The Glory of Devotion

Verse 1 (devibhagavatam.7.37.1)

हिमालय उवाच । स्वीयां भक्तिं वदस्वाम्ब येन ज्ञानं सुखेन हि । जायेत मनुजस्यास्य मध्यमस्याविरागिणः

himālaya uvāca | svīyāṁ bhaktiṁ vadasvāmba yena jñānaṁ sukhena hi | jāyeta manujasyāsya madhyamasyāvirāgiṇaḥ

Himalaya said: O Mother, tell me of devotion to you — devotion by which even a person of middling capacity, not yet fully dispassionate, might come to knowledge with ease.

Verse 2 (devibhagavatam.7.37.2)

देव्युवाच । मार्गास्त्रयो मे विख्याता मोक्षप्राप्तौ नगाधिप । कर्मयोगो ज्ञानयोगो भक्तियोगश्च सत्तम

devyuvāca | mārgāstrayo me vikhyātā mokṣaprāptau nagādhipa | karmayogo jñānayogo bhaktiyogaśca sattama

The Devi said: O Lord of Mountains, three paths of mine are renowned as leading to liberation — the path of action, the path of knowledge, and the path of devotion, O best of the good.

Verse 3 (devibhagavatam.7.37.3)

त्रयाणामप्ययं योग्यः कर्तुं शक्योऽस्ति सर्वथा । सुलभत्वान्मानसत्वात्कायचित्ताद्यपीडनात्

trayāṇāmapyayaṁ yogyaḥ kartuṁ śakyo'sti sarvathā | sulabhatvānmānasatvātkāyacittādyapīḍanāt

Of these three, this last is, in every way, the one most fit and easiest to undertake — for it is readily accessible, a matter of the mind alone, and causes no strain to body or mind.

Verse 4 (devibhagavatam.7.37.4)

गुणभेदान्मनुष्याणां सा भक्तिस्त्रिविधा मता । परपीडां समुद्दिश्य दम्भं कृत्वा पुरःसरम्

guṇabhedānmanuṣyāṇāṁ sā bhaktistrividhā matā | parapīḍāṁ samuddiśya dambhaṁ kṛtvā puraḥsaram

According to the differing gunas of different people, devotion is held to be of three kinds. That devotion aimed at causing harm to others, carried out with hypocrisy foremost —

Verse 5 (devibhagavatam.7.37.5)

मात्सर्यक्रोधयुक्तो यस्तस्य भक्तिस्तु तामसी । परपीडादिरहितः स्वकल्याणार्थमेव च

mātsaryakrodhayukto yastasya bhaktistu tāmasī | parapīḍādirahitaḥ svakalyāṇārthameva ca

joined with envy and anger — such devotion is tamasic. That devotion free of any wish to harm others, undertaken only for one's own personal welfare —

Verse 6 (devibhagavatam.7.37.6)

नित्यं सकामो हृदयं यशोऽर्थी भोगलोलुपः । तत्तत्फलसमावाप्त्यै मामुपास्तेऽतिभक्तितः

nityaṁ sakāmo hṛdayaṁ yaśo'rthī bhogalolupaḥ | tattatphalasamāvāptyai māmupāste'tibhaktitaḥ

one whose heart is ever full of desires, who seeks fame, who is greedy for enjoyment, and who worships me with intense devotion only in order to obtain this or that particular fruit —

Verse 7 (devibhagavatam.7.37.7)

भेदबुद्।ह्ध्या तु मां स्वस्मादन्यां जानाति पामरः । तस्य भक्तिः समाख्याता नगाधिप तु राजसी

bhedabud|hdhyā tu māṁ svasmādanyāṁ jānāti pāmaraḥ | tasya bhaktiḥ samākhyātā nagādhipa tu rājasī

and who, through the sense of difference, regards me — foolishly — as something separate from himself: his devotion, O Lord of Mountains, is declared to be rajasic.

