THE SEVENTH BOOK
Chapter XXIX
On the birth of the Bhagavatî in the house of Daksa
1-19. Vyâsa said :-- O King! Thus I have described the glory of the Devî. Now I will narrate, as far as I can, the excellent lives of the kings of the the Solar and the Lunar dynasties respectively. They
all attained their excellent glories, simply because they were favoured by the Grace of the Highest S’akti; they were all the great devotees of the Supreme Deity. All their prowess, bravery, prosperity and all their glory, know that those all were derived from the mere parts of the Parâ S’akti. O King! Those Kings and others as well were able to out off the Tree of this World by the Axe of their Knowledge, simply because they were the devotees of the Parâ S’akti. So with all the care possible, the Lady of the Universe is to be worshipped and served. Men should avoid worshipping any other gods, as people avoid the husk to get the grain inside. O King! By churning the ocean of the Vedas, I have got the jewel as the lotus-feet of the Parâ S’akti; and I think that I have discharged all my duties and think myself satisfied and successful. Brahmâ, Visnu Rudra, and Is’vara are the four feet and Sadâ S’iva is the plank overhead; thus these five form the seat on which the Devî is seated. There is no other deity superior to Her. To show this (to the ordinary ignorant people) the Mahâ Devî has taken this seat composed of the five Brahmâ, Visnu, Rudra, Is’vara and Sadâ S’iva. Superior to these five, what is stated in the Vedas as Vyaktam and in which all this Universe is sewn, as it were, crosswise and lengthwise, lying in and through, that is Bhuvanes’varî, the Goddess of the Universe.
[Note: Brahmâ, Visnu, Rudra, Is’vara and Sadâ S’iva are the Regents or the presiding Deities of earth, water, fire, air and Âkâs’a]. No man can be free unless he until the Goddess. When men will be able to encircle the Âkâs’a, of the fourth dimension, as if it were an antelope skin, then they will be able to root out the miseries of the world, without knowing the nature of the Devî (i.e., impossible). Thus the S’vetâs’vataropanisada says :-- “Those that were engaged in meditation, Dhyâna Yoga, they saw the Devî covered by the Gunas Sâttva, Râjas and Tâmas and the forces incarnate respectively of the several Devas.” So to make the human birth a success, first avoid all companies, be it out of shame, or fear, or devotion, or out of love; then bring the mind and keep it steady in your heart and then be devoted to Her and consider Her as the Supreme. This is the Vedânta Dindima (the declaration of the Vedânta). Whoever takes the name of the Devî, either in sleeping, going or resting or in any other condition, he is certainly freed from the bondage of the world, no doubt. O King! So worship the Mâhes’varî with all the care that you can. Go on step by step; first worship Her Virât Rûpa (cosmic form); then Sûksma Rûpa (subtle form) and then her Antaryâmî Rûpa (inner form, ruling within). Thus when your heart is purified, worship the Parâ S’akti, of the nature of Brahmâ, beyond this Mâyâ, this Prapancha Ullâsa, of the nature of Existence,
Intelligence and Bliss. When the Chitta (heart) melts in Parâ S’akti, then comes the real Ârâdhanâ (the real worship). So dilute your heart in Her. O King! Thus I have described to you the sanctifying deeds of the extremely devoted kings of the Parâ S’akti, who were noble minded and religious. One who will hear this will acquire fame, dharma, intelligence, good end, and merits that have no equal. Now what else do you like to hear?
20-22. Janamejaya said :-- “O Bhagavân! In olden times, the World mother Parâ S’akti handed over Gaurî to Hara, Laksmî to Hari, and Sarasvatî to Brahmâ, born of the lotus from the navel of Hari. Now I hear that Gaurî is the daughter of Himâlayâ as well of Daksa; and Mahâ Laksmî is the daughter of the Ksiroda ocean (ocean of milk). They were all originated from the Prime Devî; how, then, Gaurî and Laksmî came to be the daughters of others? O great Muni! This is next to impossible; so my doubt arises. O Bhagavân! You are quite competent to cut off all my doubts; so by your axe of knowledge, cut off my present doubt.”
23-44. Veda Vyâsa said :-- O King! Hear. I am telling you this wonderful secret. You are greatly devoted to the Devî; so nothing there can be that I cannot disclose to you. Since the time the Great Mother gave over to Hara, Hari and Brahmâ, Gaurî, Laksmî and and Sarasvatî, respectively, these three Devas, Hara, etc. were performing their tasks, preserving, etc. O King! Once on a time, certain Dânavas, named Halâhalas were born. In time, they became very powerful and in a short time conquered the three worlds. What more than this, that they being elated with the boon granted to them by Brahmâ, took their forces and invested the Mount Kailâs’a and the Vaikuntha regions!
Seeing this, Mahâ Deva and Visnu both made preparations for war. A terrible fight ensued between both the parties. For sixty thousand years the battle lasted incessantly but the result was stalemate. Gradually there was a great cry of consternation in the two parties. When S’iva and Visnu with great effort destroyed the Dânavas. O King! S’iva and Visnu then returned to their own houses and began to brag of their powers before their own S’aktis Gaurî and Laksmî; whereas the Demons were killed on account of the S’aktis of Gaurî and Laksmî. Seeing them boast, Gaurî and Laksmî laughed not sincerely whereon the two gods were very much angry. They under the magic spell of the Prime Mâyâ insulted them and even used offensive languages. Gaurî and Laksmî quitted them and disappeared. A great uproar then arose in the worlds.
Both Hari and Hara became lustreless due to their insulting the two S’aktis. They become powerless and unconscious and turned out mad. Seeing this Brahmâ became very anxious. Hari and Hara are the two chief Deities; how then these two have become unable to perform the actions of the world! What is the cause? Why this calamity has sprung up out of season? Will there be a Pralaya (a general dissolution) of the world out of some offence, when no actions are being done! I know nothing about this. So how can I find a remedy! Being thus very distressed, he began to meditate with his eyes closed in the fourth dimensional space in the heart. O King! The Lotus born Brahmâ then found out by his meditation that this calamity was brought about by the great wrath of the Parâ S’akti. He then tried to find out the remedy until Hari and Hara did not regain the former natural position. Brahmâ began by his own S’akti to carry on the functions of them both, viz., that of preservation and destruction for some time. The religious-minded Prajâpati quickly called his son Manu and Sanaka, etc., the Risis, for bringing peace on the two great Gods! When they came to him, the great ascetic four-faced Brahmâ told them :-- “I am now busy with many more works; so I am unable carry on my tapasyâ? By the wrath of the Highest Force, Hari and Hara have become somewhat distracted; so for the satisfaction of the Parâ S'akti I am performing the three functions, i.e., those of Creation, Preservation and Destruction. So you both practise this hard tapasyâ with the greatest devotion and bring about Her satisfaction. O sons! Do such as Hari and Hara gain their former states and then be united with their own S’aktis respectively. Your fame will increase thereby, no doubt. Rather that family where the two S’aktis will take their birth, will purify the whole world and that man himself will be crowned with success.”
45. Vyâsa said :-- O King! The pure-hearted Daksa and other mind-born sons of Brahmâ, hearing the words of the Grandsire expressed their desire to worship the Parâ S’akti and went to the forest.
Here ends the Twenty-ninth Chapter of the Seventh Book on birth of the Bhagavatî in the house of Daksa in the Mahâpurânam S'rî Mad Devî Bhâgavatam, of 18,000 verses, by Maharsi Veda Vyâsa.