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CHAPTER THIRTEEN
A Hymn in Praise of Lalita
The Devas prayed
1. "Be victorious O goddess, the Mother of the universe Be victorious, O goddess, greater than the
greatest. Bo victorious, O abode of weal and prosperity. Be victorious, O soul of the art of Love.
2. O Kali of beautiful eyes; be victorious. O Kamaksi (one of lovely and liveable eyes), O beautiful
one, be victorious. Be victorious, O goddess worthy of being propitiated by all the Suras. O
Kamesi, goddess of love, bestower of honour, be victorious.
3. Be victorious, O goddess, the embodiment of Brahman, the soul of elegance and beauty of
Brahman, 0 NarayanI, O Supreme one, be victorious, O goddess, the bestower of delight on all
the worlds.
I. The use of a string or series of epithets as a prayer of a deity is as old as the Yajurveda in the
'Black' portion of which we have Rudradhyaya (Tai. Sara. IV.5.) and in the 'White` portion the
Sata-rudriya (Vaj. Sam. Ch. 18). The tradition was continued in Puranas and we have'a thousand
epithets of Visnu' in the Mbh. Anu. ch. 149. Here though not a thousand names, we have a series
of epithets glorifying Lalita and hailing her victory and equating her with the Almighty or
Parabrahman (VV 1-29). There is a separate sahasra-nama of Lalita with an erudic commentary of
Bhaskara-raya alias Bhasurananda.
4. Be victorious, O beloved of Srikantha (Siva). Be victorious, O Mother Srilalita. Be victorious, O
goddess, the conqueror of glory, O bestower of abundant riches and prosperity of victory.
5. Obeisance to the Cause of that which is born and is yet to be born, Cause of Istapurta (holy and
charitable rites), Obeisance to that protectress of three worlds, O goddess who art greater than the
greatest.
6. Hail to the goddess identical with (all units of time such as) Kalamuhurta, Kastha, days, months,
seasons and' years. Obeisance to the goddess with thousand heads;' O goddess with thousand
eyes and faces.
7. Bow to you appearing splendid with a thousand lotus-like hands and feet, O goddess, minuter
than Atom, greater than the greatest.
8. O mother who art greater than the greatest, more brilliant than the most brilliant, the (netherworld) Atala' constitutes your feet and Vitala, your knees.
9. Rasatala is the region of your waist. Dharani (Earth) is your belly. Bhuvarloka is your heart and
the world Svar (heaven) is your face.
10. The Moon, Sun and Fire are your eyes, O Ambika and the quarters (cardinal points) are your
arms. The winds are your breaths and the Vedas your,words.
1 1. Creation and formation of the worlds is your sport. Siva, the very embodiment of Ciit
(Supreme Consciousness)is our companion; the Bliss of the Sat (Existent, Supreme Being), is
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27. O mother, how can I describe your excellent prowess and influence. It is without beginning,
middle or end. It is not constituted of five elements. It cannot be expressed by words or
comprehended by mind. Its magnificence and power cannot be inferred. It is formless. It is without
Dvandvas (mutually opposed pairs). It cannot be perceived by the eyes.
28. Be gracious unto us, O goddess of the universe. Be pleased, O goddess saluted by the
universe. Be pleased, O goddess of learning, of the form of the Vedas. Be pleased, O Mayamayi
(one equipped with the magical power of delusion), O Mantravigraha (who are the embodiment of
Mantras). Be pleased, O goddess of everything, O Omni formed one."
29. After eulogising the great goddess thus, all Devas including Vasava (Indra) bowed down to her
again and again and hurriedly sought refuge in her.
30. On seeing Vasava bowing down, that goddess became delighted. The bestower of boons on
all embodied souls she asked him to request for any boon he liked.
Indra requested :
31. "(Defective Text) O goddess of welfare, if you are pleased, save our lives. We have
approached you seeking refuge. Due to the harassment of Daitya king, our life has become
unbearable."
Sridevi replied :
32. "I shall myself defeat Bhanda, bora of Daitya race. I shall eagerly grant you three worlds
including the mobile and immobilebeings.
33-36. Let all the groups of Devas be joyous and free from fear. The men who eulogise me
devoutly by means of this hymn shall be blessed with virtue, glory and fame for ever. They will be
richly endowed with learning and humility. They will have long life free from sickness. Due to my
blessing, let them be endowed with sons, friends and wives."
Obtaining the boon thus, Devas as well as Devendra of great strength attained the greatest
pleasure, on looking at her frequently.
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