{"collection":"Hinduism","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/browse/hin/db/bk12ch14.htm","path":"hin/db/bk12ch14.htm","source_url":"https://sacred-texts.com/hin/db/bk12ch14.htm","text":"THE TWELFTH BOOK\nChapter XIV\nOn the recitation of the fruits of this Pur\u00e2nam\n1-17. S\u00fbta said :-- \u201cO Risis! In days of yore, from the Lotus Face of the Dev\u00ee Bh\u00e2gavata came out S\u2019r\u00ee Mad Bh\u00e2gavatam in the form of half a S\u2019loka, as the decided conclusion of the Vedas. About what She gave instructions to Visnu, sleeping on a leaf of a Banyan tree, that same thing, the seed of the S\u2019r\u00ee Mad Bh\u00e2gavata, Brahm\u00e2 Himself expanded into\none hundred Koti s\u2019lokas. Then, Veda Vy\u00e2sa, in order to teach his own son S\u2019uka Deva, condensed them into eighteen thousand s\u2019lokas, in Twelve Books and named it S\u2019r\u00ee Mad Dev\u00ee Bh\u00e2gavatam, the present volume. That voluminous book comprising one hundred Koti s\u2019lokas compiled by Brahm\u00e2 are still extant in the Deva loka. There is no Pur\u00e2na like the Dev\u00ee Bh\u00e2gavatam, so merit-giving, holy and capable to destroy all the sins. The reading of every line yields the fruits of performing many As\u2019vamedha sacrifices. Human beings addicted to worldly affairs will get the merit of giving lands to the Br\u00e2hmanas and they will enjoy also all the pleasures of the world and in the end will go to the region of the Dev\u00ee, if they can hear, after they have fasted and controlled their passions, the recitation of this Pur\u00e2nam from the mouth of a Paur\u00e2nik Br\u00e2hmana, who has been worshipped and given clothings and ornaments and is considered as a second Veda Vy\u00e2sa. Or, if anybody writes the whole of the Dev\u00ee Bh\u00e2gavatam with his own hand or gets it written by a writer from the beginning to the end and gives to a Paur\u00e2nik Br\u00e2hmin the book placed in a box of the form of a lion made up of gold and a cow yielding milk with her calf with gold as his sacrificial fee; or if he feeds as many Br\u00e2hmanas as there are the number of chapters of the Dev\u00ee Bh\u00e2gavatam and worship as many Kum\u00e2r\u00ees (virgin girls) with saffron, sandalpaste and ornaments and feeds them with P\u00e2ys\u00e2nna, he gets the merits of giving lands and enjoys all the pleasures of the world and goes in the end to the region of the Dev\u00ee. He has no want of anything who daily hears with rapt devotion this Dev\u00ee Bh\u00e2gavatam. One who has no wealth gets abundance of wealth, those who are students get knowledge, one who has no sons, gets sons if one hears this Dev\u00ee Bh\u00e2gavatam with true devotion. A barren woman, or one who bears still-born children or whose offsprings never live long or who bears only a single child, gets all her defects removed, if she hears this Dev\u00ee Bh\u00e2gavatam with a steadfast devotion. The house where this Pur\u00e2na is worshipped, Laksm\u00ee and Sarasvat\u00ee dwell there, leaving their animosities towards each other. By the influence of this Dev\u00ee Bh\u00e2gavatam the D\u00e2kin\u00ees, Vet\u00e2las, R\u00e2ksasas, and other ghosts cannot cast a glance even on its devotee. If anybody gets fever and if the S\u2019r\u00ee Dev\u00ee Bh\u00e2gavatam be read touching him with a concentrated attention, all the complaints disappear. By reading this Bh\u00e2gavatam, one hundred times even more difficult than the severe disease pthisis is cured.\n18-20. If after performing the Sandhy\u00e2, one reads only one chapter of this Bh\u00e2gavatam with a collected mind, he soon acquires the Real Knowledge. O Muni S\u2019aunaka! While going to read this Bh\u00e2gavatam, first examine omens and then read. I have spoken already on this subject. If during the S\u2019\u00e2rad\u00eeya P\u00fbj\u00e2 (the autumnal Durg\u00e2 P\u00fbj\u00e2), at the\nNavar\u00e2tra period, one reads with devotion this Bh\u00e2gavatam, the Dev\u00ee Bhagavat\u00ee becomes greatly pleased and awards him results more than his desires.\n21-31. During the Navar\u00e2tri period all can read well this book for the satisfaction of his \u00cesta Deva (his own deity) whether he be a Vaisnava, S\u2019aiva, Saura, G\u00e2napatya or a S\u2019\u00e2kta. All can read this for the satisfaction of Laksm\u00ee, Um\u00e2 and other S\u2019aktis. The Vaidik Br\u00e2hmanas are to recite this daily for the satisfaction of the Dev\u00ee G\u00e2yatr\u00ee. This Pur\u00e2nam is not contradictory to any sectarian belief. The reason of this being that to whatever deity he pays his worship, he must worship some S\u2019akti or other, this is stated everywhere. So for the satisfaction of one\u2019s own S\u2019akti, all can read this, without contradicting each other. Never any woman nor any S\u2019\u00fbdra, is to read this herself or himself, even out of ignorance; rather they should hear this from the mouth of a Br\u00e2hmana. This is the rule of the S\u2019\u00e2stras. (The vibrations and the consequent results would be truer then.) O Risis! What more to say on this book than this, that this Pur\u00e2nam is the most excellent of all and yields great merits. It is the essence of the Vedas. This I tell you with great certainty. There is not the least doubt in this. Reading or hearing this yields results equivalent to reading or hearing the Vedas. I now bow to the Dev\u00ee of the nature of Hr\u00eem and established by G\u00e2yatr\u00ee, of the nature of Everlasting Existence, Intelligence and Bliss, Who stimulates our activities to the understanding of various subjects. Thus hearing the excellent words of S\u00fbta, the great Paur\u00e2nik, all the Munis of Naimis\u00e2ranya worshipped him specially and as the result of hearing this Pur\u00e2nam glady became the servants of the Lotus Feet of the Dev\u00ee and they attained the Highest Rest. The Munis expressed their humility and gratitude to S\u00fbta frequently and bowed down to him again and again. And they said :-- \u201cO S\u00fbta! It is you that have saved us from this ocean of world.\u201d Thus (the great Bh\u00e2gavata) S\u00fbta, the bee drinking the honey of the Lotus Feet of the Dev\u00ee, recited before the assemblage of the best of the Munis this Pur\u00e2nam from the beginning to the end, the Secret of all the Nigamas and full of the Glories of the Dev\u00ee Bhagavat\u00ee. After this the Risis bowed down to him and he blessed and honoured them.\nThen he went away to his desired place. Here the Dev\u00ee Bh\u00e2gavatam ends and is fully completed.\nTHE END.\nHere ends the Fourteenth Chapter of the Twelfth Book on the recitation of the fruits of this Pur\u00e2nam in the Mah\u00e2 Pur\u00e2nam S\u2019r\u00ee Mad Dev\u00ee Bh\u00e2gavatam of 18,000 verses by Maharsi Veda Vy\u00e2sa.\nHere ends as well the Full Treatise, S\u2019r\u00ee Mad Dev\u00ee Bh\u00e2gavatam.\nOm. Om. Om. Om Tat Sat. Om Hari Om.","title":"The Devi Bhagavatam: The Twelfth Book: Chapter 14","type":"page"}