"When the breath is irregular, the mind is also unsteady, but when the breath is still, so is the mind, and the yogi lives long. So one should restrain the breath."The Mahishasura Mardini Stotram
By Gurudas
This article is the introduction to an upcoming book about the Mahishasura Mardini Stotram that will include the full text of the stotram, in Sanskrit and English, with accompanying English translation.
I first learned the Mahishasura Mardini Stotram about three years ago, and the first time I heard it, it was being chanted by Mata Amritanandamayi Devi (Ammachi). It was an amazingly powerful moment. You could feel the power of the Sanskrit language inherent in the intense chant, and it was made even more powerful because an avatar of the Divine Mother was chanting it. I knew right away that I had to learn to chant this stotram. I immediately found a copy of the words, learned the melody, and began what has turned into an amazing relationship with the story of Ma Durga, and a deeper more loving relationship with Ma Herself.
The Mahishasura Mardini Stotram is based on the definitive scripture for worship of the Divine Feminine, the Devi Mahatmyam (the Glory of the Goddess), which is also referred to as Durga Saptashati (700 verses in praise of Durga), and the Chandi Path (She Who Tears Apart Thought). For Shaktas, worshippers of Shakti, or the Divine Feminine Energy, Devi Mahatmyam is the ultimate source of wisdom and guidance.
The Devi Mahatmyam tells the story of a fierce battle between the Devas, representative of our positive, spiritually beneficial traits, and the Asuras, the demonic forces of our bad habits and violent tendencies. The chief generals of the demonic armies are Madhu (the vice of Too Much), Kaitabha (the vice of Too Little), Chanda & Munda (Passion & Anger), Shumbha (Self-Conceit), Nishumbha (Self-Deprecation), and their master, Mahishasura (the Great Ego).
Mahishasura, being very pious in his worship of Lord Brahma, had been granted a boon that no man or god would be able to slay him. With his newly granted strength, he began terrorizing heaven and earth. He invaded heaven and defeated Indra, the king of the gods. Mahishasura then drove all the devas out of heaven.
Because of Mahishasura’s boon that he could never be killed by a man or a god, the Devas had no other course but to flee. They sought help from the Ultimate Power in the universe, the Trimurti of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva. The Trimurti tried to battle the Great Ego, but were also defeated because of his boon. But they had a plan.
The Trimurti, along with all the assembled Devas, combined their divine energies, pouring all their strength and potencies together. The result was a beautiful young woman Who possessed all the powers of all the gods. Her name was Durga, She Who Relieves All Difficulties.
When Durga entered heaven to take on the assembled demonic armies, Mahishasura laughed. If all the devas, and even the mighty Trimurti, could not defeat him, surely this girl could not seriously be trying to challenge him. He was very surprised when, after nine nights of fierce battle, his entire army had been decimated.
On the tenth day of the waxing moon of the month of ashwina (September / October), Shri Durga Maharani confronted the Great Ego, Mahishasura, and defeated him on what is now called Vijaya Dashami, the victorious tenth day. She fulfilled Brahma’s boon to the Great Ego that no man or god would slay him, and She saved the heavens and the earth from that demon’s reign of terror. These nine nights of battle, culminating in Vijaya Dashami, are celebrated now as the festival of Navaratri (nine nights).
When Rishi Markandeya composed his Markandeya Purana he included a detailed account of Durga’s battle with the demonic forces. This account is what we now call Devi Mahatmyam. The 700 verses of the Devi Mahatmyam are chanted on a daily basis by ardent devotees of the Goddess. Adi Shankaracarya realized that the average person had neither the time, nor the detailed knowledge of Sanskrit recitation to chant all 700 verses daily. He therefore composed a shorter stotram that contains all the vibratory power of the Saptashati (700 verses), offering great spiritual benefits to those unable to chant the full Chandi Path, and is only 21 verses long. This shorter stotram is called Mahishasura Mardini Stotram. It tells the condensed version of Devi’s battle with our inner demons, and describes Her glorious attributes. It is probably the single most powerful chant that I sing.
