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=== The Durga Saptashati (''700 Verses'') === | === The Durga Saptashati (''700 Verses'') === | ||
Chapters 81-93 of the Markandeya Purana are known as the [[Durga Saptashati]] (English: ''700 Verses''), but also sometimes called the "Devi Mahatmya", "Chandi Paath", or "the Chandi".<ref name=SDS1 /><ref name=SDS2 /> The ''700 Verses'' | Chapters 81-93 of the Markandeya Purana are known as the [[Durga Saptashati]] (English: ''700 Verses''), but also sometimes called the "Devi Mahatmya", "Chandi Paath", or "the Chandi".<ref name=SDS1 /><ref name=SDS2 /> The ''700 Verses'' describes the victory of the Goddess Durga (symbolic for a person's innermost power) over various evil influences. The text contains 700 verses arranged into 13 chapters. Along with ''[[Devi-Bhagavata Purana]]'' and Shakta Upanishads such as the [[Devi Upanishad]], the ''700 Verses'' is one of the most important texts of [[Shaktism]] (goddess) tradition within Hinduism.<ref name=Shaktism /> A ritualistic reading of the ''700 Verses'' is part of the [[Navratri]] celebrations in [[India]] in the honor of the [[Goddess Durga]]. Because all of it is in verse, the text has been referred to as a divine song. | ||
Chapter 8 of the ''700 Verses'' consists of the well-known [[32 Names of Durga]] [[Mantra|mantra]]. | Chapter 8 of the ''700 Verses'' consists of the well-known [[32 Names of Durga]] [[Mantra|mantra]]. | ||
Revision as of 07:11, 9 April 2023
The Markandeya Purana is one of the eighteen major Puranas (collections of Hindu religious writings in Sanskrit) in the sacred literature of Hinduism.[1] A Purana is a collection of myth, legend, and genealogy that is considered to be "Smriti" (remembered by ordinary human beings and attributed to an author). Other Hindu scriptures such as the Vedas are considered to have been heard and transmitted through direct knowledge by accomplished and enlightened sages and seers (called "rishis"); those texts are not "Smriti" but instead are categorized as "Śruti".[2]
The Markandeya Purana is believed to have been composed between 250 CE and 550 CE.
The Durga Saptashati (700 Verses)
Chapters 81-93 of the Markandeya Purana are known as the Durga Saptashati (English: 700 Verses), but also sometimes called the "Devi Mahatmya", "Chandi Paath", or "the Chandi".[3][4] The 700 Verses describes the victory of the Goddess Durga (symbolic for a person's innermost power) over various evil influences. The text contains 700 verses arranged into 13 chapters. Along with Devi-Bhagavata Purana and Shakta Upanishads such as the Devi Upanishad, the 700 Verses is one of the most important texts of Shaktism (goddess) tradition within Hinduism.[5] A ritualistic reading of the 700 Verses is part of the Navratri celebrations in India in the honor of the Goddess Durga. Because all of it is in verse, the text has been referred to as a divine song.
Chapter 8 of the 700 Verses consists of the well-known 32 Names of Durga mantra.
The 700 Verses also include the Devi Argalā Stotram (Hymn to Goddess to Remove Impediments), and the first version of the Devi Argalā Stotram is the well-known Om Jayanti Maṅgalā Kālī mantra.
Notes
- ↑ The eighteen so-called "Maha Puranas" (major ones) are: Vishnu, Naradiya, Padma, Garuda, Varaha, Bhagavata, Matsya, Kurma, Linga, Shiva, Skanda, Agni, Brahmanda, Brahmavaivarta, Markandeya, Bhavishya, Vamana, Brahma.
- ↑ Shruti on Encyclopedia Britannica online, last access 12/28/2022.
- ↑ Shri Durga Saptashati, a description of the "700 Verses", as well as the full text for its 13 chapters, on drik Panchang©, Hindu Calendar for the World; last access 12/28/2022
- ↑ How a centuries old epic shaped the spiritual backbone of Navratri, an article about the "700 Verses" on Firstpost.com, an online media website in Mumbai; last access 12/29/2022
- ↑ (2014) Encyclopedia of Hinduism. Infobase Publishing. ISBN 978-0816054589.