The Mahanavami Vow (with the Ashoka-Ashtami)

Verse 1 (garuda.1.133.1)

ब्रह्मोवाच । अशोककलिका ह्यष्टौ ये पिबन्ति पुनर्वसौ । चैत्रे मासि सिताष्टम्यां न ते शोकमवाप्नुयुः

brahmovāca aśokakalikā hyaṣṭau ye pibanti punarvasau caitre māsi sitāṣṭamyāṁ na te śokamavāpnuyuḥ

Brahma said: On the bright eighth day of Chaitra, when the moon stands in Punarvasu, those who drink eight ashoka buds shall never know sorrow.

Verse 2 (garuda.1.133.2)

त्वामशोक ! हराभीष्ट ! मधुमाससमुद्भव । पिबामि शोकसन्तप्तो मामशोकं सदा कुरु

tvāmaśoka ! harābhīṣṭa ! madhumāsasamudbhava pibāmi śokasantapto māmaśokaṁ sadā kuru

O Ashoka tree, beloved of Hara, sprung forth in the honey-month! Tormented by sorrow I drink of you; make me forever free of sorrow.

Verse 3 (garuda.1.133.3)

(इत्यशोकाष्टमीव्रतम्) । ब्रह्मोवाच । शुक्लाष्टम्यामाश्वयुजे उत्तराषाढया युता । सा महानवमीत्युक्ता स्नानदानादि चाक्षयम्

(ityaśokāṣṭamīvratam) brahmovāca śuklāṣṭamyāmāśvayuje uttarāṣāḍhayā yutā sā mahānavamītyuktā snānadānādi cākṣayam

Brahma said: The ninth day in Ashvina, following the bright eighth and joined with the Uttarashadha asterism, is called the Mahanavami; bathing, giving and the like performed then bear imperishable fruit.

Verse 4 (garuda.1.133.4)

नवमी केवला चापि दुर्गां चैव तु पूजयेत् । महाव्रतं महापुण्यं शङ्कराद्यैरनुष्ठितम्

navamī kevalā cāpi durgāṁ caiva tu pūjayet mahāvrataṁ mahāpuṇyaṁ śaṅkarādyairanuṣṭhitam

Even on the ninth day alone, one should worship Durga; it is a great vow of great merit, observed even by Shankara and the other gods.

Verse 5 (garuda.1.133.5)

अयाचितादि षष्ठ्यादौ राजा शत्रुजयाया च । जपहोमसमायुक्तः कन्यां वा भोजयेत्सदा

ayācitādi ṣaṣṭhyādau rājā śatrujayāyā ca japahomasamāyuktaḥ kanyāṁ vā bhojayetsadā

Beginning from the sixth day, with unsolicited food and the like, a king seeking victory over enemies should always feed a young girl, joined with recitation and fire-offering.

Verse 6 (garuda.1.133.6)

दुर्गेदुर्गे रक्षिणि स्वाहा मन्त्रोऽयं पूजनादिषु । दीर्घाकारादिमात्राभिर्नव देव्यो नमोऽन्तिकाः

durgedurge rakṣiṇi svāhā mantro'yaṁ pūjanādiṣu dīrghākārādimātrābhirnava devyo namo'ntikāḥ

Durge, Durgi, O protectress, svaha — this is the mantra used in worship and the other rites; with the long vowel a and other measures, the nine goddesses are invoked, each ending in namah.

Verse 7 (garuda.1.133.7)

षड्भिः पदैर्नमः स्वाहा वषडादिहृदादिकम् । अङ्गुष्ठादिकनिष्ठान्तं न्यस्य वै पृजयेच्छिवाम्

ṣaḍbhiḥ padairnamaḥ svāhā vaṣaḍādihṛdādikam aṅguṣṭhādikaniṣṭhāntaṁ nyasya vai pṛjayecchivām

With the six ritual formulae — namah, svaha, vashat and the rest — one performs the placement upon the heart and the other limbs; having placed the mantras from thumb to little finger, one should worship Shiva's consort.

Verse 8 (garuda.1.133.8)

अष्टम्यां नव गेहानि दारुजान्येकमेव वा । तस्मिन्देवी प्रकर्तव्या हैमी वाराजतापि वा

aṣṭamyāṁ nava gehāni dārujānyekameva vā tasmindevī prakartavyā haimī vārājatāpi vā

On the eighth day one should build nine small wooden shrines, or a single one; in it the image of the Goddess, made of gold or of silver, should be set up.

