{"collection":"Hinduism","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/browse/hin/db/bk11ch18.htm","path":"hin/db/bk11ch18.htm","source_url":"https://sacred-texts.com/hin/db/bk11ch18.htm","text":"THE ELEVENTH BOOK\nChapter XVIII\nOn the Greatness of the Dev\u00ee P\u00fbj\u00e2\n1. N\u00e2rada spoke :-- \u201cO Bhagav\u00e2n! I am now very eager to hear the special P\u00fbj\u00e2 of S\u2019r\u00ee Dev\u00ee. The people get their desires fulfilled if they worship Her.\u201d\n2-23. N\u00e2r\u00e2yana said :-- O Devarsi! I shall now specially speak to you how the World Mother Bhagavat\u00ee is worshipped; by worshipping Whom one easily gets objects of enjoyments, liberation and the destruction of all evils. Controlling one\u2019s speech and making \u00c2chaman, one must make one\u2019s sankalpa and perform Bh\u00fbtas\u2019uddhi, M\u00e2trik\u00e2ny\u00e2sa, sadangany\u00e2sa, placing conchshell and doing other necessary acts. Offering the ordinary Arghya, one should give special Arghya and with the mantra \u201cAstr\u00e2ya Phat\u201d sprinkle over all the articles brought for worship. Taking the Guru\u2019s permission, he is to go on with his P\u00fbj\u00e2. First worship the p\u00eetha or seat whereon the Dev\u00ee would be placed; then perform dhy\u00e2n (meditation of the Dev\u00ee). Then with great devotion, offer to the Deva, the seats (\u00c2sana) and other articles of worship; then perform the bath of the Dev\u00ee by the water of the Panch\u00e2mrita (the five nectars). If anybody performs the bath ceremony of S\u2019r\u00ee Dev\u00ee with one hundred jars of sugarcane juice, he will not have to incur any future birth.\nHe who performs this bath, and recites the Veda Mantras, with mango juice or sugarcane juice gets for ever Laksm\u00ee ever and ever and Sarasvat\u00ee bound at his doors. He who gets this sacred bath of the Dev\u00ee with grape juice, along with his relatives and acquaintences dwells in the Dev\u00ee-loka for as many years as there are atoms in the juice. He who bathes the Dev\u00ee with the Vedic mantras, and with water scented with camphor, the fragrant aloe wood (aguru), saffron, and musk, becomes freed at once of the sins acquired in his hundred births. He who bathes the Dev\u00ee with jars of milk, lives in the ocean of milk (ks\u00eera samudra) for one Kalpa. So he who does this bathing ceremony with jars of curd, becomes the lord of Dadhikunda (the reservoir of curd). He who performs the Sn\u00e2nams of the Dev\u00ee with honey, ghee and sugar becomes the lord of these things. He who bathes the Dev\u00ee with one thousand jars, becomes happy in this world as in the next. Note :-- Make the liquid current flow pure in your body is the esoteric meaning of the bath. If you give Her a pair of silken clothes, you will go to the V\u00e2yu-Loka. If you give Her\nthe jewel ornaments, you will become the Lord of gems and jewels. (Make your mind like the gem.) If anybody gives saffron, sandalpaste, musk, Sind\u00fbra and \u00c2laktak (red things), he will go to the Heavens and become there the Indra, the Lord of the Devas, in the next birth. Various flowers ought to be offered in S\u2019r\u00ee Bhagavat\u00ee\u2019s worship; or the flowers of the season offered to the Dev\u00ee will lead the devotee to Kail\u00e2s\u2019a. The devotee that offers the beautiful Bel leaves to the Dev\u00ee never experiences anywhere pains and difficulties. The devotee who writes the V\u00eeja mantra of M\u00e2y\u00e2 \u201cHr\u00eem Bhuvanes\u2019varyai Namah\u201d with red sandalpaste thrice on the tri-leaves of the Vilva tree leaf and offers this to the lotus feet of the Dev\u00ee, becomes Manu by the merit of this virtuous act! The devotee becomes the Lord of the whole universe who worships the Dev\u00ee Bhagavat\u00ee with ten millions of entire Vilva leaves, fresh, green and spotless.