देवीपीठवर्णनम् व्यास उवाच - ततस्ते तु वनोद्देशे हिमाचलतटाश्रयाः । मायाबीजजपासक्तास्तपश्चेरुः समाहिताः
Vyāsa said: Then, in a region of the forest, dwelling on the slopes of the Himalayas, absorbed in reciting the seed-mantra of Māyā, they performed austerities with concentrated minds.
ध्यायतां परमां शक्तिं लक्षवर्षाण्यभून्नृप । ततः प्रसन्ना देवी सा प्रत्यक्ष्यं दर्शनं ददौ
As they meditated on the supreme Power, a hundred thousand years passed, O King; then the Goddess, pleased, granted them a direct vision.
पाशाङ्कुशवराभीतिचतुर्बाहुस्त्रिलोचना । करुणारससम्पूर्णा सच्चिदानन्दरूपिणी
She appeared with four arms holding noose, goad, boon, and fearlessness, three-eyed, filled with the essence of compassion, embodying existence, consciousness, and bliss.
दृष्ट्वा तां सर्वजननीं तुष्टुवुर्मुनयोऽमलाः । नमस्ते विश्वरूपायै वैश्वानरसुमूर्तये
Beholding her, the Mother of all, the pure sages praised her: 'Salutations to you, of universal form, the embodiment of cosmic fire.'
नमस्तेजसरूपायै सुत्रात्मवपुषे नमः । यस्मिन्सर्वे लिङ्गदेहा ओतप्रोता व्यवस्थिताः
Salutations to you, whose form is radiance, whose body is the thread of existence; in whom all embodied beings are woven and established.
नमः प्राज्ञस्वरूपायै नमोऽव्याकृतमूर्तये । नमः प्रत्यक्स्वरूपायै नमस्ते ब्रह्ममूर्तये
Salutations to you, whose form is wisdom; salutations to you, whose form is unmanifest; salutations to you, whose form is direct perception; salutations to you, whose form is Brahman.
नमस्ते सर्वरूपायै सर्व लक्ष्यात्ममूर्तये । इति स्तुत्वा जगद्धात्रीं भक्तिगद्गदया गिरा
Salutations to you, of all forms, whose essence is the goal of all; thus, with voices choked with devotion, they praised the Mother of the universe.
प्रणेमुश्चरणांभोजं दक्षाद्या मुनयोऽमलाः । ततः प्रसन्ना सा देवी प्रोवाच पिकभाषिणी
The pure sages, beginning with Dakṣa, bowed to her lotus feet; then, pleased, the Goddess spoke, her voice sweet as a cuckoo's.
वरं ब्रूत महाभागा वरदाहं सदा मता । तस्यास्तु वचनं श्रुत्वा हरविष्ण्वोस्तनोः शमम्
Ask for a boon, O greatly fortunate ones; I am always known as the granter of boons. Hearing her words, they sought peace for the bodies of Hari and Viṣṇu.
तयोस्तच्छक्तिलाभं च वव्रिरे नृपसत्तम । दक्षोऽथ पुनरप्याह जन्म देवि कुले मम
And the best of kings, they requested the attainment of power for those two; then Dakṣa again said, 'May you, O Goddess, be born in my lineage.'
भवेत्तवाम्ब येनाहं कृतकृत्यो भवे इति । जपं ध्यानं तथा पूजां स्थानानि विविधानि च
'By which, O Mother, I may attain fulfillment.' He further asked about the recitation, meditation, worship, and various sacred places.
वद मे परमेशानि स्वमुखेनैव केवलम् । देव्युवाच - मच्छक्त्योरवमानाच्च जातावस्था तयोर्द्वयोः
'Tell me, Supreme Lady, with your own mouth alone.' The Goddess said: 'Because of disrespect toward my powers, that condition befell those two.'
नैतादृशः प्रकर्तव्यो मेऽपराधः कदाचन । अधुना मत्कृपालेशाच्छरीरे स्वस्थता तयोः
'Such an offense against me must never be committed. Now, by a trace of my grace, their bodies will regain health.'
भविष्यति च ते शक्ती त्वद्गृहे क्षीरसागरे । जनिष्यतस्तत्र ताभ्यां प्राप्स्यतः प्रेरिते मया
'And your powers will be born in your house, in the Milky Ocean; there, when impelled by me, they will be born from them.'
मायाबीजं हि मन्त्रो मे मुख्यः प्रियकरः सदा । ध्यानं विराट्स्वरूपं मेऽथवा त्वत्पुरतः स्थितम्
Indeed, the mantra whose seed is Māyā is my foremost and ever-pleasing one; meditation is upon my universal form, or upon me standing before you.
