Chapter XXXVIII
The Vows and the Sacred Places of the Devi
p. 731
1-2. The Himâlayâs said :— “O Devî! Describe the places on this earth that are prominent, sacred, and worth visiting and which Thou likest best. O Mother! Also sanctify us by describing the vows and utsabs that are pleasing to Thee, and by performing which, men become blessed and get themselves satisfied.
3-10. The Devî spoke :— “O Himavan! All the places that are on this earth are all Mine and all should be visited. And every moment is fit for taking vows and utsabs. For I am of the nature pervading every moment; so whatever actions are performed at any moment are all equal to taking My vows and utsabs. O King of Mountains! Still I am now telling something out of My affection to My Bhakta s. Hear. There is a great place of pilgrimage named Kolhâpura in the southern country. Here the Devî Lak s mi always dwells. The second place is Mâtripura in the Sahyâdrî mountain; here the Devî Re n ukâ dwells. The third place is Tulajâpur; next is the place Saptas’ringa, the great places of Hingulâ and Jvâlâ Mukhî. Then the great places of Sâkambharî, Bhrâmâri, S’rîraktadantikâ and Dûrgâ. The best of all places is that of Vindhyâchala Vâsinî, the great places of Annapurnâ and the excellent Kânchipur (Conjiverum). Next come the places of Bhîmâ Devî, Vimalâ Devî, S’rî Cha n dralâ Devî of Kar n â t, and the place of Kaus’ikî. Then the great place of Nîlâmbâ on the top of the Nîlâparvata, the place of Jâmbûnades’varî, and the beautiful S’rînagara.
11-20. The great place of S’rî Guhya Kâlî, well established in Nepal, and that of S’rî Mînâk s î Devî established in Chîdamvaram. The great
place named Vedâra n ya where the Sundarî Devî is residing; then the place named Ekâmvaram, and the place Bhuvanes’vara near Puru s ottama where I always dwell as Parâ S’akti Bhuva n es’varî. The famous place of Mahâlasâ, known in the south by the name Mallâri; the place of Yoges’varî Varâ t, and the widely known place of Nîla S’arasvatî in China. The excellent place of Bagalâ in Baidyanâth, the supreme place Ma n idvîpa of S’rîmatî Bhuvanes’varî where I always reside. The Yonima nd ala Kâmâkhyâ, the place of S’rimatî Tripurâ Bhariavî, the excellent of all the places in this earth, where the Devî Mahâ Mâyâ always dwells. There is no other place better than this on the earth. Here the Devî becomes every month in Her course of menstruation and where the virtuous men are seen. Here all the Devas remain in the form of mountains and where on the mountains the excellent Devas inhabit. The sages say: That all the places there are of the nature of the Devî; there is no better place than this Kâmâkhyâ Yonima nd ala. Pu s kara, the sacred place, is the seat of Gâyatrî; the place of Cha nd ikâ in Amares’a: and the excellent place of Pu s karek s i n î in Frabhâsa. The place of Linga-dhâri n î Devî in Naimi s âra ny a, and the place of Purubutâ in Pu s karâk s a; Rati dwells in Âsâ d hî.
21-30. Da nd inî Parames’vari dwells in Cha nd amun d î. Bhûti dwells in Bhârabhûti; and Nakule S’varî dwells in Nâkula. Chandrikâ dwells in Haris’chandra; S’ânkari in S’rîgiri; Tris’ûlâ in Japes’vara; and Suk s mâ in Âmrâta Kes’vara. S’ânkarî dwells in Ujjain, S’arvâ n î in the place Madhyamâ, and Mârga Dâyini dwells in the holy K s etra Kedâra. The celebrated Bhairavî dwells in the place named Bhairava; Mangalâ in Gayâ K s ettra; Sthânupriyâ in Kuruk s etra; and Svâyambhuvî Devî dwells in Nâkula; Ugrâ dwells in Kankhal; Vis’vesâ dwells in Vimales’vara, Mahânandâ in Attahâsa and Mahântakâ in Mahendra. Bhimes’varî dwells in Bhîma; the Bhavânî S’ankarî dwells in Vastrâpadma; and Rudrâ n î in Ardha Ko t î. Vis’alâk s î dwells in Avimukta; Mahâbhâgâ dwells in Mahâlaya; Bhadrakar n î in Gokar n a; and Bhadrâ resides in Bhadrakar n ak; Utpalâk s î dwells in Suvarnâk s a; Sthâ n vîs’â in Sthâ n u; Kamalâ in Kamalâlayâ; Cha nd â in Chhagala nd aka, situated in the south near the sea coast. Trisandhyâ dwells in Kuru nd ala; Muku t es’varî in Mâko t a; S’ân d akî in Mandales’a; Kâlî in Kâlanjara; Dhvani in S’ankukar n a; Sthûlâ in Sthûlakes’vara; and Parames’varî Hrillekhâ dwells in the heart lotuses of the Jñanins.
