[Peretool]

Sharad Navarathri started today. I have just finished my Puja.

On this occasion , I thought I should post on Devi Mahatmyam. The following post was written 10 years back.

I will be posting on Devi Mahatmyam on all the nine days. Facets of the bible of the Sakthas.

Devi Mahatmyam is also called Durga Sapthasathi. It is called Sri Sri Chandi in Bengal. It is part of Markendeya purana.

MAA CHANDI is the central figure in the epic. Chandi or Chandika has been defined by the St. Petersburg dictionary as "the violent and impetuous one". Chandika is a derivative from the adjective Chandi- "fierce, passionate".This epithet is applied to the Goddess a total of twenty-nine times (maximum for any epithet) in the Devi Mahatmyam. Again this epithetis not used in the first Charithra dealing with Madhu Kaitabha.

In light of this primacy of this designation of the Goddess, it is striking that the word Chandika hasvirtually no earlier history in Sanskrit. Neither the Vedas nor the epics Mahabharata and Ramayana refer to MAA by this name.

In all the Devi Mahaatmyam books the mantra "Nava Avarna Mantra" is given and the procedure for reciting the Mantra. This mantra is also known as Navakshari or Chandi Navakshari as it contains nine syllables. We call it just The CHANDI. During my travels all over India, I have found that this is the best-known mantra. All over North India you get photographs, calendars and Yantras with this Mantra inscribed.

MAA CHANDI is worshipped all over India. But in most of the places there are three Murthis or Pindas representing MAHAA KALI, MAHAA LAKSHMI, and MAHAA SARASWATHI. Vaishno Devi temple in Jammu and Mahaa Lakshmi temple in Mumbai (Bombay) are representatives of this.

MAA CHANDI in my opinion was worshipped extensively long time back in Tamil Nadu. The first time I heard the epithet was when my mother called my rebellious sister Chandi. She also used epithets like Kaali and Bhadra Kali. The term Chandi is used in Tamil to mean "irrepressible ". This describes the quality of MAA CHANDI. So I think that MAA CHANDI must have been well known in Tamil Nadu for the term to come into the language. But now though there is no old temple for Chandi, people perform Chandi Homam at the drop of a hat. Most of the homams or havan are conducted by collecting donations from the public. There are variations like Dasa Chandi and Sahashra Chandi. The homam is done either with the recitation of Devi Mahatmyam and Navakshari mantra (more common) or Moola mantra homam (only recitation of Navakshari). A few Upasakas do it at home also.

Jai MAA !!!

[AM1VV9r6]

hi nachi sir,

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Srvs3...eature=related

Lalitha Sahasranamam Full (Stotra & Meaning) - YouTube

regards
tbs

[ancexttew]

My mother used to sing during the nine days of gulu, another Bhajan which was about 'chanda munda' 'Raktbijan' and then 'mahishasuran'. I do not know the words and none of my family members remember it. I would be happy if you can point me in the right direction. I think it was in Tamil and not Sanskrit.

[Meowmeowz]

Dear Prasad,

This is for you..From Devi Mahatmyam

[HoniSoniproca]

Surprisingly the one name by which MAA is never called in Devi Mahatmyam is Lalitha. Maa Lalitha Tripurasundari vanquished Bandasura. That is a separate Upa-Purana. My grand mother used to recite Lalithambal Shobanam during Navaratri.

Again the people of North India have changed Simha Vahini into a rider of Tiger, Because they use the term Simha for both Lion and Tiger in Hindi and associated languages. Devi is not described in any of the scriptures as riding a Tiger. Even in Vaishno Devi the Big Murthi in front of the cave shows her only on a Lion.

This Navaratri is not celebrated in North India. They celebrate Vasantha Navaratri.

Jai MAA !!!

[homerdienru]

Dear sir,

you wrote: This Navaratri is not celebrated in North India. They celebrate Vasantha Navaratri. Really? When you say North of India..can you please specify which states you mean sir?
Cos I find this suprising as I know its celebrated by North Indians.

In fact as far as I know in North India they celebrate 3 types of Navaratri..

1)Vasant Navaratri
2)Ashada/Gupta Navaratri
3)Sharad Navaratri


Never seen my mums relatives from Punjab miss any of this three.

[soprofaxelbis]

In hindustani the words are Sher for lion and Bagh for tiger.
Shimha is a Sanskrit IMO.
Thanks reneka.
But I have been looking for that music that my mother used to recite.
Nachi,
I see Reneka beat me, with the correction.