Verse 8 (devibhagavatam.7.37.8)

परमेशार्पणं कर्म पापसङ्क्षालनाय च । वेदोक्तत्वादवश्यं तत्कर्तव्यं तु मयानिशम्

parameśārpaṇaṁ karma pāpasaṅkṣālanāya ca | vedoktatvādavaśyaṁ tatkartavyaṁ tu mayāniśam

'This action, offered to the Supreme Lord for the washing away of sin, must be performed by me always, without fail, because the Veda has enjoined it' —

Verse 9 (devibhagavatam.7.37.9)

इति निश्चितबुद्धिस्तु भेदबुद्धिमुपाश्रितः । करोति प्रीतये कर्म भक्तिः सा नग सत्त्विकी

iti niścitabuddhistu bhedabuddhimupāśritaḥ | karoti prītaye karma bhaktiḥ sā naga sattvikī

with this settled conviction, still resting on a sense of difference, one who performs action for the sake of pleasing me — his devotion, O Mountain, is sattvic.

Verse 10 (devibhagavatam.7.37.10)

परभक्तेः प्रापिकेयं भेदबुद्।ह्ध्यवलम्बनात् । पूर्वप्रोक्ते ह्युभे भक्ती न परप्रापिके मते

parabhakteḥ prāpikeyaṁ bhedabud|hdhyavalambanāt | pūrvaprokte hyubhe bhaktī na paraprāpike mate

This devotion leads on to the supreme devotion, even though it still rests upon a sense of difference; but the two previously described — tamasic and rajasic — are held not to lead to that supreme devotion at all.

Verse 11 (devibhagavatam.7.37.11)

अधुना परभक्तिं तु प्रोच्यमानां निबोध मे । मद्गुणश्रवणं नित्यं मम नामानुकीर्तनम्

adhunā parabhaktiṁ tu procyamānāṁ nibodha me | madguṇaśravaṇaṁ nityaṁ mama nāmānukīrtanam

Now hear from me a description of that supreme devotion. Constant listening to my qualities, unceasing recitation of my name —

Verse 12 (devibhagavatam.7.37.12)

कल्याणगुणरत्नानामाकरायां मयि स्थिरम् । चेतसो वर्तनं चैव तैलधारासमं सदा

kalyāṇaguṇaratnānāmākarāyāṁ mayi sthiram | cetaso vartanaṁ caiva tailadhārāsamaṁ sadā

and the mind's unbroken, steady flow toward me — the very mine of every auspicious jewel-like quality — as unbroken as a steady stream of poured oil —

Verse 13 (devibhagavatam.7.37.13)

हेतुस्तु तत्र को वापि न कदाचिद्भवेदपि । सामीप्यसार्ष्टिसायुज्यसालोक्यानां न चैषणा

hetustu tatra ko vāpi na kadācidbhavedapi | sāmīpyasārṣṭisāyujyasālokyānāṁ na caiṣaṇā

there is, in this, no ulterior motive whatsoever — no craving for nearness to me, for equal glory, for union with me, or even for dwelling in my world.

Verse 14 (devibhagavatam.7.37.14)

मत्सेवातोऽधिकं किञ्चिन्नैव जानाति कर्हिचित् । सेव्यसेवकताभावात्तत्र मोक्षं न वाञ्छति

matsevāto'dhikaṁ kiñcinnaiva jānāti karhicit | sevyasevakatābhāvāttatra mokṣaṁ na vāñchati

He knows nothing at all greater than serving me; and because of this very relation of the served and the servant, he does not even wish for liberation.

