Third Skandha · Chapter 25
Sourceव्यास उवाच गत्वाऽयोध्यां नृपश्रेष्ठो गृहं राज्ञः सुहृद्वृतः । शत्रुजिन्मातरं प्राह प्रणम्य शोकसङ्कुलाम् ॥ १ ॥ मातर्न ते मया पुत्रः सङ्ग्रामे निहतः किल । न पिता ते युधाजिच्च शपे ते चरणौ तथा ॥ २ ॥ दुर्गया तौ हतौ संख्ये नापराधो ममात्र वै । अवश्यम्भाविभावेषु प्रतीकारो न विद्यते ॥ ३ ॥ न शोकोऽत्र त्वया कार्यो मृतपुत्रस्य मानिनि । स्वकर्मवशगो जीवो भुङ्क्ते भोगान्सुखासुखान् ॥ ४ ॥ दासोऽस्मि तव भो मातर्यथा मम मनोरमा । तथा त्वमपि धर्मज्ञे न भेदोऽस्ति मनागपि ॥ ५ ॥ अवश्यमेव भोक्तव्यं कृतं कर्म शुभाशुभम् । तस्मान्न शोचितव्यं ते सुखे दुःखे कदाचन ॥ ६ ॥ दुःखे दुःखाधिकान्पश्येत्सुखे पश्येत्सुखाधिकम् । आत्मानं शोकहर्षाभ्यां शत्रुभ्यामिव नार्पयेत् ॥ ७ ॥ दैवाधीनमिदं सर्वं नात्माधीनं कदाचन । न शोकेन तदाऽऽत्मानं शोषयेन्मतिमान्नरः ॥ ८ ॥ यथा दारुमयी योषा नटादीनां प्रचेष्टते । तथा स्वकर्मवशगो देही सर्वत्र वर्तते ॥ ९ ॥ अहं वनगतो मातर्नाभवं दुःखमानसः । चिन्तयन्स्वकृतं कर्म भोक्तव्यमिति वेद्मि च ॥ १० ॥ मृतो मातामहोऽत्रैव विधुरा जननी मम । भयातुरा गृहीत्वा मां निर्ययौ गहनं वनम् ॥ ११ ॥ लुण्ठिता तस्करैर्मार्गे वस्त्रहीना तथा कृता । पाथेयञ्च हृतं सर्वं बालपुत्रा निराश्रया ॥ १२ ॥ माता गृहीत्वा मां प्राप्ता भारद्वाजाश्रमं प्रति । विदल्लोऽयं समायातस्तथा धात्रेयिकाऽबला ॥ १३ ॥ मुनिभिर्मुनिपत्नीभिर्दयायुक्तैः समन्ततः । पोषिताः फलनीवारैर्वयं तत्र स्थितास्त्रयः ॥ १४ ॥ दुःखं नमे तदा ह्यासीत्सुखं नाद्य धनागमे । न वैरं न च मात्सर्यं मम चित्ते तु कर्हिचित् ॥ १५ ॥ नीवारभक्षणं श्रेष्ठं राजभोगात्परन्तपे । तदाशी नरकं याति न नीवाराशनः क्वचित् ॥ १६ ॥ धर्मस्याचरणं कार्यं पुरुषेण विजानता । सञ्जित्येन्द्रियवर्गं वै यथा न नरकं व्रजेत् ॥ १७ ॥ मानुष्यं दुर्लभं मातः खण्डेऽस्मिन्भारते शुभे । आहारादि सुखं नूनं भवेत्सर्वासु योनिषु ॥ १८ ॥ प्राप्य तं मानुषं देहं कर्तव्यं धर्मसाधनम् । स्वर्गमोक्षप्रदं नॄणां दुर्लभं चान्ययोनिषु ॥ १९ ॥ व्यास उवाच इत्युक्ता सा तदा तेन लीलावत्यतिलज्जिता । पुत्रशोकं परित्यज्य तमाहाश्रुविलोचना ॥ २० ॥ सापराधाऽस्मि पुत्राहं कृता पित्रा युधाजिता । हत्या मातामहं तेऽत्र हृतं राज्यं तु येन वै ॥ २१ ॥ न तं वारयितुं शक्ता तदाऽहं न सुतं मम । यत्कृतं कर्म तेनैव नापराधोऽस्ति मे सुत ॥ २२ ॥ तौ मृतौ स्वकृतेनैव कारणं त्वं तयोर्न च । नाहं शोचामि तं पुत्रं सदा शोचामि तत्कृतम् ॥ २३ ॥ पुत्र त्वमसि कल्याण भगिनी मे मनोरमा । न क्रोधो न च शोको मे त्वयि पुत्र मनागपि ॥ २४ ॥ कुरु राज्यं महाभाग प्रजाः पालय सुव्रत । भगवत्याः प्रसादेन प्राप्तमेतदकण्टकम् ॥ २५ ॥ तदाकर्ण्य वचो मातुर्नत्वा तां नृपनन्दनः । जगाम भवनं रम्यं यत्र पूर्वं मनोरमा ॥ २६ ॥ न्यवसत्तत्र गत्वा तु सर्वानाहूय मन्त्रिणः । दैवज्ञानथ पप्रच्छ मुहूर्तं दिवसं शुभम् ॥ २७ ॥ सिंहासनं तथा हैमं कारयित्वा मनोहरम् । सिंहासने स्थितां देवीं पूजयिष्ये सदाऽप्यहम् ॥ २८ ॥ स्थापयित्वाऽऽसने देवीं धर्मार्थकाममोक्षदाम् । राज्यं पश्चात्करिष्यामि यथा रामादिभिः कृतम् ॥ २९ ॥ पूजनीया सदा देवी सर्वैर्नागरिकैर्जनैः । माननीया शिवा शक्तिः सर्वकामार्थसिद्धिदा ॥ ३० ॥ इत्युक्ता मन्त्रिणस्ते तु चक्रुर्वै राजशासनम् । प्रासादं कारयामासुः शिल्पिभिः सुमनोरमम् ॥ ३१ ॥ प्रतिमां कारयित्वाऽथ मुहूर्तेऽथ शुभे दिने । द्विजानाहूय वेदज्ञान्स्थापयामास भूपतिः ॥ ३२ ॥ हवनं विधिवत्कृत्वा पूजयित्वाऽथ देवताम् । प्रासादे मतिमान् देव्याः स्थापयामास भूमिपः ॥ ३३ ॥ उत्सवस्तत्र संवृत्तो वादित्राणाञ्च निःस्वनैः । ब्राह्मणानां वेदघोषैर्गानैस्तु विधिधैर्नृप ॥ ३४ ॥ व्यास उवाच प्रतिष्ठाप्य शिवां देवीं विधिवद्वेदवादिभिः । पूजां नानाविधां राजा चकारातिविधानतः ॥ ३५ ॥ कृत्वा पूजाविधिं राजा राज्यं प्राप्य स्वपैतृकम् । विख्यातश्चाम्बिका देवी कोसलेषु बभूव ह ॥ ३६ ॥ राज्यं प्राप्य नृपः सर्वं सामन्तकनृपानथ । वशे चक्रेऽतिधर्मिष्ठान्सद्धर्मविजयी नृपः ॥ ३७ ॥ यथा रामः स्वराज्येऽभूद्दिलीपस्य रघुर्यथा । प्रजानां वै सुखं तद्वन्मर्यादाऽपि तथाऽभवत् ॥ ३८ ॥ धर्मो वर्णाश्रमाणां च चतुष्पादभवत्तथा । नाधर्मे रमते चित्तं केषामपि महीतले ॥ ३९ ॥ ग्रामे ग्रामे च प्रासादांश्चक्रुः सर्वे जनाधिपाः । देव्याः पूजा तदा प्रीत्या कोसलेषु प्रवर्तिता ॥ ४० ॥ सुबाहुरपि काश्यां तु दुर्गायाः प्रतिमां शुभाम् । कारयित्वा च प्रासादं स्थापयामास भक्तितः ॥ ४१ ॥ तत्र तस्या जनाः सर्वे प्रेमभक्तिपरायणाः । पूजां चक्रुर्विधानेन यथा विश्वेश्वरस्य ह ॥ ४२ ॥ विख्याता सा बभूवाथ दुर्गादेवी धरातले । देशे देशे महाराज तस्या भक्तिर्व्यवर्धत ॥ ४३ ॥ सर्वत्र भारते लोके सर्ववर्णेषु सर्वथा । भजनीया भवानी तु सर्वेषामभवत्तदा ॥ ४४ ॥ शक्तिभक्तिरताः सर्वे मानिनश्चाभवन्नृप । आगमोक्तैरथ स्तोत्रैर्जपध्यानपरायणाः ॥ ४५ ॥ नवरात्रेषु सर्वेषु चक्रुः सर्वे विधानतः । अर्चनं हवनं यागं देव्या भक्तिपरा जनाः ॥ ४६ ॥
vyāsa uvāca gatvā'yodhyāṃ nṛpaśreṣṭho gṛhaṃ rājñaḥ suhṛdvṛtaḥ | śatrujinmātaraṃ prāha praṇamya śokasaṅkulām || 1 || mātarna te mayā putraḥ saṅgrāme nihataḥ kila | na pitā te yudhājicca śape te caraṇau tathā || 2 || durgayā tau hatau saṃkhye nāparādho mamātra vai | avaśyambhāvibhāveṣu pratīkāro na vidyate || 3 || na śoko'tra tvayā kāryo mṛtaputrasya mānini | svakarmavaśago jīvo bhuṅkte bhogānsukhāsukhān || 4 || dāso'smi tava bho mātaryathā mama manoramā | tathā tvamapi dharmajñe na bhedo'sti manāgapi || 5 || avaśyameva bhoktavyaṃ kṛtaṃ karma śubhāśubham | tasmānna śocitavyaṃ te sukhe duḥkhe kadācana || 6 || duḥkhe duḥkhādhikānpaśyetsukhe paśyetsukhādhikam | ātmānaṃ śokaharṣābhyāṃ śatrubhyāmiva nārpayet || 7 || daivādhīnamidaṃ sarvaṃ nātmādhīnaṃ kadācana | na śokena tadā''tmānaṃ śoṣayenmatimānnaraḥ || 8 || yathā dārumayī yoṣā naṭādīnāṃ praceṣṭate | tathā svakarmavaśago dehī sarvatra vartate || 9 || ahaṃ vanagato mātarnābhavaṃ duḥkhamānasaḥ | cintayansvakṛtaṃ karma bhoktavyamiti vedmi ca || 10 || mṛto mātāmaho'traiva vidhurā jananī mama | bhayāturā gṛhītvā māṃ niryayau gahanaṃ vanam || 11 || luṇṭhitā taskarairmārge vastrahīnā tathā kṛtā | pātheyañca hṛtaṃ sarvaṃ bālaputrā nirāśrayā || 12 || mātā gṛhītvā māṃ prāptā bhāradvājāśramaṃ prati | vidallo'yaṃ samāyātastathā dhātreyikā'balā || 13 || munibhirmunipatnībhirdayāyuktaiḥ samantataḥ | poṣitāḥ phalanīvārairvayaṃ tatra sthitāstrayaḥ || 14 || duḥkhaṃ name tadā hyāsītsukhaṃ nādya dhanāgame | na vairaṃ na ca mātsaryaṃ mama citte tu karhicit || 15 || nīvārabhakṣaṇaṃ śreṣṭhaṃ rājabhogātparantape | tadāśī narakaṃ yāti na nīvārāśanaḥ kvacit || 16 || dharmasyācaraṇaṃ kāryaṃ puruṣeṇa vijānatā | sañjityendriyavargaṃ vai yathā na narakaṃ vrajet || 17 || mānuṣyaṃ durlabhaṃ mātaḥ khaṇḍe'sminbhārate śubhe | āhārādi sukhaṃ nūnaṃ bhavetsarvāsu yoniṣu || 18 || prāpya taṃ mānuṣaṃ dehaṃ kartavyaṃ dharmasādhanam | svargamokṣapradaṃ nṝṇāṃ durlabhaṃ cānyayoniṣu || 19 || vyāsa uvāca ityuktā sā tadā tena līlāvatyatilajjitā | putraśokaṃ parityajya tamāhāśruvilocanā || 20 || sāparādhā'smi putrāhaṃ kṛtā pitrā yudhājitā | hatyā mātāmahaṃ te'tra hṛtaṃ rājyaṃ tu yena vai || 21 || na taṃ vārayituṃ śaktā tadā'haṃ na sutaṃ mama | yatkṛtaṃ karma tenaiva nāparādho'sti me suta || 22 || tau mṛtau svakṛtenaiva kāraṇaṃ tvaṃ tayorna ca | nāhaṃ śocāmi taṃ putraṃ sadā śocāmi tatkṛtam || 23 || putra tvamasi kalyāṇa bhaginī me manoramā | na krodho na ca śoko me tvayi putra manāgapi || 24 || kuru rājyaṃ mahābhāga prajāḥ pālaya suvrata | bhagavatyāḥ prasādena prāptametadakaṇṭakam || 25 || tadākarṇya vaco māturnatvā tāṃ nṛpanandanaḥ | jagāma bhavanaṃ ramyaṃ yatra pūrvaṃ manoramā || 26 || nyavasattatra gatvā tu sarvānāhūya mantriṇaḥ | daivajñānatha papraccha muhūrtaṃ divasaṃ śubham || 27 || siṃhāsanaṃ tathā haimaṃ kārayitvā manoharam | siṃhāsane sthitāṃ devīṃ pūjayiṣye sadā'pyaham || 28 || sthāpayitvā''sane devīṃ dharmārthakāmamokṣadām | rājyaṃ paścātkariṣyāmi yathā rāmādibhiḥ kṛtam || 29 || pūjanīyā sadā devī sarvairnāgarikairjanaiḥ | mānanīyā śivā śaktiḥ sarvakāmārthasiddhidā || 30 || ityuktā mantriṇaste tu cakrurvai rājaśāsanam | prāsādaṃ kārayāmāsuḥ śilpibhiḥ sumanoramam || 31 || pratimāṃ kārayitvā'tha muhūrte'tha śubhe dine | dvijānāhūya vedajñānsthāpayāmāsa bhūpatiḥ || 32 || havanaṃ vidhivatkṛtvā pūjayitvā'tha devatām | prāsāde matimān