Śrīmad Devi Bhāgavatam | Book 12 Chapter 5

THE TWELFTH BOOK

Chapter V

On the Gāyatrī Stotra

1. Nārada said: O All-knowing One! Thou showest Thy grace to Thy devotees! Thou hast described this sin-destroying Gāyatrī Hridaya. Now describe Her Stava (hymn of praise).

2-29. Nārāyaṇa said:

O World-Mother! O Thou, favouring Thy devotees! O Thou, the Prime Force, O Omnipresent! Infinite!

Śrī Sandhye! I bow down to Thee. Thou art the Sandhyā; Thou art the Gāyatrī, Sāvitrī and Saraswatī; Thou art Brāhmī, Vaiṣṇavī and Raudrī and Thou art red, white, and black (the colours of Gāyatrī, Sāvitrī and Saraswatī) that Thou assumest respectively.

O Bhagavatī! Thou art always meditated by the Munis as young in the morning, full of youth in the mid-day, and aged in the evening. I bow down to Thee.

Thou art seen by the Tapasvis (ascetics) as Brahmāni, riding on Hamsa (swan), Saraswatī riding on Garuda, and Sāvitrī riding on Bull.

Thou art seen within by the ascetics as manifesting the Rig-Veda (in the form of Sāvitrī) in this world, as manifesting Yajurveda in the middle space (Antarīkṣam) and as manifesting Sāma Vēda everywhere in the Rudra loka, thus roaming in the three worlds. I bow down to Thee.

O Devī! Thou art Rudrāṇī in the Rudra loka, Vaiṣṇavī in the Viṣṇu loka, and Brahmāni in the Brahmā loka; thus Thou shewest Thy favour to the Immortals.

O Devī! Thou art the Mother delighting the seven Riṣis (of the Great Bear); Thou art Māyā. Thou grantest many great boons to Thy Bhaktas.

Thou art sprung from the eyes and hands, tears and perspiration of Śiva and Śivā.

Thou art the Mother of delights, Durgā Devī, recited by the following ten names:

Vareṇyā, Varadā, Variṣṭhā, Varavarniṇī, Gariṣṭhā, Varāhā, Varārohā, Nīlagangā, Sandhyā and Bhoga Mokṣadā.

Thou art the Bhāgirathī (the river Ganges) in this world; the Bhogavatī in the Pātāla; and the Mandākinī (the milky way) in the Heavens.

Thou art in this world (Bhur loka) the all-enduring Prithvī (earth); Thou art the Vāyu Śaktī (air power) in the middle space (Bhubhar Loka); Thou art the energy (the ocean of Tejas) in the Heavens (Svar loka);

Thou art the Great Siddhi in the Mahar loka; Thou art Janā in the Janar Loka; Thou art Tapasvinī in the Tapar loka; Thou art Truth (True Speech) in the Satya loka. Thou art Kamalā in Viṣṇu loka; Gāyatrī in Brahmā loka; and the other half of Hara as Gaurī in the Rudra loka.

O Devī! Thou art sung as Prakriti - “Aham” “Om-Mahat” tattva and beyond that the Highest Sarva Brahmā rūpiṇī and Sāmyāvasthā Prakriti.

Thou art the Parā Śaktī; Thou art the Paramā Śaktī;

O Devī! Thou art the Tri-Śakti:  Ichchhā Śaktī (the will power), the Kriyā Śaktī (power of action) and the Jñāna Śaktī (the force of knowledge).

Thou art the Gangā, Yamunā, Vipāśā, Saraswatī, Sarayu, Devīkā, Sindhu; Narmadā, Īrāvatī, Godāvarī, Śatadru; Kāverī, Kauśikī, Chandra Bhāgā, Vitastā, Gaṇḍakī, Tapinī, Karatoyā, Gomatī, and Vetravatī and other rivers;

Thou art the Iḍā, Pingalā, and Suṣumnā nerves; Thou art Gāndhārī, Hastajihvā, Pūṣā, Apūṣā, Alambusā, Kuhū, Śankhinī, Prānavāhinī and other nerves in the body;

O Devī! Thou art the vital power in the lotus of the heart; Thou art Svapna nāikā in the throat; Thou art Sadādhārā in the palate; and Thou art the Vindumālinī Śaktī in the pituitary space between the eyebrows.

Thou art the Kuṇḍalinī in the Mūlādhāra (sacral plexus), the Vyāpinī extending upto the roots of the hairs; Thou art Madhyāsanā on the crown of the head, and Thou art Manonmanī in the Brahmārandhra.

O Devī! What need there is in stating these? Suffice it to say that whatever there is seen in this universe, all art Thou; therefore, O Śrī Sandhya Devī! I bow down to Thee.

O Nārada! Thus I have spoken to you about the Gāyatrī-Stotra that gives all successes, destroys all sins, and yields all merits. He who reads this in the Sandhyā times, with all attention, will get sons if he has no sons, will get wealth if he has no wealth. There is no doubt in this.

Whoever reads this Stotra gets the fruits of all Tīrthas, all Tapasyās, all gifts, all sacrifices and all Yogas. He enjoys happiness in this world and finally gets the Mokṣa.

The Munis who are engaged in Tapasyās read this Stotra. While bathing, if one reads this, merged under water, acquires the fruits of his being merged in the Sandhyā.

O Nārada! I speak this verily, verily, verily, unto you that there is no trace of any doubt in this statement. Whoever will hear with devotion this Sandhyā stotra, the nectar-like thing, will be freed from all sins.

Here ends the Fifth Chapter of the Twelfth Book on the Gāyatrī Stotra in the Mahāpurāṇam Śrīmad Devī Bhāgavatam of 18,000 verses by Mahāṛṣi Veda Vyāsa.