Verse 15 (devibhagavatam.7.37.15)

परानुरक्त्या मामेव चिन्तयेद्यो ह्यतन्द्रितः । स्वाभेदेनैव मां नित्यं जानाति न विभेदतः

parānuraktyā māmeva cintayedyo hyatandritaḥ | svābhedenaiva māṁ nityaṁ jānāti na vibhedataḥ

One who, tirelessly, with the deepest attachment, thinks only of me, who knows me forever as identical with himself, never as separate —

Verse 16 (devibhagavatam.7.37.16)

मद्रूपत्वेन जीवानां चिन्तनं कुरुते तु यः । यथा स्वस्यात्मनि प्रीतिस्तथैव च परात्मनि

madrūpatvena jīvānāṁ cintanaṁ kurute tu yaḥ | yathā svasyātmani prītistathaiva ca parātmani

who thinks of all souls as being nothing but my own form, whose love for another's Self is exactly the same as his love for his own —

Verse 17 (devibhagavatam.7.37.17)

चैतन्यस्य समानत्वान्न भेदं कुरुते तु यः । सर्वत्र वर्तमानानां सर्वरूपां च सर्वदा

caitanyasya samānatvānna bhedaṁ kurute tu yaḥ | sarvatra vartamānānāṁ sarvarūpāṁ ca sarvadā

who, since consciousness is the same everywhere, makes no distinction between beings, and who forever regards all beings, present everywhere, as myself in every form —

Verse 18 (devibhagavatam.7.37.18)

नमते यजते चैवाप्याचाण्डालान्तमीश्वर । न कुत्रापि द्रोहबुद्धिं कुरुते भेदवर्जनात्

namate yajate caivāpyācāṇḍālāntamīśvara | na kutrāpi drohabuddhiṁ kurute bhedavarjanāt

bows to and honors even the outcaste as the Lord himself, and, having abandoned all sense of difference, harbors ill will toward no one, anywhere —

Verse 19 (devibhagavatam.7.37.19)

मत्स्थानदर्शने श्रद्धा मद्भक्तदर्शने तथा । मच्छास्त्रश्रवणे श्रद्धा मन्त्रतन्त्रादिषु प्रभो

matsthānadarśane śraddhā madbhaktadarśane tathā | macchāstraśravaṇe śraddhā mantratantrādiṣu prabho

faith in visiting my sacred places, equal faith in seeing my devotees; O Lord, faith in hearing my scriptures, in mantra, tantra, and the rest —

Verse 20 (devibhagavatam.7.37.20)

मायि प्रेमाकुलमती रोमाञ्चिततनुः सदा । प्रेमाश्रुजलपूर्णाक्षः कण्ठगद्गदनिस्वनः

māyi premākulamatī romāñcitatanuḥ sadā | premāśrujalapūrṇākṣaḥ kaṇṭhagadgadanisvanaḥ

a mind overwhelmed with love for me, a body forever thrilling with rapture, eyes brimming with tears of love, a voice choked with feeling —

Verse 21 (devibhagavatam.7.37.21)

अनन्येनैव भावेन पूजयेद्यो नगाधिप । मामीश्वरीं जगद्योनिं सर्वकारणकारणम्

ananyenaiva bhāvena pūjayedyo nagādhipa | māmīśvarīṁ jagadyoniṁ sarvakāraṇakāraṇam

one who, O Lord of Mountains, worships me alone, with a heart set on nothing else, as the Sovereign Goddess, the womb of the universe, the cause of all causes —

Verse 22 (devibhagavatam.7.37.22)

व्रतानि मम दिव्यानि नित्यनैमित्तिकान्यपि । नित्यं यः कुरुते भक्त्या वित्तशाठ्यविवर्जितः

vratāni mama divyāni nityanaimittikānyapi | nityaṁ yaḥ kurute bhaktyā vittaśāṭhyavivarjitaḥ

one who forever, and with devotion, keeps my divine vows, both the daily ones and those tied to particular occasions, free of greed for money and free of deceit —

Verse 23 (devibhagavatam.7.37.23)

मदुत्सवदिदृक्षा च मदुत्सवकृतिस्तथा । जायते यस्य नियतं स्वभावादेव भूधर

madutsavadidṛkṣā ca madutsavakṛtistathā | jāyate yasya niyataṁ svabhāvādeva bhūdhara

in whom, O Bearer of the Earth, the wish to witness and to celebrate my festivals arises, naturally and without fail, of its own accord —