सच्चिदानंदरूपं वा स्थानं सर्वं जगन्मम । युष्माभिः सर्वदा चाहं पूज्या ध्येया च सर्वदा
Whether as the embodiment of existence, consciousness, and bliss, or as the abode—all the universe is mine; by you all, I am always to be worshipped and ever to be meditated upon.
व्यास उवाच - इत्युक्त्वान्तर्दधे देवी मणिद्वीपाधिवासिनी । दक्षाद्या मुनयः सर्वे ब्रह्माणं पुनराययुः
Vyāsa said: Having spoken thus, the Goddess dwelling in the Jeweled Island disappeared; then all the sages beginning with Dakṣa returned to Brahmā.
ब्रह्मणे सर्ववृतान्तं कथयामासुरादरात् । हरो हरिश्च स्वस्थौ तौ स्वस्वकार्यक्षमौ नृप
They respectfully recounted to Brahmā the entire event; O King, Hara and Hari were both restored, each capable in their own duties.
जातौ पराम्बाकृपया गर्वेण रहितौ तदा । कदाचितदथ काले तु महः शाक्तमवातरत्
Born by the supreme Mother's grace, they were then free from pride; and after some time, the great Śākta glory descended.
दक्षदेहे महाराज त्रैलोक्येऽप्युत्सवोऽभवत् । देवाः प्रमुदिताः सर्वे पुष्पवृष्टिं च चक्रिरे
O King, in Dakṣa's body, even in the three worlds, a festival arose; all the gods were delighted and showered flowers.
नेदुर्दुन्दुभयः स्वर्गे करकोणाहता नृप । मनांस्यासन्प्रसन्नानि साधूनाममलात्मनाम्
The celestial drums resounded in heaven, struck by divine hands, O King; the minds of the virtuous, pure-hearted ones became serene.
सरितो मार्गवाहिन्यः सुप्रभोऽभूद्दिवाकरः । मङ्गलायां तु जातायां जातं सर्वत्र मङ्गलम्
The rivers flowed in their courses, the sun shone brightly; with the birth of the auspicious one, auspiciousness arose everywhere.
तस्या नाम सतीं चक्रे सत्यत्वात्परसंविदः । ददौ पुनः शिवायाथ तस्य शक्तिस्तु याभवत्
Her name was made Satī, because of the supreme truth of her nature; and again, she became the power belonging to Śiva.
सा पुनर्ज्वलने दग्धा दैवयोगान्मनोर्नृप । जनमेजय उवाच - अनर्थकरमेतत्ते श्रावितं वचनं मुने
She was then burned in fire, O King, by divine arrangement in the time of Manu; Janamejaya said: This account you have told is distressing.
एतादृशं महद्वस्तु कथं दग्धं हुताशने । यन्नामस्मरणान्नृणां संसाराग्निभयं न हि
How could such a great being be burned in the sacrificial fire, when even the remembrance of her name removes the fear of the fire of worldly existence for people?
केन कर्मविपाकेन मनोर्दग्धं तदेव हि । व्यास उवाच - शृणु राजन् पुरा वृत्तं सतीदायस्य कारणम्
By what act or result of karma was Manu's daughter burned? Vyāsa said: Listen, O King, to the former event and the cause of Satī's giving up her body.
कदाचिदथ दुर्वासा गतो जाम्बूनदेश्वरीम् । ददर्श देवीं तत्रासौ मायाबीजं जजाप सः
Once, the sage Durvāsas went to the goddess of the Jambū region; there he saw the Goddess and recited the Māyābīja mantra.
ततः प्रसन्ना देवेशी निजकण्ठगतां स्रजम् । भ्रमद्भ्रमरसंसक्तां मकरन्दमदाकुलाम्
Then, the Goddess, pleased, took from her own neck a garland, swarming with bees intoxicated by the nectar of its flowers.
ददौ प्रसादभूतां तां जग्राह शिरसा मुनिः । ततो निर्गत्य तरसा व्योममार्गेण तापसः
She gave that garland as a token of her favor, and the sage received it upon his head; then, swiftly departing, the ascetic traveled through the sky.
आजगाम स यत्रास्ते दक्षः साक्षात्सतीपिता । सन्दर्शनार्थमम्बाया ननाम च सतीपदे
He arrived where Dakṣa, Satī's father, was present; for the sake of seeing the Mother, he bowed at Satī's feet.