Table of Contents
Highlights of Durga Suktam And Sahasranama
- Spiritual and material prosperity through Durga Sahasranama.
- Enhanced willpower, action energy, and Kundalini Awakening.
- Liberation from fears and obstacles.
- Protection and purification by Durga Suktam’s fire element.
- Benefits during Navaratri chanting.
- Relationship harmony and peace.
- Pathway to spiritual enlightenment and Moksha.
In this Video Blog we shall explore the possibilities with 2 Popular Stotrams of Devi Durga namely the Durga Sahasranama and the Devi Durga Suktam. Let us consider the Durga Sahasranama to start with.
The 1000 Names of Devi Durga
Durga Sahasranama is a thousand names of Goddess Durga describing Her pastimes and qualities. It is a very powerful stotram. Just as medicines have healing effects, Durga Sahasranama is a power pill that has positive outcomes.
Who Composed The Durga Sahasranama
The Durga Sahasranama was composed by Sage Narada.
Chanting the Durga Sahasranama increases Iccha Shakti, the will to desire, Kriya Shakti, the energy to perform action and Kundalini Shakti, the serpent power located at the base of the spine.
In one word, Durga is Shakti, the consort of Lord Shiva. While Lord Shiva is the static component known as Purusha, Durga Devi is the dynamic creative energy called Prakriti.
The Spiritual Position of Devi Durga
Durga Devi governs the material world. This is not the only form of the material world. There are many multiverses and every multiverse has material and spiritual worlds within them.
Devi Durga is the guardian of all these material worlds. Durg means fort or prison. This prison actually is all our shortcomings and the weak mind that has imprisoned us through faulty habits and lack of spiritual goals.
Durga Devi is the warden of this fort. One cannot reach the other shore, of Pure Land or Spiritual realm without crossing this fort or prison, to be more precise. Devi Durga sanctions the pass to the spiritual world and is also known as Maha Maya or the illusionary energy of the Lord.
Without pleasing her, it is impossible to be victorious in any endeavour– be it material or spiritual. There are many examples to prove this fact.
Role of Devi Durga in the Mahabharata And Ramayana
Lord Krishna advised Arjuna to please Durga Devi for victory in the Mahabharata war, Devi Sita prayed to goddess Durga to have Lord Rama as Her husband, Lord Rama followed the Navratri ritual to kill Ravana, and the Gopis worshiped Devi Durga also known as Katyayani to have Lord Krishna as their beloved and so on.
A Vivid Description Of Devi Durga
The scriptures are filled with such examples. Durga Devi wears a red saree with a bright red bindi on her forehead. Her appearance brings joy to the heart. She has eight hands and is a terror to the sinful.
Devi wears golden bangles and in those hands, she holds a terrible sword, disc, trident, club, bow, and arrows. She clearly indicates that strength is not confined to gender. It is an inner quality that springs from the soul. Durga devi is the feminine energy indicating Power and Grace.
The Story of Mahishasura
She defies the faulty social belief that a woman is weak and helpless. Goddess Durga shatters all myths and emerges like a powerful lioness finishing off demons just as a gardener uproots unwanted weeds.
Mahishasura, the buffalo-headed Asura had secured a boon from Lord Brahma to die only at the hands of a woman. Lord Brahma granted the boon and disappeared. The demon became a source of misery to the three worlds. Now, the Trinity of Sri Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva is very clever at solving such riddles.
To be specific, Lord Vishnu encountered a similar problem during His Narasimha Avatar. I have already made a video on Narasimha Kavacham. It will be good to watch that video.
As a counterattack, Sri Durga appeared from the Shakti of Sri Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva. The deceitful demon took various forms to confuse Durga. Mahishasura represents duplicity, having a different face for oneself and a different face for society.
Devi could clearly see through this illusion as she is Maha Maya personified. After fighting for 10 whole days, she finally slew Mahishasura. Thus she got the name Mahishasura Mardini or the slayer of the demon Mahishasura.
