Thread by @anuradhagoyal

Started reading Srimad Devi Bhagwat Mahapuran (amzn.to/2NFU3Jh) - a 2 volume Granth of roughly 1000 pages each. Should be a good 1-2 year project to read it. Will share some snippets as I read. Seeking your blessings.

Devi Bhagwat Mahatmay which is actually from Skand Puran talks about the benefits of reading or listening of this Purana for the 4 Varnas - Dwij or Brahmins, dharnipati or kings, vaishya & Shudras as per their Varna dharma.

#devibhagwat

Like Ganga among rivers, Shankar among Devas, Ramayan among poems, sun among celestials, moon in pleasure giving things, fame for the wealthy, forgiveness for earth & depth is for ocean, Gayatri among mantras, memory of Hari to rid sins, so is #DeviBhagwat among 18 Puranas.

Panchlakshana or 5 characteristics of a Purana - sarg or story of creation, pratisarg or story of next level of creation, vansh or story of Suryavansh & chandravansh, manvantar or story of Manu and vanshcharit or royal lineage.

#devibhagwat

Name of 18 Mahapuranas throughs single shlok mentioning the first letters only. After this 18 up-puranas are mentioned. Then the parts of #Devibhagwat in 12 skandas, 318 chapters & 18000 shlokas. It is almost like mentally preparing you for the long haul.

Disturbing someone's sleep, becoming the reason for conflict between loving couples or parents & children is a sin equivalent to Brahman Hatya or killing a Brahmin.

#DeviBhagwat 1.4

3 types of Katha or Stories - Satvik like Ved Shastras, Rajsik like literature & Tamsik that have description of wars and that put light on shortcomings of others. Each of them are further of 3 types - Uttam, Madhyam & Adham or Good, Average, Bad.

#Devibhagwat 1.6

Listening to Satvik Uttam stories give Mukti, Madhyam Swarga &
Adham give Bhog.
Rajsik Uttam stories are about your own, madhyam about common & Adham about other's.
Tamsik Uttam stories are about killing of cruel, Madhyam about killing for enmity & Adham killing for no reason.

Faced with Madhu & Kaitabh asuras - Brahma weighs his options of Saam, Daam & Bheda. Dand, he is not in a position to give. & I thought this was used only by Chanakya.

#Devibhagwat 1.7 #Devi

Two Sanskrit words I learned so far from #Devibhagwat

वम्री meaning Deemak or termite
अयुत meaning 10,000

At Mithila, Shukla tells the doorkeeper - There are two types of people - Bairagi & Ragi. Bairagi have 3 Types - Gyata, Agyata, Madhyam. Ragi have 2 types - Stupid & Smart. Smart ones have 2 types - those born from Shastra or Intellect.

#devibhagwat 1.17

This verse in #DeviBhagwat talks about making of Charmavati or Chambal River ( inditales.com/chambal-river-…) - when the skin of sacrificed animals became a mountain like Vindhyas & water from clouds fell on it to become a river.

#chambal #rivers

When Shukdev asks Janak how can he be a King, a householder & still a Videh, he answers - I am enjoying all Sukh without being bound by them, while you are constantly scared of being bound.

#DeviBhagwat 1.19

Dialogue between Vyas & his son Shukdev is all about later not wanting to get married & tied down and father insisting he gets married. He is sent to Raja Janak in Mithila for counseling, post which he marries.
Some things never change :-)
#DeviBhagwat 1.18

Eight kinds of sons who can inherit your wealth including the one born to you being first among equals.

#DeviBhagwat 2.6

Hastinapur is referred to as Nagpura at many places in #DeviBhagwat - any idea where this name comes from? @bibekdebroy @RohiniBakshi @Sampadananda @MisraNityanand

अहिंसा परमो धर्म - preached when one feels a threat of death from the opponent, to dissuade them from killing.

#DeviBhagwat 2.11

In his Devi Stuti, Vishnu says - The world thinks Brahma creates, I sustain & Shiva destroys but the truth is it is only with your wish we are empowered to do so.

#DeviBhagwat 3.4 #Devi

Discovered HaHa & HuHu - the Gandharvas or celestial musicians & two of the 4 sons of Kashyapa. Others being Tumburu and Bahu - does the Tambura get its name from former?

#DeviBhagwat 3.4 #gandharva #LOTD

प्रागभाव - one that has no beginning, but has an end
प्रध्वंसाभाव - one that has a beginning, but no end

#DeviBhagwat 3.6 #Sanskrit

आकाश - शब्द
वायु - शब्द + स्पर्श
अग्नि - शब्द + स्पर्श + रूप
जल - शब्द + स्पर्श + रूप + रस
पृथ्वी - शब्द + स्पर्श + रूप + रस + गंध
पंचमहाभूत or the 5 elements that this universe and 8400000 species are made up of.