31-34. The places mentioned above are all dearest to the Devî. First the merits of these places are to be heard; next the Devî is to be
worshipped by the rites and ceremonies according to these rules. Or, O Mountain! All the holy places of pilgrimages exist in Kâs’î. The Devî always dwells there. Persons, devoted to the Devî, see these places and if they make Japam and meditate on the lotus-feet of the Devî, they will certainly be freed from the bonds of Samsâra; there is no doubt in this. If anybody, getting up in the morning, recite the names of these places, all his sins would instantly be burnt away.
35-40. And if one reads, in the time of S’râddha, before the Brahmi n s, these holy names of the Devî, his Pitris will be purified of their sins in the Mahâkâs’a by the Mahâ Prâ n a and will get their highest goal. O One of good vows! I will now describe to you the vows that are to be carefully observed by men and women; hear. Ananta Tritîyâkhya Vrata (vow), Rasakalyânî Vrata, and Ârdrânandakara Vrata, these three Vratas are to be observed in the Tritîyâ (third) tithi. The next come the Friday vow, the Kri sn a Chaturdas’i vows, the Tuesday vow, and the evening twilight vow. In this twilight vow, Mahâ Deva placed the Devî in the evening on an Âsana; and He, along with the other Devas, began to dance before Her. Fasting is enjoined in this vow; and then in the evening one must worship the Devî, the Giver of all auspicious things. Especially in every fortnight, if the Devî be worshipped, She gets extremely pleased.
- O Best of Mountains! The Monday vow is very agreeable to Me; the worship of the Devî should be done and then in the night one must take one’s food.
42-43. The two nine nights vow called Navarâtra are to be observed, one in the autumn and the other in the spring season. These are very dear to Me. He is certainly My devotee and very dear who for My satisfaction performs these and the other Nitya Naimittik vows, free from any pride and jealousy. He certainly gets the Sâjujya Mukti with Me.
44-46. O Nagarâja! The Holy (Dol) festival in the month of Chait on tha third day of the white fortnight is very pleasing to Me and should be observed by all. My devotees perform the S’ayanotsava in the Paur n âmâsî in the month of Âsâ d ha; the Jâgara n otsava in the Paur n amâsî in the month of Kârtik, the Ratha Jâtrâ in the 3rd of the white fortnight in Âsâ d ha; the Damanotsava in Chaitra. And my dear festivals in the month of S’râvana and various other festivals.
47-49. In all these festivals one should feast well with gladness all My devotees, and the Kumâris (virgins), well clothed and dressed, and the boys, thinking them all to be of My very nature. No miserliness is to be entertained and I should be worshipped with flowers, etc. He is blessed and attains his goal and is dear to Me who carefully and devotedly observes every year all these festivals. O Nagendra! Thus I have described to you in brief all the vows that are pleasing to Me. These instructions are not to be given who is not a disciple nor to one who is not My devotee.
Here ends the Thirty-eighth Chapter of the Seventh Book on the vows and the sacred places of the Devî in the Mahâ Purâ n am S’rî Mad Devî Bhâgavatam, of 18,000 verses, by Mahar s i Veda Vyâsa.