Devi Mahatmya
The Devi Mahatmya ( Sanskrit : n, देवी माहात्म्य. Durga Saptshati , lit .: glory of the goddess), and Durga Saptasati or after their name Chandi called, is in Hinduism next to the Devi Bhagavata one of the most important writings of the worshipers of Devi , the goddess. With its thirteen chants it forms part of the Markandeya Purana and consists of chapters 78 to 90 and these in turn of 577 mantras. The author is the mythical sage Vyasa , of whom u. a. also the great epic Mahabharata and the classification of the Vedas should come from .
The Devi Mahatmya is one of the main scripts of Shaktism and its origin can be dated to the 6th century. The oldest surviving manuscript is from the 11th century.
meaning
In the religious life of many followers of the Indian goddess, especially in Bengal and partly in Kerala , the Devi Mahatmya plays an essential role: What the Bhagavadgita means to a worshiper of Vishnu , this script is for the worshipers of the goddess. Many believers read individual verses from it daily for devotion, each of which is a mantra . On special occasions, it is often common to sing the entire work or, in modern times, listen to it on a tape recorder. Especially at the multi-day autumn festival, the Durga Puja , which especially believers in Bengal celebrate enthusiastically, the songs are extremely important. On this most important feast day of the goddess Durga , the songs are not only heard on the radio early in the morning, they are also part of the worship during the ceremonies .
mythology
The narrator of the Devi Mahatmya is a sage, the Rishi Sumedhas, who recites the hymn to the glory of the goddess to a king who has been deprived of his kingdom and to a merchant who has been hunted from his house. Both had come to him in the forest and asked for spiritual help out of their misery. The Rishi urged them to worship the goddess and to repent, beginning with the following words:
“She is eternal, embodied as the universe. Everything is permeated by it. Even so, it incarnates in many forms. Hear the story! "
The work then deals with the various manifestations of the Durga in their struggle against evil, represented by several Asuras , the opponents of the heavenly Devas . Just like the Devi Bhagavata , the most popular part tells in mythological form the story of her fight against the buffalo demon Mahisasura, embodiment of ignorance and spiritual darkness. This is the mythological background of the Durga puja:
Durga killed the buffalo demon along with his army in battle. At the urgent request of the heavenly devas , she appeared because they were terrorized by Mahisasura. After harsh asceticism, meditation and prayer, Brahma had granted him the wish that he would only find death at the hand of a woman. Since he did not trust any female being to have this ability, his lust for power grew and in his boundless arrogance he finally rose to become the ruler of heaven. Everyone should worship him. Shiva and Vishnu became angry when they heard of his goings-on, and in their anger a bright light sprang from their faces, which combined with the lights from the bodies of the other heavenly ones into one and finally took the form of a beautiful woman. Shiva and Vishnu as well as all the others handed her weapons: Shiva gave a second from his trident, Vishnu a second from his disc and each of the heavenly devas gave an exact copy of his emblem. From Surya , the sun, she received the shining rays that shine out of all pores of her skin - Kala, the time, gave a sword, the Himalayas a magnificent lion as a mount. Finally the goddess went into battle with "loud roaring laughter". The mountains swayed, the universe shook, and the seas overflowed. The demon constantly changed its forms during the fight, was buffalo, lion, elephant - until she finally defeated him in his buffalo form.
After the victory, however, more Asuras fell upon the heavenly ones and again they pleaded with the goddess for help. During the fight, the terrible black Kali manifested itself on her forehead . A group of goddesses, the "Seven Mothers", also emerged from Durga and fought for them. When the enemies accused her of an unfair fight, she took all the emanations back and laughed out loud and declared that they were all just her own forms .
In addition to the popular stories, the work also contains important spiritual statements that are hidden in the multilayered levels of meaning. In this context, the hymns from Chapters I, IV, V, and IX, which are often sung as prayers at festivals and church services, are of particular importance. Among other things, the song of praise of the heavenly ones after Durga's victory over the buffalo demon is a popular hymn (excerpt):
- O Devi,
- you are Bhagavati, the highest wisdom,
- the cause of salvation is .....
- You, the highest knowledge,
- are cared for by the wise who hope for salvation .....
- You are the soul of Brahman .
- You are the source of the pure hymns in the Vedas.
- You are Bhagavati who embodies the three Vedas .
- You are the food that sustains life.
- You are the one who takes away the pain of the whole world.
- O Devi, you are the wisdom who understands the meaning of the scriptures.
- (4.9-11)
In the various chapters the goddess herself proclaims her message. In the twelfth chapter she gives the order to sing the song during the big festivals and promises her presence:
"I will never leave the place where this song is sung every day and I will be safely present." (12.9)
A dance drama based on this work, probably in the 14th or 15th century, is performed every year in Kathmandu under the name Mahakali pyakhan .
literature
- Swami Siddhinathananda: Devi Mahatmyam. Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, Bombay 1995