Verse 24 (devibhagavatam.7.37.24)

उच्चैर्गायंश्च नामानि ममैव खलु नृत्यति । अहङ्कारादिरहितो देहतादात्म्यवर्जितः

uccairgāyaṁśca nāmāni mamaiva khalu nṛtyati | ahaṅkārādirahito dehatādātmyavarjitaḥ

who dances, singing my names aloud, free of ego and all such things, having set aside all identification with the body —

Verse 25 (devibhagavatam.7.37.25)

प्रारब्धेन यथा यच्च क्रियते तत्तथा भवेत् । न मे चिन्तास्ति तत्रापि देहसंरक्षणादिषु

prārabdhena yathā yacca kriyate tattathā bhavet | na me cintāsti tatrāpi dehasaṁrakṣaṇādiṣu

'whatever prarabdha ordains will simply come to pass as it will' — even in matters of preserving the body and the rest, harboring no anxiety at all —

Verse 26 (devibhagavatam.7.37.26)

इति भक्तिस्तु या प्रोक्ता परभक्तिस्तु सा स्मृता । यस्यां देव्यतिरिक्तं तु न किञ्चिदपि भाव्यते

iti bhaktistu yā proktā parabhaktistu sā smṛtā | yasyāṁ devyatiriktaṁ tu na kiñcidapi bhāvyate

such is the devotion just described — this alone is remembered as the supreme devotion, wherein nothing at all, apart from the Devi, is ever conceived to exist.

Verse 27 (devibhagavatam.7.37.27)

इत्थं जाता परा भक्तिर्यस्य भूधर तत्त्वतः । तदैव तस्य चिन्मात्रे मद्रूपे विलयो भवेत्

itthaṁ jātā parā bhaktiryasya bhūdhara tattvataḥ | tadaiva tasya cinmātre madrūpe vilayo bhavet

One, O Bearer of the Earth, in whom this supreme devotion has truly arisen in this way, dissolves, at that very instant, into pure consciousness alone — into my own true nature.

Verse 28 (devibhagavatam.7.37.28)

भक्तेस्तु या परा काष्ठा सैव ज्ञानं प्रकीर्तितम् । वैराग्यस्य च सीमा सा ज्ञाने तदुभयं यतः

bhaktestu yā parā kāṣṭhā saiva jñānaṁ prakīrtitam | vairāgyasya ca sīmā sā jñāne tadubhayaṁ yataḥ

That which is the very culmination of devotion is itself declared to be knowledge; and it is likewise the culmination of dispassion — for in knowledge, both of these come together as one.

Verse 29 (devibhagavatam.7.37.29)

भक्तौ कृतायां यस्यापि प्रारब्धवशतो नग । न जायते मम ज्ञानं मणिद्वीपं स गच्छति

bhaktau kṛtāyāṁ yasyāpi prārabdhavaśato naga | na jāyate mama jñānaṁ maṇidvīpaṁ sa gacchati

For one, O Mountain, whose devotion, though fully accomplished, does not, on account of prarabdha, ripen into knowledge of me — he attains, instead, my island of Manidvipa.

Verse 30 (devibhagavatam.7.37.30)

तत्र गत्वाखिलान्भोगाननिच्छन्नपि चर्च्छति । तदन्ते मम चिद्रूपज्ञानं सम्यग्भवेन्नग

tatra gatvākhilānbhogānanicchannapi carcchati | tadante mama cidrūpajñānaṁ samyagbhavennaga

Going there, he experiences every kind of enjoyment, even without desiring it; and at the end of it, O Mountain, he comes to a full and complete knowledge of my form as pure consciousness.

