Chapter XLIX
On the anecdote of Surabhi
1. Nârada said :– “O Bhagavân! Who was that Surabhi, who came down from the region of Goloka. I want to hear Her life. Kindly describe.”
2-23. Nârâyana spoke :– “O Devarsi! The Devî Surabhi sprang in the Goloka. She was the first in the creation of cows; and, from Her, all the other cows have come. She is the Presiding Deity of the cows. I will now speak Her history from the very beginning. Hear. Before, She appeared in the holy Vrindâban. One day the Lord of Râdhâ, surrounded by the Gopîs, was going gladly with Râdhâ to the Holy Vrindâvan. There he began to enjoy in a solitary place with great pleasure. He is All Will and suddenly a desire arose in His mind that He would drink milk. Then He created easily the Devî Surabhi, full of milk, with Her calf, from His own left side. The calf of Surabhi is nothing else but Her wish personified. Seeing Surabhi, S’rîdâma milked Her in a new earthen jar. The milk is more sweet than even the nectar and it prevents birth and death! The Lord of the Gopîs drank the milk. What milk dropped out of the jar, created a big tank! The tank measured one hundred Yojanas in length and in breadth and is known in Goloka by the name of Ksîrasâgara. The Gopîkas and Râdhâ play therein. At the will of S’rî Krisna, Whose Nature is All Will, that tank become full of excellent gems and jewels. Then, from every pore of Surabhi, there appeared suddenly one lakh koti Kâmadhenus (cows who yields according to one’s desires). So much so that every Gopa who used to live there in Goloka had one Kâmadhenu and each house had one such. Their calves again became so many that no limit can be put to them. Thus, by degrees, the whole universe was filled with cows. This is the origin of the Cow Creation. O Nârada! Surabhi was first worshipped by Bhagavân S’rî Krisna. Therefore She is so much honoured everywhere. On the day next the Divâlî night (new moon in the month of October), Surabhi was worshipped by the command of S’rî Krisna. This is heard from the mouth of Dharma Deva. O Child! Now hear the Dhyânam, Stotra, and the method of worship of Surabhi as mentioned in the Vedas. I will now speak on this. “Om Surabhyai namah,” is the principal six-lettered mantra of Surabhi. If anybody repeats this mantra one lakh times, he becomes Siddha in this mantra. This is like Kalpa Vriksa (a tree yielding all desires) to the devotees. The Dhyânam of Surabhi is mentioned in the Yajur Vedas. Success, prosperity, increase and freedom come as the result of worshipping Surabhi. The Dhyânam runs as follows :– “O Devî Surabhi! Thou art Laksmî, Thou art best, Thou art Râdhâ; Thou art the chief companion of S’rî Râdhâ, Thou art the first and the source of the cow-creation, Thou art holy and Thou sanctifiest the persons; Thou fufillest the desires of the devotees and Thou purifiest the whole universe. Therefore I meditate on Thee.” Reciting this Dhyânam, the Brâhmanas worship the Devî Surabhi in jars, on the heads of cows, or on the pegs where cows are fastened or on S’âlagrâma stone or in water or in fire. O Muni! He who worships with devotion on the next day morning after Divâlî night, becomes also worshipped in this world. Once a day in the Vârâhakalpa Surabhi did not yield milk, by the influence of Visnu Mâyâ. The Devas became very anxious. Then they went to the Brahmaloka and began to praise Brahmâ. At His advice, Indra began to chant hymns (Stotra) to Surabhi :–
24-33. The Devendra said :– “O World-Mother! O Devî! O Mahâ Devî! O Surabhi! Thou art the source of the cow creation. Obeisance to Thee! Thou art the dear companion of Râdhâ; Thou art the part of Kamalâ; Thou art dear to S’rî Krisna; Thou art the mother of cows, I bow down to Thee. Thou art like the Kalpa Vriksa (a tree yielding all desires), Thou art the Chief of all; Thou yieldest milk, wealth and prosperity and increase thereof. So I bow down to Thee. Thou art auspicious, Thou art good, Thou bestowest cows. Obeisance to Thee! Thou givest fame, name and Dharma. So I bow down to Thee.” O Nârada! Thus hearing the praise sung by Indra, the eternal Surabhi, the originator of the world, became very glad and appeared in the Brahmaloka. Granting boon to Mahendra, so very rare to others and desired by him, Subrabhi went to the Goloka.
