Chapter 89 - Greatness of the Pādukās of Śrīmātā

[Sanskrit text for this chapter is available]

Sūta said:

1. Thus when the group of mother-goddesses stayed there, the incidence of child-mortality took place in every household.

2. All those goddesses roamed about in the city of Camatkārapura, in search of lapses and flaws in (the conduct) particularly of young men.

3. All those Brāhmaṇas came to know that the child-mortality (or destruction of children) was due to the blemishes and lapses and that it was created (caused) by those goddesses.

4. They approached Aṃbā and Vṛddhā, worshipped them assiduously and approached them humbly in the height of their misery:

5. This excellent and charming palatial shrine has been built by King Camatkāra unto you two, for the sake of according protection to all the Brāhmaṇas.

6-7. But thousands of children are being carried away at night by these deities and beings belonging to you two after detecting some blemish or other everywhere.

Favour may be shown, therefore, to the noble-souled Brāhmaṇas. Otherwise we shall leave the city and go elsewhere on the earth.”

8. On hearing their words, Aṃbā became compassionate. She kicked the ground with her foot and created a cave.

9. She placed her sandals in the cave and spoke to the deities, the beings who were standing there humbly with their bodies stooping law:

10-11. ‘These two divine sandals of mine kept in the interior of the cave should be served always by all of you. None should go out anywhere. One who, out of covetousness and delusion, goes out, shall be stripped of her divine nature. She will become a vixen.”

The Devatās said:

12. O great goddess, who will perform our adoration in this spot? What shall be our food? Hence speak out, O goddess of Suras.

Aṃbā said:

13. Liberated Yogins devoted to meditation and contemplation shall come here and perform your worship with great devotion.

14. At the outset they will worship my sandals with flesh, liquor etc., in due order. They will attain great Siddhi inaccessible even to immortals.

15. All of them said, “So be it” and remained in the interior of the cave surrounding those excellent sandals that yield salvation.

16. Thereafter, men from even far-off places came there, duly worshipped the sandals and then the Mātṛs (Mother-deities) and attained the highest Siddhi (i.e. salvation) devoid of birth and death.

17. In the meantime Agniṣṭoma and other rites became defunct. So also pilgrimages, holy vows, mental control, restraint etc., came to a standstill.

18-19. Even those quiescent Brāhmaṇas who used to decry liquor began to offer libation of liquors of various kinds with their own hands. They eschewed all sacrificial rites. They propitiated the sandals with meat, wine and unguents in the company of the Mātṛs (Mother-deities).

20 In the meantime, all the Devas including Vāsava noticed, to their utter dismay, the destruction of Yajña rites They became agitated with hunger and thirst.

21. They approached Maheśvara and stood before him humbly. After eulogizing Maheśvara by means of different kinds of Sūktas from the Vedas and the Śatarudriya passages they said:

The Devas said:

22. The sandals of Aṃbā are kept in the holy place of Hāṭakeśvara. They are well-guarded by the Mātṛs collectively in the centre of a cave.

23. Even Brāhmaṇas, O Lord of Devas, perform the adoration thereof with liquor and meat. They attain the highest Siddhi too.

24. All religious rites in the human world have become defunct now. O Lord, by the absence of our share in the Yajñas, we have been doomed.

25. Hence, O Lord of Devas, kindly do something to bring about the decline of the sandals. Let the Makhas (sacrifices) flourish on the earth. May we attain the greatest joy.

Śrī Bhagavān said:

26. She who is well-known as Aṃbā is the Śakti of the great Lord. She is the everlasting mother of the universe. She is my direct mother too.

27. So how can her decline be brought about by anyone even mentally. So also is the special case of the sandals.

28. But, O great Suras, in this respect I shall employ an easier means whereby the greatness of the sandals is not impaired and that of yours is maintained.

29. After saying thus, Lord Maheśvara began his meditation opening up the eight-petalled lotus within the heart along with its pericarp.

30. He then looked at the subtle and splendid being seated within. It has the size of the top of the thumb and the lustre of twelve suns. It was his own soul.

31. Even as he meditated thus, a pure and splendid girl clad in white clothes emerged from (his) third eye.

32. Then she bowed down to Lord Maheśvara and said, “O Lord, why have I been created? May the relevant command be given.”

Śrī Bhagavān said:

33. The splendid sandals of Śrī Mātā of the worlds are present in the holy place of Hāṭakeśvara. They are very important, important ones of the worlds! Do perform their worship.

34. If anyone performs her adoration except a virgin brought up and nurtured in your family, he shall be the food unto the Mātrs.

35. Their adoration should be performed by you maintaining celibacy from girlhood onwards. If not, you will be ruined too.

36. Those men who worship you with great devotion, shall be the persons getting the approbation of the Mātṛs. They shall always be happy.

37. After saying thus he explained to her the procedures of the utterance of the Mantras as well as the details of the procedure of adoration in particular.

38. Then, Maheśvara gave her the umbrella and other ornaments as well as right knowledge and sent her off along with all the leading Suras.

The Kumārī (virgin) said:

39-40. O Lord, this was mentioned by you that the girls hailing from my family would be adoring those splendid sandals. How can a family come into existence if one resorts to celibacy ever since childhood? It behoves you to explain all this in detail.

Śrī Bhagavān said:

41-42. If you are pleased with any virgin and if you impart this series of Mantras properly to her, she will be emotionally linked with you. O highly blessed one, in this manner other girls also can be trained successively. They will be considered as girls hailing from your family on the basis of the Mantras.

43. Thereafter she went to the cave containing the sandals and performed the adoration duly as explained by the slayer of the Tripuras.

Sūta said:

44. A man who with purity and mental concentration performs the adoration of the sandals through the hands of a virgin hailing from her family, shall attain happiness in this world as well as in the other

45. Hence by all means the sandals should be worshipped through the hands of a virgin. That worshipping virgin too should be duly worshipped.

46. This worship should be carried out by those men who desire perpetual happiness in this world as well as in the other. They should be endowed with devotion, so said Maheśvara.

47. Thus the greatness pertaining to the sandals of Śrīmātā has been narrated to you completely. Incidentally, O excellent Brāhmaṇas, the greatness of Aṃbādevī too has been narrated.

48. One who devoutly listens to this with mental concentration and purity on the fourteenth lunar day as well as on the eighth day in particular attains the greatest region.