#DeviBhagwat 3.7 #universe

Different names of Earth
मेदिनी - मधु कैटभ के मेद से बनी
धरा - धारण करने की शक्ति रखने वाली
पृथ्वी - विस्तार के योग्य
मही - महनीय होने के कारण
Mountains are like the nails that hold the earth hence - महिधर

#DeviBhagwat 3.13 #Earth

Ved Vyasa or Krishn Dwaipayan was born on an island of Yamuna, while Bhishma was the son of Ganga - so Mahabharat is the real Ganga-Yamuna story.

इच्छास्वयंवर, पणस्वयंवर, शौर्यशुल्क स्वयंवर - 3 types of Swayamvar. First is only girl's choice like Damyanti's, 2nd has a condition attached like Sita's, 3rd is for brave like Krishna Rukmini or Arjun Subhadra.

#DeviBhagwat 3.18

Swayamvar scenes in Indian scriptures bring together kings from all over India. In this प्रसंग, for Kashi's princess' Swayamvar you have kings from Kerala to Kamrup to Kaikeya.

#DeviBhagwat 3.19

Am reading the Swayamvar if Shashikala - the daughter of Kashi Naresh in #DeviBhagwat and just by co-incidence I visited Durga Mandir that talks about her Swayamvar.

#travel #Varanasi #Kashi

Kanya Puja Vidhi
1 year old - NA, faculty to smell not developed
2YO - कुमारिका
3YO - त्रिमूर्ति
4YO - कल्याणी
5YO - रोहिणी
6YO - कालिका
7YO - चंडिका
8YO - शांभवी
9YO - दुर्गा
10YO - सुभद्रा
+ If they start menstruating before 10 - NA

#DeviBhagwat 3.26

Shudras who live as per their Dharma are reborn as Kshatriya, with good behaviour as Brahmins, Brahmins who live peacefully, live disease free in next life. Nar & Narayan, Tapasvi Brahmins are reborn as Kshatriya Krishna & Arjuna. Why asks Janmajeya to Vyasa.

#DeviBhagwat 4.1

For good people, every time is Satyuga & for bad people it is always Kaliyuga. Dwapar is when Action and Yoga are well organized, Treta is for mediocre people. So, you can follow your Dharma in any yuga.

#DeviBhagwat 4.5

If your mind, speech & actions are pure, there is a Tirtha at every step, if not then Ganga is impure for them.

#DeviBhagwat 4.8

Water by nature is cool, but it heats up when it comes in contact with Agni (Fire) & Vayu(Air), once away it returns to its cool state. - describing the momentary anger of Rishis.

Are you water, air or fire?

#DeviBhagwat 4.14
#quote

In the 4th Skand of #Devibhagwat Shukracharya is repeatedly called as Kavya or Kavyah - anyone knows why? What is the reference here?

@bibekdebroy @RohiniBakshi @NileshOak @ArchitectRupa

Human life is 1-100 years, beyond that is Brahma's life followed by Rudra's and Vishnu's. But every देही must die sooner or later in this नश्वर world of Maya.

#DeviBhagwat 4.20

प्रायश्चित can resolve current Karmas, शास्त्र पद्धति can help with Sanchit or collected karmas but प्रारब्ध you have to live, there is no way out of it - tells Vasudev to Devaki at the birth of their first son, before taking him to Kamsa.

#DeviBhagwat 4.21

Home is where you can live peacefully, not necessarily the ancestral place if it not peaceful. It should be like Ksheersagar is for Vishnu, Kailash for Shiva - away from the enemies.

#DeviBhagwat 4.24

Hunger, thirst, sleep, fear, tiredness, sorrow, doubt, joy, pride, old age, death, envy, ignorance etc - every one who takes the human form has to deal with including those who take Human Avatars.

#DeviBhagwat 4.25

Devi is a supreme among all Devatas. She lives in the अर्धमात्रा that you can not even pronounce.

#DeviBhagwat 5.1

When the Devatas are against you a straw becomes a thunderbolt, when they are with you even thunderbolt becomes soft cotton.

#Devibhagwat 5.10

Three types of minister - Satvik ones who always work for the king, Rajsik ones who sometimes work for the king & Tamsik ones who only work for themselves and can harm the king & kingdom without a second thought if it helps them.

#DeviBhagwat 5.12

When Mahishasura tries to woo Devi, this is how she describes herself - Icchhashakti or will power of the Purush who creates this world, who comes alive when she is in touch with him.

