तिलैस्त्रिस्वादुसंयुक्तैर्जुहुयाद्भक्तिभावतः । नारद उवाच स्तोत्रं वद मुने सम्यग्येन देवी प्रसीदति
One should offer with devotion sesame seeds mixed with three kinds of sweets. Narada said: O sage, tell me the hymn by which the Goddess is truly pleased.
श्रीनारायण उवाच नमस्ते परमेशानि रासमण्डलवासिनि । रासेश्वरि नमस्तेऽस्तु कृष्णप्राणाधिकप्रिये
Sri Narayana said: Salutations to You, Supreme Lady, Dweller in the circle of the rasa dance. O Queen of the rasa, I bow to You, Beloved of Krishna, dearer to Him than life.
नमस्त्रैलोक्यजननि प्रसीद करुणार्णवे । ब्रह्मविष्ण्वादिभिर्देवैर्वन्द्यमानपदाम्बुजे
Salutations to You, Mother of the three worlds, be gracious, O ocean of compassion, whose lotus feet are worshipped by Brahma, Vishnu, and other gods.
नमः सरस्वतीरूपे नमः सावित्रि शङ्करि । गङ्गापद्मावतीरूपे षष्ठि मङ्गलचण्डिके
Salutations to You in the form of Sarasvati, salutations to You as Savitri and Shankari; in the forms of Ganga and Padmavati, as Shashti and auspicious Chandika.
नमस्ते तुलसीरूपे नमो लक्ष्मीस्वरूपिणि । नमो दुर्गे भगवति नमस्ते सर्वरूपिणि
Salutations to You in the form of Tulasi, salutations to You as Lakshmi; salutations to You, O Goddess Durga, salutations to You who take all forms.
मूलप्रकृतिरूपां त्वां भजामः करुणार्णवाम् । संसारसागरादस्मानुद्धराम्ब दयां कुरु
We worship You as the form of primordial nature, O ocean of compassion; Mother, lift us from the ocean of worldly existence, show us Your mercy.
इदं स्तोत्रं त्रिसन्ध्यं यः पठेद्राधां स्मरन्नरः । न तस्य दुर्लभं किञ्चित्कदाचिच्च भविष्यति
Whoever recites this hymn at the three junctions of the day, remembering Radha, will never find anything unattainable at any time.
देहान्ते च वसेन्नित्यं गोलोके रासमण्डले । इदं रहस्यं परमं न चाख्येयं तु कस्यचित्
At the end of life, he will always dwell in Goloka, in the circle of the rasa dance. This is the highest secret and must not be revealed to anyone.
अधुना शृणु विप्रेन्द्र दुर्गादेव्या विधानकम् । यस्याः स्मरणमात्रेण पलायन्ते महापदः
Now listen, O best of Brahmins, to the procedure for worshipping Goddess Durga, by whose mere remembrance great calamities flee.
एनां न भजते यो हि तादृङ्नास्त्येव कुत्रचित् । सर्वोपास्या सर्वमाता शैवी शक्तिर्महाद्भुता
He who does not worship Her in this way is nowhere to be found; She is worshipped by all, Mother of all, the Shaiva power, wondrous indeed.
सर्वबुद्ध्याधिदेवीयमन्तर्यामिस्वरूपिणी । दुर्गसङ्कटहन्त्रीति दुर्गेति प्रथिता भुवि
She is the presiding deity of all intelligence, the inner ruler, known on earth as the remover of difficulties, as Durga.
वैष्णवानां च शैवानामुपास्येयं च नित्यशः । मूलप्रकृतिरूपा सा सृष्टिस्थित्यन्तकारिणी
She is to be constantly worshipped by Vaishnavas and Shaivas; She is the form of primordial nature, the cause of creation, preservation, and destruction.
तस्या नवाक्षरं मन्त्रं वक्ष्ये मन्त्रोत्तमोत्तमम् । वाग्भवं शम्भुवनिता कामबीजं ततः परम्
I will now declare Her nine-syllabled mantra, the supreme of all mantras: the seed of speech, the consort of Shambhu, and then the seed of desire.
चामुण्डायै पदं पश्चाद्विच्चे इत्यक्षरद्वयम् । नवाक्षरो मनुः प्रोक्तो भजतां कल्पपादपः
After that, the word 'Chamunda' and the two syllables 'vicce'; this is the nine-syllabled mantra, the wish-fulfilling tree for devotees.
ब्रह्मविष्णुमहेशाना ऋषयोऽस्य प्रकीर्तिताः । छन्दांस्युक्तानि सततं गायत्र्युष्णिगनुष्टुभः
Brahma, Vishnu, and Maheshvara are said to be the seers of this mantra; its meters are always Gayatri, Ushnik, and Anushtubh.
