धनुःशतं श्वासरन्ध्रैर्धूम्रान्धं परिकीर्तितम् । पातमात्राद्यत्र पापी नागैश्च वेष्टितो भवेत्
A hundred bows' length, filled with smoke and darkness, is said to be the place where, upon falling, a sinner is bound by serpents at every breath's interval.
धनुःशतं नागपूर्णं तन्नागैर्वेष्टितं भवेत् । षडशीति च कुण्डानि मयोक्तानि निशामय । लक्षणं चापि तेषां च किं भूयः श्रोतुमिच्छसि
A hundred bows' length, filled with serpents, there one is entwined by those serpents; and I have spoken of eighty-six pits—listen—do you wish to hear further of their characteristics?
सावित्र्युपाख्यानवर्णनम् सावित्र्युवाच देवीभक्तिं देहि मह्यं साराणां चैव सारकम् । पुंसां मुक्तिद्वारबीजं नरकार्णवतारकम्
The Account of Sāvitrī Begins Sāvitrī said: Grant me devotion to the Goddess, and the essence of all that is essential; the seed of liberation's gateway for men, the raft to cross the ocean of hell.
कारणं मुक्तिसाराणां सर्वाशुभविनाशनम् । दारकं कर्मवृक्षाणां कृतपापौघहारणम्
The cause of the essence of liberation, the destroyer of all inauspiciousness; the child of the tree of karma, the remover of the multitude of sins committed.
मुक्तिश्च कतिथाप्यस्ति किं वा तासां च लक्षणम् । देवीभक्तिं भक्तिभेदं निषेकस्यापि खण्डनम्
How many kinds of liberation are there, and what are their characteristics? Tell me of devotion to the Goddess, the types of devotion, and even the refutation of initiation.
तत्त्वज्ञानविहीना च स्त्रीजातिर्विधिनिर्मिता । किञ्चिञ्ज्ञानं सारभूतं वद वेदविदां वर
Women, created by rule, lack true knowledge of reality; O best of knowers of the Veda, speak a little of the essence of knowledge.
सर्वं दानं च यज्ञश्च तीर्थस्नानं व्रतं तपः । अज्ञानिज्ञानदानस्य कलां नार्हन्ति षोडशीम्
All gifts, sacrifices, bathing at holy places, vows, and austerities are not equal to even a sixteenth part of the giving of knowledge, whether by the ignorant or the wise.
पितुः शतगुणा माता गौरवे चेति निश्चितम् । मातुः शतगुणः पूज्यो ज्ञानदाता गुरुः प्रभो
It is certain that the mother is a hundred times more worthy of reverence than the father; and the giver of knowledge, the guru, O Lord, is a hundred times more worthy of worship than the mother.
धर्मराज उवाच पूर्वं सर्वो वरो दत्तो यस्ते मनसि वाञ्छितः । अधुना शक्तिभक्तिस्ते वत्से भवतु मद्वरात्
Dharmarāja said: Previously, every boon you desired in your mind was granted; now, by my boon, may you have devotion and strength, O child.
श्रोतुमिच्छसि कल्याणि श्रीदेवीगुणकीर्तनम्। वक्तॄणां पृच्छकानां च श्रोतॄणां कुलतारणम्
Do you wish to hear, O auspicious one, the praise of the virtues of the Goddess, which is the means for the questioners, speakers, and listeners to cross their family lineages?
शेषो वक्त्रसहस्रेण नहि यद्वक्तुमीश्वरः । मृत्युञ्जयो न क्षमश्च वक्तुं पञ्चमुखेन च
Even with a thousand mouths, Śeṣa is not able to speak it; nor is Mṛtyuñjaya able to tell it with his five mouths.
धाता चतुर्णां वेदानां विधाता जगतामपि । ब्रह्मा चतुर्मुखेनैव नालं विष्णुश्च सर्ववित्
The creator of the four Vedas, the arranger of the worlds, even Brahmā with four faces, and Viṣṇu, the all-knower, are not able to do so.
कार्तिकेयः षण्मुखेन नापि वक्तुमलं ध्रुवम् । न गणेशः समर्थश्च योगीन्द्राणां गुरोर्गुरुः
Kārtikeya, even with six faces, is certainly not able to speak it; nor is Gaṇeśa, the guru of the yogis, capable.
सारभूताश्च शास्त्राणां वेदाश्चत्वार एव च । कलामात्रं यद्गुणानां न विदन्ति बुधाश्च ये
Even the essence of the scriptures and the four Vedas, and the wise among men, do not know even a fraction of Her virtues.
सरस्वती जडीभूता नालं तद्गुणवर्णने । सनत्कुमारो धर्मश्च सनन्दनः सनातनः
Sarasvatī becomes mute, unable to describe those virtues; as do Sanatkumāra, Dharma, Sanandana, and Sanātana.
