नमः परदेवतायै
मातर्मे मधुकैटभघ्नि महिषप्राणापहारोद्यमे
हेलानिर्जितधूम्रलोचनवधे हे चण्डमुण्डार्दिनि |
निश्शेषीकृतरक्तबीजदनुजे नित्ये निशुम्भापहे
शुम्भध्वंसिनि संहराशु दुरितं दुर्गे नमस्तेऽंबिके ||
अष्टौ भुजाङ्गीं महिषस्य मर्दिनीं
सशङ्खचक्रां शरशूलधारिणीम् |
तां दिव्ययोगीं सहजातवेदसीं
दुर्गां सदा शरणमहं प्रपद्ये ||
महिषमस्तकनृत्तविनोदन-
स्फुटरणन्मणिनूपुरमेखला |
जननरक्षणमोक्षविधायिनी
जयतु शुम्भनिशुम्भनिषूदिनी ||
ब्रह्माणी कमलेन्दुसौम्यवदना माहेश्वरी लीलया
कौमारी रिपुदर्पनाशनकरी चक्रायुधा वैष्णवी |
वाराही घनघोरघर्घरमुखी दंष्ट्री च वज्रायुधा
चामुण्डा गणनाथरुद्रसहिता रक्षन्तु मां मातरः ||
उद्धतौ मधुकैटभौ महिषासुरं च निहत्य तं
धूम्रलोचनचण्डमुण्डक रक्तबीजमुखांश्च तान् |
दुष्टशुम्भनिशुम्भमर्दिनि नन्दितामरवन्दिते
विष्टपत्रयतुष्टिकारिणि भद्रकालि नमोऽस्तु ते ||
लक्ष्मीप्रदानसमये नवविद्रुमाभां
विद्याप्रदानसमये शरदिन्दुशुभ्राम् |
विद्वेषिवर्गविजयेऽपि तमालनीलां
देवीं त्रिलोकजननीं शरणं प्रपद्ये ||
चन्द्रहासं त्रिशूलं च शङ्खचक्रगदास्तथा |
धनुर्बाणं च मुसलं पिङ्गलं मुष्टिमेव च ||
पाशाङ्कुशमुसृण्ठीश्च मुद्गरं परशुं तथा |
वज्रायुधं च कुन्तं च खट्वाङ्गं च हलायुधम् ||
तूणीरं क्षुरिकां मुद्रां तोमरं पानपात्रकम् |
पट्टसं दण्डनागं च कुन्तदन्तौ तथैव च ||
दर्पणं रुद्रवीणां च बिभ्रद् द्वात्रिंशदोस्तलाम् |
पद्मरागप्रभां देवीं बालार्ककिरणात्मिकाम् ||
रक्तवस्त्रपरीधानां रक्तमाल्यानुलेपनाम् |
दशपादाम्बुजां देवीं दशमण्डलपूरिताम् ||
दशाननां त्रिनेत्रां च समुन्नतपयोधराम् |
एवं ध्यायेन्महाचण्डीं महिषासुरमर्दिनीम् ||
सर्वदारिद्र्यशमनीं सर्वदुःखनिवारिणीम् |
ब्रह्माण्डमध्यजिह्वां तां महावक्त्रकरालिनीम् ||
दशसाहस्रदोर्दण्डां नानाशस्त्रास्त्रधारिणीम् |
विचित्रायुधसन्नद्धां विश्वरूपां शिवात्मिकाम् ||
दानवान्तकरीं देवीं रक्तबीजवधोद्यताम् |
रक्तवस्त्रधरां चण्डीं भीषणामतिभैरवाम् ||
सम्पूर्णयौवनां लक्ष्मीं कालिकां कमलाननाम् |
मधुकैटभसंहर्त्रीं महिषासुरमर्दिनीम् ||
चण्डमुण्डशिरच्छेत्रीं सर्वदैत्यनिषूदिनीम् |
रक्तबीजस्य संहर्त्रीमशेषासुरभक्षिणीम् ||
निशुम्भशुम्भमथनीमशेषायुधधारिणीम् |
महाब्रह्माण्डमालाङ्गीं सर्वाभरणभूषिताम् ||
वेतालवाहनारूढां सिंहव्याघ्रादिवाहनाम् |
बलिहोमप्रियां वन्दे मधुमज्जोपहारिणीम् ||
फलश्रुतिः
य इदं शृणुयान्नित्यं त्रिसन्ध्यं यः पठेन्नरः |
ऋणकोट्यापहरणं रोगदारिद्र्यनाशनम् ||
सर्वसिद्धिकरं पुण्यं सर्वकामफलप्रदम् |
भक्तानन्दकरीं देवीं परब्रह्मस्वरूपिणीम् ||
तामष्टादशपीठस्थां त्रिपुरामधिदेवताम् |
वन्दे विश्वेश्वरीं देवीं भुक्तिमुक्तिफलप्रदाम् ||
इदं सप्तशतीध्यानं सर्वरक्षाकरं नृणाम् |
रसं रसायनं सिद्ध्येत् गुळिकाञ्जनसिद्धिदम् ||
पादुकायुगळं सिद्ध्येत् मन्त्रसिद्धिकरं नृणाम् |
सौन्दर्यराजसम्मानपुत्रपौत्राभिवर्धनम् ||
ऐश्वर्यलाभविजयभुक्तिमुक्तिप्रदायकम् |
सदा सन्निहितां लक्ष्मीं चण्डिकां परदेवताम् ||
स्मरेन्नित्यं प्रयत्नेन षण्मासात् प्राप्यते फलम् |
महाभयापहरणं शत्रुक्षयकरं तथा ||
अचलां श्रियमाप्नोति सर्वव्याधिविनाशनम् |
अन्ते स्वर्गं च मोक्षं च सत्यमेव न संशयः ||
mātarme madhukaiṭabhaghni mahiṣaprāṇāpahārodyame