Here ends the Forty-ninth Chapter of the Ninth Book on the anecdote of Surabhi in the Mahâ Purânam S’rî Mad Devî Bhâgavatam of 18,000 verses by Maharsi Veda Vyâsa.
Chapter L
On the Glory of S’akti
1-4. Nârada said :– “O Bhagavân! I have heard all the anecdotes of Prakriti, as according to the S’âstras, that lead to the freedom from birth and death in this world. Now I want to hear the very secret history of S’rî Râdhâ and Durgâ as described in the Vedas. Though you have told me about their glories, yet I am not satisfied. Verily, where is he whose heart does not melt away on hearing the glories of both of them! This world is originated from their parts and is being controlled by them. The devotion towards them frees one easily from the bonds of Samsâra (rounds of birth and death). O Muni! Kindly describe now about them.”
5-44. Nârâyana said :– O Nârada! I am now describing the characters of Râdhâ and Durgâ, as described in the Vedas; listen. I did not describe to anybody this Secret which is the Essence of all essences and Higher than the highest. This is to be kept very secret. Hearing this, one ought not to divulge it to any other body. Râdhâ presides over the Prâna and Durgâ presides over the Buddhi. From these two, the Mûlaprakriti has originated this world. These two S’aktis guide the whole world. From the Mahâvirât to the small insect, all, moving or non-moving, are under the Mûlaprakriti. One must satisfy them. Unless these two be satisfied, Mukti cannot be obtained.
Therefore one ought to serve Mûla Prakriti for Her satisfaction. Now of the two in Mûla Prakriti, I will describe fully the Râdhâ Mantra. Listen. Brahmâ, Visnu, and others always worship this mantra. The principal mantra is “S’rî Râdhâyai Svâhâ.” By this six lettered mantra Dharma and other fruits all are obtained with ease. If to this six lettered Mûla mantra Hrîm be added, it yields gems and jewels as desired. So much so, if thousand koti mouths and one hundred koti tongues are obtained, the glory of this mantra cannot be described. When the incorporeal voice of Mûla Prakriti was heard in the Heavens, this mantra was obtained, first by Krisna in the Râsa Mandalam in the region of Goloka where all love sentiments are played. (The Vedas declare him as Raso vai Sah). From Krisna, Visnu got the Mantra; from Visnu, Brahmâ got; from Brahmâ
Virât got, from Virât, Dharma, and from Dharma I have got this Mantra. Repeating that Mantra, I am known by the name of Risi. Brahmâ and the other Devas meditate always on the Mûla Prakriti with greatest joy and ecstasy. Without the worship of Râdhâ, never can the worship of S’rî Krisna be done. So men, devoted to Visnu, should first of all worship Râdhâ by all means. Râdhâ is the Presiding Deity of the Prâna of S’rî Krisna. Hence S’rî Krisna is so much subject to Râdhâ. The Lady of the Râsa Mandalam remains always close to Him. Without Her S’rî Krisna could not live even for a moment. The name Râdhâ is derived from “Râdhnoti” or fulfills all desires. Hence Mûla Prakriti is termed Râdhâ. I am the Risi of all the mantras but the Durgâ Mantra mentioned in this Ninth Skandha. Gâyatrî is the chhanda (mantra) of those mantras and Râdhikâ is the Devatâ of them. Really, Nârâyana is the Risi of all the mantras; Gâyatrî is the chhanda; Prânava (om) is the Vîja (seed) and Bhuvanes’varî (the Directrix of the world) is the S’akti. First of all the principal mantra is to be repeated six times; then meditation of the great Devî Râdhikâ, the S’akti of the Risis is to be done, as mentioned in the Sâma Veda. The meditation of Râdhâ is as follows :– O Devî Radhike! Thy colour is like white Champaka flower; Thy face is like the autumnal Full Moon; Thy body shines with the splendour of ten million moons, Thy eyes look beautiful like autumnal lotus; Thy lips are red like Bimba fruits, Thy loins are very heavy and decked with the girdle (Kânchî) ornament; Thy face is always gracious with sweet smiles; Thy breasts defy the frontal globe of an elephant. Thou art ever youthful as if twelve years old; Thy body is adorned all over with ornaments! Thou art the waves of the