45 - Prayers to Durga by Parashurama 

Narayana said - Thus making Parvati understand the reality, Vishnu spoke to Parashurama the words which were beneficial, truthful, appropriate and could result in pleasure, ultimately. 

Vishnu said - О Parashurama, according to the Vedas, you are truly a culprit because inspite of Shiva remaining present on the scene you have broken the tusk of Ganesha. 

Therefore, you recite the prayer according to Kanvasakha in favour of Ganapati and Durga, the mother of the universe. 

Because she happens to be the extreme intelligence of lord Krishna and in case of her getting annoyed with you, you will be deprived of all your wisdom. 

She is all powerful and represents the strength of the universe; even lord Krishna becomes powerful because of her strength alone. 

Even Brahma is unable to resort to his creation without her strength. All of us including Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva have emerged out of her.

О Brahmana, at the time when the gods were over-powered by the demons, she emerged out of the tejas of all the gods. 

She destroyed the demons at the command of lord Krishna and restored the gods to their original status. Because of the tapas of Daksha, she was born as his daughter from his wife. 

She became the spouse of Shiva and because of the denouncement of her husband, she ended her body born out of Daksha. Thereafter she was born of the wife of Himalaya. 

She then performed tapas for a long time and achieved Shiva, the teacher of the great teachers as her husband and after serving Shiva, she achieved Ganapati as her son who happens to be the ariis'a of Krishna. 

O child, the one who is always adored by you, are you not aware of her? The same lord Krishna has appeared as the son of Girija. 

Therefore, you offer prayers to Durga, the beloved of Shiva, meekly with folded hands. Shiva is the bestower of welfare, devoted to Shiva, the form of the seed of Shiva and the goddess of Shiva, you adore Parvati by reciting the stotra composed by Shiva which was composed by him at the time of the killing of Tripura under the influence of Brahma. 

О Narada, thus speaking that dwarfish boy at once left for Vishnuloka. After the departure of the lord, reciting the name of the lord, Parashurama started offering prayers to Parvati which were given to him by Vishnu and could remove all obstructions and was the cause of dharma, artha, kama and moksa. 

After taking a bath with the auspicious water of the Ganga and bowing his head, he offered salutation to the teacher of the gods and then clad himself in two washed clothes and performing achamana, he bowed in reverence getting emotional and his eyes were filled with tears. He prostrated before him and started adoring the goddess. 

Parashurama said - In the earlier times, in the Goloka when he was emerging out of body of lord Krishna at the time of creation you appeared on earth. 

You have the lustre of crores of suns and are adorned with the best of ornaments and costumes. You are clad in the garments purified by the fire and wear a serene smile on your face; you are quite pleasant, youthful and decorated with vermilion. You are wearing the garland of jasmine flowers and you wear a beautiful hair-do on the head. 

You have a beautiful figure, which is adorable. You provide salvation to the truth seekers. Your immense beauty attracts lord MahaVishnu and Brahma in an instant. At that point of time you start running with the children wearing a smile on your face. That is why the noble people achieve you in the form of Radha, though you happen to be the supreme goddess and Mulaprakruti. Lord Krishna too getting afraid planted his seed in your womb. 

As a result of this a great egg emerged out of your body and Mahavirat was born out of it in whose hair-pits the innumerable globes are enshrined. 

Lord Krishna while enjoying the dance with Radha took a deep sigh which resulted in the creation of the great wind and also Virat which became the base of the universe. 

At that point of time out of sweat of the Virat, the water emerged. Ultimately the same Virat was converted into the vast expanse of water. 

Thereafter you emerged in five forms. The one who happens to be the beloved and life-like of lord Krishna and is dearer to him than his own life, is called Radha by the ancient people. The one who is the great goddess of the Vedas and the creator of the Vedas, such an intellectual and auspicious goddess is known as Savitri. Being the goddess of all the fortunes and riches, you are quite peaceful in nature and because of that nature you are called Lakshmi, the goddess who is white in complexion, is the mother of the noble people; being the goddess of learning she is called Sarasvati. The one who is the goddess of intelligence and learning, besides being the strength of the universe and who also provides prosperity to all is called Sarvamangala. You bestow all the welfare and are the cause for welfare being the form of prosperity. 

Pleasantly you are the seed of all the prosperity in the universe, you are in fact the spouse of Shiva known as Parvati and you happen to be Lakshmi with Narayana and with Brahma you happen to be Sarasvati and Savitri the mother of the Vedas. You happen to be Radha of Krishna who is complete in all respects, blissful and bestower of the bliss. All the wives of the gods emerged out of your rays alone.

You are the goddess of learning and the seed for all the ladies. You happen to be the shadow of the sun and Robini for the moon who attracts everyone. You happen to be IndranI of Indra, Rati of Kamadeva, Varunani of Varuna, the beloved of the wind-god. 