helānirjitadhūmralocanavadhe he caṇḍamuṇḍārdini |
niśśeṣīkṛtaraktabījadanuje nitye niśumbhāpahe
śumbhadhvaṃsini saṃharāśu duritaṃ durge namaste.aṃbike ||
aṣṭau bhujāṅgīṃ mahiṣasya mardinīṃ
saśaṅkhacakrāṃ śaraśūladhāriṇīm |
tāṃ divyayogīṃ sahajātavedasīṃ
durgāṃ sadā śaraṇamahaṃ prapadye ||
mahiṣamastakanṛttavinodana-
sphuṭaraṇanmaṇinūpuramekhalā |
jananarakṣaṇamokṣavidhāyinī
jayatu śumbhaniśumbhaniṣūdinī ||
brahmāṇī kamalendusaumyavadanā māheśvarī līlayā
kaumārī ripudarpanāśanakarī cakrāyudhā vaiṣṇavī |
vārāhī ghanaghoraghargharamukhī daṃṣṭrī ca vajrāyudhā
cāmuṇḍā gaṇanātharudrasahitā rakṣantu māṃ mātaraḥ ||
uddhatau madhukaiṭabhau mahiṣāsuraṃ ca nihatya taṃ
dhūmralocanacaṇḍamuṇḍaka raktabījamukhāṃśca tān |
duṣṭaśumbhaniśumbhamardini nanditāmaravandite
viṣṭapatrayatuṣṭikāriṇi bhadrakāli namo.astu te ||
lakṣmīpradānasamaye navavidrumābhāṃ
vidyāpradānasamaye śaradinduśubhrām |
vidveṣivargavijaye.api tamālanīlāṃ
devīṃ trilokajananīṃ śaraṇaṃ prapadye ||
candrahāsaṃ triśūlaṃ ca śaṅkhacakragadāstathā |
dhanurbāṇaṃ ca musalaṃ piṅgalaṃ muṣṭimeva ca ||
pāśāṅkuśamusṛṇṭhīśca mudgaraṃ paraśuṃ tathā |
vajrāyudhaṃ ca kuntaṃ ca khaṭvāṅgaṃ ca halāyudham ||
tūṇīraṃ kṣurikāṃ mudrāṃ tomaraṃ pānapātrakam |
paṭṭasaṃ daṇḍanāgaṃ ca kuntadantau tathaiva ca ||
darpaṇaṃ rudravīṇāṃ ca bibhrad dvātriṃśadostalām |
padmarāgaprabhāṃ devīṃ bālārkakiraṇātmikām ||
raktavastraparīdhānāṃ raktamālyānulepanām |
daśapādāmbujāṃ devīṃ daśamaṇḍalapūritām ||
daśānanāṃ trinetrāṃ ca samunnatapayodharām |
evaṃ dhyāyenmahācaṇḍīṃ mahiṣāsuramardinīm ||
sarvadāridryaśamanīṃ sarvaduḥkhanivāriṇīm |
brahmāṇḍamadhyajihvāṃ tāṃ mahāvaktrakarālinīm ||
daśasāhasradordaṇḍāṃ nānāśastrāstradhāriṇīm |
vicitrāyudhasannaddhāṃ viśvarūpāṃ śivātmikām ||
dānavāntakarīṃ devīṃ raktabījavadhodyatām |
raktavastradharāṃ caṇḍīṃ bhīṣaṇāmatibhairavām ||
sampūrṇayauvanāṃ lakṣmīṃ kālikāṃ kamalānanām |
madhukaiṭabhasaṃhartrīṃ mahiṣāsuramardinīm ||
caṇḍamuṇḍaśiracchetrīṃ sarvadaityaniṣūdinīm |
raktabījasya saṃhartrīmaśeṣāsurabhakṣiṇīm ||
niśumbhaśumbhamathanīmaśeṣāyudhadhāriṇīm |
mahābrahmāṇḍamālāṅgīṃ sarvābharaṇabhūṣitām ||
vetālavāhanārūḍhāṃ siṃhavyāghrādivāhanām |
balihomapriyāṃ vande madhumajjopahāriṇīm ||
phalaśrutiḥ
ya idaṃ śṛṇuyānnityaṃ trisandhyaṃ yaḥ paṭhennaraḥ |
ṛṇakoṭyāpaharaṇaṃ rogadāridryanāśanam ||
sarvasiddhikaraṃ puṇyaṃ sarvakāmaphalapradam |
bhaktānandakarīṃ devīṃ parabrahmasvarūpiṇīm ||
tāmaṣṭādaśapīṭhasthāṃ tripurāmadhidevatām |
vande viśveśvarīṃ devīṃ bhuktimuktiphalapradām ||
idaṃ saptaśatīdhyānaṃ sarvarakṣākaraṃ nṛṇām |
rasaṃ rasāyanaṃ siddhyet gulikānjanasiddhidam ||
pādukāyugalaṃ siddhyet mantrasiddhikaraṃ nṛṇām |
saundaryarājasammānaputrapautrābhivardhanam ||
aiśvaryalābhavijayabhuktimuktipradāyakam |
sadā sannihitāṃ lakṣmīṃ caṇḍikāṃ paradevatām ||
