Durga
Stotra - Hymn to Durga
Mother Durga! Rider on the lion, giver of all strength, Mother,
beloved of Siva! We, born from thy parts of Power, we the youth
of India, are seated here in thy temple. Listen, O Mother, descend
upon earth, make thyself manifest in this land of India.
Mother
Durga! From age to age, in life after life, we come down into the
human body, do thy work and return to the Home of Delight. Now too
we are born, dedicated to thy work. Listen, O Mother, descend upon
earth, come to our help.
Mother
Durga! Rider on the lion, trident in hand, thy body of beauty armour-clad,
Mother, giver of victory, India awaits thee, eager to see the gracious
form of thine. Listen, O Mother, descend upon earth, make thyself
manifest in this land of India.
Mother
Durga! Giver of force and love and knowledge, terrible art thou
in thy own self of might, Mother beautiful and fierce. In the battle
of life, in India's battle, we are warriors commissioned by thee;
Mother, give to our heart and mind a titan's strength, a titan's
energy, to our soul and intelligence a god's character and knowledge.
Mother
Durga! India, world's noblest race, lay whelmed in darkness. Mother,
thou risest on the eastern horizon, the dawn comes with the glow
of thy divine limbs scattering the darkness. Spread thy light, Mother,
destroy the darkness.
Mother
Durga! We are thy children, through thy grace, by thy influence
may we become fit for the great work, for the great Ideal. Mother,
destroy our smallness, our selfishness, our fear.
Mother
Durga! Thou art Kali, naked, garlanded with human heads, sword in
hand, thou slayest the Asura. Goddess, do thou slay with thy pitiless
cry the enemies who dwell within us, may none remain alive there,
not one. May we become pure and spotless, this is our prayer, O
Mother, make thyself manifest.
Mother
Durga! India lies low in selfishness and fearfulness and littleness.
Make us great, make our efforts great, our hearts vast, make us
true to our resolve. May we no longer desire the small, void of
energy, given to laziness, stricken with fear.
Mother
Durga! Extend wide the power of Yoga. We are thy Aryan children,
develop in us again the lost teaching, character, strength of intelligence,
faith and devotion, force of austerity, power of chastity and true
knowledge, bestow all that upon the world. To help mankind, appear,
O Mother of the world, dispel all ills.
Mother
Durga! Slay the enemy within, then root out all obstacles outside.
May the noble heroic mighty Indian race, supreme in love and unity,
truth and strength, arts and letters, force and knowledge ever dwell
in its holy woodlands, its fertile fields, under its sky-scraping
hills, along the banks of its pure-streaming rivers. This is our
prayer at the feet of the Mother. Make thyself manifest.
Mother
Durga! Enter our bodies in thy Yogic strength. We shall become thy
instruments, thy sword slaying all evil, thy lamp dispelling all
ignorance. Fulfil this yearning of thy young children, O Mother.
Be the master and drive thy instrument, wield thy sword and slay
the evil, hold up the lamp and spread the light of knowledge. Make
thyself manifest.
Mother
Durga! When we possess thee, we shall no longer cast thee away;
we shall bind thee to us with the tie of love and devotion. Come,
Mother, manifest thyself in our mind and life and body.
Come,
Revealer of the hero-path! We shall no longer cast thee away. May
our entire life become a ceaseless worship of the Mother, all our
acts a continuous service to the Mother, full of love, full of energy.
This is our prayer, O Mother, descend upon earth, make thyself manifest
in this land of India.
-
Sri Aurobindo