[erepsysoulperj]

All major temples like Vaishno Devi celebrate only Vasantha Navaratri. If you are in Delhi now you would not see any celeberation where as during Vasntha Navaratri the whole city goes gay.

There are five Navarathris. Not three. Some have even six. Sakthas celebrate all of them. I will write about them later.

Prasad

Simha is also in Hindi. Yes there is the term Bagh. have you ever heard anyone referring to MAA as Bagh Vahini?

[lalpphilalk]

All major temples like Vaishno Devi celebrate only Vasantha Navaratri. If you are in Delhi now you would not see any celeberation where as during Vasntha Navaratri the whole city goes gay.

There are five Navarathris. Not three. Some have even six. Sakthas celebrate all of them. I will write about them later.

Prasad

Simha is also in Hindi. Yes there is the term Bagh. have you ever heard anyone referring to MAA as Bagh Vahini?

Thanks..the other 2 Navaratris dont seem to be well known but nevertheless its worth a mention.I first heard of the 5 Navaratris when I was in Puttaparthi once and a lecture was given during Navaratri.

the other 2 are Pausha Navaratri and Magha Navaratri.

[poekfpojoibien]

In North India they celebrate Ram Lila during Sharad Navaratri.

[ftpsoft]

Thank you, Renuka.

Good sathsang. Let us keep it going.

Jai MAA !!!

[googlopharm]

samashtimaa2.jpg

Though it is good, this thread is not about Navaratri, But Devi Mahatmyam. I would request the members to bear this in mind.

The basic concept of MAA in Devi Mahatmyam is that she is the supreme principle. She is the combination of the powers of all the Gods and Goddesses.

She has no consort. She has the powers of Siva, Vishnu and Brahma among other Gods.

This is against the theory of Siva Sakthi principle of South India. That is why many of the Brahmin Sri Vidya upasakas of South India do not identify themselves as Sakthas.

The above image is a very good illustration of MAA. This shows all the Gods and Goddesses inside her.

Jai MAA !!!

[Gabbavnf]

samashtimaa2.jpg

Though it is good, this thread is not about Navaratri, But Devi Mahatmyam. I would request the members to bear this in mind.

The basic concept of MAA in Devi Mahatmyam is that she is the supreme principle. She is the combination of the powers of all the Gods and Goddesses.

She has no consort. She has the powers of Siva, Vishnu and Brahma among other Gods.

This is against the theory of Siva Sakthi principle of South India. That is why many of the Brahmin Sri Vidya upasakas of South India do not identify themselves as Sakthas.

The above image is a very good illustration of MAA. This shows all the Gods and Goddesses inside her.

Jai MAA !!!

Sorry I thought its also about Navaratri.I removed those 2 post becos didnt feel like taking this thread off track.
Will contribute Devi Mahatmyam related posts soon.

[Adwetyren]

My mother used to sing during the nine days of gulu, another Bhajan which was about 'chanda munda' 'Raktbijan' and then 'mahishasuran'. I do not know the words and none of my family members remember it. I would be happy if you can point me in the right direction. I think it was in Tamil and not Sanskrit.

Shri Prasad,

That must have been amman pATTu - in Tamil with its own peculiar sing-song and each stanza ending with "SObhanam SObhanam". I feel printed books may be available in Chennai even today, though the younger generations have absolutely forgotten such a thing perhaps.

There was another "Periya Amman PATTu" also, very much longer. Women used to collectively sing this spread over the nine Navaratri days during the 1950's and 1960's but even women of my mother's generation had very little interest may be because the records of devotional songs by Soolamangalam sisters and all started invading the culture of tabras, imo.

[pavilionnotebook]

Lalithambal Shobanam is about Lalithambal killing Bandasura. It is the song which ended with Shobanam! Shobanam! It was composed by Subbulakshmi Ammal from Ashramam gramam near Suchindrem in Kanya Kumari district. Cassettes were available in Giri Trading co.

You can listen to it here. It is fantastic. I am listening to it now.

Lalitaambaal Shobhanam And Devi Paadam Vol 1 Songs - Lalitaambaal Shobhanam And Devi Paadam Vol 1 Tamil Devotional Songs - Tamil Songs Lyrics Trailer Videos, Preview Stills Reviews

[BurdenRobert]

Shri Prasad,

That must have been amman pATTu - in Tamil with its own peculiar sing-song and each stanza ending with "SObhanam SObhanam". I feel printed books may be available in Chennai even today, though the younger generations have absolutely forgotten such a thing perhaps.