smarennityaṃ prayatnena ṣaṇmāsāt prāpyate phalam |
mahābhayāpaharaṇaṃ śatrukṣayakaraṃ tathā ||
acalāṃ śriyamāpnoti sarvavyādhivināśanam |
ante svargaṃ ca mokṣaṃ ca satyameva na saṃśayaḥ ||
Amidst so many apparent dualities – dvaita/advaita, śūnyatā/brahman, spiritual/material, etc., there is one constant stream of light that seems to always bring balance – the grace of Parāśakti.
A few months ago, as I advised a student to regularly recite Durgā Saptaśatī, there seemed to be an inner voice telling me to listen to my own advice. That night, after an excessive amount of time spent on a Yogic Kriyā, the Dvādaśākṣarī mantra automatically transformed into Chaṇḍikā Navākṣarī and a form of Parāmbā appeared dazzling before the mind’s eye sporting thirty-two hands. The breath seemed to disappear and the awe-inspiring form of Ugrachaṇḍā caused both joy and fear in my mind. The only other time I experienced such fear was during the period of intense sādhanā of Vajravārāhī. The vision lasted for only a few seconds but it seemed like an instruction from Parāmbā to delve deep into Saptaśatī.
I made a saṅkalpa to recite Saptaśatī 1008 times and complete navalakṣa japa of Navārṇa mahāmantra. As always, the task was completed effortlessly thanks to the grace of Gurunātha. Having completed the final recitation on Friday, I decided to run to the park and indulge in a round or two of Taiji (Wu-Hao is my preferred form). It was dark, and as I practiced alone in a large park under a light (one never should practice any general Daoist art in total darkness), I noticed a large black woman slouching on a nearby bench. She held a bottle of alcohol in her hands and was staring at me with her abnormally large eyes. For some reason, that drunk lady appeared to be verily the divine mother herself, as Mātaṅgī swaying with the bliss generated by madhu; as Chaṇḍīkā who had consumed āsava to generate sāttvika-krōdha for the purpose of slaying tamōrūpī paśu. She stared at me with her ruddy eyes for a while and then said, “who is that Lady with you?” I looked around and saw none. As I contemplated whether to ignore her and leave the place, she said, “She has many hands, she looks like an angel” – there was not much I could say but simply stare at the drunk woman. It is generally my habit to dismiss such occurrences as unimportant and fanciful notions of a conditioned mind, but for once, I decided to not do that and take it as a sign of blessing from the Mother. Several signs and visions that followed for the next two days confirmed later that this was no apparition or aberration but indeed the overflowing grace of Parāmbā. Time and again, I continue to experience the reality of the statement – Kalau caṇḍī-vināyakau