Devi Mahatmyam: The Glory of the Goddess

By Sage Markandeya and Lyndal Vercoe

As you read this Devi Mahatmyam, you will feel the joy, the power and the wonder of the Divine Mother. At its simplest level, the Devi Mahatmyam is the battle between good and evil. But on that battlefield, the majesty of the Mother Goddess should not be underestimated. She does not wage wars with the aid of grand armies or divine allies. She alone is the source and the strength. In a new translation of this sacred text, Lyndal Vercoe offers a direct and devotional rendering. This is not just a description of Divine Power. It is a worship and a praise of God as the Mother of the Universe. Say those words to yourself and feel their meaning: the Mother of the Universe. This is not just a historical text. This is a prayer to be read aloud. It is an epic poem, a true song of praise that should echo through the days of our lives. Listen carefully and you will feel the spirit within. This is a Devi Mahatmyam for our time

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu.com
• Release date: Jul 3, 2019
• ISBN: 9780359767809

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DEVĪ MĀHĀTMYAM – THE GLORY OF THE GODDESS

by Sage Markandeya from The Mārkandeya Purāna (circa 550 CE)

translation © Lyndal Vercoe 2010

second DCB edition 2019

ISBN: 978-0-359-76780-9

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner, printed or electronic, without permission from the publisher.

DCB002-DM

This book was originally published by Divine Cool Breeze Books. This book is also available as a paperback and hardcover. Those editions also include additional sacred texts and names of the Goddess.

Find more books at www.sahajbooks.org.

Introduction

As you read this Devī Māhātmyam, you will feel the joy, the power and the wonder of the Divine Mother.

At its simplest level, the Devī Māhātmyam is the battle between good and evil. But on that battlefield, the majesty of the Mother Goddess should not be underestimated. She does not wage wars with the aid of grand armies or divine allies. She alone is the source and the strength.

In a new translation of this sacred text, Lyndal Vercoe offers a direct and devotional rendering. This is not just a description of Divine Power. It is a worship and a praise of God as the Mother of the Universe. 

Say those words to yourself and feel their meaning: the Mother of the Universe.

Words are set out to describe that which is indescribable. Poetry transcends the limits of language.

Such descriptions of an all-powerful feminine God are virtually non-existent in the Christian West. And they are, surprisingly, almost as rare in the East. In world literature, the Devī Māhātmyam is an elusive scripture. Nestled protectively within the much larger Mārkandeya Purāna, it is an unique and extraordinary expression of both reverence and devotion. 

This is not just a historical text. This is a prayer to be read aloud. It is an epic poem, a true song of praise that should echo through the days of our lives.

Listen carefully and you will feel the spirit within. 

This is a Devī Māhātmyam for our time. 

Foreword

This book exists because of Her Holiness Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi, the one who came to give this Earth its meaning.

At first I wrote for my own satisfaction and then I was enthusiastically encouraged by so many members of the Sahaja Yoga collective: creativity needs community support.

Graham Brown gave practical advice and created a printed book which was given to Shri Mataji in the USA in 2005.

Then Graham created a blog which drew the attention of Dragos Ionel and Richard Payment, who gave it a wider readership on the Web.

Richard’s editorial input and design has given it polish and visual beauty so that it can become a real book with paper pages at last to be held and read without eyestrain.

Tim Bruce, in 2019, offered more creative input as he prepared to make an audio recording. He has wisely added the appropriate mantras which traditionally accompany the reading of the story. Mārkandeya always meant the poem to enlighten the listeners – who were not even readers nor scholars. Tim’s reading astounded and delighted me: it has added a whole new dimension to the written text, and makes it a blessing to be enjoyed by wide audiences.

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Some people questioned my desire to make a translation of the Devi Mahatmyam. They felt we could manage well enough with the Madras translation by the Swami Jagadishwarananda.

I felt the text to be dry and scholarly and needed the passion of intimacy and of recognition.

Since childhood, when I was told not to enquire into the nature of the Holy Spirit, such prohibitions have only spurred my interest.

Recently, I came across a talk from Madras, January