Devi Bhagavata Purana · Chapter 1.8

ārādhyanirṇayavarṇanam
ṛṣaya ūcuḥ
sandeho'tra mahābhāga kathāyāṃ tu mahād‌bhutaḥ /
vedaśāstrapurāṇaiśca niścitaṃ tu sadā budhaiḥ

brahmā viṣṇuśca rudraśca trayo devāḥ sanātanāḥ /
nātaḥ parataraṃ kiñcid‌brahmāṇḍe'sminmahāmate

brahmā sṛjati lokānvai viṣṇuḥ pātyakhilaṃ jagat /
rudraḥ saṃharate kāle traya ete'tra kāraṇam

ekā mūrtistrayo devā brahmaviṣṇumaheśvarāḥ /
rajaḥsattvatamobhiśca saṃyutāḥ kāryakārakāḥ

teṣāṃ madhye hariḥ śreṣṭho mādhavaḥ puruṣottamaḥ /
ādidevo jagannāthaḥ samarthaḥ sarvakarmasu

nānyaḥ ko'pi samartho'sti viṣṇoratulatejasaḥ /
sa kathaṃ svāpitaḥ svāmī vivaśo yogamāyayā

kva gataṃ tasya vijñānaṃ jīvataśceṣṭitaṃ kutaḥ /
sandeho'yaṃ mahābhāga kathayasva yathāśubham

kā sā śaktiḥ purā proktā yayā viṣṇujitaḥ prabhuḥ /
kuto jātā kathaṃ śaktā kā śaktirvada suvrata

yastu sarveśvaro viṣṇurvāsudevo jagad‌guruḥ /
paramātmā parānandaḥ saccidānandavigrahaḥ

sarvakṛtsarvabhṛtsraṣṭā virajaḥ sarvagaḥ śuciḥ /
sa kathaṃ nidrayā nītaḥ paratantraḥ parātparaḥ

etadāścaryabhūto hi sandeho naḥ parantapa /
chindhi jñānāsinā sūta vyāsaśiṣya mahāmate

sūta uvāca
kaḥ sandehaṃ bhinattyenaṃ trailokye sacarācare /
muhyanti munayaḥ kāmaṃ brahmaputrāḥ sanātanāḥ

nāradaḥ kapilaścaiva praśne'sminmunisattamāḥ /
kiṃ bravīmi mahābhāgā durghaṭe'sminvimarśane

deveṣu viṣṇuḥ kathitaḥ sarvagaḥ sarvapālakaḥ /
yato virāḍidaṃ sarvamutpannaṃ sacarācaram

te sarve samupāsante natvā devaṃ parātparam /
nārāyaṇaṃ hṛṣīkeśaṃ vāsudevaṃ janārdanam

tathā kecinmahādevaṃ śaṅkaraṃ śaśiśekharam /
trinetraṃ pañcavaktraṃ ca śūlapāṇiṃ vṛṣadhvajam

tathā vedeṣu sarveṣu gītaṃ nāmnā triyambakam /
kapardinaṃ pañcavaktraṃ gaurīdehārdhadhāriṇam

kailāsavāsanirataṃ sarvaśaktisamanvitam /
bhūtavṛndayutaṃ devaṃ dakṣayajñavighātakam

tathā sūryaṃ vedavidaḥ sāyaṃprātardine dine /
madhyāhne tu mahābhāgāḥ stuvanti vividhaiḥ stavaiḥ

tathā vedeṣu sarveṣu sūryopāsanamuttamam /
paramātmeti vikhyātaṃ nāma tasya mahātmanaḥ

agniḥ sarvatra vedeṣu saṃstuto vedavittamaiḥ /
indraścāpi trilokeśo varuṇaśca tathāparaḥ

yathā gaṅgā pravāhaiśca bahubhiḥ parivartate /
tathaiva sarvadeveṣu viṣṇuḥ prokto maharṣibhiḥ

trīṇyeva hi pramāṇāni paṭhitāni supaṇḍitaiḥ /
pratyakṣaṃ cānumānaṃ ca śābdaṃ caiva tṛtīyakam

catvāryevetare prāhurupamānayutāni ca /
arthāpattiyutānyanye pañca prāhurmahādhiyaḥ

sapta paurāṇikāścaiva pravadanti manīṣiṇaḥ /
etaiḥ pramāṇairdurjñeyaṃ yad‌brahma paramaṃ ca tat

vitarkaścātra kartavyo buddhyā caivāgamena ca /
niścayātmikayā yuktyā vicārya ca punaḥ punaḥ