#DeviBhagwat 5.16

Description of earth after Mahishasura is killed is parallel to definition of Ram Rajya in Tulsi Manas. Clouds give ample rain to trade doing good. Should we read more into who the Daanavs really are?

#DeviBhagwat 5.20

Sitting near the grinding stone will not grind the grain, one must make the effort for it to grind - Says Shumbha to his army who are advising him to run away from the war with Devi.

#DeviBhagwat 5.27

If you have served the old, listened to Niti Shastra, read Vigyan & participated in debates, know the Tantra, then listen to me - this his how Raktabeeja opens his argument in the battlefield.

#DeviBhagwat 5.27

Listen to the father while he is alive, feed him well on his last day & do his Pind daan in Gaya - three duties of a son towards his father.

#DeviBhagwat 6.4

Vritra hold Indra in his mouth during a fight between them. Devatas then invent Yawning & make him yawn so that Indra can come out. This is how yawning became a part of living beings. How would you interpret this?

#DeviBhagwat 6.4

You can not create poetry unless you are an अंश of Rishi, or do charity unless of Vishnu. Anyone who is powerful, fortunate, scholar & does charity should be considered a देवांश - part of Devatas.

#DeviBhagwat 6.10

Dharma Seekers - Satyuga
Dharma + Artha Seekers - Treta
Dharma + Artha + Kama seekers - Dwapar
Artha + Kama seekers - Kaliyuga
Yuga Dharma as explained by Ved Vyasa. Lovely explanation of movement of people across Yugas.

#DeviBhagwat 6.11

Rivers that fall into the sea are more पवित्र, the ones that are full of water are even more. In the months of Savan & Bhadon, rivers are Rajaswala as they are full of village water.

#DeviBhagwat 6.12

Mere knowledge is not enough, you need experience to solve problems, just like you cannot have light in the room by talking about it. Experience comes by working with people who have experience.

#DeviBhagwat 6.15

I am dear to Shiva & he to me. My devotees who hate Shiva will go to Naraka - Says Vishnu on him & Shiva being one.

#DeviBhagwat 6.18

Travel for 8 months a year but 4 months of Rains stay at one place.

#DeviBhagwat 6.26

On the tip of Meru Parvat are - Indralok, Vahnilok, Samyamanpuri, satyalok, kailash & Vaikuntha.

#DeviBhagwat 7.8

Agni is born from water, Kshatriyas from Brahmins & Iron from stone - you must respect where you come from.

#DeviBhagwat 7.11

Whenever someone commits a wrong, the king gets the one-sixth of his पाप - a detail accounting mentioned in Skand Puran inditales.com/hindi/paap-pun…

#DeviBhagwat 7.16

The one who gives you food, the one who gives you अभय, the one who gives you विद्या, the one who gives you money & the one who gives you birth are the 5 types of Fathers defined in scriptures.

#DeviBhagwat 7.17

Varanasi - this home of Shiva is not for humans, says Harishchandra when he comes to the city after giving his kingdom of Ayodhya to Vishwamitra. True inditales.com/on-the-ghats-o…

#DeviBhagwat 7.20

Lakshman Rekha is not unique to Ramayana. When Devi had to fight asura Durgam, she draws a circle around all those she wants to protect & stands outside to fight.

#DeviBhagwat 7.28

I live not on Kailash, not in Vaikuntha but I live in the heart of my devotee - just like Kabir said - मोको कहां ढूंढे रे बंदे... मैं तो तेरे पास में।

#DeviBhagwat 7.36

Just like ghee is in milk, we have Gyan within us, it just requires the churning.

#DeviBhagwat 7.37

The soil on banks of Jambu Nadi gets soaked in juice of Jambu fruits, which when it interacts with sun and air converts into Gold - the one used to make ornaments.
Where is Jambu Nadi?
What is the view of metallurgists on my TL?

#DeviBhagwat 8.6

Is वर्ष a measure of size or area as well? Devi Bhagwat talks about 9 different Varsha on Jambudweepa - one of which is Bharatvarsha, with exact dimensions. @Vyasonmukh @Sampadananda @bibekdebroy @NileshOak
@ArchitectRupa

East of Sumeru - Indra's Devdhanika Puri - Sunrise
South - Yama's Samyamni Puri - Noon
West - Varun's Nimnlochani - Sunset
North - Moon's Vibhavari - Midnight

From the chapter on Motion of Sun.
#DeviBhagwat 8.15 @ArchitectRupa

#DidYouKnow Surya's chariot Arun is the elder brother of Garuda? Is there a family relationship between all the vahanas of the Devtas?

@bibekdebroy @ArchitectRupa @RohiniBakshi @Vyasonmukh @NileshOak