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Devi mahatmyam: Book recommandation

Hello everyone,

I remember hearing book recommendations in the first couple lectures or Q&A sessions of the Devi mahatmyam course, however I'm often unable to take notes when I listen to the lectures and forgot what they were.


Can anyone share these recommandations?


Siegfried Schwaiger has shared a PDF by the commentator Devadatta Kali here, but I don't know if it's recommended by acaryaji:

https://www.mobileapp.app/to/jvkqa3z?ref=2_m_cl

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I have read three different English translations so far, all strikingly different.


The one by Devadatta Kālī is great as a straightforward English translation that doesn't assume the reader has much background in Indian traditions. It doesn't discuss ritual use very much. The devanagari is separate from the English, which makes it hard to compare word by word, but makes it easier to get absorbed into the fluent English, and easier to recite using the devanagari. If you're willing to flip back and forth, you'll find that the English tries hard to use the same word order, which helps a lot if you're learning sanskrit.


The one by Swami Satyānanda Saraswatī is remarkable in that it even translates names, and it consistently avoids connotations of good-vs-evil (eg translating "asura" as "thought"). It provides no background commentary whatsoever. It alternates IAST and English, so comparison is convenient, however it's fairly liberal with word order. It's useful for formal recitation since the text is fairly compact, every section is run together, and it contains more than just the DM and it's aṅgas.


The Sādhan Samar by Brāhmaṛṣi Satyadeva is highly devotional and contains extensive interpretation. It is extremely useful if you want to understand the deeper meaning of the text. For example, it explains that Suratha's subjects represent one's senses, going into the forest represents searching for the divine, Medhas' clearing represents the faintest touch of grace, etc. But the most striking aspect is that nearly every page is a heartfelt call to the Mother.


I find them all useful. But for me, the Sādhan Samar is the one I cherish.

Edited

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