तस्माच्छास्त्रस्य सिद्धान्तो ब्रह्मदाता गुरुः परः । शिवे रुष्टे गुरुस्त्राता गुरौ रुष्टे न शङ्करः
Therefore, the conclusion of scripture is that the guru who bestows Brahman is supreme; when Śiva is displeased, the guru protects, but when the guru is displeased, Śaṅkara does not.
तस्मात्सर्वप्रयत्नेन श्रीगुरुं तोषयेन्नग । कायेन मनसा वाचा सर्वदा तत्परो भवेत्
Therefore, with all effort, one should please the revered guru, O mountain; by body, mind, and speech, one should always be devoted to him.
अन्यथा तु कृतघ्नः स्यात्कृतघ्ने नास्ति निष्कृतिः । इन्द्रेणाथर्वणायोक्ता शिरश्छेदप्रतिज्ञया
Otherwise, one becomes ungrateful, and for the ungrateful there is no atonement; Indra declared to Atharvan with the vow of beheading.
अश्विभ्यां कथने तस्य शिरश्छिन्नं च वज्रिणा । अश्वीयं तच्छिरो नष्टं दृष्ट्वा वैद्यौ सुरोत्तमौ
When he spoke to the Aśvins, his head was cut off by the wielder of the thunderbolt; seeing that the Aśvins' head was lost, the two divine physicians.
पुनः संयोजितं स्वीयं ताभ्यां मुनिशिरस्तदा । इति सङ्कटसम्पाद्या ब्रह्मविद्या नगाधिप । लब्धा येन स धन्यः स्यात्कृतकृत्यश्च भूधर
Then, by those two, the sage's own head was rejoined; thus, after overcoming adversity, the knowledge of Brahman was obtained, O lord of mountains. He who attains it is blessed and has fulfilled his purpose, O Bhūdhara.
इति श्रीदेवीभागवते महापुराणेऽष्टादशसाहस्र्यां संहितायां सप्तमस्कन्धे देवीगीतायां ब्रह्मविद्योपदेशवर्णनं नाम षट्त्रिंशोऽध्यायः
Thus ends the thirty-sixth chapter, entitled 'The Teaching of Brahman Knowledge,' in the Devī Gītā of the Seventh Book of the glorious Devī Bhāgavata Mahāpurāṇa, comprising eighteen thousand verses.
देवीगीतायां भक्तिमहिमावर्णनम् हिमालय उवाच स्वीयां भक्तिं वदस्वाम्ब येन ज्ञानं सुखेन हि । जायेत मनुजस्यास्य मध्यमस्याविरागिणः
Himalaya said: Mother, please describe your devotion, by which knowledge arises easily in a person of middling nature, who is free from passion.
देव्युवाच मार्गास्त्रयो मे विख्याता मोक्षप्राप्तौ नगाधिप । कर्मयोगो ज्ञानयोगो भक्तियोगश्च सत्तम
The Goddess said: Three paths are renowned for attaining liberation, O lord of mountains: the path of action, the path of knowledge, and the path of devotion, O noble one.
त्रयाणामप्ययं योग्यः कर्तुं शक्योऽस्ति सर्वथा । सुलभत्वान्मानसत्वात्कायचित्ताद्यपीडनात्
This practice is suitable for all three and can always be performed, because it is easy, mental in nature, and does not cause suffering to the body, mind, or anything else.
गुणभेदान्मनुष्याणां सा भक्तिस्त्रिविधा मता । परपीडां समुद्दिश्य दम्भं कृत्वा पुरःसरम्
Because of the differences in qualities among people, devotion is considered to be of three kinds: when someone, with the intention of harming others, acts with hypocrisy at the forefront—
मात्सर्यक्रोधयुक्तो यस्तस्य भक्तिस्तु तामसी । परपीडादिरहितः स्वकल्याणार्थमेव च
The devotion of one who is filled with envy and anger is tamasic; but when one is free from harming others and acts only for one's own welfare—
नित्यं सकामो हृदयं यशोऽर्थी भोगलोलुपः । तत्तत्फलसमावाप्त्यै मामुपास्तेऽतिभक्तितः
He who is always desirous, seeking fame, wealth, and pleasure, worships me with great devotion in order to obtain the respective results—
भेदबुद्ध्या तु मां स्वस्मादन्यां जानाति पामरः । तस्य भक्तिः समाख्याता नगाधिप तु राजसी
But the ignorant person who, through a sense of difference, knows me as other than himself—his devotion, O lord of the mountains, is called rajasic.
