Chapter 14 - On the recitation of the fruits of this Purāṇam

1-17. Sūta said :-- “O Ṛṣis! In days of yore, from the Lotus Face of the Devī Bhāgavata came out Śrī Mad Bhāgavatam in the form of half a Śloka, as the decided conclusion of the Vedas. About what She gave instructions to Viṣṇu, sleeping on a leaf of a Banyan tree, that same thing, the seed of the Śrī Mad Bhāgavata, Brahmā Himself expanded into one hundred Koṭi ślokas. Then, Veda Vyāsa, in order to teach his own son Śuka Deva, condensed them into eighteen thousand ślokas, in Twelve Books and named it Śrī Mad Devī Bhāgavatam, the present volume. That voluminous book comprising one hundred Koṭi ślokas compiled by Brahmā are still extant in the Deva loka. There is no Purāṇa like the Devī Bhāgavatam, so merit-giving, holy and capable to destroy all the sins. The reading of every line yields the fruits of performing many Aśvamedha sacrifices. Human beings addicted to worldly affairs will get the merit of giving lands to the Brāhmaṇas and they will enjoy also all the pleasures of the world and in the end will go to the region of the Devī, if they can hear, after they have fasted and controlled their passions, the recitation of this Purāṇam from the mouth of a Paurāṇik Brāhmaṇa, who has been worshipped and given clothings and ornaments and is considered as a second Veda Vyāsa. Or, if anybody writes the whole of the Devī Bhāgavatam with his own hand or gets it written by a writer from the beginning to the end and gives to a Paurāṇik Brāhmin the book placed in a box of the form of a lion made up of gold and a cow yielding milk with her calf with gold as his sacrificial fee; or if he feeds as many Brāhmaṇas as there are the number of chapters of the Devī Bhāgavatam and worship as many Kumārīs (virgin girls) with saffron, sandalpaste and ornaments and feeds them with Pāysānna, he gets the merits of giving lands and enjoys all the pleasures of the world and goes in the end to the region of the Devī. He has no want of anything who daily hears with rapt devotion this Devī Bhāgavatam. One who has no wealth gets abundance of wealth, those who are students get knowledge, one who has no sons, gets sons if one hears this Devī Bhāgavatam with true devotion. A barren woman, or one who bears still-born children or whose offsprings never live long or who bears only a single child, gets all her defects removed, if she hears this Devī Bhāgavatam with a steadfast devotion. The house where this Purāṇa is worshipped, Lakṣmī and Sarasvatī dwell there, leaving their animosities towards each other. By the influence of this Devī Bhāgavatam the Dākinīs, Vetālas, Rākṣasas, and other ghosts cannot cast a glance even on its devotee. If anybody gets fever and if the Śrī Devī Bhāgavatam be read touching him with a concentrated attention, all the complaints disappear. By reading this Bhāgavatam, one hundred times even more difficult than the severe disease pthisis is cured.

18-20. If after performing the Sandhyā, one reads only one chapter of this Bhāgavatam with a collected mind, he soon acquires the Real Knowledge. O Muni Śaunaka! While going to read this Bhāgavatam, first examine omens and then read. I have spoken already on this subject. If during the Śāradīya Pūjā (the autumnal Durgā Pūjā), at the

Navarātra period, one reads with devotion this Bhāgavatam, the Devī Bhagavatī becomes greatly pleased and awards him results more than his desires.

21-31. During the Navarātri period all can read well this book for the satisfaction of his Īṣṭa Deva (his own deity) whether he be a Vaiṣṇava, Śaiva, Saura, Gāṇapatya or a Śākta. All can read this for the satisfaction of Lakṣmī, Umā and other Śaktis. The Vaidik Brāhmaṇas are to recite this daily for the satisfaction of the Devī Gāyatrī. This Purāṇam is not contradictory to any sectarian belief. The reason of this being that to whatever deity he pays his worship, he must worship some Śakti or other, this is stated everywhere. So for the satisfaction of one’s own Śakti, all can read this, without contradicting each other. Never any woman nor any Śūdra, is to read this herself or himself, even out of ignorance; rather they should hear this from the mouth of a Brāhmaṇa. This is the rule of the Śāstras. (The vibrations and the consequent results would be truer then.) O Ṛṣis! What more to say on this book than this, that this Purāṇam is the most excellent of all and yields great merits. It is the essence of the Vedas. This I tell you with great certainty. There is not the least doubt in this. Reading or hearing this yields results equivalent to reading or hearing the Vedas. I now bow to the Devī of the nature of Hrīm and established by Gāyatrī, of the nature of Everlasting Existence, Intelligence and Bliss, Who stimulates our activities to the understanding of various subjects. Thus hearing the excellent words of Sūta, the great Paurāṇik, all the Munis of Naimiṣāraṇya worshipped him specially and as the result of hearing this Purāṇam glady became the servants of the Lotus Feet of the Devī and they attained the Highest Rest. The Munis expressed their humility and gratitude to Sūta frequently and bowed down to him again and again.

And they said :-- “O Sūta! It is you that have saved us from this ocean of world.” Thus (the great Bhāgavata) Sūta, the bee drinking the honey of the Lotus Feet of the Devī, recited before the assemblage of the best of the Munis this Purāṇam from the beginning to the end, the Secret of all the Nigamas and full of the Glories of the Devī Bhagavatī. After this the Ṛṣis bowed down to him and he blessed and honoured them.

Then he went away to his desired place. Here the Devī Bhāgavatam ends and is fully completed.

THE END.

Here ends the Fourteenth Chapter of the Twelfth Book on the recitation of the fruits of this Purāṇam in the Mahā Purāṇam Śrī Mad Devī Bhāgavatam of 18,000 verses by Maharṣi Veda Vyāsa.

Here ends as well the Full Treatise, Śrī Mad Devī Bhāgavatam.

Oṃ. Oṃ. Oṃ. Oṃ Tat Sat. Oṃ Hari Oṃ.