Sixth Skandha · Chapter 31
Sourceव्यास उवाच निशामय महाराज ब्रवीमि विशदाक्षरम् । माहात्म्यं खलु मायाया नारदात्तु मया श्रुतम् ॥ १ ॥ मया पुनर्मुनिः पृष्टो नारदः सर्ववित्तमः । श्रुत्वा कथां मुनेस्तस्य नारीदेहसमुद्भवाम् ॥ २ ॥ ब्रूहि नारद पश्चात्किं कथितं हरिणा तदा । क्व गतश्च जगन्नाथो भवता सह माधवः ॥ ३ ॥ नारद उवाच इत्युक्त्वा भगवांस्तस्मिंस्तडागेऽतिमनोहरे । आरुह्य गरुडं गन्तुं वैकुण्ठे च मनो दधे ॥ ४ ॥ मामुवाच रमाकान्तो यथेष्टं गच्छ नारद । एहि वा मम लोकं त्वं यथारुचि तथा कुरु ॥ ५ ॥ ब्रह्मलोकं गतश्चाहमापृच्छ्य मधुसूदनम् । भगवानपि देवेशस्तत्क्षणाद्गरुडासनः ॥ ६ ॥ वैकुण्ठमगमत्तूर्णं मामादिश्य यथासुखम् । ततोऽहं पितृसदनं गतो याते जनार्दने ॥ ७ ॥ चिन्तयन्सकलं दुःखं सुखं च परमाद्भुतम् । गत्वा प्रणम्य पितरं स्थितो यावत्पुरः पितुः ॥ ८ ॥ तावत्पृष्टो मुने पित्रा वीक्ष्य चिन्तातुरं तु माम् । ब्रह्योवाच क्व गतोऽसि महाभाग कस्माच्चिन्तातुरः सुत ॥ ९ ॥ स्वस्थं नैवाद्य पश्यामि मनस्ते मुनिसत्तम । केनापि वञ्चितोऽसि त्वं दृष्टं वा किञ्चिदद्भुतम् ॥ १० ॥ विषण्णं गतविज्ञानं पश्यामि त्वां कथं सुत । नारद उवाच इति पृष्टस्तदा पित्रा बृस्यां समुपवेश्य च ॥ ११ ॥ तमब्रवं स्ववृत्तान्तं मायाबलसमुद्भवम् । वञ्चितोऽहं पितः कामं विष्णुना प्रभविष्णुना ॥ १२ ॥ स्त्रीभावं गमितः कामं वर्षाणि सुबहून्यपि । अनुभूतं महद्दुःखं पुत्रशोकसमुद्भवम् ॥ १३ ॥ प्रबोधितोऽहं तेनैव मृदुवाक्यामृतेन च । पुनः सरोवरे स्नात्वा जातोऽहं नारदः पुमान् ॥ १४ ॥ किमेतत्कारणं ब्रह्मन् यन्मोहमगमं तदा । विस्मृतं पूर्वविज्ञानं तन्मयस्तरसा कृतः ॥ १५ ॥ एतन्मायाबलं ब्रह्मन्न जानेऽहं दुरत्ययम् । ज्ञानहानिकरं जातं मूलं मोहस्य विस्फुटम् ॥ १६ ॥ अनुभूतं मया सम्यग्ज्ञातं सर्वं शुभाशुभम् । कथं त्वं जितवांस्तात तमुपायं वदस्व मे ॥ १७ ॥ नारद उवाच विज्ञप्तोऽसौ मया धाता प्रीतिपूर्वमतः परम् । मामुवाच स्मितं कृत्वा पिता मे वासवीसुत ॥ १८ ॥ ब्रह्मोवाच दुर्जयैषा सुरैः सर्वैर्मुनिभिश्च महात्मभिः । तापसैर्ज्ञानयुक्तैश्च योगिभिः पवनाशनैः ॥ १९ ॥ नाहं तां सर्वथा ज्ञातुं शक्तो मायां महाबलाम् । विष्णुर्ज्ञातुं न शक्तश्च तथा शम्भुरुमापतिः ॥ २० ॥ दुर्ज्ञेया सा महामाया सृष्टिस्थित्यन्तकारिणी । कालकर्मस्वभावाद्यैर्निमित्तकारणैर्वृता ॥ २१ ॥ शोकं मा कुरु मेधाविंस्तत्र मायामहाबले । न चैव विस्मयः कार्यो वयं सर्वे विमोहिताः ॥ २२ ॥ नारद उवाच पित्रेत्युक्तस्तदा व्यास तमापृच्छ्य गतस्मयः । आगतोऽस्म्यत्र पश्यन्वै तीर्थानि च वराणि च ॥ २३ ॥ तस्मात्त्वमपि सन्त्यज्य मोहं कौरवनाशजम् । कालक्षयं सुखासीनः स्थानेऽस्मिन् कुरु सत्तम ॥ २४ ॥ अवश्यमेव भोक्तव्यं कृतं कर्म शुभाशुभम् । निश्चयं हृदये कृत्वा विचरस्व यथासुखम् ॥ २५ ॥ व्यास उवाच इत्युक्त्वा नारदो राजन् गतो मां प्रतिबोध्य च । अहं तच्चिन्तयन्वाक्यं यदुक्तं मुनिना तदा ॥ २६ ॥ स्थितः सरस्वतीतीरे कल्पे सारस्वते वरे । कालातिवाहनायैतत्कृतं भागवतं मया ॥ २७ ॥ पुराणमुत्तमं भूप सर्वसंशयनाशनम् । नानाख्यानसमायुक्तं वेदप्रामाण्यसंश्रितम् ॥ २८ ॥ सन्देहोऽत्र न कर्तव्यः सर्वथा नृपसत्तम । यथेन्द्रजालिकः कश्चित्पाञ्चालीं दारवीं करे ॥ २९ ॥ कृत्वा नर्तयते कामं स्वेच्छया वशवर्तिनीम् । तथा नर्तयते माया जगत्स्थावरजङ्गमम् ॥ ३० ॥ ब्रह्मादिस्तम्बपर्यन्तं सदेवासुरमानुषम् । पञ्चेन्द्रियसमायुक्तं मनश्चित्तानुवर्तनम् ॥ ३१ ॥ गुणास्तु कारणं राजन् सर्वेषां सर्वथा त्रयः । कार्यं कारणसंयुक्तं भवतीति विनिश्चयः ॥ ३२ ॥ भिन्नभिन्नस्वभावास्ते गुणा मायासमुद्भवाः । शान्तो घोरस्तथा मूढस्त्रयस्तु विविधा यतः ॥ ३३ ॥ तत्समेतः पुमान्नित्यं तद्विहीनः कथं भवेत् । न भवत्येव संसारे रहितस्तन्तुभिः पटः ॥ ३४ ॥ तथा गुणैस्त्रिभिर्हीनो न देहीति विनिश्चयः । देवदेहो मनुष्यो वा तिरश्चो वा नराधिप ॥ ३५ ॥ गुणैर्विरहितो न स्यान्मृद्विहीनो घटो यथा । ब्रह्मा विष्णुस्तथा रुद्रस्त्रयश्चामी गुणाश्रयाः ॥ ३६ ॥ कदाचित्प्रीतियुक्तास्ते तथाप्रीतियुताः पुनः । तथा विषादयुक्तास्ते भवन्ति गुणयोगतः ॥ ३७ ॥ ब्रह्मा कदाचित्सत्त्वस्थस्तदा शान्तः समाधिमान् । प्रीतियुक्तो भवेत्सर्वभूतेषु ज्ञानसंयुतः ॥ ३८ ॥ पुनः सत्त्वविहीनस्तु रजोगुणसमावृतः । तदा भवेद् घोररूपः सर्वत्राप्रीतिसंयुतः ॥ ३९ ॥ यदा तमोगुणाविष्टो बाहुल्येन भवेद्विधिः । तदा विषादसम्पन्नो मूढो भवति नान्यथा ॥ ४० ॥ माधवोऽपि सदा सत्त्वसंश्रितः सर्वथा भवेत् । यदा शान्तः प्रीतियुक्तो भवेज्ज्ञानसमन्वितः ॥ ४१ ॥ स एव रजआधिक्यादप्रीतिसंयुतो भवेत् । घोरश्च सर्वभूतेषु गुणाधीनो रमापतिः ॥ ४२ ॥ रुद्रोऽपि सत्त्वसंयुक्तः प्रीतिमाञ्छान्तिमान्भवेत् । रजोनिमीलितः सोऽपि घोरः प्रीतिविवर्जितः ॥ ४३ ॥ तमोगुणयुतः सोऽपि मूढो विषादयुग्भवेत् । एते यदि गुणाधीना ब्रह्मविष्णुहरादयः ॥ ४४ ॥ सूर्यवंशोद्भवास्तद्वत्सोमवंशभवा अपि । मन्वादयश्च ये प्रोक्ताश्चतुर्दश युगे युगे ॥ ४५ ॥ अन्येषां चैव का वार्ता संसारेऽस्मिन्नृपोत्तम । मायाधीनं जगत्सर्वं सदेवासुरमानुषम् ॥ ४६ ॥ तस्माद्राजन्न कर्तव्यः सन्देहोऽत्र कदाचन । देही मायापराधीनश्चेष्टते तद्वशानुगः ॥ ४७ ॥ सा च माया परे तत्त्वे संविद्रूपेऽपि सर्वदा । तदधीना प्रेरिता च तेन जीवेषु सर्वदा ॥ ४८ ॥ ततो मायाविशिष्टां तां संविदं परमेश्वरीम् । मायेश्वरीं भगवतीं सच्चिदानन्दरूपिणीम् ॥ ४९ ॥ ध्यायेत्तथाराधयेच्च प्रणमेच्च जपेदपि । तेन सा सदया भूत्वा मोचयत्येव देहिनम् ॥ ५० ॥ स्वमायां संहरत्येव स्वानुभूतिप्रदानतः । भुवनं खलु माया स्यादीश्वरी तस्य नायिका ॥ ५१ ॥ भुवनेशी ततः प्रोक्ता देवी त्रैलोक्यसुन्दरी । तद्रूपे यदि सक्तं स्याच्चित्तं भूमिपते सदा ॥ ५२ ॥ मायया किं भवेत्तत्र सदसद्भूतया नृप । तस्मान्मायानिरासार्थं नान्यद्वै देवतान्तरम् ॥ ५३ ॥ समर्थं तु विना देवीं सच्चिदानन्दरूपिणीम् । तमोराशिं नाशयितुं शक्तं नैव तमो भवेत् ॥ ५४ ॥ किन्तु भानुप्रभाचन्द्रविद्युद्वह्निप्रभादयः । तस्मान्मायेश्वरीमम्बां स्वप्रकाशां तु संविदम् ॥ ५५ ॥ आराधयेदतिप्रीत्या मायागुणनिवृत्तये । इति सम्यङ्मयाख्यातं वृत्रासुरवधादिकम् ॥ ५६ ॥ यत्पृष्टं राजशार्दूल किमन्यच्छ्रोतुमिच्छसि । पूर्वार्धोऽयं पुराणस्य कथितस्तव सुव्रत ॥ ५७ ॥ यत्र देव्यास्तु महिमा विस्तरेणोपपादितः । एतद्रहस्यं श्रीमातुर्न देयं यस्य कस्यचित् ॥ ५८ ॥ देयं भक्ताय शान्ताय देवीभक्तिरताय च । शिष्याय ज्येष्ठपुत्राय गुरुभक्तियुताय च ॥ ५९ ॥ इदमखिलकथानां सारभूतं पुराणं निखिलनिगमतुल्यं सप्रमाणानुविद्धम् । पठति परमभावाद्यः शृणोतीह भक्त्या स भवति धनवान्वै ज्ञानवान्मानवोऽत्र ॥ ६० ॥ इति श्रीमद्देवीभागवते महापुराणेऽष्टादप्तसाहस्र्यां संहितायां षष्ठस्कन्धे भगवतीमाहात्म्यवर्णनं नामकत्रिंशोऽध्यायः ॥ ३१ ॥
vyāsa uvāca niśāmaya mahārāja bravīmi viśadākṣaram | māhātmyaṃ khalu māyāyā nāradāttu mayā śrutam || 1 || mayā punarmuniḥ pṛṣṭo nāradaḥ sarvavittamaḥ | śrutvā kathāṃ munestasya nārīdehasamudbhavām || 2 || brūhi nārada paścātkiṃ kathitaṃ hariṇā tadā | kva gataśca jagannātho bhavatā saha mādhavaḥ || 3 || nārada uvāca ityuktvā bhagavāṃstasmiṃstaḍāge'timanohare | āruhya garuḍaṃ gantuṃ vaikuṇṭhe ca mano dadhe || 4 || māmuvāca ramākānto yatheṣṭaṃ gaccha nārada | ehi vā mama lokaṃ tvaṃ yathāruci tathā kuru || 5 || brahmalokaṃ gataścāhamāpṛcchya madhusūdanam | bhagavānapi deveśastatkṣaṇādgaruḍāsanaḥ || 6 || vaikuṇṭhamagamattūrṇaṃ māmādiśya yathāsukham | tato'haṃ pitṛsadanaṃ gato yāte janārdane || 7 || cintayansakalaṃ duḥkhaṃ sukhaṃ ca paramādbhutam | gatvā praṇamya pitaraṃ sthito yāvatpuraḥ pituḥ || 8 || tāvatpṛṣṭo mune pitrā vīkṣya cintāturaṃ tu mām | brahyovāca kva gato'si mahābhāga kasmāccintāturaḥ suta || 9 || svasthaṃ naivādya paśyāmi manaste munisattama | kenāpi vañcito'si tvaṃ dṛṣṭaṃ vā kiñcidadbhutam || 10 || viṣaṇṇaṃ gatavijñānaṃ paśyāmi tvāṃ kathaṃ suta | nārada uvāca iti pṛṣṭastadā pitrā bṛsyāṃ samupaveśya ca || 11 || tamabravaṃ svavṛttāntaṃ māyābalasamudbhavam | vañcito'haṃ pitaḥ kāmaṃ viṣṇunā prabhaviṣṇunā || 12 || strībhāvaṃ gamitaḥ kāmaṃ varṣāṇi subahūnyapi | anubhūtaṃ mahadduḥkhaṃ putraśokasamudbhavam || 13 || prabodhito'haṃ tenaiva mṛduvākyāmṛtena ca | punaḥ sarovare snātvā jāto'haṃ nāradaḥ pumān || 14 || kimetatkāraṇaṃ brahman yanmohamagamaṃ tadā | vismṛtaṃ pūrvavijñānaṃ tanmayastarasā kṛtaḥ || 15 || etanmāyābalaṃ brahmanna jāne'haṃ duratyayam | jñānahānikaraṃ jātaṃ mūlaṃ mohasya visphuṭam || 16 || anubhūtaṃ mayā samyagjñātaṃ sarvaṃ śubhāśubham | kathaṃ tvaṃ jitavāṃstāta tamupāyaṃ vadasva me || 17 || nārada uvāca vijñapto'sau mayā dhātā prītipūrvamataḥ param | māmuvāca smitaṃ kṛtvā pitā me vāsavīsuta || 18 || brahmovāca durjayaiṣā suraiḥ sarvairmunibhiśca mahātmabhiḥ | tāpasairjñānayuktaiśca yogibhiḥ pavanāśanaiḥ || 19 || nāhaṃ tāṃ sarvathā jñātuṃ śakto māyāṃ mahābalām | viṣṇurjñātuṃ na śaktaśca tathā śambhurumāpatiḥ || 20 || durjñeyā sā mahāmāyā sṛṣṭisthityantakāriṇī | kālakarmasvabhāvādyairnimittakāraṇairvṛtā || 21 || śokaṃ mā kuru medhāviṃstatra māyāmahābale | na caiva vismayaḥ kāryo vayaṃ sarve vimohitāḥ || 22 || nārada uvāca pitretyuktastadā vyāsa tamāpṛcchya gatasmayaḥ | āgato'smyatra paśyanvai tīrthāni ca varāṇi ca || 23 || tasmāttvamapi santyajya mohaṃ kauravanāśajam | kālakṣayaṃ sukhāsīnaḥ sthāne'smin kuru sattama || 24 || avaśyameva bhoktavyaṃ kṛtaṃ karma śubhāśubham | niścayaṃ hṛdaye kṛtvā vicarasva yathāsukham || 25 || vyāsa uvāca ityuktvā nārado rājan gato māṃ pratibodhya ca | ahaṃ taccintayanvākyaṃ yaduktaṃ muninā tadā || 26 || sthitaḥ sarasvatītīre kalpe sārasvate vare | kālātivāhanāyaitatkṛtaṃ bhāgavataṃ mayā || 27 || purāṇamuttamaṃ bhūpa sarvasaṃśayanāśanam | nānākhyānasamāyuktaṃ vedaprāmāṇyasaṃśritam || 28 || sandeho'tra na kartavyaḥ sarvathā nṛpasattama | yathendrajālikaḥ kaścitpāñcālīṃ dāravīṃ kare || 29 || kṛtvā nartayate kāmaṃ svecchayā vaśavartinīm | tathā nartayate māyā jagatsthāvarajaṅgamam || 30 || brahmādistambaparyantaṃ sadevāsuramānuṣam | pañcendriyasamāyuktaṃ manaścittānuvartanam || 31 || guṇāstu kāraṇaṃ rājan sarveṣāṃ sarvathā trayaḥ | kāryaṃ kāraṇasaṃyuktaṃ bhavatīti viniścayaḥ || 32 || bhinnabhinnasvabhāvāste guṇā māyāsamudbhavāḥ | śānto ghorastathā mūḍhastrayastu vividhā yataḥ || 33 || tatsametaḥ pumānnityaṃ tadvihīnaḥ kathaṃ bhavet | na bhavatyeva saṃsāre rahitastantubhiḥ paṭaḥ || 34 || tathā guṇaistribhirhīno na dehīti viniścayaḥ | devadeho manuṣyo vā tiraśco vā narādhipa || 35 || guṇairvirahito na syānmṛdvihīno ghaṭo yathā | brahmā viṣṇustathā rudrastrayaścāmī guṇāśrayāḥ || 36 || kadācitprītiyuktāste tathāprītiyutāḥ punaḥ | tathā viṣādayuktāste bhavanti guṇayogataḥ || 37 || brahmā kadācitsattvasthastadā śāntaḥ samādhimān | prītiyukto bhavetsarvabhūteṣu jñānasaṃyutaḥ || 38 || punaḥ sattvavihīnastu rajoguṇasamāvṛtaḥ | tadā bhaved ghorarūpaḥ sarvatrāprītisaṃyutaḥ || 39 || yadā tamoguṇāviṣṭo bāhulyena bhavedvidhiḥ | tadā viṣādasampanno mūḍho bhavati nānyathā || 40 || mādhavo'pi sadā sattvasaṃśritaḥ sarvathā bhavet | yadā śāntaḥ prītiyukto bhavejjñānasamanvitaḥ || 41 || sa eva rajaādhikyādaprītisaṃyuto bhavet | ghoraśca sarvabhūteṣu guṇādhīno ramāpatiḥ || 42 || rudro'pi sattvasaṃyuktaḥ prītimāñchāntimānbhavet | rajonimīlitaḥ so'pi ghoraḥ prītivivarjitaḥ || 43 || tamoguṇayutaḥ so'pi mūḍho viṣādayugbhavet | ete yadi guṇādhīnā brahmaviṣṇuharādayaḥ || 44 || sūryavaṃśodbhavāstadvatsomavaṃśabhavā api | manvādayaśca ye proktāścaturdaśa yuge yuge || 45 || anyeṣāṃ caiva kā vārtā saṃsāre'sminnṛpottama | māyādhīnaṃ jagatsarvaṃ sadevāsuramānuṣam || 46 || tasmādrājanna kartavyaḥ sandeho'tra kadācana | dehī māyāparādhīnaśceṣṭate tadvaśānugaḥ || 47 || sā ca māyā pare tattve saṃvidrūpe'pi sarvadā | tadadhīnā preritā ca tena jīveṣu sarvadā || 48 || tato māyāviśiṣṭāṃ tāṃ saṃvidaṃ parameśvarīm | māyeśvarīṃ bhagavatīṃ saccidānandarūpiṇīm || 49 || dhyāyettathārādhayecca praṇamecca japedapi | tena sā sadayā bhūtvā mocayatyeva dehinam || 50 || svamāyāṃ saṃharatyeva svānubhūtipradānataḥ | bhuvanaṃ khalu māyā syādīśvarī tasya nāyikā || 51 || bhuvaneśī tataḥ proktā devī trailokyasundarī | tadrūpe yadi saktaṃ syāccittaṃ bhūmipate sadā || 52 || māyayā kiṃ bhavettatra sadasadbhūtayā nṛpa | tasmānmāyānirāsārthaṃ nānyadvai devatāntaram || 53 || samarthaṃ tu vinā devīṃ saccidānandarūpiṇīm | tamorāśiṃ nāśayituṃ śaktaṃ naiva tamo bhavet || 54 || kintu bhānuprabhācandravidyudvahniprabhādayaḥ | tasmānmāyeśvarīmambāṃ svaprakāśāṃ tu saṃvidam || 55 || ārādhayedatiprītyā māyāguṇanivṛttaye | iti samyaṅmayākhyātaṃ vṛtrāsuravadhādikam || 56 || yatpṛṣṭaṃ rājaśārdūla kimanyacchrotumicchasi | pūrvārdho'yaṃ purāṇasya kathitastava suvrata || 57 || yatra devyāstu mahimā vistareṇopapāditaḥ | etadrahasyaṃ śrīmāturna deyaṃ yasya kasyacit || 58 || deyaṃ bhaktāya śāntāya devībhaktiratāya ca | śiṣyāya jyeṣṭhaputrāya gurubhaktiyutāya ca || 59 || idamakhilakathānāṃ sārabhūtaṃ purāṇaṃ nikhilanigamatulyaṃ sapramāṇānuviddham | paṭhati paramabhāvādyaḥ śṛṇotīha bhaktyā sa bhavati dhanavānvai jñānavānmānavo'tra || 60 || iti śrīmaddevībhāgavate mahāpurāṇe'ṣṭādaptasāhasryāṃ saṃhitāyāṃ ṣaṣṭhaskandhe bhagavatīmāhātmyavarṇanaṃ nāmakatriṃśo'dhyāyaḥ || 31 ||
English translation
18-22. O Muni! When my Father learnt the cause of my cares, he smiled and spoke to me in sweet words “O Child! The Devas, the high-souled Munis, the wise ascetics and the Yogis subsisting on air only are not able to conquer this Maya. O Narada! The power of Maya is so very great that I, Visnu and S’ambhu, the Lord of Lima, none are able to know Her power.
That Mahamaya is creating, preserving and dissolving this world by Time, Karma, and Nature and other efficient causes. O Child! Know Her to be inconceivable and unapproachable. O Intelligent One! Do not be sorry nor should you be surprised about Maya’s great strength, for we all are deluded by Her.