ocean of S’ringâra (love sentiments.) Thou art ever ready to show Thy grace to the devotees; on Thy braid of hair garlands of Mallikâ and Mâlatî are shining; Thy body is like a creeping plant, very gentle and tender; Thou art seated in the middle of Râsa Mandalam as the Chief Directrix; Thy one hand is ready to grant boons and another hand expresses “Have no fear.” Thou art of a peaceful appearance; Thou art ever youthful; Thou art seated on a jewel throne; Thou art the foremost guide of the Gopîkâs; Thou art dearer to Krisna than even His life; O Parame’svarî! The Vedas reveal Thy nature. Meditating thus, one is to bathe the Devî on a S’âlagrâma stone, jar, yantra or the eight petalled lotus and then worship Her duly. First the Devî is to be invoked; then Pâdya and Âsana, etc., are to be offered, the principal Mantra being pronounced at every time an offering is given. After giving water for washing both the feet, Arghya is to be placed on the head and Âchamanîyam water to be offered three times on the face. Madhuparka (an oblation of honey, milk etc.) and a cow giving a good quantity of milk are next to be offered. Then the yantra is to be thought of as the bathing place where the Devî is to be bathed. Then Her body is to be wiped and a fresh cloth given for putting on. Sandalpaste and various other ornaments are next to be given. Various garlands of flowers with Tulasî Manjari (flower stalks) Pârijâta flower and Satapatra etc., then, are to be offered. Then within the eight petals, the family members of the Devî are to be thought of; worship is next to be offered in the right hand direction (with the hands of the watch). First of all, Mâlâvatî on the petal in front of (on the east) the Devî, then Mâdhavî on the southeast corner, then Ratnamâlâ on the south, Sus’îlâ on the south-west, Sas’ikalâ on the west, Pârijâta on the north-west, Parâvatî on the north and the benefactious Sundarî on the north-east corner are to be worshipped in order. Outside this, Brâhmî and the other Mâtrikâs are to be worshipped and on the Bhûpûras (the entrances of the yantra,) the Regents of the quarters, the Dikpâlas and the weapons of the Devî, thunderbolt, etc., are to be worshipped . Then all the attendant Deities of the Devî are to be worshipped with scents and various other articles. Thus finishing the worship, one should chant the Stotra (hymns) named Sahasra-nâma (thousand names) Stotra with care and devotion. O Nârada! The intelligent man who worships thus the Râses’varî Devî Râdhâ, becomes like Visnu and goes to the Goloka.
He who performs the birthday anniversary of S’rî Râdhâ on the Full-Moon day of the month of Kârtik, gets the blessings of S’rî Râdhâ who remains near to him. For some reason Râdhâ, the dweller in Goloka was born in Brindâban as the daughter of Vrisavânu. However, according to the number of letters of the mantras that are mentioned in this chapter, Purascharana is to be made and Homa, one-tenth of Purascharana, is to be then performed. The Homa is to be done with ghee, honey, and milk; the three sweet things mixed with Til and with devotion.
45. Nârada said :– “O Bhagavân; Now describe the Stotra (hymn) Mantra by which the Devî is pleased.”
46-100. Nârâyana said :– O Nârada! Now I am saying the Râdhâ Stotra. Listen. O Thou, the Highest Deity, the Dweller in Râsa Mandalam! I bow down to Thee; O Thou, the Chief Directrix of the Râsa Mandalam; O Thou dearer to Krisna than His life even, I bow down to Thee. O Thou, the Mother of the three Lokas! O Thou the Ocean of mercy! Be pleased. Brahmâ, Visnu and the other Devas bow down before Thy lotus feet. Thou art Sarasvatî; Thou art Savitrî; Thou art S’ankarî; I bow down to Thee; Thou art Gangâ; Thou art Padmâvatî; Thou art Sasthî; Thou art Mangalâ Chandikâ; Thou art Manasâ; Thou art Tulasî; Thou art Durgâ; Thou art Bhagavatî; Thou art Laksmî; Thou art all, I bow down to Thee. Thou art the Mûla Prakriti; Thou art the Ocean of mercy. Obeisance to Thee! Be merciful to us and save us from this ocean of Samsâra (round of birth and death). O Nârada! Anybody who remembers Râdhâ and reads this Stotra three