It is heard that during the exile period of the Pandavas, prince Yudhishthira did meditation and invoked the blessings of Goddess Durga. Goddess Durga appeared infront of prince Yudhishthira and gave him some boons.

What was the prayer recited by prince Yudhishthira to invoke the blessings of Goddess Durga?

What were the boons given by Goddess Durga to prince Yudhishthira?

  • It is understood - What does this mean? It seems to me that u are asking Qs which u already know the answers of or at least familiar with them Is it so the case? – Rickross Jun 12 '18 at 6:02
  • Just a suggestion. Give space between @ and the word before it. Otherwise, they won't be notified and don't delete your comments. It makes the users confused and missing context. – Sarvabhouma Jun 12 '18 at 7:49

The prayer recited by Yudhishtira is from the beginning chapters of Virata Parva. It can be found in Chapter 6 of Virata Parva. This is famous as Yudhiṣṭira kṛta Durgā stavam or Yudhiṣṭira kṛta Durgā stotram. The prayer consists of 36 verses. This was narrated to Janamejaya by Vaishampayana.

Yudhishtira sung this prayer to Durga while he was on the way to Virata kingdom to spend his one year exile. The text is as follows:

virāṭanagaraṃ ramyaṃ gacchamāno yudhiṣṭhiraḥ ।
astuvanmanasā devīṃ durgāṃ tribhuvaneśvarīm ॥1॥

yaśodāgarbhasaṃbhūtāṃ nārāyaṇavarapriyām ।
nandagopakule jātāṃ maṅgalyāṃ kulavardhanīm ॥2 ॥

kaṃsavidrāvaṇakarīmasurāṇāṃ kṣayaṃkarīm ।
śilātaṭavinikṣiptāmākāśaṃ prati gāminīm ॥ 3 ॥

vāsudevasya bhaginīṃ divyamālyavibhūṣitām ।
divyāmbaradharāṃ devīṃ khaṅgakheṭakadhāriṇīm ॥ 4 ॥

bhārāvataraṇe puṇye ye smaranti sadā śivām ।
tānvai tārayate pāpātpaṅke gāmiva durbalām ॥ 5 ॥

stotuṃ pracakrame bhūyo vividhaiḥ stotrasaṃbhavaiḥ ।
āmantrya darśanākāṅkṣī rājā devīṃ sahānujaḥ ॥ 6 ॥

namostu varade kṛṣṇe kumāri brahmacāriṇi ।
bālārkasadṛśākāre pūrṇacandranibhānane ॥ 7 ॥

caturbhuje caturvakre pīnaśroṇipayodhare ।
mayūrapicchavalaye keyūrāṅgadadhāriṇi ॥ 8 ॥

bhāsi devi yathā padmā nārāyaṇaparigrahaḥ ।
svarūpaṃ brahmacaryaṃ ca viśadaṃ tava khecari ॥ 9 ॥

kṛṣṇacchavisamā kṛṣṇā saṃkarṣaṇasamānanā ।
bibhratī vipulau bāhu śakradhvajasamucchrayau ॥ 10 ॥

pātrī ca paṅkajī ghaṇṭī strī viśuddhā ca yā bhuvi ।
pāśaṃ dhanurmahācakraṃ vividhānyāyudhāni ca ॥ 11 ॥

kuṇḍalābhyāṃ supūrṇābhyāṃ karṇābhyāṃ ca vibhūṣitā ।
candravispardhinā devi mukhena tvaṃ virājase ॥ 12 ॥

mukuṭena vicitreṇa keśabandhena śobhinā ।
bhujaṅgābhogavāsena śroṇisūtreṇa rājatā ॥ 13 ॥

vibhrājase cā''baddhena bhogeneveha mandaraḥ ।
dhvajena śikhipicchānāmucchritena virājase ॥ 14 ॥

kaumāraṃ vratamāsthāya tridivaṃ pāvitaṃ tvayā ।
tena tvaṃ stūyase devi tridaśaiḥ pūjyase'pi ca ॥ 15 ॥

trailokyarakṣaṇārthāya mahiṣāsuranāśini ।
prasannā me suraśreṣṭhe dayāṃ kuru śivā bhava ॥ 16 ॥

jayā tvaṃ vijayā caiva saṃgrāme ca jayapradā ।
mamāpi vijayaṃ dehi varadā tvaṃ ca sāṃpratam ॥ 17 ॥

vindhye caiva nagaśreṣṭhe tava sthānaṃ hi śāśvatam ।
kāli kāli mahākāli śīdhumāṃsapaśupriye ॥ 18 ॥

kṛtānuyātrā bhūtaistvaṃ varadā kāmacāriṇī ।
bhārāvatāre ye ca tvāṃ saṃsmariṣyanti mānavāḥ ॥ 19 ॥

praṇamanti ca ye tvāṃ hi prabhāte tu narā bhuvi ।
na teṣāṃ durlabhaṃ kiṃcitputrato dhanatopi vā ॥ 20 ॥

durgāttārayase durge tattvaṃ durgā smṛtā janaiḥ ।
kāntāreṣvavasannānāṃ magrānāṃ ca mahārṇave ।
dasyubhirvā niruddhānāṃ tvaṃ gatiḥ paramā nṛṇām ॥ 21 ॥

jalaprataraṇe caiva kāntāreṣvaṭavīṣu ca ।
ye smaranti mahādevi na ca sīdanti te narāḥ ॥ 22 ॥

