88 - Krishna recites Durga stotra for Nanda

Sri Krishna said- О father be conscious. The entire universe comprising of moveable and immovable creatures is like the water bubble.

О virtuous one, discarding attraction you adore the eternal goddess Maya who is beyond everything, the form of Brahma, eternal, destroyer of all the attractions, bestower of salvation, extremely virtuous and is the eternal illusion of Vishnu. In the terrific battle of Tripurasura, Shiva had recited this stotra in adoration to the goddess and killed the demon. О Nanda, shall bestow that stotra to you in the present assembly. The stotra destroys all the attractions and fulfils all the desires. You please listen to it. 

Nanda said- О lord you are graceful to the devotees, you kindly bestow the knowledge of the best of stotras of Durga which removes all the obstructions, removes the grief, bestows fortune, popularity and fulfils all the desires, destroying the evil times, which is quite secretive and the best of all the stotras. You are graceful to the devotees, creator of the Vedas, without qualities and beyond everything. 

Sri Krishna said- О lord of the Vaishyas, In the earlier times, Shiva got terrified from the battle and at the advice of Narayana and the inspiration of Brahma he had recited the stotra. The same stotra removes all the obstructions and noose of attachment, is being narrated by me which you please listen.

Finding that Shiva was surrounded by the enemies, Narayana, spoke to Brahma. Then Brahma went to Shiva in the battle-field and spoke to him, "For the destruction of the danger on the gods you recite the stotra of Durga who removes the misfortune, is Mulaprakruti, eternal prowess and is the form of Brahma. 

О lord of the gods I am speaking this at the instance of Hari because no one can win the battle without the help of the eternal goddess." On hearing the words of Brahma, Shiva bowed his head in reverence and started reciting the name of Durga. He took his bath and washing his feet, he clads himself in two garments and holding kusha grass in his hand getting purified and thinking of lord Vishnu in his mind, he said. 

Mahadeva said- О Durga the great goddess, you are the one who removes the misfortune. Therefore, you protect me. I am your great devotee and have been currently surrounded by the enemies; therefore, you protect me.

О virtuous one, you are the illusion of lord Vishnu and known as Narayani, eternal form of Brahma and blissful. 

О mother of the universe, you are the mother of Brahma and the other gods. You are visible when you have a definite form and are invisible when you are formless; by your illusion you appear as Purusha and by the same process to you appear as Prakruti. You are the eternal Brahma and beyond them both. О eternal one, you contain the eternal Brahma. 

You are the creator of the Vedas known as Savitri; in the Vaikuntha you appear as Mahalakshmi, the goddess of all the riches, In the ocean of milk you appear as the spouse of lord Vishnu when he sleeps there, known as Martyalakshmi, in the heaven you are known as Svargalakshmi and on the ground you are known as Rajalakshmi. 

In the nether world you happen to be Lakshmi of the Nagas and in the household you appear as Gruhalakshmi, besides being the form of truth and bestower of all the fortunes. 

You are the great goddess of Brahma named Sarasvati and you happen to be the life of the supreme soul known as Krishna. 

You dwell over the chest of the Krishna in Goloka and you are known as Radha with him. In the forest named Vrundavana, you are known as Vrunda while in the Rasamandala you are known as Vrundavana-vinodini. You are the goddess named Chitravali dwelling over the mountain of hundred peaks. 

In one of the kalpas you were born as Sati the daughter of Daksha, in another kalpa you were born as Parvati the daughter of Himalaya. Sometimes you were born as Aditi the mother of the gods and you also represent the universe in the form of the earth. You are Ganga, Tulasi, Svaha and Svadha; all the spouses of the gods have been born of your amsha or the part of your amsha. 

О goddess you represent the men, women and eunuchs. You are the form of the trees and in the trees, you appear like the sprouting tender leaves. 

You happen to be the power of burning with the fire, the coolness in water, tejas of Surya, fragrance of the earth and the sound in the sky, you surely happen to be the lustre of the moon and the bunch of lotus flowers. 

You are the' creation, the form of creation, preserver, epidemic in destruction and become the form of water in the water.

You are the hunger, mercy, sleep, passion, intelligence, satisfaction, support, faith, forgiveness, peace, fallacy, glory, shyness, illusion, consumption and the form of salvation.

You possess the form of all the prowess, bestower of all the riches and are known as inexplicable in the Vedas therefore no one knows about your true identity.

O goddess the serpent Sesha with a thousand hoods is unable to adore you besides the Vedas and Sarasvati; who else can spell out you praise.

Even Brahma the creator of the universe and eternal lord Visiju are unable to recite your glory. I being Maheshvara and feeling terrified in the battle-field, I am reciting your glory with all my five faces. Therefore, O great illusion, be merciful on me and destroy the enemies. Thus speaking in pathetic voice, lord Shiva fell down over the chariot in the battle-field.

Thereafter getting inspired with the kindness of Narayana, Durga appeared before Siva having the lustre of crores of suns for his protection and bestowed victory on him. The great goddess spoke to him. "You destroy the enemy with the application of illusion".

