DEVI MAHATMYAM

NEW !!! : Full Video recording of the Sri Chandi Homam conducted by my students, devotees and friends, conducted on 04th June 2011, is available in this website in the following link :

http://grd-iyers.web.officelive.com/CHANDIHOMAM_04THJUNE2011.aspx

===============================================================

NOTE: I have provided my rendition of Devi Mahatmyam below. The Gita Press publication of the Devi Mahatmyam text is considered standard and has been followed here. At the end of each of the 13 main chapters, the "gosham" is as per the Sri Vidya tradition.

The rendition is deliberately slow and with slightly exaggerated emphasis on "deergham" or elongated vowels as well as pronounciation and to provide an easy "chant-along" practice facility.

One common error in shloka chanting is to follow a "rhythm" or allocating equal time to chant each line of a shloka, which must be guarded against. It must be noted that a shloka is made up of a fixed number of syllables. The time taken to chant a line may take more or less time depending on how many syllables in that line have a "deergham". The "deergham" or elongated vowel needs 2.5 more units of time to chant than the shortened vowel (OR just a simple vowel-less "akshara" or alphabet). For eg. the word "Devi" is found with both the short and the long vowel as "Devi" and "DevEE". The "DevEE" will take 2.5 units of more time to chant than the shortedned vowel "Devi". Another eg. "MAA-YAA" has 2 elongated "deerghams" while "Na-Ma" has no "deerghams" (as it has only the 2 "aksharas" or alphabets) but the count of syllables is same i.e. 2. Therefore, "MAA-YAA" will take (2.5 x 2) unit times more to chant than "Na-Ma".

The discipline in observing the "deergham" lends to much improved chanting and helps in bringing out the "vibration" (another aspect being right pronunciation) in that shloka.

Please visit the "Tips for Good Chanting" webpage for more details and information.

DEVI MAHATMYAM DOWNLOADABLE AUDIO LINKS