devyāḥ sthāpayāmāsa bhūmipaḥ || 33 || utsavastatra saṃvṛtto vāditrāṇāñca niḥsvanaiḥ | brāhmaṇānāṃ vedaghoṣairgānaistu vidhidhairnṛpa || 34 || vyāsa uvāca pratiṣṭhāpya śivāṃ devīṃ vidhivadvedavādibhiḥ | pūjāṃ nānāvidhāṃ rājā cakārātividhānataḥ || 35 || kṛtvā pūjāvidhiṃ rājā rājyaṃ prāpya svapaitṛkam | vikhyātaścāmbikā devī kosaleṣu babhūva ha || 36 || rājyaṃ prāpya nṛpaḥ sarvaṃ sāmantakanṛpānatha | vaśe cakre'tidharmiṣṭhānsaddharmavijayī nṛpaḥ || 37 || yathā rāmaḥ svarājye'bhūddilīpasya raghuryathā | prajānāṃ vai sukhaṃ tadvanmaryādā'pi tathā'bhavat || 38 || dharmo varṇāśramāṇāṃ ca catuṣpādabhavattathā | nādharme ramate cittaṃ keṣāmapi mahītale || 39 || grāme grāme ca prāsādāṃścakruḥ sarve janādhipāḥ | devyāḥ pūjā tadā prītyā kosaleṣu pravartitā || 40 || subāhurapi kāśyāṃ tu durgāyāḥ pratimāṃ śubhām | kārayitvā ca prāsādaṃ sthāpayāmāsa bhaktitaḥ || 41 || tatra tasyā janāḥ sarve premabhaktiparāyaṇāḥ | pūjāṃ cakrurvidhānena yathā viśveśvarasya ha || 42 || vikhyātā sā babhūvātha durgādevī dharātale | deśe deśe mahārāja tasyā bhaktirvyavardhata || 43 || sarvatra bhārate loke sarvavarṇeṣu sarvathā | bhajanīyā bhavānī tu sarveṣāmabhavattadā || 44 || śaktibhaktiratāḥ sarve māninaścābhavannṛpa | āgamoktairatha stotrairjapadhyānaparāyaṇāḥ || 45 || navarātreṣu sarveṣu cakruḥ sarve vidhānataḥ | arcanaṃ havanaṃ yāgaṃ devyā bhaktiparā janāḥ || 46 ||
English translation
1-4. Vyasa said The king Sudars’ana, surrounded by his friends, on conning to the palace at Ayodhya, bowed down to Lilavati, the mother of S’atrujit, and said “O mother! I swear by touching your feet, that I have not killed in battle your son S’atrujit nor your father Yudhajit; it is the Devi Durga that has killed them; I am not to be blamed a bit in this. O mother! You need not be sensitive in this; there is no remedy for what will inevitably come to pass; therefore you do not be sorry for the death of your son; you must know that the JTvas enjoy pleasure and pain as the results of their own Karmas.
5. O mother! I am your servant; you are entitled to the same respect and worship as Manorama, my own mother; there is no difference whatsoever between her and you.
6. O mother! One must bear the effects of one’s Karma, good or bad; therefore when pleasure or pain arises, you should not be glad or otherwise.
7. When pain arises, more pain is said to be conceived and when pleasure arises, more pleasure is seen. But the learned say that man ought not to subject himself to excessive pleasure or pain.
