Devi Purana- A Rendition of Srimad Devi Bhagavatam

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Srimad Devi Bhagavatam, also known as Devi Purana, is one of the many works of Maharishi Veda Vyasa. Consisting of 18,000 verses, it is divided into twelve chapters and numerous sections. Though classified as an Upapurana (sub-Purana), it is the only Purana that Veda Vyasa terms Mahapurana, or the great Purana, at the end of each chapter.

Vyasa's narration reiterates that the Supreme Goddess or the Divine Mother, as described in all scriptures, is the one beyond and above the trinity of Gods and all devas. The stories in the book not only establish this but also describe various manifestations of the Devi.

All the Puranas are essentially collections of stories recounted by a narrator called Suta, who heard these from his guru, Vyasa. These in their original form are woven like a web and are not easy to comprehend since there is no defined order, chronological or otherwise.

Dinesh Bhatia segregates and simplifies the stories as well as their underlying philosophies in order to present them in a simple and comprehensible way. He also reorganises the flow of stories as a direct narration by Vyasa to King Janamejaya, the grandson of Abhimanyu, while retaining the essence of the original work.

All the Puranas are essentially collections of stories narrated by Suta who was the disciple of Maharishi Veda Vyasa, the composer of all the Vedas and Puranas.

The stories, in their original form, are woven like a web and not easy to comprehend as there is no defined order, be it chronological or otherwise. The spiritual concepts and philosophies are either intertwined in these stories or emerge out of the narration.

This rendition attempts to segregate and simplify the stories and their philosophies as well as present them in a simple comprehensible modern English language. This book also reorganises their flow and order and presents them as a direct narration by Vyasa to King Janamejaya, the grandson of Abhimanyu, while retaining the essence of the original work.

I have based this work on the original Sanskrit text of Srimad Devi Bhagavatam available in the public domain, its English translation by Swami Vijnanananda and also the abridged Hindi version published by Gita Press, Gorakhpur. Numerous other open sources on the internet were referred to while working on this publication.

The objective of this rendition is to introduce and generate interest in Devi Purana, in particular, and Puranas as well as other Indian scriptures, in general. As it is simply not possible to cover all the aspects of the original work in an abridged version like the present one, the original scripture, or its authentic translations, is recommended for a deeper understanding.

I wish to thank my wife, Seema, and my children, Barhayita and Deevyanshu, for their encouragement while writing the manuscript. I also take this opportunity to thank Bloomsbury and their editor for their support in enabling me to refine and publish this book.

Book's Contents and Sample Pages