Durga said- You will meet with welfare. You ask for a boon. You are best among the gods therefore, I shall bestow victory on you."

Mahadeva said- O great goddess you are the eternal, the eternal Shakti. Therefore, O goddess Durga, let this demon be destroyed. I need only this boon.

Bhagavatl said- O virtuous one, O teacher of the universe, you would surely be victorious, you are yourself the supreme lord, the creator and the form of the eternal flame, you remember Hari and conquer the demon. In the meantime, lord Vishnu taking to the form of a bull lifted up the chariot of Shiva over the horns.

Thus the wheels of the terrific chariot were raised and it started floating in the air. She than bestowed a weapon to Shiva sanctified by mantras. Shiva than held the weapon remembered the goddess Durga and Vishnu and then killed Tripurasura. The demon fell down on earth. At that point of time the gods eulogised lord Shiva and showered the rain of flower petals. Durga than gave to Shiva a trident, Vishnu a bow and Brahma the auspicious blessing. The delighted ascetics also behaved similarly. All the gods started dancing and the Gandharvas started singing. 

О father, in the meantime the Stavaraja also appeared in person who could remove the obstructions, the persons creating the obstructions, the killer of the enemies, was bestower of all riches, bestowed pleasure, quite auspicious, bestower of salvation and the devotion of lord Hari beside the dwelling in Goloka and the success. By reciting this Stotraraja, Parvati also gets pleased. This stotra relieves one of the greed, passion, anger, the cause of deeds beside bestowing the prowess, intelligence making one free from the cycle of birth and death. This stotra bestows the people with riches, sons, wife, land and all the riches, removing all his ailments and grief. All the success is achieved by him. By reciting this stotra even the immensely barren woman gets a child, a grief-stricken person is freed from fetters.

The ailing person is freed from the disease, while the pauper is bestowed with immense riches; the person under the influence of this stotra does not die even when thrown into the burning fire nor his boat capsizes in the great ocean. О best of the Vaishyas, with the influence of this stotra, a person meets with welfare even when surrounded by the robbers, enemies and wild animals. 

О lord of Vraja, as the gem is the best among the articles that glitter, a Brahmana among the varnas, Ganga among the rivers, Omkara among the mantras and Tulasi among the leaves, Vasundhara among the land, Parijata among the flowers, sandal-wood among the wood, Vishnu puja among the adoration's, Ekadashi among the vratas, Shiva among the intellectuals, Ganesha among, the siddhas, Vishnu among the gods, Vedas among the scriptures, Durga among the goddesses, Kamala among the having peaceful nature, Sarasvati among the intellectuals, Radhika among the beautiful damsels. Similarly, this stotra happens to be the best of all and no other stotra can equated with it. 

In the earlier times at the time of solar eclipse I bestowed this stotra which is remover of all the difficulties to Brahma.

Brahma bestowed the knowledge of this stotra to Shiva who had been surrounded by his enemies.  In turn Shiva bestowed this stotra to Sanaka and others beside Durvasa. 

Lord Sanatkumara gave this stotra to Gautama, Pulaha, Pulastya, Angira, the sun and the moon. Surya bestowed the knowledge of the stotra to Yama. Yama gave it to Chitragupta. 

О father, the one who recites it daily he achieves Goloka and with the influence of the same you are having an audience with Parvati at present. 

The knowledge of this stotra cannot be imparted to anyone else nor would it be proper to bestow its knowledge to a sinner; it. can be bestow to a devotee of Narayana, a peaceful intellectual and all-knowing Brahmana. This stotra should never be given to the driver of the bulls, a Brahmana who happens to be the husband of a loose women, the Brahmana serving as a cook with the Shudras and the Brahmanas consuming the food with the Shudras at the time of shraddhas. It should also not be given to a Brahmana who sells away his daughter. With the achieving of the success by this stotra, one gets all the siddhis and by reciting this stotra ten thousand times, one meets with success. 

It results in the disturbance of fire, water dust and the mind. It is the best of the stotra and bestows the merit of performing and a thousand Ashvamedha sacrifices, going around the earth and taking bath at all the holy places. О father, I have bestowed the knowledge of the stotra. to you since you happen to be dearer to me than my life.  Now you adore goddess Parvati in my assembly.  О best of the Brahmanas, on hearing the words of Sri Krishna, Nanda adored goddess Durga who bestows all the riches. Thereafter getting pleased the goddess bestowed him the boon of his stay in the Goloka. 

О sage, thereafter the inaccessible knowledge which was not available even in the Vedas, beside the kingship of Gokula, the inaccessible devotion of lord Krishna and his slave hood and the boon of meeting with success was bestowed to Nanda by the goddess. Thereafter Durga left the place after talking to Shiva, the gods and the sages also adored Krishna the son of Nanda and left the place. 

Then Krishna said to Nanda, "Now you have been Impaired the inaccessible divine knowledge and as such you shed away all the attachments and return to Vraja with all the dwellers of Vraja delightfully.".