Verse 31 (devibhagavatam.7.37.31)

तेन मुक्तः सदैव स्याज्ज्ञानान्मुक्तिर्न चान्यथा । इहैव यस्य ज्ञानं स्याद्धृद्गतप्रत्यगात्मनः

tena muktaḥ sadaiva syājjñānānmuktirna cānyathā | ihaiva yasya jñānaṁ syāddhṛdgatapratyagātmanaḥ

Through that knowledge he becomes forever free — for liberation comes from knowledge alone, and never otherwise. One, however, for whom knowledge of the innermost Self, seated in the heart, arises even here in this very life —

Verse 32 (devibhagavatam.7.37.32)

मम संवित्परतनोस्तस्य प्राणा व्रजन्ति न । ब्रह्मैव संस्तदाप्नोति ब्रह्मैव ब्रह्म वेद यः

mama saṁvitparatanostasya prāṇā vrajanti na | brahmaiva saṁstadāpnoti brahmaiva brahma veda yaḥ

his very life-breaths, absorbed into my consciousness, do not depart elsewhere; being Brahman himself, he attains that same Brahman — for whoever knows Brahman becomes, in fact, Brahman itself.

Verse 33 (devibhagavatam.7.37.33)

कण्ठचामीकरसममज्ञानात्तु तिरोहितम् । ज्ञानादज्ञाननाशेन लब्धमेव हि लभ्यते

kaṇṭhacāmīkarasamamajñānāttu tirohitam | jñānādajñānanāśena labdhameva hi labhyate

Like a golden ornament round the neck, forgotten and hidden through mere ignorance, this knowledge lies concealed by ignorance; and through knowledge, by the destruction of that ignorance, one simply recovers what was, in truth, already one's own.

Verse 34 (devibhagavatam.7.37.34)

विदिताविदितादन्यन्नगोत्तम वपुर्मम । यथादर्शे तथात्मनि यथा जले तथा पितृलोके

viditāviditādanyannagottama vapurmama | yathādarśe tathātmani yathā jale tathā pitṛloke

My true form, O foremost of mountains, is distinct from both what is known and what is unknown; as clear as a reflection in a mirror, so it appears in the Self; as dim as a reflection in water, so it appears in the world of the ancestors.

Verse 35 (devibhagavatam.7.37.35)

छायातपौ यथा स्वच्छौ विविक्तौ तद्वदेव हि । मम लोके भवेज्ज्ञानं द्वैतभावविवर्जितम्

chāyātapau yathā svacchau viviktau tadvadeva hi | mama loke bhavejjñānaṁ dvaitabhāvavivarjitam

Just as shade and sunlight appear clearly, distinctly separate, so too, in my own world, knowledge free of every trace of duality comes to be, luminous and clear.

Verse 36 (devibhagavatam.7.37.36)

यस्तु वैराग्यवानेव ज्ञानहीनो म्रियेत चेत् । ब्रह्मलोके वसेन्नित्यं यावत्कल्पं ततः परम्

yastu vairāgyavāneva jñānahīno mriyeta cet | brahmaloke vasennityaṁ yāvatkalpaṁ tataḥ param

But one who possesses dispassion alone, without knowledge, should he die in that state, dwells in the world of Brahma for a full cosmic cycle, and after that —

Verse 37 (devibhagavatam.7.37.37)

शुचीनां श्रीमतां गेहे भवेत्तस्य जनिः पुनः । करोति साधनं पश्चात्ततो ज्ञानं हि जायते

śucīnāṁ śrīmatāṁ gehe bhavettasya janiḥ punaḥ | karoti sādhanaṁ paścāttato jñānaṁ hi jāyate

he is born again into the household of the pure and the prosperous. There he takes up spiritual practice once more, and only after that does knowledge finally arise for him.

Verse 38 (devibhagavatam.7.37.38)

अनेकजन्मभी राजंज्ञानं स्यान्नैकजन्मना । ततः सर्वप्रयत्नेन ज्ञानार्थं यत्नमाश्रयेत्

anekajanmabhī rājaṁjñānaṁ syānnaikajanmanā | tataḥ sarvaprayatnena jñānārthaṁ yatnamāśrayet

Knowledge, O King, comes only across many lifetimes, not through a single one alone. Therefore one should take refuge in the pursuit of knowledge with one's entire effort.