times a day does not feel the want of anything in this world. He will ultimately go to Goloka and remain in the Râsa Mandalam. O Child This great secret ought never to be given out to any. Now I am telling you the method of worship of the Durgâ Devî. Hear. When any one remembers Durgâ in this world, all his difficulties and troubles are removed. It is not seen that anybody does not remember Durgâ. She is the object of worship of all. She is the Mother of all and the Wonderful S’akti of Mahâdeva. She is the Presiding Deity of the intellect (Buddhi) of all and She controls the hearts of all and She removes the great difficulties and dangers of all. Therefore She is named Durgâ in the world. She is worshipped by all, whether a S’aiva or a Vaisnava. She is the Mûla Prakriti and from Her the creation, preservation and destruction of the universe proceed. O Nârada! Now I am saying the principal nine lettered Durgâ Mantra, the best of all the Mantras. “Aim Hrîm Klîm Châmundâyai Vichche” is the nine lettered Vîja mantra of S’rî Durgâ; it is like a Kalpa Vriksa yielding all desires. One should worship this mantra by all means. Brahmâ, Visnu, and Mahes’a are the Risis of this mantra; Gâyatrî, Usnik and Anusthubha are the chhandas; Mahâkâlî, Mahâ Laksmî and Sarasvatî are the Devatâs; Rakta Dantikâ, Durgâ, and Bhrâmarî are the Vîjas. Nandâ, Sâkambharî, and Bhîmâ are the S’aktis and Dharma (Virtue), Artha (wealth) and Kâma (desires), are the places of application (Viniyoga). Assign the head to the Risi of the mantra (Nyâsa); assign the chhandas to the mouth and assign the Devatâ to the heart. Then assign the S’akti to the right breast for the success and assign the Vîja to the left breast.
Then perform the Sadamga Nyâsa as follows :– Aim Hridayâya namah, Hrîm S’irase Svâhâ, Klîm S’ikhâyâm Vasat, Châmundâyai Kavachâya Hum, Vichche Netrâbhyâm Vausat, “Aim Hrîm Klîm Châmundâyai Vichche” Karatalaprisihâbhyâm Phat. Next say touching the corresponding parts of the body :– “Aim namah S’ikhâyâm, Hrîm Namah” on the right eye; “Klîm Namah” on the left eye, “Châm Namah” on the right ear, “Mum namah” on the left ear, ndam Namah” on the nostrils; “Vim Namah” on the face; “Chchem Namah” on the anus and finally “Aim Hrîm Klîm Châmundâyai Vichche” on the whole body. Then do the meditation (dhyân) thus :– “O Châmunde! Thou art holding in Thy ten hands ten weapons, viz., Khadga (axe), Chakra (disc), Gadâ (club), Vâna (arrows), Châpa (bow), Parigha, Sûla (spear), Bhûs’undî Kapâla, and Khadga. Thou art Mahâ Kâlî; Thou art three-eyed; Thou art decked with various ornaments. Thou shinest like Lilânjan (a kind of black pigment). Thou hast ten faces and ten feet. The Lotus born Brahmâ chanted hymns to Thee for the destruction of Madhu Kaitabha; I bow down to Thee.” Thus one should meditate on Mahâ Kâlî, of the nature of Kâmavîja (the source whence will comes). Then the Dhyânam of Mahâ Laksmî runs as follows :– O Mahâ Laksmî, the destroyer of Mahisâsura! Thou holdest the garland of Aksa (a kind of seed), Paras’u (a kind of axe), Gadâ (club), Isu (arrows), Kulis’a (the thunderbolt) Padmâ (Lotus), Dhanu (bow), Kundikâ (a student’s waterpot), Kamandalu, Danda (rod for punishment), S’akti (a kind of weapon), Asi (sword), Charma (shield) Padmâ (a kind of waterlily), Ghantâ (bell,) S’urâpâtra (a pot to hold liquor), S’ûla (pickaxe), Pâs’a (noose) and Sudarsana (a kind of weapon). Thy colour is of the Rising Sun. Thou art seated on the red Lotus. Thou art of the nature Mâyâvîja (the source whence female energy comes). So Obeisance to Thee! (The Vîja and the Devî are one and identical). Next comes the Dhyânam of Mahâ Sarasvatî as follows :– O Mahâ Sarasvatî! Thou holdest bell, pickaxe, plough (Hala), Conch shell, Musala (a kind of club), Sudars’ana, bow and arrows. Thy colour is like Kunda flower; Thou art the destroyer of S’umbha and the other Daityas; Thou art of the nature of Vânîvîja (the source whence knowledge, speech comes). Thy body is filled with everlasting existence, intelligence and bliss. Obeisance to Thee! O Nârada! Now I am going to say on the Yantra of Mahâ Sarasvatî. Listen. First