\n24-40. If any devotee worships with ten millions of entire fresh green Kunda flowers, with eight scents, he gets surely the Praj\u00e2patihood. The worship of the Dev\u00ee with ten millions of Mallik\u00e2 and M\u00e2lat\u00ee flowers besmeared with eight scents makes a man the four faced (Brahm\u00e2); and one hundred millions of such flowers will make the devotee a Visnu. In days of yore, Visnu worshipped the Dev\u00ee in the aforesaid way and so got His Visnuhood. If any devotee worships the Dev\u00ee with one hundred Kotis of Mallik\u00e2 or M\u00e2lat\u00ee flowers, the man becomes certainly Sutr\u00e2tm\u00e2 Hiranyagarbha. In ancient days Hiranyagarbha worshipped thus the Dev\u00ee with great devotion and so he became Hiranyagarbha! (These Hiranyagarbha, Brahm\u00e2, Visnu and Mahes\u2019a were mere ordinary men before. See the Brihad\u00e2ranyaka Upanisada). Note :-- The eight scents refer to Jat\u00e2 mams\u00ee Kapiyut\u00e2 S\u2019aktergandh\u00e2s takam! So will be the results if Jav\u00e2, Vandh\u00fbka and D\u00e2dim\u00ee flowers be offered in the worship. Various other beautiful flowers can be offered duly to the Dev\u00ee by the devotee. The merits accruing from such offers are not known even to the God \u00ces\u2019vara. The flowers that spring in their proper seasons are to be offered every year to the Dev\u00ee, repeating Her thousand names enumerated in the Twelfth Book or in the K\u00fbrma Pur\u00e2na. If the above worship be offered to the Dev\u00ee, then that man, whether he be a sinner or a great sinner, will be freed from all the sins and after leaving his mortal coil, he will get, no doubt, the lotus feet of the S\u2019r\u00ee Dev\u00ee Bhagavat\u00ee. Offer Dh\u00fbpa made of black Aguru, camphor, sandalpaste, red sandalpaste, Sihlaka and Guggula, saturated with ghee in such a way as the whole room of S\u2019r\u00ee Bhagavat\u00ee scents with pure\nfragrant smell. The Dev\u00ee Bhagavat\u00ee becomes pleased with this and offers the lordship of the three Lokas to the devotee. The devotee, who offers daily the light of camphor to the Dev\u00ee, goes to the S\u00fbrya Loka. There is no doubt in this. With one\u2019s whole heart, one should give one hundred or one thousand lights to the Dev\u00ee. The devotee should offer heaps of food consisting of six R\u00e2sas, the plates and dishes for chewing, sucking, licking and drinking, that is, all kinds of food solid, and liquid, mountain-like high. Always give food on golden flat plates and cups and various delicious sweet juicy nice heavenly fruits, nicely arranged on trays, cups and saucers. When S\u2019r\u00ee Mah\u00e2dev\u00ee Bhuvane\u2019svar\u00ee gets pleased, the whole universe gets pleased. For the whole Universe is all Dev\u00ee; as a rope is mistaken for a snake, so this Mah\u00e2dev\u00ee is mistaken for the universe.\n41-59. Offer a jar of drinking Ganges water, cool and nice, scented with camphor to the Dev\u00ee; then offer betels with camphor, cardamum, cloves, and various delicious scents. These all are to be offered with great devotion so that the Dev\u00ee may be pleased. Next have music with lovely mridangas, flutes, murajas, Dhahk\u00e2s and dundubhis and so please Her. The Veda mantras are to be recited, the Pur\u00e2nas are to be read and the hymns to be chanted. With whole head and heart offer to the Dev\u00ee the umbrella and ch\u00e2mara, the two kingly offerings. Then circumambulate round Her and prostrate before Her and ask Her kindness and pray to Her to forgive all faults and shortcomings. The Dev\u00ee is pleased with anybody who remembers Her even once! What wonder then that She will be pleased with all these offerings! The Mother is naturally merciful to her child. When She is loved with devotion, then She becomes very merciful. There is nothing strange here! On this point I will recite to you the history of Vrihadratha R\u00e2jarsi. Hearing which gives rise to Bhakti and Love.