Āryā Stotra
The Āryā Stotra is a stotra to Devī in her form as Yoganidrā, also called Nārāyaṇī. Bhagavān Vishṇu himself taught it to her when he gave her her part in the Kṛshṇa avatāra. It is found in the Harivāṃśa, Vishṇu Parva, chapter 3. The stotra names Devī in scores of forms: as Śakti, as Time, as the good qualities of life, as the mother of the world, and as the protector in every danger.
The setting
Bhagavān Vishṇu had given Yoganidrā (also called Yogamāyā) her work. She was to carry out the moving of the six embryos, to be born to Yaśodā, and she was to take Kaṃsa’s blow so that she could show herself in her true form. After this, Bhagavān Vishṇu taught her the old Āryā Stotra. He told her that the ṛshis of old had made it and recited it, and that those who read it or hear it with devotion receive every blessing.
The stotra
The verses are given here as the Harivāṃśa has them, in groups.
nārāyaṇīṃ namasyāmi devīṃ tribhuvaneśvarīm
tvaṃ hi siddhir drutiḥ kīrtiḥ śrīr vidyā sannatir matiḥ |
saṃdhyā rātriḥ prabhā nidrā kālarātris tathaiva ca
āryā kātyāyanī devī kauśikī brahmacāriṇī ||
jananī siddha-senasya ugracārī mahābalā
jayā ca vijayā caiva pushṭis tushṭiḥ kshamā dayā ||
jyeshṭhā yamasya bhaginī nīlakauśeya-vāsinī
bahurūpā virūpā ca aneka-vidha-cāriṇī ||
virūpākshī viśālākshī bhaktānāṃ parīrakshiṇī
parvatāgreshu ghoreshu nadīshu ca guhāsu ca ||
vāsas tava mahādevi vaneshu upavaneshu ca
śabarair barbaraiś caiva pulindaiś ca supūjitā ||
mayūrapicchadhvajinī lokān kramasi sarvaśaḥ
kukkuṭaiś cāgalaiḥ meshaiḥ siṃhair vyāghraiḥ samākulā ||
ghaṇṭānināda-bahulā vindhyavāsiny abhiśrutā
triśūlī paṭṭisadharā sūryacandra-patākinī ||
navamī kṛshṇapakshasya śuklasyaikādaśī tathā
bhaginī biladevasyarajanī kalahāpriyā ||
āvāsaḥ sarvabhūtānāṃ nishṭhā tvaṃ paramā gatiḥ
nandagopa-sutā caiva devānāṃ vijaya-vahā ||
cīravāsās su-vāsāś ca raudrasaṃdhyā carī niśā
prakīrṇakeśī mṛtyuś ca tathā māṃsaudana-priyā
lakshmīr alakshmī-rūpeṇa dānavānāṃ vadhāya ca
sāvitrī cāpi devānām āryā mantra-gaṇāya ca ||
kanyānāṃ brahmacaryattvaṃ saubhāgyaṃ pramadāsu ca
antarvediī ca yajñānāṃ ṛtvijāṃ caiva dakshiṇā ||
karshakāṇāṃ ca sīteti bhūtānāṃ dharaṇīti ca
siddhis tvaṃ yātrikāṇāṃ tu mātā bhūtagaṇasya ca ||
yakshāṇāṃ prathamā yakshī gānāṃ surasa iti ca
brahmavādiny adho dīkshā śobhā ca paramā tathā ||
jyotishāṃ tvaṃ prabhā devi nakshatrāṇāṃ ca rohiṇī
rājadvāreshu tīrtheshu nadīnāṃ saṃgameshu ca ||