You happen to be Svaha, the beloved of Agni, Sundari of Kubera, Susila of Yama, Kaitabi of Nairirta, Sasikala of Sankara, dear Satampa of Manu, Devahuti of Kardama, Arundhati of Vasis tha, Lopamudra of Agastya, Aditi the mother of gods, Ahalya the Gautama besides being Vasundhara the best of all. О Ambika, all the sacred rivers like Ganga and Tulasi have emerged from your rays, together with other rivers. 

You are the Gruhalakshmi of the house-holder, Rajalakshmi of the kings, the meditation of the tapasvis, Gayatri of Brahmanas, truthfulness of the noble people, quarrelsomeness of the wicked people, the flames of Nirguna, the strength of Saguna, the lustre of the sun, the power of burning of the fire, coolness in water, glory in the moon, fragrance in the earth, the sound in the sky, hunger and thirst among the teachers, you happen to be thus the strength of all. 

You happen to be the form of the seed in the universe, the memory of the wild people besides being intelligence and the divine knowledge.

Lord Krishna imparted the divine knowledge to Shiva, as a result of which the latter became victorious over the death. You respect the same.

You happen to be the strength of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva for creation, preservation and destruction. I bow in reverence to you.

Brahma was terrified because of the demons Madhu and Kaitabha. He started trembling and it is the goddess who relieved him of the danger and the One who was offered prayer by him, you happen to be the same. I offer my salutation to you. 

The goddess for whom lord Vishnu prayed at the time of danger from Madhukaitabha, you happen to be the same, I offer my salutations to you. 

The goddess who is adored by the gods after the chariot of Shiva fell at the time of the war with Tripura, I offer my salutation to the same goddess, Vishnu himself turned into the form of a bull and lifted up Shiva. Thereafter Shiva offered prayers to the goddess and killed Tripura, I offer my salutation to the same goddess. 

With your command the wind blows, the sun always burns, Indra pours the rain and the fire burns, I offer my salutation to the same Durga. At the command of whom Kala, the god of death, always roams about, I offer my salutation to the same Durga. At your command the creator creates the universe, Vishnu preserves it and Shiva destroys it, I offer my salutation to the same goddess Durga. 

Lord Krishna, is the form of the flame and is invisible but he is unable to resort to the creation without the goddess. I, Therefore, bow in reverence to the same goddess. 

О mother of the universe, protect me and forgive me my sins. The mother never gets annoyed in case the children commit mischief.

Thus speaking and bowing in reverence to the goddess, Parashurama started crying. The goddess Durga was instantaneously pleased with him and granted him the boon. 

She said, "O son you will be eternal. О son be composed and by the grace of all you will be victorious always in future. 

Let the universal lord be pleased with you always and you remain devoted to lord Krishna and lord Shiva who happens to be the bestower of welfare and your teacher. 

Because to the one who is devoted to his teacher and the family god, no one can do any harm. 

Becoming the devotee of lord Krishna and the pupil of Shiva, you are adoring the wife of the teacher, Therefore, who on earth can dare to kill you? 

The devotees of lord never have to face any unpleasantness. Those who are attached to other gods, are either not devoted to me or are independent. 

О son of Bhrugu, the fortunate people with whom the moon gets pleased but the stars get annoyed, then what harm can the weak starts bring on him? 

The one who is protected by the king wholeheartedly, enjoys the pleasure always. Even if the servants get annoyed with him they cannot do any harm to him.

Thus speaking Parvati delightfully blessed Parashurama and retired to her inner apartment. Thereafter, there was rejoicing everywhere. 

This happens to be the prayer from the Kanvasakha and whosoever recites the same at the time of puja, at the time of journey or daily in the morning, surely gets his desires fulfilled. 

The one who is desirous of a son will get a son, the one who is desirous of a daughter will get a daughter, the one who is desirous of learning will get learning, the one who is desirous of the people will get the people, the one who has lost his kingdom will get it back and the one who has lost his riches will get them back, the one, with whom the teacher, the king or the relatives get annoyed, he will make them all pleased with the reciting of the stotra. The one who is surrounded by thieves, bitten by a snake, surrounded by the enemies suffering from terrific disease, will get himself relieved with the reciting of the stotra. One gets freed from the royal court, the cremation ground, prison and fetters, besides the deep waters. All the desires of a person are fulfilled with the reciting of this stotra, inspite of opposition from the husband, son or the friends, such of the ladies who consuming the left-over of the yajna for a year and recite this stotra regularly or listens to it, performing the puja of Durga, they inspite of being completely barren get a child. She gets a well-read and a divine son having long life. 

The one who listens to it for six months, earns all the fortunes by the grace of Durga. The one who is totally barren and the one who gives birth to dead infants, gets a son if she recites the stotra or listens to it, for nine months. 

The one who listens to the best of the stotra surely achieves the son, the woman who gives birth only to daughters or the one having no son at all, if she listens to this stotra for five months and performs puja of Durga consecrating the vase, she surely achieves a son.