\nOnce in a certain region in the Him\u00e2lay\u00e2s there lived a bird called Chakrav\u00e2k. It flew over many countries and went once to K\u00e2s\u2019\u00eedh\u00e2m. As a fruit of his Pr\u00e2rabdha Karma, that bird, desirous to find some rice beans, voluntarily went like an orphan round about the temple of S\u2019r\u00ee Annap\u00fbrn\u00e2 Dev\u00ee. There circumambulating round the Dev\u00ee Bhagavat\u00ee the bird left the city K\u00e2s\u2019\u00ee, that grants liberation and flew away to another country. In time the bird left his body and went to Heavens. There he assumed a heavenly form of a youth and began to enjoy various pleasures. Thus he enjoyed for two Kalpas. Then he got back to the earth and took his birth as the best in the Ksattriya family. He became celebrated as the king Vrihadratha in\nthis world. That King was truthful, controlled his senses, and practised S\u2019amyama and deep concentration and knew everything of the past, the present and the future. He conquered all the enemies and performed various sacrifices and became the Emperor of the sea-girt earth and acquired the very rare faculty in the knowledge of everything of his previous births. The Munis came to know of this from various rumours and came to the King. The King Vrihadratha duly entertained those guests. The Munis took their seats and asked :-- \u201cO King! We hear that all the events of previous births are vividly reflected in your memory. On this point great doubts have come upon us. Kindly describe in detail. By what Punyam (merits) you have come to know all about previous births and the knowledge of the past, the present and the future. We have come to you to know how you got this wonderful supersensual knowledge. Kindly say to us sincerely everything about this and oblige.\u201d\n60-71. N\u00e2r\u00e2yana said :-- O Br\u00e2hman! The very religious King Vrihadratha heard them and began to speak out all the secret causes for his knowledge of the past, the present and the future, thus :-- O Munis! Hear how I acquired this knowledge. In my previous birth I was a very low bird chakrav\u00e2k. Once, out of my ignorance, I circumambulated round the temple of the Dev\u00ee Bhagavat\u00ee Annapurn\u00e2 at K\u00e2s\u2019\u00ee. And, as the result of that, I lived in the Heavens for a period of two Kalpas and I have got this birth and I have got the knowledge of the past, the present and the future. O You of good vows! Who can ascertain what amount of merits accrues from remembering the Feet of the World-Mother. Remembering Her glories, I always shed tears of joy. Those who do not worship the adorable Deity Jagadamb\u00e2 are the Great Sinners and they are treacherous. Fie on their births! The worship of S\u2019iva or Visnu is not eternal. Only the Jagadamb\u00e2\u2019s worship is eternal. Thus it is stated in the S\u2019rutis. What more shall I speak on this worship of the World-Mother, which is void of the best trace of any doubt. Everyone ought to serve devotedly the lotus feet of the Dev\u00ee Bhagavat\u00ee. There is no other act more glorious in this world than serving the feet of Jagadamb\u00e2. It is highly necessary to serve the Highest Deity, whether in Her Saguna or in Her Nirguna aspect. (Eat the sugarcandy, holding it in any way. It makes no difference.) N\u00e2r\u00e2yana said :-- Hearing the aforesaid words of the virtuous R\u00e2jarsi Vrihadratha, the Munis went back to their respective abodes. Such is the power of the Dev\u00ee Jagadambik\u00e2! So who can question about the certainty of the high merits arising from the Jagadambik\u00e2\u2019s worship and who will not reply, when so questioned? Their births are really fruitful who possess faith in the Dev\u00ee worship;\nbut of those who have no such faith, there is some wrong mixture, no doubt; in their births.\nHere ends the Eighteenth Chapter of the Eleventh Book on the Greatness of the Dev\u00ee P\u00fbj\u00e2, in the Mah\u00e2pur\u00e2nam S\u2019r\u00ee Mad Dev\u00ee Bh\u00e2gavatam of 18,000 verses by Maharsi Veda Vy\u00e2sa.","title":"The Devi Bhagavatam: The Eleventh Book: Chapter 18","type":"page"}