महाकाली महालक्ष्मीः सरस्वत्यपि देवताः । स्याद्रक्तदन्तिकाबीजं दुर्गा च भ्रामरी तथा
Mahakali, Mahalakshmi, and Sarasvati are the deities; the seed of Rakta-Dantika, Durga, and also Bhramari.
नन्दाशाकम्भरीदेव्यौ भीमा च शक्तयः स्मृताः । धर्मार्थकाममोक्षेषु विनियोग उदाहृतः
Nanda and Shakambhari, and Bhima are remembered as powers; its application is declared for dharma, artha, kama, and moksha.
ऋषिच्छन्दो दैवतानि मौलौ वक्त्रे हृदि न्यसेत् । स्तनयोः शक्तिबीजानि न्यसेत्सर्वार्थसिद्धये
One should place the seers, meters, and deities on the head, mouth, and heart; on the breasts, the seeds of power, for the accomplishment of all aims.
बीजत्रयैश्चतुर्भिश्च द्वाभ्यां सर्वेण चैव हि । षडङ्गानि मनोः कुर्याज्जातियुक्तानि देशिकः
The teacher should form the six limbs of the mantra for Manu, using three, four, two, or all of the seed syllables, as appropriate to the lineage.
शिखायां लोचनद्वन्द्वे श्रुतिनासाननेषु च । गुदे न्यसेन्मन्त्रवर्णान्सर्वेण व्यापकं चरेत्
He should place the mantra syllables at the topknot, the pair of eyes, the ears, nose, and mouth, and at the anus, performing the all-pervading rite with the entire mantra.
खड्गचक्रगदाबाणचापानि परिघं तथा । शूलं भुशुण्डीं च शिरः शङ्खं सन्दधतीं करैः
With her hands holding a sword, discus, mace, arrow, bow, iron club, trident, skull-club, a severed head, and conch, she is to be visualized.
महाकालीं त्रिनयनां नानाभूषणभूषिताम् । नीलाञ्जनसमप्रख्यां दशपादाननां भजे
I adore Mahakali, three-eyed, adorned with various ornaments, her complexion like dark collyrium, possessing ten arms and faces.
मधुकैटभनाशार्थं यां तुष्टावाम्बुजासनः । एवं ध्यायेन्महाकालीं कामबीजस्वरूपिणीम्
She whom the Lotus-seated praised for the destruction of Madhu and Kaitabha—thus should one meditate on Mahakali, whose form is the seed-syllable of desire.
अक्षमालां च परशुं गदेषुकुलिशानि च । पद्मं धनुष्कुण्डिकां च दण्डं शक्तिमसिं तथा
Holding a rosary, axe, mace, arrows, thunderbolt, lotus, bow, water-pot, staff, spear, and sword,
चर्माम्बुजं तथा घण्टां सुरापात्रं च शूलकम् । पाशं सुदर्शनं चैव दधतीमरुणप्रभाम्
Holding a shield, lotus, bell, wine-cup, trident, noose, and discus, she shines with a reddish radiance.
रक्ताम्बुजासनगतां मायाबीजस्वरूपिणीम् । महालक्ष्मीं भजेदेवं महिषासुरमर्दिनीम्
One should worship Mahalakshmi, seated on a red lotus, whose form is the seed-syllable of illusion, the slayer of Mahishasura.
घण्टाशूले हलं शङ्खं मुसलं च सुदर्शनम् । धनुर्बाणान् हस्तपद्मैर्दधानां कुन्दसन्निभाम्
Holding a bell, trident, plough, conch, pestle, discus, bow, and arrows in her lotus-like hands, she is radiant like jasmine.
शुम्भादिदैत्यसंहर्त्रीं वाणीबीजस्वरूपिणीम् । महासरस्वतीं ध्यायेत्सच्चिदानन्दविग्रहाम्
One should meditate on Mahasarasvati, the embodiment of existence, consciousness, and bliss, whose form is the seed-syllable of speech, the destroyer of demons like Shumbha.
यन्त्रमस्याः शृणु प्राज्ञ त्र्यस्रं षट्कोणसंयुतम् । ततोऽष्टदलपद्मं च चतुर्विंशतिपत्रकम्
Hear, O wise one, of her yantra: a triangle joined with a hexagon, then an eight-petaled lotus, and a circle of twenty-four petals.
भूगृहेण समायुक्तं यन्त्रमेवं विचिन्तयेत् । शालग्रामे घटे वापि यन्त्रे वा प्रतिमासु वा
One should contemplate this yantra, furnished with a square enclosure, whether in a shalagrama, a pot, a yantra, or an image.