23-25. O Dvaipayan! Thus advised by my Father, my wonder disappeared. I then asked permission of my Father Padma Yoni (Lotus-born) and went out on tour round the sacred places of pilgrimages and on my way, seeing by and by the chief Tirthas, I have now come here. Therefore, O Muni! Dost thou relinquish your sorrows for the extinction of the Kuru’s family and remain here and pass your time in great joy and happiness. One must bear the fruits of one’s Karma, good or bad; knowing this fully roam at your will wherever you like.
26-40. Vyasa said O King! Maharsi Narada thus kindling knowledge in me, went away; I also thought over his words. On the banks of the river Sarasvati, I composed this Devi Bhagavat to pass away my time during the excellent period of Sarasvata Kalpa. This Puranam is excellent; it is composed on the authority of the the Vedas; all doubts are removed by it; many nice events are narrated
here. Therefore, O King! Not the least doubt should be entertained. As a magician makes the wooden dolls dance in his hands at his will, so this world-enchanting Maya is making this world, moving and non¬ moving, dance from Brahma down to the blades of grass and all human beings. O King! Know Maya’s triple Gunas to be the cause of this mind consisting of five organs of senses, that follows the Chitta (mind, buddhi and Ahamkara). Actions arise from the causes thereof; there is no doubt in this; what doubt, then, there can arise that all these creatures of different temperaments will come out of the different Gunas of Maya. Peaceful, terrible and stupid become the persons in contact with the Mayic Gunas. How, then, can they exist, bereft of them? As the cloth cannot exist without threads, so the embodied beings cannot exist in the world without the triple Gunas of Maya. There is no doubt in this. As a pot cannot be made without clay, so these bodies, Devas, human or birds, cannot be created without the Gunas. Brahma, Visnu and S’iva, too, are possessed of those three Gunas and therefore they become sometimes happy and satisfied, sometimes unhappy and dissatisfied and sometimes they become sad and remorseful as they are then under the influence of one Guna or the other. Brahma happens at times to be full of wisdom and knowledge, his temper peaceful, sweet and pleasant and his soul rapt in Samadhi, when he becomes possessed of Sattva Guna; again when he is void of Sattva and filled with Rajo Guna, His temper becomes unpleasant and his appearance gets dark and awful everywhere; and when he becomes grossly Tamasic, He becomes sorrowful and bereft entirely of intelligence.