tvaṃ kīrtiḥ śrīrdhṛtiḥ siddhirhrīrvidyā saṃtatirmatiḥ ।
saṃdhyā rātriḥ prabhā nidrā jyotsnā kāṃtiḥkṣamādayā ॥ 23 ॥

nṛṇāṃ ca bandhanaṃ mohaṃ putranāśaṃ dhanakṣayam ।
vyādhiṃ mṛtyuṃ bhayaṃ caiva pūjitā nāśayiṣyasi ॥ 24 ॥

sohaṃ rājyātparibhraṣṭaḥ śaraṇaṃ tvāṃ prapannavān ।
praṇataśca yathā mūrdhnā tava devi sureśvari ॥ 25 ॥

trāhi māṃ padmapatrākṣi satye satyā bhavasva naḥ ।
śaraṇaṃ bhava me durge śaraṇye bhaktavatsale ॥ 26 ॥

evaṃ stutā hi sā devī darśayāmāsa pāṇḍavam ।
upagamya tu rājānamidaṃ vacanamabravīt ॥ 27 ॥

This is how Yudhishtira praised goddess Durga. Now, goddess replied thus:

Devyuvāca ।

śṛṇu rājanmahābāho madīyaṃ vacanaṃ prabho ।
bhaviṣyatyacirādeva saṃgrāme vijayastava ॥ 28 ॥

mama prasādānnirjitya hatvā kauravavāhinīm ।
rājyaṃ niṣkaṇṭakaṃ kṛtvā bhokṣyase medinīṃ punaḥ ॥ 29 ॥

bhrātṛbhiḥ sahito rājanprītiṃ prāpsyasi puṣkalām ।
matprasādācca te saukhyamārogyaṃ ca bhaviṣyati ॥ 30 ॥

ye ca saṃkīrtayiṣyanti loke vigatakalmaṣāḥ ।
teṣāṃ tuṣṭā pradāsyāmi rājyamāyurvapuḥ sutam ॥ 31 ॥

pravāse nagare vā'pi saṃgrāme śatrusaṃkaṭe ।
aṭavyāṃ durgakāntāre sāgare gahane girau ॥ 32 ॥

ye smariṣyanti māṃ rājanyathā'haṃ bhavatā smṛtā ।
na teṣāṃ durlabhaṃ kiṃcitasmim̐lloke bhaviṣyati ॥ 33 ॥

idaṃ stotravaraṃ bhaktyā śṛṇuyādvā paṭheta vā ।
tasya sarvāṇi kāryāṇi siddhiṃ yāsyanti pāṇḍavāḥ ॥ 34 ॥

matprasādācca vaḥ sarvānvirāṭanagare sthitān ।
na prajñāsyanti kurako narā vā tannivāsinaḥ ॥ 35 ॥

ityuktvā varadā devī yudhiṣṭhiramariṃdamam ।
rakṣāṃ kṛtvā ca pāṇḍūnāṃ tatraivāntaradhīyata ॥ 36 ॥ ॥

Boons given by goddess:

Goddess Durga was satisfied by the prayer of Yudhishtira and assured him the victory over the Kauravas. She assured him the lordship over the worlds and his lost kingdom back. She bestowed her grace over Yudhishtira. She gave boon of happiness, joy and wealth to the Pandavas.

The result (phala shruti) of praying Durga with his hymn and singing her attributes:


The goal of the Pandavas at that moment of time was completing the exile in the Matsya (name of Virata's kingdom) kingdom without being recognized by anyone. She gives the boon of completion of the exile successfully. Having said this, the goddess disappeared there and then.

  • 1
    Shd u not also give the prayer in ur own words? .. right now it's pure copypaste in ur own words. Goddesses' reply shd also be explained in ur own words? Shd u not also give the prayer in English? Right now it's there only in transliterated Sanskrit. But the Q has been asked on an English lang site. Lastly, what is the source for the list of boons? It is not specified where u took the list from. – Rickross Jun 13 '18 at 5:44
  • @Rickross Haha. The question asks for Yudhishtira's prayer not mine and not the meaning of the prayer. Even if that is asked along with chapter name, and translation. I can't just copy paste whole chapter once again. I I transliterated because it is English language site. It asked details of the story, I gave. List of the boons is the English translation of the stotra I put in "bulleted list" and also the chapter name I put in "italics" in the first line of my answer. Just check the question and answer completely and then ask for clarification. – Sarvabhouma Jun 13 '18 at 5:48
  • 1
    I can't just copy paste whole chapter once again -- So u can't but i have to copy the list omens once again? Isn't that ridiculous? Trnasliterated Sanskrit can be understood by people who understand English? – Rickross Jun 13 '18 at 5:54
  • @Rickross No, it is not. If some asks a mantra, you provide mantra or the translation of it? List of omens is different and the meaning is different. One can't change the meaning of the the mantras, stotras. My question didn't ask for meaning. I provided as a surplus. But the list can be said in own words. If they can't understand English, that is not my problem. As you said already, we are English language site. There is no mistransliteration in the answer. IAST is a famous scheme. You always post wrong transliteration in your posts and you are asking me? – Sarvabhouma Jun 13 '18 at 5:57
  • It's not about transliteration schemes or whatever. If on an English lang site u are asked to give something will u give it in Sanskrit (or any other langs) transliterated or otherwise or u will have to give it in English? "You always post wrong transliteration in your posts and you are asking me?" Where i am even asking about transliteration here? Can't u understand even simple English? Don't u think u need to give translation of the verses? Otherwise how will a user who does understand Sanskrit will understand what the prayer is? – Rickross Jun 13 '18 at 6:02

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