draw a triangle. Draw inside the triangle eight petalled lotus having twenty-four leaves. Within this draw the house. Then on the Yantra thus drawn, or in the S’âlagrâma stone, or in the jar, or in image, or in the Vânalingam, or on the Sun, one should worship the Devî with oneness of heart. Then worship the Pîtha, the deities seated also on the dais, i.e., Jayâ, Vîjayâ, Ajitâ, Aghorâ, Mangalâ and other Pîtha S’aktis. Then worship the attendant deities called Âvarana Pûjâ :– Brahmâ with Sarasvatî on the east, Nârâyana with Laksmî on the Nairirit corner, S’ankara with Pârvatî on the Vâyu corner, the Lion on the north of the Devî, and Mahâsura on the left side of the Devî; finally worship Mahisa (buffalo). Next worship Nandajâ, Raktadantâ, S’akambharî, S’ivâ, Durgâ, Bhîmâ, and Bhrâmarî. Then on the eight petals worship Brahmâ, Mahes’varî, Kaumârî, Vaisnavî, Vârâhî, Nâra Simhî, Aindrî, and Châmundâ. Next commencing from the leaf in front of the Devî, worship on the twenty four leaves Visnu Mâyâ, Chetanâ, Buddhi, Nidrâ (sleep), hunger, shadow, S’akti, thirst, peace, species (Jâti), modesty, faith, fame, Laksmî (wealth), fortitude, Vriti, S’ruti, memory, mercy, Tusti, Pusti (nourishment), Bhrânti (error) and other Mâtrikâs. Next on the corners of the Bhûpura (gates of the Yantra), Ganes’a Ksettrapâlas, Vatuka and Yoginîs are to be worshipped. Then on the outside of that Indra and the other Devas furnished with weapons are to be worshipped as per the aforesaid rules. For the satisfaction of the World-Mother various nice offerings and articles like those given by the royal personages are to be presented to the Mother; then the mantra is to be repeated, understanding its exoteric and esoteric meanings. Then Saptas’ati stitra (Chandî pâtha) is to be repeated before the Devî. There is no other stotra like this in the three worlds. Thus Durgâ, the Deity of the Devas, is to be appeased every day. He who does this gets within his easy reach Dharma, Artha, Kâma, and Moksa, the four main objects of human pursuits (virtue, wealth, enjoyment and final beatitude). O Nârada! Thus I have described to you the method of worship of the Devî Durgâ. People get by this what they want. Hari, Brahmâ, and all the Devas, Manus, Munis, the Yogîs full of knowledge, the Âs’ramîs, and Laksmî and the other Devas all meditate on S’ivânî. One’s birth is attained with success at the remembrance of Durgâ. The fourteen Manus have got their Manuship and the Devas their own rights by meditating on the lotus feet of Durgâ. O Nârada! Thus I have described to you the very hidden histories of the Five Prakritis and their parts. Then, verily, the four objects of human pursuits Dharma, Artha, Kâma and Moksa are obtained by hearing this. He who has no sons gets sons, who has no learning gets learning and whoever wants anything gets that if he hears this. The Devî Jagaddhâtrî becomes certainly pleased with him who reads with his mind concentrated on this for nine nights before the Devî. The Devî becomes obedient to him who daily reads one chapter of this Ninth Skandha and the reader also does what is acceptable to the Devî. To ascertain before-hand what effects, merits or demerits, would accrue from reading this Bhâgavata, it is necessary by examining through the hands of a virgin girl or a Brâhmin child, the auspicious or inauspicious signs. First make a Sankalpa (resolve) and worship the book. Then bow down again and again to the Devî Durgâ. Then bring there a virgin girl, bathed well and worship her duly and have a golden pencil fixed duly in her hand and placed in the middle on the body. Then calculate the auspicious or inauspicious effects, as the case may be, from the curves made by that pencil. So the effects of reading this Bhâgavata would be. If the virgin girl be indifferent in fixing the pencil within the area drawn, know the result of reading the Bhâgavata would be similar. There is no doubt in this.
Here ends the Fiftieth Chapter of the Ninth Book on the Glory of S’akti in the Mahâpurânam S’rîmad Devî Bhâgavatam of 18,000 verses by Maharsi Veda Vyâsa.
Here ends the Ninth Book.
