Read this in FB and thought of sharing. While we know that Durga Saptashati is powerful more from Kaamyam standpoint, this small intro gives you an idea that this is a moksha viddhai. Goddess Durga is all compassionate and grants boon to Her children at once. However we need to take necessary precaution before venturing into this text. As clearly explained, this 700 verses has lots and lots of hidden bijakshari in them and reading them without proper initiation is a problem. I strongly encourage people to take proper initiation before venturing into this.

The benefits of reciting devI mAhAtmya is because of the hidden secrets behind the verses of saptashatI. Each verse is an encrypted string secretly encoding a great seed mantra. No other purANa has such a specialty hidden within.

If you see, the devI-mAhAtmayaM begins with mArkanDeya saying that he would narrate a story about “sAvarNi sUrya tanayoashTama manuH” (meaning, the story of a Manu by name savarNi who was the eighth son of surya); but ends up telling the story of “Devi”. What is this? Did mArkanDeya lie? How can he say he is narrating the story of “sAvarNI” manu and narrate the story of “Devi”?? Mind boggling right?

The answer is, this very first verse itself is a classic example of our rishi’s cryptography! Let’s decode it now to understand how geniuses were our rishis.

“sAvarNI” = “sA (i.e., she; the pronoun denoting female)” + varNI (of that letter)” → In the Vedas and Upanishads the supreme brahman is more commonly referred by pronouns than any proper names. If the brahman is shown as a male, “sa (HE)” is used, if talked as female “sA (SHE)” is used, if talked as neuter gender “tat (THAT)” is used. So “sA” denotes supreme brahman. Now what is the varNa (letter) that is used to refer to Brahman as mother goddess in Vedic corpus? It is “iM”———-Remember this point

“sUrya tanaya” means son of surya. Agni and Surya are of one and the same essence i.e., the essence of fire and heat. So, Agni is the essence that is spoken here as the “son” of surya. The biJAkshara of Agni is “raM” i.e,, “ra” ———-Remember this point

“ tanaya aShTama manuH” → In sanskrit “manu” means not only the progenitor of human race,such as svayambhuva-manu etc., but manu means “mantra”. Here the code is to find out the “eighth” letter from “ya”. which indicates – “ya, ra la va sha Sha sa ha”. So, here we go. The code word present in this phrase is “ha” ———-Remember this point

Now let’s string the codes we found so far. It gives us – “iM – ra – ha”
There is a nyAya-sUtra called “chIlajInAmbara nyAya” which says that we need to read such codes in reverse order.
Therefor the codes become “ha – ra – iM”
Joining them gives is —— “hrIM” (pronounced as hreeM)

So, what Markandeya said was “I’m going to narrate you the glories of that supreme being who is denoted by the seed letter “hrIM” i.e., about goddess Durga the primordial mother of the universe, the supreme brahman!

In this way all the 700 verses of Devi Mahatmayam when decoded gives us bIjAksharA-s. Each verse has encoding in this format. Therefore, this is the ONLY SCRIPTURE from a PURANA which is used to do homas (chanDI-homa).

Then, this is not the end. These 700 verses of saptaSatI are verily the same in meaning with the 700 verses of Bhagavad Gita. The saptashatI might look like a war narrative of slaying demons but in the deeper meaning they are all the same teachings spoken in Bhagavad GItA. Therefore saptashatI is a “brahmavidyA” text not a tale of a war.

So, now you can easily understand that saptashatI being full of bIjAkSarA-s it would give you all material and spiritual benefits and at the same time, if you understand the hidden subtle teachings of the same and recite, it would confer upon you brahmavidyA and you would get liberated. So, it is a text which is “bhoga-mokSha-pradAyinI”, it gives enjoyments and liberation both!

Courtesy: Article by Santosh Kumar Ayalasomayajula

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