// atha sapta-ślokī durgā //
Now the seven verses on Durgā.
śiva uvāca –
devi tvaṃ bhakta-sulabhe sarva-kārya-vidhāyinī /
kalau hi kārya-siddhyartham-upāyaṃ brūhi yatnataḥ //
Śiva asked: O Divine Mother! You are easily accessible to your devotees.
Tell us an easy way to accomplish success in all undertakings in the Kāli age.
devyuvāca –
śṛṇu deva pravakṣyāmi kalau sarveṣṭa-sādhanam /
mayā tavaiva snehenā-pyambā-stutiḥ prakāśyate //
The Mother replied: Lord, I shall reveal the ‘Prayer to the Mother,
which enables one to attain success in all undertakings.
oṃ asya śrī-durgā-sapta-ślokī-stotra-mantrasya
nārāyaṇa ṛṣiḥ anuṣṭup chandaḥ
śrī-mahākālī-mahālakṣmī-mahāsarasvatyo devatāḥ
śrī-durgā-prītyarthaṃ sapta-ślokī-durgā-pāṭhe viniyogaḥ /
Nārāyana is the sage; anuṣṭup is the metre; Māhākālī, Māhālakṣmī and Māhāsarasvatī are the deities.
To please Śrī Durgā these seven verses to Durgā are being recited.
oṃ jñāninām-api cetāṃsi devī bhagavatī hi sā //
balād-ākṛṣya mohāya mahā-māyā prayacchati // 1 //
It is the Divine Mother who spreads the veil of illusion over the hearts of even the wise men.
durge smṛtā harasi bhītim-aśeṣa-jantoḥ
svasthaiḥ smṛtā matim-atīva śubhāṃ dadāsi /
dāridr ya-duḥkha-bhaya-hāriṇi kā tvad-anyā
sarvopa-kāra-karaṇāya sadārdra-cittā // 2 //
O Mother Durgā! When remembered in distress, You remove fear from every creature. Remembered by the untroubled, You confer even greater serenity of mind. Dispeller of poverty, suffering, and fear, who other than You is ever intent on benevolence toward all?
sarva-maṅgala-maṅgalye śive sarvārtha-sādhike /
śaraṇye tryambake gauri nārāyaṇi namo'stu te // 3 //
Salutation be to you, Nārāyaṇi, who is the good of all good, Supreme auspiciousness,
the one who bestows the achievement of all goals, the refuge, the three-eyed shining Gaurī!
śaraṇāgata-dīnārta-paritrāṇa-parāyaṇe /
sarva-syārti-hare devi nārāyaṇi namo'stu te // 4 //
Salutation be to you, Nārāyaṇi, the refuge of the unfortunate, tormented and seeking asylum;
to you, O Devī, who removes the suffering of all.
sarva-svarūpe sarveśe sarva-śakti-samanvite /
bhayebhyas-trāhi no devi durge devi namo'stu te // 5 //
The true nature of everything, the supreme ruler, the omnipotent one,
protect us from our fears, O Devī Durgā, salutation be to you!
rogān-aśeṣān-apahaṃsi tuṣṭā
rūṣṭā tu kāmān sakalān-abhīṣṭān |
tvām-āśritānāṃ na vipan-narāṇāṃ
tvām-āśritā hyāśraya-tāṃ prayānti // 6 //
When pleased you destroy all illnesses and afflictions, but when displeased,
you thwart all aspirations. No calamity befalls those who have taken refuge in you,
and those who resort to you become a refuge to others.
sarvābādhā-praśamanaṃ trailokyasyākhileśvari /
evam-eva tvayā kāryam-asmad-vairi-vināśanam // 7 //
O Mother, may you alleviate all the afflictions and miseries of the three worlds
and so, too, annihilate our (inner) enemies.
// iti śrī-sapta-ślokī durgā sampūrṇā //
Thus ends the seven verses on Durgā.