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Benefits Of Durga Sahasranama
Now I shall state the benefits of chanting Durga Sahasranama. Daily recitation of the Durga Sahasranama brings wealth, freedom from ghosts, peace at home, eliminates enemies, and adds to the prosperity of the family.
Sweetness fills the life of a couple. Both the husband and wife should chant the Stotram. Constant domestic fights are automatically reduced if both husband and wife recite the Sahasranamam. The frequency of family members falling sick gets dramatically reduced.
Devi blesses one with spiritual and material knowledge. It quenches a Sadhaka’s thirst to see the Goddess, if one is committed to the Durga Sahasranama. During Navaratri days, the benefits of reciting the Durga Sahasranamam increase manifold.
A few benefits of chanting Durga Sahasranama are fearlessness, peace, power, fame, positivity, removal of obstacles, and most importantly the love and grace of Durga Devi.
How To Chant The Durga Sahasranama
However, I urge you to chant the Sahasranama selflessly. Only then shall the benefits manifest. You do not need initiation to chant the Durga Sahasranama. But there are some essential rules to be followed.
Take a Sankalpa of say 11, 21, or 41 days. During this span, it is compulsory to follow Brahmacharya and eat Satvik food, discarding non-vegetarian and onion-garlic totally. Only then will the recitation bear fruit. I have seen many people complain that they have been reciting the stotram for years but there is no change.
The simple answer is that their lifestyle remains impure, so chanting the Sahasranama is just like trying to light a bundle of wet wooden sticks. Another reason for failure is that they do not have a strict regime for chanting. The diet has to be perfect and the mind has to be on Devi, even after your sadhana time.
At all times, except when doing some mind-related work, keep your mind on Devi. This is the big secret of success in Sadhana. Follow the given rules and see the changes for yourself.
An Introduction to the Durga Suktam
Now we shall Look into the Durga Suktam, another Powerful Hymn that attracts Sri Durga’s Grace. The Durga Suktam occurs in section two of the Maha Narayana Upanishad.
The Maha Narayana Upanishad is an ancient Sanskrit text, and a minor Vaishnava Upanishad. It contains extracts of Vedic texts such as Rig, Yajur, Atharva Ved and Katha Upanishad. The first five mantras of the Suktam lie in the Rig Veda, the most ancient Veda whose origin traces back to antiquity. Here in the Durga Suktam, we are dealing with a Rig Vedic hymn.
Background of The Devi (Durga) Suktam
Let us understand the background of Rig Veda to appreciate the Durga Suktam even better. In Vedic times, an average man’s life revolved around the varnas (occupation), cattle (Gau Dhan), wealth (Dhan-Sampada), land (Bhoomi), grains (anna), children and grandchildren (Santana).
The average man understood that his happiness lies in pleasing the Devatas on whom his livelihood totally depends. Devatas govern the elements of nature. We know them as Indra, (the god of rain), Agni (fire), Vayu (Wind), Soma (Moon), Varun (Water) and so on.
Thus, the Rig Veda is an encyclopedia of sacred hymns called Suktam, praising the important deities of the Vedic lore. To know the greatness of Sanatana Dharma, watch our video titled The Science behind Sanatana Dharma | How is Sanatana Dharma Scientific?
Even today, hearing these sacred chants takes us to the glorious Vedic era, where we can clearly picture ourselves seated in an open ground, amidst brahmins, pouring clarified butter in the holy fire.
Who can Chant The Devi Suktam
Now, not everyone can recite this Suktam. Yet those who wish to reap the benefits can hear Dvijas and recite them, only after taking Diksha from such a Guru who has learnt to recite the Suktas in proper Vedic Meters after due training, following strict rules of food control and controlled celibacy.
Reciting any Suktam like Sri Suktam, Narayana Suktam, Purusha Suktam, even Devi Suktam etc is strictly prohibited, unlike the Durga Sahasranama, which anybody can recite.
Reciting them without proper Diksha and training, following perfect lifestyle rules can harm the chanter in unknown ways. So it is my sincere request to all, to avoid all Suktas, if you are not associated directly with a Vedic Parampara System.
Why is the Devi Suktam Called Durga Suktam
Coming back to our topic of Durga Suktam, Instead of calling the hymn Parvati Suktam or Gauri Suktam, we rightly call it Durga Suktam. Why? Although being a form of Adi Parashakti, Durga Devi stands apart from other manifestations because of her bold and fiery persona.
In a bright red-colored saree, Goddess Durga holds fatal weapons in her hands, appearing benign to the submissive while aggressive to enemies. Goddess Durga is the power born out of Tapas (austerity). Her aggression is Sattvik, symbolizing a mother’s anger when punishing her child.
The Fire Of Devi Durga
This strict appearance is to reform the child, not to bring harm to it. The Durga Suktam invokes the fire of Durga, the fire that purifies and transforms for the better. This fire is holy, free of any material contamination.
In this sacrificial fire, Brahmins make oblations for universal well-being. Hence, the Suktam has many mentions of Agnidev and that is one reason why an average person is strictly requested to keep away from Suktas, which may drastically hamper his physical and mental well-being, if the Suktam is recited without training.
Goddess Durga has a fire-like complexion. Her character is fiery because of intense Tapas. Also, she emerged from the fire. Finally, her fire consumes our actions as oblations, rendering the fruits of action. Hence, the Durga Suktam gives a form to that holy fire.
That form is Durga. Also, Agni represents Kriya Shakti, the power of action. The Kriya Shakti is none other than the Goddess Durga. Comprising 7 shlokas, one can recite the Durga Suktam in under 3 minutes. The 8th shloka is the Durga Gayatri Mantra.
Benefits Of Chanting The Durga Suktam
Let us now look at the benefits of chanting Durga Suktam. We call Devi, Jataveda (जातवेदः) from whom the Vedas are born. The Following Benefits are for a well trained Vedic Reciter.
Repeated chanting of the Durga Suktam sharpens our intelligence helping us overcome all our troubles and difficulties. The fire of Durga carries us over this deadly Samsara, just as a boat ferries the passenger through the turbulent ocean waves.
In the beginning verses, the reciter falls at the feet of Devi, asking her for help as she is the only refuge, the only hope one has. Again, since Bharat was an agricultural land, the reciter asks Devi to make his land fertile and also his heart for Devi to stay within.
So, the farmer community can benefit by organizing a mass recitation of Durga Suktam through trained Brahmanas. The recitation kindles the fire of digestion in the body.
It may also result in Kundalini Awakening. We win the favor of Goddess Durga and Agni Deva. As a result, fire accidents rarely occur in the house.
The recitation along with the meaning, gives courage, good fortune, prosperity and victory. It keeps one’s children and grandchildren in good health. They prosper.
The reciter gets the direct guidance of Devi and attains Moksha. Durga Devi’s immaculate character reflects in the reciter making him a man of his words. The goddess slays our inner enemies. The benefits associated with this hymn are indeed spiritual.
Like children who yearn for the company of parents, we invoke Devi to fill our consciousness with her affection, granting us residence in Vaishnavi Loka . Based on his/her crisis, the reciter sees improvement. I have just highlighted some benefits.
Pray To Devi With No Ulterior Motives
However, the benefits are more than we can imagine. I urge the readers to see beyond the benefits. Call Devi with no expectations or hidden motive.
One’s prayer should be sincere and heart-heart. Expecting benefits limits our boundaries. Reciting the Durga Suktam simply for the benefits’s sake is akin to serving one’s father for his property. Durga Devi knows what is best for the sadhaka.
She shall beautifully balance the sadhaka’s Karma with Her Grace. Now, let us look at the process of chanting the Durga Suuktam. As I share in most of my videos, the reciter should maintain purity of mind, body and speech.
One should recite the stotram after a bath, early in the morning at around 6:00-7:00 AM. Also observe dietary restrictions such as renouncing non-vegetarian food, avoiding onion and garlic, alcoholic drinks. One shall please the gods by observing celibacy during the sankalpa period.
Since the Durga Suktam invokes Agni, the fire element, drink plenty of water and keep the body hydrated.
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