pūrṇā ca pūrṇimā candre tvaṃ buddhir ambikā śuciḥ
sarasvatī ca vālmīkī smṛtir dvaipaāyane tathā ||
ṛshīṇāṃ dharmabuddhis tu devānāṃ mānasī tadhā
surā devī tu bhūteshu stūyase tvaṃ svakarmaabhiḥ ||
indrasya cāru-dṛshṭis tvaṃ sahasranayaneiti ca
tāpasānāṃ ca devī tvam araṇī cāgni-hotriṇām ||
kshudhā ca sarvabhūtānāṃ tṛptis tvaṃ daivateshu ca
svāhā tṛptir dhṛtir medhā vasūnāṃ tvaṃ vasūmatī ||
ataḥ tvaṃ mānushāṇāṃ ca pushṭiś ca kṛtakarmāṇam
diśaś ca vidiśaś caiva tathā agniśikhā-prabhā ||
śakunī pūtanā tvaṃ ca revatī ca sudāruṇā
nidrāpi sarvabhūtānāṃ mohinī kshatriyā tathā ||
vidyānāṃ brahmavidyā tvaṃ tvam oṃkāro vashaṭ tathā
nārīṇāṃ pārvatī ca tvaṃ paurāṇī ṛshayo viduḥ ||
arundhati ca sādhvīnāṃ prajāpati-vaco yathā
paryāyanāmabhir divyair indrāṇī ceti viśrutāḥ ||
tvayā vyāptam idaṃ sarvaṃ jagat sthāvara-jaṅgamam
saṃgrāmeshu ca sarveshu agni-prajvaliteshu ca ||
nadī-tīreshu caureshu kāntāreshu bhayeshu ca
pravāse rājabandhe ca śatrūṇāṃ ca pramardane ||
praṇātyayeshu sarveshu tvaṃ hi rakshāna saṃyaśaḥ
tvayi me hṛdayā devi tvayi cittaṃ manas tvayi ||
raksha māṃ sarva-pāpebhyaḥ prasādaṃ kartum arhasi
imaṃ yas su-stavaṃ divyam iti vyāsa-prakalpitam ||
yaḥ paṭhet prātar utthāya śuciḥ prayata-mānasaḥ
tribhir māsaiḥ kāṅkshitaṃ ca phalaṃ vai samprayacchati ||
shaḍbhir māsair varishṭhaṃ tu varam ekaṃ prayacchati
arcitā tu tribhir māsair divyaṃ cakshuḥ prayacchati ||
saṃvatsareṇa siddhiṃ tu yathākāmaṃ prayacchati
satyaṃ brahma ca divyaṃ ca dvaipāyananavacoayathā ||
nṛṇāṃ bandhaṃ vadhaṃ ghoraṃ putranāśaṃ dhana-kshayam
vyādhim mṛtyu-bhayaṃ caiva pūjitā śamayishyati ||
bhavishyasi mahādevī varadā kāmarūpiṇī
mohayitvā ca taṃ kaṃsaṃ tvam ekā bhokshyase jagat ||
aham asyātmano vṛttiṃ vidhāsye goshu gopavat
vavṛddhyartham ahaṃ caiva karishye kaṃsa-govatām ||
evaṃ tāṃ sa samādiśya gato’ntardhānam īśvaraḥ
sā cāpi taṃ namaskṛtya tathāstv iti ca niścitā ||
yaś caitatpaṭhate stotraṃ śṛṇuyād vāpy abhīkshṇaśaḥ
sarvārtha-siddhiṃ labhate naro nāsty atra saṃśayaḥ ||
What the stotra says
The stotra lists the forms and powers of Devī in every part of existence. The first verse bows to her as Nārāyaṇī, the sovereign of the three worlds. The verses after it name her as follows.
Powers and qualities
Siddhi (perfection), Dhṛti (courage and endurance), Kīrti (fame), Śrī (prosperity), Vidyā (knowledge), Mati (intellect), Prabhā (radiance), Nidrā (sleep) and Kālarātri (the night of dissolution).