सनकः कपिलः सूर्यो येऽन्ये च ब्रह्मणः सुताः । विचक्षणा न यद्वक्तुं किञ्चान्ये जडबुद्धयः
Sanaka, Kapila, Sūrya, and the other sons of Brahmā, though discerning, are not able to speak them—how much less those of dull intellect.
न यद्वक्तुं क्षमाः सिद्धा मुनीन्द्रा योगिनस्तथा । के चान्ये च वयं के वा श्रीदेव्या गुणवर्णने
Neither the perfected beings, the greatest sages, nor the yogis are able to speak them; so who are we, or anyone else, to describe the virtues of Śrī Devī?
ध्यायन्ते यत्पदाम्भोजं ब्रह्मविष्णुशिवादयः । अतिसाध्यं स्वभक्तानां तदन्येषां सुदुर्लभम्
Brahmā, Viṣṇu, Śiva, and others meditate upon Her lotus feet; it is extremely attainable for Her devotees, but exceedingly rare for others.
कश्चित्किञ्चिद्विजानाति तद्गुणोत्कीर्तनं शुभम् । अतिरिक्तं विजानाति ब्रह्मा ब्रह्मविशारदः
Some know a little of her auspicious praise and qualities; Brahma, the knower of Brahman, knows more than that.
ततोऽतिरिक्तं जानाति गणेशो ज्ञानिनां गुरुः । सर्वातिरिक्तं जानाति सर्वज्ञः शम्भुरेव सः
Beyond that, Ganesha, the guru of the wise, knows; but it is Shiva alone, the all-knowing, who knows everything beyond all.
तस्मै दत्तं पुरा ज्ञानं कृष्णेन परमात्मना । अतीव निर्जनेऽरण्ये गोलोके रासमण्डले
To him, in ancient times, knowledge was given by Krishna, the Supreme Self, in the exceedingly solitary forest, in Goloka, within the circle of the Rasa dance.
तत्रैव कथितं किञ्चित्तद्गुणोत्कीर्तनं शुभम् । धर्मं च कथयामास शिवलोके शिवः स्वयम्
There, only a little of her auspicious praise and qualities was spoken; and Shiva himself expounded the dharma in the realm of Shiva.
धर्मस्तु कथयामास भास्वते पृच्छते तथा । यामाराध्य मत्पितापि सम्प्राप तपसा सति
That dharma he recounted to Bhāsvat (the Sun), who had inquired, and by worshipping whom, even my own father attained through austerity.
पूर्वं स्वं विषयं चाहं न गृह्णामि प्रयत्नतः । वैराग्ययुक्तस्तपसे गन्तुमिच्छामि सुव्रते
Formerly, I did not willingly accept my own domain; endowed with detachment, I wished, O virtuous one, to go for austerity.
तदा मां कथयामास पिता तद्गुणकीर्तनम् । यथागमं तद्वदामि निबोधातीव दुर्गमम्
Then my father told me of her praise and qualities; as I heard it, so I now relate it—listen, for it is exceedingly difficult to comprehend.
तद्गुणं सा न जानाति तदन्यस्य च का कथा । यथाकाशो न जानाति स्वान्तमेव वरानने
She herself does not know her own qualities—what then of another? Just as space does not know its own interior, O beautiful-faced one.
सर्वात्मा सर्वभगवान् सर्वकारणकारणः । सर्वेश्वरश्च सर्वाद्यः सर्ववित्परिपालकः । २५ नित्यरूपी नित्यदेही नित्यानन्दो निराकृतिः । निरङ्कुशो निराशङ्को निर्गुणश्च निरामयः
He is the Self of all, the Lord of all, the cause of all causes, the ruler of all, the origin of all, the knower and protector of all; eternal in form, eternal in body, eternal bliss, formless, unrestrained, free from doubt, without qualities, and free from affliction.
निर्लिप्तः सर्वसाक्षी च सर्वाधारः परात्परः । मायाविशिष्टः प्रकृतिस्तद्विकाराश्च प्राकृताः
Unattached, the witness of all, the support of all, supreme beyond the supreme; distinguished by Māyā, and the primordial nature and its modifications are natural to him.
स्वयं पुमांश्च प्रकृतिस्तावभिन्नौ परस्परम् । यथा वह्नेस्तस्य शक्तिर्न भिन्नास्त्येव कुत्रचित्
He himself is the Purusha, and Prakriti is not different from him; just as the power of fire is never separate from it anywhere.
सेयं शक्तिर्महामाया सच्चिदानन्दरूपिणी । रूपं बिभर्त्यरूपा च भक्तानुग्रहहेतवे
This power is Mahāmāyā, whose nature is existence, consciousness, and bliss; she possesses form and is also formless, for the sake of blessing her devotees.