At the moment of writing this blog post, Durga Puja, one of the biggest religious festival of Bengali Hindu Community is only seven (07) days away. As a Hindu Bengali, I am intimately aware of the legends of Goddess Durga since my childhood. I am even more aware of Goddess now since I believe RASA Shaktipat Transmission has been originated from the Goddess. Every year, seven days before the start of Durga Puja, my family observes Mahalaya. Mahalaya is considered as an auspicious day as it marks the beginning of Devi Paksha (Fortnight of the Goddess).
On the day of Mahalaya, my father wakes up very early in the morning (around 5:00 AM) and recites “Devi Stuti” (meaning “Hymn to the Divine Goddess” in English). This praise for the Goddess Durga can be found on Devi Mahatmya. Devi Mahatmya is an important religious for Shaktism tradition, where seekers revere God in feminine form.
Today (October 8, 2018) is Mahalya and I thought it would be a great and auspicious day for me to present a transliteration of “Devi Stuti” (Hymn to the Goddess Durga) on my blog. I have transliterated it into English from Bengali verses (can be found here). My transliterated version, by any means, is not perfect, but hopefully it will be able to convey the deep meaning that is thoroughly oven into Devi Stuti.
These verses originally appeared in Chapter 5 of Devi Mahatma. I transliterated verses 17 – 76, which seemed to be the most popular verses in Chapter 5. In addition, these verses are also most frequently cited as the constituent of Devi Stuti (Hymn to the Goddess).
Hymn to the Divine Goddess
Salute to the Divine Goddess, who manifests herself as Consciousness in all beings everywhere.
Salute to the Divine Goddess, who manifests herself as Intelligence in all beings everywhere.
Salute to the Divine Goddess, who manifests herself as Sleep in all beings everywhere.
Salute to the Divine Goddess, who manifests herself as Hunger in all beings everywhere.
Salute to the Divine Goddess, who manifests herself as Shadow in all beings everywhere.
Salute to the Divine Goddess, who manifests herself as Shakti in all beings everywhere.
Salute to the Divine Goddess, who manifests herself as Thirst in all beings everywhere.
Salute to the Divine Goddess, who manifests herself as Patience in all beings everywhere.
Salute to the Divine Goddess, who manifests herself as Original Cause in all beings everywhere.
Salute to the Divine Goddess, who manifests herself as Humility in all beings everywhere.
Salute to the Divine Goddess, who manifests herself as Stillness in all beings everywhere.
Salute to the Divine Goddess, who manifests herself as Devotion in all beings everywhere.
Salute to the Divine Goddess, who manifests herself as splendor in all beings everywhere.
Salute to the Divine Goddess, who manifests herself as Lakshmi in all beings everywhere.
Salute to the Divine Goddess, who manifests herself as Mind in all beings everywhere.
Salute to the Divine Goddess, who manifests herself as Memory in all beings everywhere.
Salute to the Divine Goddess, who manifests herself as Compassion in all beings everywhere.
Salute to the Divine Goddess, who manifests herself as Contentment in all beings everywhere.
Salute to the Divine Goddess, who manifests herself as Mother in all beings everywhere.
Salute to the Divine Goddess, who manifests herself as Delusion in all beings everywhere.
Notes on the transliteration:
I would like to offer some explanations of few terms and phrases used in my transliteration here:
Divine Goddess: Refers to Goddess Durga, the emanation of the Absolute or Primordial Consciousness in female form. In Shaktism, Divine Goddess is being revered as the Supreme being.
1. Shadow: Here, shadow means our limited individual self, which has the inherent capacity to realize his divine Self, the Absolute.
2. Shakti: The movement or vibration of the energy of the Absolute. Shakti literally vibrates herself into the entire universe, so she is also considered as the embodiment of the reality.
3. Thirst: Here, thirst means our craving or attachment to things.
4. Lakshmi: The aspect of the Absolute manifesting as Goddess Lakshmi. Goddess Lakshmi is the embodiment of opulence and material wealth.
5. Mind: Here, you need to understand “mind” as Citta, or the movement of the Absolute appearing within consciousness of individual soul as thoughts, sensations, emotions and beliefs.
6. Contentment: Contentment is the ability to keep in touch with your inner core regardless of your outside circumstances. This contentment appears when the seeker achieves Self-realization or enlightenment.
7. Mother: Divine Goddess manifests herself as feminine qualities within every being.
8. Delusion: Our state of unliberated consciousness is due to the Divine Goddess. Here, Divine Goddess is working as Maya to keep us in bondage. In some traditions of Hinduism, Maya is seen as the power of God that keeps a man deluded. In Kashmir Shaivism, Maya is rather manifested as limited or faulty perception of reality that keeps a man in unliberated state. However, when Goddess bestows us liberation, she becomes Shakti, the inner force that helps us to realize the Goddess within. Thus, she is the bestower of both bondage and illumination.