There was another "Periya Amman PATTu" also, very much longer. Women used to collectively sing this spread over the nine Navaratri days during the 1950's and 1960's but even women of my mother's generation had very little interest may be because the records of devotional songs by Soolamangalam sisters and all started invading the culture of tabras, imo.

I am sorry I mixed up Lalithambal Sobhanam with the amman pATTu. Kindly excuse me.

[MP+4]

Devi Mahatmyam or Chandi is essentially a Tantrik text, incorporated into Markandeya Purana to subserve the interests of Saktism being absorbed by the mainstream Hinduism which had, at one point of time (c, 400-600 A.D.) been resurrecting ever since the Sunga empire breathed new life into it.

Almost all the villages in India had their own deities and the female, uncontrolled energy as an object of worship was prominent among those. In the south this female energy might have had continuity with the women oracles referred to in Sangam literature who used to predict the future when they went into a trance state. The Devi Mahatmyam involving a dispossessed king, a betrayed merchant and a rebel sort of sage, tries to unify the vedic beliefs with this newfound Sakti cult.

Since the vedas did not accept the female principle as the most supreme till such adsorption of the Tantric Sakti cult (whereafter many new inventions like durga sooktam etc., were manufactured to show that vedic assent is present for the Saktic tantrism), it is not correct to say that this Sakti worship, Navaratri pooja etc., are in tune with original vedic beliefs and hence these are unbrahminical. The essentiality of animal sacrifice to please Chandi also reveals its tribal, non-brahminical origin imo. But hinduism being a cocktail of anything and everything, anything goes as most superlative worship.

It is also an intriguing point as to why different areas celebrate this Navaratri for the uncontrollable Goddess (Chandi) in different navaratris; why not in the same ritu?

[blogforlovxr]

Here is my very modest attempt to translate into Tamil for people to contemplate (done two years ago)
Ashta Dasa Bhuja Durga Temple Sembakkam, Chennai 73 - please see towards the bottom of that page (that has the slokas with English and Tamil translations.)

[__CVineXPharm__]

Nacci,
They celebrate Dushara and culminate in Ram lila. In Est India, and people of east India everywhere including USA celebrate Durga Puja. From Saptami-Dashmi it is puja anf the religious and festivity goes on from early morning to late at night.
Additional information:
http://www.durga-puja.org

You are right that universally lion is the mount for Durga. I had a shock to see Tiger as mount. But from the animal Habitat point of view and strength point of view Tiger is the most appropriate animal. The myth that Lion is the Kind of beast is in many culture, Greek, Roman, African, etc. Lion hunts in plains, has to have a pride, and lioness is the huntress. Lions were mainly for breeding, and protecting the pride from other male Lions. A single lion will not survive alone very long.
Whereas tigers are forest dwellers, the terrain is suitable in the Himalyan foothill. They are supreme hunters, and no enemy till man (promoting save-a-tiger). In a head to head battle Tiger has been victorious over lion.

[Vipvlad]

According to legends Markandeya Maharishi composed the Markandeya Purana in the Saptashringi hill range. The SapthaShringi temple lies amidst 7 peaks.There are seven peaks here. That is why the name Saptashringi. This is in Maharashtra near Nasik.

MAA is Maa Ashtadasa Bhuja Mahalakshmi with 18 arms.

The temple is a cave temple and there are steps leading to the temple. This place is also associated with Matsyendranath the founder Guru of the Nath Sampradhaya.


maachandiatsapthashrigi.jpg



I am very much attached to Sapthashringi Maa as I have her idol in brass with eighteen arms in my Altar.


The first time we saw her photograph before going to the temple the remark was "Little flying Mother with huge eyes." Though the actual sculpture is huge, she has a baby face and looks so cute. And her eyes like any MAA are beautiful. And it does look as if she is flying.

They put Thamboolam in her mouth at the time of daily Puja.Thamboolam is a name referred to betel leaf, areca nut and slaked lime taken together or considered as a whole. Cardamom, long pepper, clove, calophyllum aromaticum, nutmeg, mace and dried ginger are also added with them and chewed. This is given to the Bhakthas as Prasad later. Tough to get one as they are only one per Puja. My wife was blessed to get one.

Murti Rahasyam which is appended to Devi Mahatmyam contains detailed description based on which Ashtadasa Bhuja Mahalakshmi (Chandi) image is made.


maaashtadasa.jpg

Ashta Dasa Bhuja Mahalakshmi, Skandhashramam near Salem.

Please see the original images in full size.