8. O mother! This whole world is under Fate, Destiny; nothing of it is yours. Therefore the intelligent persons ought not to grieve their hearts at any time with sorrow.
9. As the wooden dolls dance in a stage as danced by the actor, so the individual souls here work as the results of their past Karmas; there is no doubt in this.
10. O mother! I know that the effect of one’s own Karma, must have to be borne; it is, on that account, that I never felt sorrow in my exile in the forest.
11. You are quite aware that my mother’s father was killed here, and my mother, becoming very much afraid and sorrowful, took me and escaped to the forest.
12-13. The robbers robbed us of everything save our clothes on our bodies; I was then very young; my mother was without any shelter; she carried me with this minister Vidalla and my helpless nurse to the hermitage of Bharadvaja.
14. There the kind hermit and his wife and the other wives of the hermits protected our lives in that forest, with the roots and fruits, that can be obtained there in that forest. Thus our time passed.
15. Mother! I had felt no pain then; nor do I feel any pleasure at present, when wealth is flowing unto me. What more to say, I have no feeling of jealousy or envy whatsoever in my mind.
16. O mother! Rather it is better, in my eyes, to subsist on roots and fruits than to enjoy kingdoms; for the kings go to hell; but the ascetics living on roots and fruits never meet with that result.
17. The wise should undoubtedly practice Dharma and control their passions and thus save themselves from being led into hells.
18-19. O mother! The human birth in this auspicious Bharatvarsa is seldom obtained. The enjoyments in eating and drinking are possible in every womb, but it is highly incumbent on us when we have got the privilege of this human birth, to earn Dharma, leading to the Heavens and salvation which can be very rarely attained in being born in other wombs.”
20-21. Vyasa said When Sudars’ana had told thus, Lilavati became very abashed; she cast aside the sorrow for the death of her son, told him with tears in her eyes:-- “O my son Sudars’ana! I am very much guilty on account of my father Yudhajit killing your mother’s father and taking hold of the sovereignty of this kingdom.
22. I could not then hinder my father and son; whatever unlawful evil and cruel deeds were then committed, all were done by my father Yudhajit. Therefore, my child, I am not to be made guilty in any way in these doings.
