Devī Māhātmya
Narratives and praises of the Goddess within the Mārkaṇḍeya Purāṇa tradition.
देवीमाहात्म्यम्
Introductory source-based synthesis. External references were consulted for the stated scope; specialist peer review is not claimed.
- Original title
- देवीमाहात्म्यम्
- Language
- Sanskrit
- Alternate names
- Devi Mahatmya
- Attribution
- Transmitted within the Mārkaṇḍeya Purāṇa; traditional attribution is distinct from modern historical authorship.
Narrative, praise and theological imagination
The Devī Māhātmya is also known as the Durgā Saptaśatī or Caṇḍī. It is transmitted within the Mārkaṇḍeya Purāṇa and recounts the Goddess’s victories through a framed narration. Its hymns and stories are important resources for understanding Goddess-centred religious imagination. Narrative events are presented here as textual accounts, not as independently established historical events.
What a printed edition contains
The thirteen-chapter work is often printed with additional hymns and liturgical material. The Jiva catalogue explicitly distinguishes such accompanying texts in the edition it describes. A reader should therefore check whether a page reference points to the narrative itself, a supplementary hymn, an introduction or a modern explanation.
Reading without collapsing the layers
The Divine Life Society edition includes a traditional introduction by Swami Sivananda. It is evidence for a devotional interpretation and reception of the work; it is not a critical historical edition. Begin with the narrative frame and ask how the Goddess is described in each episode. Ritual recitation and lineage-specific instruction lie beyond this public introduction.
Historical context
A Purāṇic textual setting and varied histories of reception; exact dating and manuscript comparison require further specialist research.
Sources & further reading
- 01Divine Life Society · The Devī Māhātmya, Swami Sivanandatraditional account
Traditional introduction, contents and opening narrative consulted. Devotional claims are presented as the tradition’s voice, not historical verification.
Consulted 2026-11-07 - 02Jiva Gaudiya Grantha Mandira · Devī Māhātmyam catalogueinstitutional reference
Bibliographic catalogue consulted for text identity and transmitted supplementary material; downloadable full text was not collated.
Consulted 2026-11-07