About the Course
Introduction
Devī Māhātmya, also called the Saptaśatī or Caṇḍī, is the foundational scripture of Śākta Tantrism and one of the most widely read and recited texts in the Hindu world. Although it is found embedded within the Mārkaṇḍeya Purāṇa, every verse is considered a mantra and many Āgamic teachings can be found condensed and encoded within the myths and rituals suffused throughout the text. The re-enactment of these myths forms the basis of the major Hindu festival of Navaratra and because of this, Śākta practices have entered into mainstream culture. Despite the preservation of many variations of the text, including mantra versions and over a dozen traditional commentaries, the deeper meaning of the scripture has been lost over time. The objective of this course is to explore the devotion, philosophy, and ritual surrounding the Goddess Durgā and to disseminate esoteric teachings preserved in the commentarial tradition and obtained through oral transmission from classically trained Ācāryas.
Overview
This course is divided in twelve lectures. The first lecture captures the summary of the myths distributed in three sections of the text. The second and third lectures focus on deciphering the myths, using both contemporary Western and classical Śāstric approaches. The course then introduces the philosophy and rituals surrounding the text in two lectures. This constitutes the first section of the course. In the second section, the course expands upon four central prayers, the Rātrī Sūkta, Śakrādi Stava, Devī Sūkta, and Nārāyaṇī Stava.
This course explores the deeper layers of the Devī Māhātmya beyond the narratives and their symbolism. It connects the Śāktism in Devī Māhātmya with Trika Śāivism, the Sarvāmnāya tradition, and broader Śākta philosophies. Accordingly, this course also examines the ritual dimensions of Śākta Tantrism.
Outline
First Section - Myth, Philosophy, and Ritual
10/2/22 - Lecture 1: Summary of the Myths
10/9/22 - Lecture 2: Deciphering the Myths, Part 1: Contemporary Approaches
10/16/22 - Lecture 3: Deciphering the Myths, Part 2: Classical Approaches
10/23/22 - Lecture 4: Philosophy
10/30/22 - Lecture 5: Rituals
Second Section - The Four Suktas
11/6/22 - Lecture 6: Rātrī Sūkta
11/13/22 - Lecture 7: Śakrādi Stava, Part 1
11/20/22 - Lecture 8: Śakrādi Stava, Part 2
11/27/22 - Lecture 9: Śakrādi Stava, Part 3
12/4/22 - Lecture 10: Devī Sūkta
12/11/22 - Lecture 11: Nārāyaṇī Stava, Part 1
12/18/22 - Lecture 12: Nārāyaṇī Stava, Part 2
Not many comments on this forum so I thought I'd share here to spruce it up a bit before class ☺️ I found this chanting video at https://youtu.be/9Cf30UbYnlg to listen to with 2 different pleasant voice pitches of precise Vedic meter recitations Ratri Suktam {Ṛṣikā:Vāgāmbhṛṇī; Devatā: Vāgāmbhṛṇī; chandah: this sūkta has eight ṛks (verses) of which ṛks 1 & 3-8 are in Tṛṣṭup chandah, and ṛk 2 is in Jagatī chandah} we'll learn about today originally occurring in RV and in our current study as p.210 in our Acarya-ji recommended translation of the DM by Devadatta Kali.
Here are his translations of these 8 verses heard in the video:
1) OṀ. The goddess Night, approaching, illumines every direction with her eyes. She has put on all her glories.
2) The immortal goddess has filled the world’s breadth, heights, and depths with her light. She drives away the darkness.
3) The approaching goddess follows upon her sister, Dawn, at whose coming the darkness
likewise departs.
4) Now she is upon us: at her coming we go to rest as birds to their nest in a tree.
5) The villagers have gone to rest, and so, too, all the creatures that walk or fly, even the ravenous hawks.
6) Ward off the she-wolf and the wolf, ward off the thief, O wave of darkness, and be easy for us to pass through.
7) For now, the palpable blackness crushes down upon me. O Dawn, collect it dutifully 8) As you would accept a precious herd of cattle, O daughter of heaven, O Night, accept this
hymn, offered as if to a conqueror.
Jai Ṛṣikā:Vāgāmbhṛṇī Jai MahaDevi Om Sri Sarvagurubhyo Nama: