Child! The Br\u00e2hmanas then became satisfied. The Devas began to receive the oblations. With the \u201cSv\u00e2h\u00e2\u201d mantra everything turned out fruitful. Thus I have described to you the anecdote of \u201c'Sv\u00e2h\u00e2.\u201d One who hears this essential anecdote gets his happiness enhanced and the Moksa in his hands. What more do you want to hear ? Say.\n44. N\u00e2rada said :-- I like to hear how Fire worshipped Sv\u00e2h\u00e2 and recited stotras (hymns of praise) to Her. Kindly tell me the method of worship, the Dhy\u00e2nam and Stotra.\n45-49. N\u00e2r\u00e2yana said :-- O Best of Br\u00e2hmanas! I now tell you the meditation (Dhy\u00e2nam) as per S\u00e2ma Veda, the method of worship and stotra. Listen attentively. At the commencement of any sacrificial ceremony, one should first of all worship whether on the S\u2019\u00e2lagr\u00e2ma stone or in an earthen jar (ghata), the Dev\u00ee Sv\u00e2h\u00e2 and then commence the\nceremony with the expectation of getting the desired fruit. The following is the Dhy\u00e2nam (meditation) of Sv\u00e2h\u00e2 Dev\u00ee :-- O Dev\u00ee Sv\u00e2h\u00e2! Thou art embodied of the Mantras; Thou art the success of the Mantras; Thou art Thyself a Siddh\u00e2; Thou givest success and the the fruits of actions to men; Thou dost good to all. Thus meditating, one should offer P\u00e2dya (water for washing the feet), etc., uttering the basic Mantra; success then comes to him. Now hear about the Radical Seed Mantra. The said mantra (M\u00fbla mantra) is this :-- \u201cOm Hr\u00eem S\u2019r\u00eem Vahnij\u00e2y\u00e2yai Devyai Sv\u00e2h\u00e2.\u201d If the Dev\u00ee be worshipped with this Mantra, all the desires come to a successful issue.\n50-54. Fire recited the following stotra :-- \u201cThou art Sv\u00e2h\u00e2, Thou art the Beloved of Fire, Thou art the wife of Fire; Thou pleasest all; Thou art the S\u2019akti, Thou art the action, Thou art the bestower of K\u00e2la (time); Thou dost digest the food; Thou art the Dhruv\u00e2; Thou art the resort of men; Thou art the burning power; Thou canst burn everything, Thou art the essence of this world; Thou art the deliverer from the terrible world; Thou art the life of the gods and Thou nourishest the Gods.\u201d O N\u00e2rada! He who reads with devotion these sixteen names, gets success both in this world as well as in the next. None of his works become deficient in any way; rather all the works are performed successfully and with a successful issue. Reading this stotra, one who has no wife, gets wife. So much so that the man who recites the stotra gets for his wife equal to Rambh\u00e2, the heavenly nymph, and passes his time in greatest bliss.\nHere ends the Forty-third Chapter of the Ninth Book on the history of Sv\u00e2h\u00e2 in S\u2019r\u00ee Mad Dev\u00ee Bh\u00e2gavatam, the Mah\u00e2 Pur\u00e2nam, of 18,000 verses by Maharsi Veda Vy\u00e2sa.","title":"The Devi Bhagavatam: The Ninth Book: Chapter 43","type":"page"}