परमेशार्पणं कर्म पापसङ्क्षालनाय च । वेदोक्तत्वादवश्यं तत्कर्तव्यं तु मयानिशम्
Actions offered to the Supreme Lord and for the cleansing of sins, because they are prescribed in the Vedas, must certainly be performed by me at all times.
इति निश्चितबुद्धिस्तु भेदबुद्धिमुपाश्रितः । करोति प्रीतये कर्म भक्तिः सा नग सत्त्विकी
He who, with a firm and resolved mind, undertakes actions for my pleasure, even while holding onto the sense of difference—his devotion, O best of mountains, is sattvic.
परभक्तेः प्रापिकेयं भेदबुद्ध्यवलम्बनात् । पूर्वप्रोक्ते ह्युभे भक्ती न परप्रापिके मते
This devotion, relying on the sense of difference, leads to supreme devotion; but the two kinds of devotion previously mentioned are not considered to lead to the Supreme.
अधुना परभक्तिं तु प्रोच्यमानां निबोध मे । मद्गुणश्रवणं नित्यं मम नामानुकीर्तनम्
Now listen to me as I describe supreme devotion: constant hearing of my virtues, continual recitation of my names—
कल्याणगुणरत्नानामाकरायां मयि स्थिरम् । चेतसो वर्तनं चैव तैलधारासमं सदा
And the mind's steady abiding in me, the mine of auspicious qualities and virtues, always like an unbroken stream of oil.
हेतुस्तु तत्र को वापि न कदाचिद्भवेदपि । सामीप्यसार्ष्टिसायुज्यसालोक्यानां न चैषणा
There is never any motive or cause in that devotion, nor any desire for proximity, equality, union, or residence with me.
मत्सेवातोऽधिकं किञ्चिन्नैव जानाति कर्हिचित् । सेव्यसेवकताभावात्तत्र मोक्षं न वाञ्छति
He never knows anything greater than serving me; because of the absence of the distinction between servant and served, he does not desire liberation there.
परानुरक्त्या मामेव चिन्तयेद्यो ह्यतन्द्रितः । स्वाभेदेनैव मां नित्यं जानाति न विभेदतः
Whoever, with supreme love, constantly contemplates me without fatigue, knows me as his very self, not as different.
मद्रूपत्वेन जीवानां चिन्तनं कुरुते तु यः । यथा स्वस्यात्मनि प्रीतिस्तथैव च परात्मनि
He who meditates on the living beings as my own form, feels the same love for the Supreme Self as he does for his own self.
चैतन्यस्य समानत्वान्न भेदं कुरुते तु यः । सर्वत्र वर्तमानानां सर्वरूपां च सर्वदा
Because of the sameness of consciousness, he does not make distinctions, always perceiving all forms and beings as present everywhere.
नमते यजते चैवाप्याचाण्डालान्तमीश्वर । न कुत्रापि द्रोहबुद्धिं कुरुते भेदवर्जनात्
He worships and honors all, even up to the lowest outcaste, O Lord, and, because he has abandoned all sense of difference, he never harbors thoughts of enmity anywhere.
मत्स्थानदर्शने श्रद्धा मद्भक्तदर्शने तथा । मच्छास्त्रश्रवणे श्रद्धा मन्त्रतन्त्रादिषु प्रभो
He has faith in seeing my abodes, in seeing my devotees, in hearing my scriptures, and in mantras, tantras, and so on, O Lord.
मायि प्रेमाकुलमती रोमाञ्चिततनुः सदा । प्रेमाश्रुजलपूर्णाक्षः कण्ठगद्गदनिस्वनः
His mind is overwhelmed with love for me, his body always thrilled, his eyes filled with tears of love, and his voice choked with emotion.
अनन्येनैव भावेन पूजयेद्यो नगाधिप । मामीश्वरीं जगद्योनिं सर्वकारणकारणम्
Whoever worships me, the supreme Lady, the source of the universe and the cause of all causes, with undivided devotion, O lord of mountains—
व्रतानि मम दिव्यानि नित्यनैमित्तिकान्यपि । नित्यं यः कुरुते भक्त्या वित्तशाठ्यविवर्जितः
Whoever, free from deceit regarding wealth, always performs my divine vows, both regular and occasional, with devotion—
मदुत्सवदिदृक्षा च मदुत्सवकृतिस्तथा । जायते यस्य नियतं स्वभावादेव भूधर
In whom, O mountain, the desire to witness my festivals and the act of celebrating my festivals arises naturally and steadily—
उच्चैर्गायंश्च नामानि ममैव खलु नृत्यति । अहङ्कारादिरहितो देहतादात्म्यवर्जितः
Who, singing my names aloud, truly dances, free from pride and the sense of identification with the body—