pratyakṣatastu vijñānaṃ cintyaṃ matimatā sadā /
dṛṣṭāntenāpi satataṃ śiṣṭamārgānusāriṇā

vidvāṃso'pi vadantyevaṃ purāṇaiḥ parigīyate /
druhiṇe sṛṣṭiśaktiśca harau pālanaśaktitā

hare saṃhāraśaktiśca sūrye śaktiḥ prakāśikā /
dharādharaṇaśaktiśca śeṣe kūrme tathaiva ca

sādyā śaktiḥ pariṇatā sarvasminyā pratiṣṭhitā /
dāhaśaktistathā vahnau samīre preraṇātmikā

śivo'pi śavatāṃ yāti kuṇḍalinyā vivarjitaḥ /
śaktihīnastu yaḥ kaścidasamarthaḥ smṛto budhaiḥ

evaṃ sarvatra bhūteṣu sthāvareṣu careṣu ca /
brahmādistambaparyantaṃ brahmāṇḍe'sminmahātapāḥ

śaktihīnaṃ tu nindyaṃ syādvastumātraṃ carācaram /
aśaktaḥ śatruvijaye gamane bhojane tathā

evaṃ sarvagatā śaktiḥ sā brahmeti vivicyate /
sopāsyā vividhaiḥ samyagvicāryā sudhiyā sadā

viṣṇau ca sāttvikī śaktistayā hīno'pyakarmakṛt /
druhiṇe rājasī śaktiryayā hīno hyasṛṣṭikṛt

śive ca tāmasī śaktistayā saṃhārakārakaḥ /
ityūhyaṃ manasā sarvaṃ vicārya ca punaḥ punaḥ

śaktiḥ karoti brahmāṇḍaṃ sā vai pālayate'khilam /
icchayā saṃharatyeṣā jagadetaccarācaram

na viṣṇurna haraḥ śakro na brahmā na ca pāvakaḥ /
na sūryo varuṇaḥ śaktaḥ sve sve kārye kathañcana

tayā yuktā hi kurvanti svāni kāryāṇi te surāḥ /
saiva kāraṇakāryeṣu pratyakṣeṇāvagamyate

saguṇā nirguṇā sā tu dvidhā proktā manīṣibhiḥ /
saguṇā rāgibhiḥ sevyā nirguṇā tu virāgibhiḥ

dharmārthakāmamokṣāṇāṃ svāminī sā nirākulā /
dadāti vācchitānkāmānpūjitā vidhipūrvakam

na jānanti janā mūḍhāstāṃ sadā māyayāvṛtāḥ /
jānanto'pi narāḥ kecinmohayanti parānapi

paṇḍitāḥ svodarārthaṃ vai pākhaṇḍāni pūthakpṛthak /
pravartayanti kalinā preritā mandacetasaḥ

kalāvasminmahābhāgā nānābhedasamutthitāḥ /
nānye yuge tathā dharmā vedabāhyāḥ kathañcana

viṣṇuścaratyasāvugra tapo varṣāṇyanekaśaḥ /
brahmā harastrayo devā dhyāyantaḥ kamapi dhuvam

kāmayānāḥ sadā kāmaṃ te trayaḥ sarvadaiva hi /
yajanti yajñānvividhānbrahmaviṣṇumaheśvarāḥ

te vai śaktiṃ parāṃ devīṃ brahmākhyāṃ paramātmikām /
dhyāyanti manasā nityaṃ nityāṃ matvā sanātanīm

tasmācchaktiḥ sadā sevyā vidvad‌bhiḥ kṛtaniścayaiḥ /
niścayaḥ sarvaśāstrāṇāṃ jñātavyo munisattamāḥ

kṛṣṇācchrutaṃ mayā caitattena jñātaṃ tu nāradāt /
pituḥ sakāśāttenāpi brahmaṇā viṣṇuvākyataḥ

na śrotavyaṃ na mantavyamanyeṣāṃ vacanaṃ budhaiḥ /
śaktireva sadā sevyā vidvad‌bhiḥ kṛtaniścayaiḥ

pratyakṣamapi draṣṭavyamaśaktasya viceṣṭitam /
ataḥ sarveṣu bhūteṣu jñātavyā śaktireva hi

iti śrīmaddevībhāgavate mahāpurāṇe'ṣṭādaśasāhasryāṃ saṃhitāyāṃ
prathamaskandhe ārādhyanirṇayavarṇanaṃ nāmāṣṭamo'dhyāyaḥ