Verse 39 (devibhagavatam.7.37.39)

नोचेन्महान् विनाशः स्याज्जन्मैतद्दुर्लभं पुनः । तत्रापि प्रथमे वर्णे वेदप्राप्तिश्च दुर्लभा

nocenmahān vināśaḥ syājjanmaitaddurlabhaṁ punaḥ | tatrāpi prathame varṇe vedaprāptiśca durlabhā

Otherwise, great loss will follow, for this human birth is exceedingly hard to obtain again; and within it, birth in the foremost class and access to the Veda are harder still.

Verse 40 (devibhagavatam.7.37.40)

शमादिषट्कसम्पत्तिर्योगसिद्धिस्तथैव च । तथोत्तमगुरुप्राप्तिः सर्वमेवात्र दुर्लभम्

śamādiṣaṭkasampattiryogasiddhistathaiva ca | tathottamaguruprāptiḥ sarvamevātra durlabham

The attainment of tranquility and the other five accompanying virtues, success in yoga, and the finding of an excellent guru — all of these, here, are exceedingly hard to come by.

Verse 41 (devibhagavatam.7.37.41)

तथेन्द्रियाणां पटुता संस्कृतत्वं तनोस्तथा । अनेकजन्मपुण्यैस्तु मोक्षेच्छा जायते ततः

tathendriyāṇāṁ paṭutā saṁskṛtatvaṁ tanostathā | anekajanmapuṇyaistu mokṣecchā jāyate tataḥ

So too the keenness of the senses, and the refinement of the body — the very desire for liberation itself arises only through the merit accumulated over many lifetimes.

Verse 42 (devibhagavatam.7.37.42)

साधने सफलेऽप्येवं जायमानेऽपि यो नरः । ज्ञानार्थं नैव यतते तस्य जन्म निरर्थकम्

sādhane saphale'pyevaṁ jāyamāne'pi yo naraḥ | jñānārthaṁ naiva yatate tasya janma nirarthakam

The person who, even when all these means have thus fruitfully come together and the opportunity has arisen, still fails to strive for knowledge — his birth is utterly in vain.

Verse 43 (devibhagavatam.7.37.43)

तस्माद्राजन्यथाशक्त्या ज्ञानार्थं यत्नमाश्रयेत् । पदे पदेऽश्वमेधस्य फलमाप्नोति निश्चितम्

tasmādrājanyathāśaktyā jñānārthaṁ yatnamāśrayet | pade pade'śvamedhasya phalamāpnoti niścitam

Therefore, O King, one should take up this pursuit of knowledge to the best of one's ability; for at every single step along this path, one surely obtains the fruit of the Ashvamedha sacrifice.

Verse 44 (devibhagavatam.7.37.44)

घृतमिव पयसि निगूढं भूते भूते च वसति विज्ञानम् । सततं मन्थयितव्यं मनसा मन्थानभूतेन

ghṛtamiva payasi nigūḍhaṁ bhūte bhūte ca vasati vijñānam | satataṁ manthayitavyaṁ manasā manthānabhūtena

As ghee lies hidden within milk, so does true knowledge dwell hidden within every single being; it must be constantly churned out, using the mind itself as the churning-rod.

Verse 45 (devibhagavatam.7.37.45)

ज्ञानं लब्ध्वा कृतार्थः स्यादिति वेदान्तडिण्डिमः । सर्वमुक्तं समासेन किं भूयः श्रोतुमिच्छसि

jñānaṁ labdhvā kṛtārthaḥ syāditi vedāntaḍiṇḍimaḥ | sarvamuktaṁ samāsena kiṁ bhūyaḥ śrotumicchasi

Having gained knowledge, one becomes truly fulfilled — this is the very proclamation of Vedanta, sounded like a drum. I have now told you everything, in brief; what more do you wish to hear?