{CHAPTER 12} *****{Eulogy of the Merits}
The Devi said:
1-2. ‘And whoever with a concentrated mind shall pray to me constantly with these, hymns, I shall without doubt put down every trouble of his.
3. ‘And those who shall laud (the story of) the destruction of Madhu and Kaitabha, the slaughter Nisumbha likewise.
4-5. ‘And those also who shall listen with devotion to this sublime poem on my greatness on the eighth, the fourteenth and on the ninth days of the fortnight with concentrated mind, to them nothing wrong shall happen, nor calamities that arise from wrong doings nor poverty and never separation from beloved ones.
6. ‘He shall not experience fear from enemies, or from robbers and kings, or from weapon, fire and flood.
7. ‘Hence this poem of my greatness must be chanted by men of concentrated minds an dlistened to always with devotion; for it is the supreme course of well-being.
8. ‘May this poem of my glories quell all epidemic calamities, as also the threefold naturral calamities.
9. ‘The place of my sanctuary where this poem os duly chanted everyday, I will never forsake and there my presence is certain.
10. ‘When sacrifice is offered, during worship, in the fire-ceremony, and at a great festival, all this poem on my acts must be chanted and heard.
11. ‘I will accept with love the sacrifice and worship that are made and the fire-offering that is offered likewise, whethere they are done with due knowledge (of sacrifice) or not.
12-13. ‘During autumnal seasson, when the great annual worship is performed, the man hearing this glorification of mine with devotion shall certainly through my grace, be delivered without doubt from all troubles and be blessed with riches, grains and children.
14. ‘Hearing this glorification and auspicious appearances of mine, and my feats of prowess in battles, a man becomes fearless.
15. ‘Enemies perish, welfare accrues and the family rejoices for those who listen to this glorification of mine.
16. ‘Let one listen to this glorification of mine everywhere, at a propitiatory ceremony, on seeing a bad dream, and when there is the great evil influence of planets.
17. ‘(By that means) evil protents subside, as also the unfavourable influence of planets, and the bad dream seen by men turns into a good dream.
18. ‘It creates peacefulness in children possessed by the seizes of children(i.e., evil spirits), and it is the best promoter of friendship among men when split occurs in their union.
19. ‘It diminishes most effectively the power of all men of evil ways. Verily demons, goblins, and ogres are destroyed by its mere chanting.
20-30. ‘This entire glorification of mine draws ( a devotee) very near to me. And by means of finest cattle, flowers, arghya and incenses, and by perfumes and lamps, by feeding Brahmanas, by oblations, by sprinkling (consecrated) water, and by various other offerings and gifts (if one worships) day and night in a year-the gratificattion, which is done to me, is attained by listening but once to this holy story of mine. The chanting and hearing of the story of my manifestations remove sins, and grant perfect health and protect one from evil spirits; and when my martial exploit in the form of the slaughter of the wicked daityas is listened to, men will have no fear from enemies. And the hymns uttered by you, and those by the divine sages, and those by Brahma bestow a pious mind. He who is (lost) on a lonesome spot in a forest, or is surrounded by forest fire, or who is surrounded by robbers in a desolate sopt, or who is captured by enemies, or who is pursued by a lion, or tiger, or by wild elephants in a forest, or who, under the orders of a wrathful kinng, is sentenced to death, or has been imprisoned, or who is tossed about in his boat by a tempest in the vast sea, or who is in the most terrible battle under shower of weapons, or who is amidst all kinds of dreadful troubles, or who is afflicted with pain – such a man on remembering this story of mine is saved from his strait. Through my power, lions etc., robbers and enemies, flee from a distance from him who remembers this story of mine.’ The Rishi said:
31-32. Having spoken thus the adorable Chandika, fierce in prowess, vanished on that very spot even as the Devas were gazing one.
33. Their foes having been killed, all the devas also were delivered from fear; all of them resumed their own duties as before and participated in their shares of sacrifices.
34-35. When the exceedingly valourous Sumbha and Nisumbha, the most fierce foes of devas, who brought ruin on the world, and who were unparallelled in prowess had been slain by the Devi in battle, the remaining daityas went away to Patala.
36. Thus O King, the adorable Devi, although eternal, incarnating again and again, protects the world.
37. By her this universe is deluded, and it is she who creates this universe. And when entreated, she bestows supreme knowledge, and whne propitiated, whe bestows prosperity.
38. By her, the Mahakali, who takes the form of the great destroyer at the end of time, all this cosmic sphere is pervaded.
39. She indeed takes the form of the great destroyer at the (proper) time. She, the unborn, indeed becomes this creation (at the time proper for re-creation), She herself, the eternal Being, sustains the beings at (another) time.
40. In times of prosperity, she indeed is Lakshmi, who bestows prosperity in the homes of men; and in times of misfortune, she herself becomes the goddess of misfortune, and brings about ruin.
41. When praised and worshipped with flowers, incense, perfumes, etc., she bestows wealth and sons, and a mind bent on righteousness and prosperous life. Here ends the twelfth chapter called ‘Eulogy of the Merits’ of Devi-mahatmya in the period of Markandya-purana, during the period of Savarni, the Manu.