23. Both my father and son were killed out of the wickedness of their own actions; how can you account for those wicked things? Child! I am not expressing sorrow at the death of my son; I have been pained by his doings.
24-25. O noble souled one; You are my son; Manorama is my sister; Child! I am not at all offended with you nor am I the least sorry for
your obtaining the kingdom; Child! you are very fortunate; therefore you have obtained, by the grace of Bhagavati, this kingdom without any enemies; now rule your subjects according to the prescribed rules of Dharma.”
26-28. Vyasa said O king! The king Sudars’ana heard LTIavati and bowed down at her feet. Then he went to the beautiful palace where Manorama had previously gone and began to live there. Inviting the ministers and the astrologers, he asked them what was the auspicious day and the auspicious moment, that he can establish Durga Devi on a beautiful golden throne and he would worship Her.
29. “O ministers! First I will install on the throne the Devi, the Awarder of the four main objects of human pursuits (viz. virtue, wealth, enjoyment and final beatitude) and then I will govern my kingdom like the kings S’ri Rama Chandra and others.
30. All the people of this city of Ayodhya ought also to worship this Auspicious S’akti, the Highest Energy, the Giver of all desires and Siddhis, and that is respected and adored by all.”
31. The ministers, on hearing his words, had a beautiful palace built by the engineers, artists and workmen and proclaimed in the city the king’s proclamation.
32. Then the king Sudars’ana had an image of the Devi nicely built and got that installed with the help of the Pundits, versed in the Vedas, on an auspicious day and at an auspicious moment.
33. The intelligent king performed the worship and Homa ceremony, according to the prescribed rules, and thus finally settled the ceremony of invocation of the Deity into the new image and established it as an idol in the temple.
34. O Janamejaya! There the soundings of the various drums and other musical instruments, the chanting of the Veda mantrams by the Brahmanas, and sweet music were heard; and various sorts of festivities and rejoicings were celebrated.
35. Vyasa said Thus completing the installation ceremony of the Durga Devi by the Brahmanas, versed in the Vedas, the king Sudars’ana duly worshipped the image in various ways, etc.
36. Thus gaining his father’s kingdom and worshipping the Devi, he and the Devi became celebrated throughout the kingdom.
37. The religious largehearted Sudars’ana, on gaining his kingdom, brought all the other feudatory princes under his control by the sheer force of his religious character.
38. The subjects became happy and got honor in the reign of Sudars’ana, as they got before in the reigns of Dilip, Raghu and Ramachandra.
39. The virtue of all the citizens under Varnas’rama shone complete with all its four padas; and there remained none in the world irreligious.
40. In villages after villages, the chief townsmen began to build temples, worship the Goddess there with all their jolliness. Thus everywhere in the Kosala kingdom spread the Devi worship.
41. On the other hand, the king Subahu established the Idol in Benares, had temples built and worshipped there the Devi.
42. The inhabitants of Kas’T became then filled with devotion and intense love towards the Devi and duly worshipped Her, as they used to do to S’iva in the temple of VisVanatha.
43. Thus the Durga Devi became very widely celebrated in this world. O king! Thus in different countries, the devotion began to increase towards the Goddess.
44. The Devi Bhagavati Bhavani became in every way an object to be worshipped and adored by all people and everywhere in Bharatavarsa.
45. The people began to recite slowly, meditate, and chant hymns as advocated by the Agamas constantly and became deeply attached to the S’akti worship and began to be looked upon with the highest honour by others.
46. O king! From that time all the people used to worship, perform Homa ceremony and sacrifice duly in honour of the Devi in every
Navaratri (for the first nine days of the bright half in the months of AsVin and Chaitra).
Here ends the 25th Chapter on the installation of the Devi in Ayodhya and Benares in the Maha Puranam S’ri Mad Devi Bhagavatam of 18,000 verses by Maharsi Veda Vyasa.
Complete chapter-aligned witnesses. Sanskrit Wikisource page 24750, revision 75604 (2016-08-03T12:32:55Z). 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/bk03ch25.htm. Historic spelling and transliteration are lightly normalized; no verse-by-verse alignment is asserted.