41-51. Visnu, when resting in Sattva, becomes peaceful, sweet- tempered, and full of knowledge; when Rajo Guna preponderates in Him, He becomes void of sweetness and becomes awful to all the beings. Rudra becomes, too, peaceful and pleasant under the Sattva Guna, awful and void of sweetness under the Rajo Guna, and becomes sad and stupid under the Tamo Guna. O King! When Brahma, Visnu, Mahes’vara and the solar and lunar Kings, the
fourteen lords of Manvantaras, Manu and others are under the control of the nnayic Gunas, what to speak of other ordinary mortals, men and the other Jivas. The whole world is under the control of Maya; the Devas, men and all other beings. None should doubt on this point. All the embodied beings labour under the directions of Maya; never can they work independently. This Maya is again always residing in the Highest Essence, the Samvit or the Universal Pure Consciousness. Thus Maya is dependent on the Highest Goddess, Who is of the nature of Samvit, and, stimulated by Her, resides in the hearts of all the Jivas. Therefore one ought to meditate, worship and bow down before the Bhagavati, the Creatrix of Maya and Who is of the nature of Samvit, Pure Existence, Intelligence and Bliss. Thus She becomes gracious and merciful and liberates the Jivas, giving them Her realisation and drawing together Her own Maya away from them. This whole cosmos is nothing but Maya and the Consciousness (Samvit) of the nature of Brahman is the Lord of Maya. For this reason that Beautiful One in the triple worlds, the Devi Bhagavati is known by the name BhuvanesVari, the Great Lady of the worlds.
52-60. O King! If the Jivas can fix their hearts on that Samvit, then Maya, born of the real and unreal, is quite unable to do any harm to them. No other Deva than the BhuvanesVari, of the nature of pure existence, intelligence and bliss is able to remove this Maya. O King! Darkness cannot destroy darkness; the Sun, Moon, Lightning or Fire can destroy it. Therefore it is highly incumbent on us to worship the Lady of Maya, the Samvit, the Mother with a cheerful heart to remove the Maya and Her Gunas. O King! Now I have narrated to you all the events concerning the killing of Vritrasura that you asked. What more do you want to hear now. O One devoted to vows! I have now described the first half of that Purana, which describes in detail the glory of S’ri Devi Bhagavati. This Purana, the secret of this Mother of the whole Universe, is not to be disclosed indiscriminately to anybody. Those that are peaceful, self-restrained, devoted, and
possessed of Bhakti to the Devi, the disciples that are devoted to their Gurus and the eldest son, those are the fit recipients thereof. Whoever reads or hears with greatest devotion this Mahapuranam, equivalent to the Vedas, fraught with sound proofs and the essence of all talks, becomes, in this world, possessed of great wealth, becomes wise and passes his time in the greatest happiness. There is no doubt in this.
Here ends the Thirty-first Chapter on the Sixth Book on the glory of Maya in the Mahapuranam S’ri Mad Devi Bhagavatam of 18,000 verses by Maharsi Veda Vyasa.
[The Sixth Book Finished.]
Complete chapter-aligned witnesses. Sanskrit Wikisource page 53185, revision 118191 (2017-08-23T21:27:58Z). English is Swami Vijñanananda’s complete 1921–23 public-domain translation, controlled against the archival OCR and its chapter page at https://sacred-texts.com/hin/db/bk06ch31.htm. Historic spelling and transliteration are lightly normalized; no verse-by-verse alignment is asserted.