Verse 9 (garuda.1.133.9)

शूले खङ्गे पुस्तके वा पटे वा मण्डले (पे) यजेत् । कपालं खेटकं घण्टां दर्पणं तर्जनीं धनः

śūle khaṅge pustake vā paṭe vā maṇḍale (pe) yajet kapālaṁ kheṭakaṁ ghaṇṭāṁ darpaṇaṁ tarjanīṁ dhanaḥ

One should worship her on a trident, sword, book, painted cloth, or ritual diagram — she bears a skull-cup, a shield, a bell, a mirror, the raised forefinger, and a bow —

Verse 10 (garuda.1.133.10)

ध्वजं डमरुकं पाशं वामहस्तेषु बिभ्रती । शक्तिं च मुद्गरं शूलं वज्रं खङ्गं तथाङ्कुशम्

dhvajaṁ ḍamarukaṁ pāśaṁ vāmahasteṣu bibhratī śaktiṁ ca mudgaraṁ śūlaṁ vajraṁ khaṅgaṁ tathāṅkuśam

in her left hands she bears a banner, a small drum, and a noose; and in the others, a spear, a mace, a trident, a thunderbolt, a sword, and a goad —

Verse 11 (garuda.1.133.11)

शरं चक्रं शलाकां च दुर्गामायुधसंयुताम् । शेषाः षोडशहस्तां स्युरञ्जनं डमरुं विना

śaraṁ cakraṁ śalākāṁ ca durgāmāyudhasaṁyutām śeṣāḥ ṣoḍaśahastāṁ syurañjanaṁ ḍamaruṁ vinā

an arrow, a discus, and a needle — thus Durga is furnished with her weapons; her remaining forms have sixteen arms, without the small drum and the collyrium-vessel.

Verse 12 (garuda.1.133.12)

रुद्रचण्डा प्रचण्डा च चण्डोग्रा चण्डनायिका । चण्डा चण्डवती चैव चण्डरूपातिचण्डिका

rudracaṇḍā pracaṇḍā ca caṇḍogrā caṇḍanāyikā caṇḍā caṇḍavatī caiva caṇḍarūpāticaṇḍikā

Her nine forms, one for each day of the Navaratri, are: Rudrachanda, Prachanda, Chandogra, Chandanayika, Chanda, Chandavati, Chandarupa, Atichandika —

Verse 13 (garuda.1.133.13)

नवमी चोग्रचण्डा च मध्यमाग्निप्रभाकृतिः । रोचना त्वरुणा कृष्णा नीलं धूम्रा च शुक्रका

navamī cogracaṇḍā ca madhyamāgniprabhākṛtiḥ rocanā tvaruṇā kṛṣṇā nīlaṁ dhūmrā ca śukrakā

and on the ninth day, Ugrachanda. Their hues are, in the middle form, like the glow of fire, and otherwise yellow, red, black, blue, smoky and bright —

Verse 14 (garuda.1.133.14)

पाता च पाण्डुरा प्रोक्ता आलीढं हरितं तथा । म (मा) हिषोऽस्य स खड्गाग्रप्रकचग्रहमुष्टिकः

pātā ca pāṇḍurā proktā ālīḍhaṁ haritaṁ tathā ma (mā) hiṣo'sya sa khaḍgāgraprakacagrahamuṣṭikaḥ

and pale white is named as well; she stands in the alidha battle-stance, and is green-hued too; her foe is the buffalo-demon, whose hair she grips with the point of her sword and her fist.

Verse 15 (garuda.1.133.15)

जप्त्वा दशाक्षरीं विद्यां नासौ केनापि बध्यते । पञ्च (ञ्चा) दशाङ्गुलं खड्गं त्रिशूलं च ततो यजेत् । लिङ्गस्यां पूजयेद्वापि पादुकेऽथ जलेऽपि वा

japtvā daśākṣarīṁ vidyāṁ nāsau kenāpi badhyate pañca (ñcā) daśāṅgulaṁ khaḍgaṁ triśūlaṁ ca tato yajet liṅgasyāṁ pūjayedvāpi pāduke'tha jale'pi vā

By reciting the ten-syllabled mantra, one is bound by no one at all. One should then worship a sword fifteen fingers in length, and a trident; or one may worship in the linga, in sandals, or even in water.

Verse 16 (garuda.1.133.16)

विचित्रां रक्षयेत्पूजामष्टम्यामुपवासयेत् । पञ्चाब्दं महिषं बस्तं रात्रिशेषे च घातयेत्

vicitrāṁ rakṣayetpūjāmaṣṭamyāmupavāsayet pañcābdaṁ mahiṣaṁ bastaṁ rātriśeṣe ca ghātayet

One should carefully maintain this varied form of worship, and fast on the eighth day. At the end of the night, a five-year-old buffalo or a goat should be offered in sacrifice.

Verse 17 (garuda.1.133.17)

विधिवत्कालिकालीति तदुत्थरुधिरादिकम् । नेरृत्यां पूतनां चैव वायव्यां पापराक्षसीम्

vidhivatkālikālīti taduttharudhirādikam nerṛtyāṁ pūtanāṁ caiva vāyavyāṁ pāparākṣasīm

With the due invocation Kalika, Kali, the blood and other offerings arising from the sacrifice should be given: to Putana in the southwest, and to the sinful demoness in the northwest —

Verse 18 (garuda.1.133.18)

दद्याच्चरक्यै चैशान्यामाग्नेय्यां च विदारिकाम्

dadyāccarakyai caiśānyāmāgneyyāṁ ca vidārikām

and offerings should be given to Charaki in the northeast, and to Vidarika in the southeast.