Devi For Millennials

About the Book Who is Devi? What are her mantras? What are her stories? What are her rituals?

The roots of Devi worship are deeply embedded in Indian society:

Archaeological excavations, going back a few thousand years, show traces of Devi worship. Devi's stories feature in the Puranas and Devi Gita (part of Devi Bhagavata Purana), which is a beautiful amalgamation of Vedanta and tantra.

Directed at young readers, Devi for Millennial demystifies Devi's mantras, tantra, yantras and worship, often perceived to be esoteric. It narrates the stories of Devi and describes in a simple manner the Shakti Peethas and their significance. It also includes translations of verses both familiar and obscure across a wide spectrum of texts, one of them being Devi Gita.

Remaining close and faithful to original Sanskrit texts and without any distortion or interpretation, it is a primer, an introduction to worshipping Devi, who is always with us.

About the Author Bibek Debroy has an interest in Indology. He is known for his unabridged translations of Itihasa-Purana texts from Sanskrit to English--the Bhagavad Gita, the Mahabharata, the Hari Vamsha, the Valmiki Ramayana, the Bhagavata Purana, the Markandeya Purana, the Brahma Purana and the Vishnu Purana. Translations of the Shiva Purana and the Brahmanda Purana are awaiting publication. The word count of translations he has already completed amounts to 5 million, and in 2019, he featured in the Limca Book of Records as the 'most prolific translator'. He has been conferred with the Padma Shri and the title of 'Vachaspati Other than translations, he is the author of the much-acclaimed The Bhagavad Gita for Millennials and has edited, along with Anuradha Goyal, the book Navaratri: When Devi Comes Home. His two interests-millennials and Devi-converge in the present book.

Preface I was introduced to Devi without being completely conscious of it. When I was young, around seven years old, I spent a great deal of time with my maternal grandparents. Every day, both of them did a pujaa, separately, and read Chandi, which is how Bengalis refer to the Devi Mahatmya. I was too young to appreciate this. However, I did appreciate the daily prasad of a banana and milk, with me getting the banana and the pet cat getting the milk. I remember flipping through the pages of their copies of Chandi (each possessed one) and the image of Raktabija, in particular, leaving a deep impression-it scared me. Perched on my maternal grandfather's shoulders, I remember going to a community pujaa, where the Dasha Mahavidyaas used to be worshipped. The image of Dhumavati also left a mark and still remains with me.

Eventually, my grandparents died. Life moved on. My parents were professed atheists. Nevertheless, we used to observe an annual ritual, driven by my father's enthusiasm. As with generations of Bengalis from that era, on the day of Mahalaya, which signifies the onset of Durgaa Pujaa, my father would wake us up in the morning to listen to the remarkable voice of Birendra Krishna Bhadra reciting 'Mahisasura Mardini' (these were songs in addition to the stotram) on the radio. Depending on where we were geographically based, there was the subsequent annual ritual of either visiting the local pandal for Durgaa Pujaa or pandal hopping across the city.

**Contents and Sample Pages**