Devi-Mahatmya, otherwise called Durga-Saptasati or the Candi is a sacred text used by the Hindus for daily chanting like the Gita. My Bengali rendering of the Devi-Mahatmya, published by the Udbodhan Office of Calcutta has already undergone several editions. Its popularity in Bengali has encouraged me to undertake the present English translation whose want has been, for long, keenly felt by the English knowing public. This edition is meant for them.
I have freely utilised the translations of Manmathanath Dutta of Calcutta and F. E. Pargiter who have translated into English the whole of the Markandeya Purana of which the thirteen cantos from LXXXI to XCIII form the Devi-Mahatmya. Pargiter's translation was published in 1899 by the Royal Asiatic Society of Bengal, Calcutta. I have mainly followed Pargiter, but here and there I have differed from him, as well as from Dutta. A good Hindi rendering also has been consulted.
The translation made in this book is literal as far as practicable and I hope, will help the reader to understand the original Sanskrit. The hymns to the Devi in the cantos I, IV, V & XI are so sweet and sublime that they should, if possible, be chanted in the original. Footnotes are given from the commentaries to clarify difficult terms and proper names.
To call on God as Mother is a most characteristic feature of Hinduism. Sri Ramakrishna has shown in his life that to adore God in this way is best suited for this age. Mother-worshippers like Ramaprasad, Kamalakanta and other also have inspired Bengal with this doctrine. Bengali Hindus are beside themselves with joy at the time of the autumnal festival of the Mother, when the Mother is worshipped for four days continuously in hundreds of earthen images. The Devi-Mahatmya is chanted as part of the worship. Devi-cult and Devi-Mahatmya are popular all over India, but their hold over Bengal is unique. Through the English works and translations of the Tantrika Texts of Sir John Woodroffe and through the Life and Teachings of Sri Ramakrishna the doctrine of God as Mother has spread throughout the religious world. My humble efforts will be amply rewarded if this translation enables the English-knowing readers to understand and enjoy the work which is one of the most important texts of this cult.
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