Epithets and forms
Āryā, Kātyāyanī, Kauśikī, Brahmacāriṇī, Jananī, Mahābalā, Jayā, Vijayā, Pushṭi, Tushṭi, Kshamā and Dayā (forgiveness and compassion), Jyeshṭhā (elder sister of Yama), Bahurūpā, Virūpā, Virūpākshī and Viśālākshī.
Her homes
She lives on the peaks of fearsome mountains, on river banks, in caves, in forests and in groves. The forest peoples called Śabara, Barbara and Pulinda worship her well.
Her signs and her worship
She carries the triśūla and the paṭṭiśa. She carries the sun and the moon as her flags. She moves with banners of peacock feathers. Cocks, goats, rams, lions and tigers crowd around her, and the sound of bells rings out. She is honoured especially on the Navamī of the dark fortnight (Kṛshṇa Navamī) and the Ekādaśī of the bright fortnight.
Her part in the Kṛshṇa avatāra
She is called Nandagopa-sutā, the daughter of Nanda. She is named the one who brings victory to the devas.
Her forms among all kinds of beings and things
- Among human beings: Pushṭi (nourishment) and the power of work well done
- Among yajñas: the Antarvedī (the sacred ground of the yajña) and the dakshiṇā of the ṛtvijas (the priests)
- Among farmers: Sītā (the furrow)
- Among all beings: Dharaṇī (the Earth)
- Among travellers: Siddhi (success of the journey)
- Among the gaṇa of bhūtas: their mother
- Among yakshas: the first Yakshī; among songs: Surasā
- Among the reciters of the Veda: Dīkshā and the highest Śobhā
- Among lights: Prabhā; among the nakshatras: Rohiṇī
- At sacred confluences, at tīrthas and at the gates of kings: present everywhere
- As the mind that knows: Buddhi; as purity: Ambikā
- In the work of Vālmīki: Sarasvatī; in the work of Dvaipāyana (Vyāsa): Smṛti
- Among ṛshis: Dharmabuddhi; among the devas: their Mānasī (their presence in the mind)
- For Indra: his fine sight, and she is known as Sahasranayanā
- For those who do tapas: Devī; for those who keep the agnihotra: Araṇī (the wood that is drilled to make fire)
- For all beings: Kshudhā (hunger) and Tṛpti (being satisfied)
- As Svāhā, Dhṛti and Medhā; among the Vasus: Vasūmatī
Her fierce forms
Śakunī, Pūtanā, Revatī, Nidrā and Mohinī are all named. All her forms among harmful powers are named in this way, to show that she is in every happening.
Among women
Among women she is Pārvatī. In the Purāṇic tradition she is the Ancient One. Among faithful wives she is Arundhatī.
The closing verses
The stotra says that she fills the whole creation, both what moves and what does not. She guards in battles, in fires, on river banks, among robbers, in deep forests, in dangers, in a far country, in prison, and when enemies are crushed. Then comes the prayer of the one who recites:
“In you is my heart, O Devī; in you my mind; in you my thought. Protect me from all pāpa; may you grant your grace.”
The phalaśruti
Bhagavān Vishṇu told what reciting the stotra gives. One who gets up at dawn, is pure and recites it with a steady mind receives the fruit he wants in three months. In six months he receives one excellent vara (boon). One who worships her for three months gains divine sight. In a year he gains complete siddhi, as he wishes.
The stotra turns away bondage, violent death, the loss of children, the loss of wealth, disease and the fear of death. The last verse says that a man who recites it or hears it again and again gains success in every aim, and that there is no doubt of this.
Bhagavān Vishṇu’s words to Yoganidrā
Bhagavān Vishṇu said to her: “You will bewitch Kaṃsa and alone you will enjoy the world. I shall keep the way of my own ātmā among the cows as a gopāla. I shall do what makes Kaṃsa’s herds grow.” After these words Īśvara vanished from the place. Yoganidrā bowed to him and agreed, saying “So be it.”
Sources
- Hari Vāṃśa Purāṇa, Vishṇu Parva, Chapter 3