Translation:

Source of All Blessings, Auspicious One, She Who Is Refuge, She Who Has Three Eyes, Golden One, Bestower of All Wishes, Blessed of All Blessed Ones, I honor you!

Creative shakti (energy) abiding in all things, giving rise to all qualities of existence, upon which these qualities depend, you take away unhappiness and remove doubt, Blessed of All Blessed Ones, I celebrate you!

In you devotees find sanctuary, you save them from all unhappiness and remove doubt always, Blessed of All Blessed Ones, I worship you!

Listen to the mantra:

This famous mantra, known as the Namaskara Mantra, comes from the Devi Mahatmyam, the epic tale of Mahadevi, the Great Goddess. She has many names in the story, most famously Durga, but also Chandi, Kali, Chamunda and others. This mantra is one of seven said to encapsulate the power of the entire 700 verses of this text, which is also known as the Durga Saptashati, or Seven Hundred Verses of Durga. It can regularly be heard echoing through Kali temples and other temples of the Great Goddess throughout India, usually at the end of the formal puja. If you repeat just one mantra in honor of Mahadevi, this is definitely a powerful choice.

At SHARANYA, we use this mantra to open our homa (sacrificial fire) ceremony and to praise Devi (Goddess) in all her various forms after invocations are complete during puja. It is a way of acknowledging Her presence, offering gratitudes from our hearts, and readying for the raising of energy in Her name for the intentions we are holding, both individually and collectively. The mantra is at once sweet and solemn, devotional and evocative of the contemplative in our approach to the Divine.

In your individual practice, performing japa (repetition of divine mantras) with this mantra can be especially helpful in removing obstructed emotional energy. If you are working with raising internal energy, this can be a wonderful prayer with which to begin your practice. It is also particularly powerful when chanted during Navaratri, the festival of the nine nights of Durga, celebrated twice a year in the Spring and Fall. A daily practice might include chanting this mantra 21 times or 108 times each day as part of your meditation practice. Try it, and see how it opens and strengthens your heart, bringing you into greater touch with Her in this reality.