Complete Durga Saptashati Path (Chandi Path): All 13 Chapters, Angas and Vidhi in Reading Order

The complete Durga Saptashati path, also called the Chandi Path or Devi Mahatmya, is 700 verses in 13 chapters, read together with a fixed set of preparatory and closing hymns, the angas. This page is the whole paath in its traditional reading order. Every item links to a page with the full Sanskrit text and its meaning in English and Hindi, so the paath can be read from here start to finish on a phone, or one chapter a day.

The 13 chapters are divided into three charitras, each with its own presiding form of the Goddess: the first chapter is the Prathama Charitra of Mahakali, chapters 2 to 4 the Madhyama Charitra of Mahalakshmi, and chapters 5 to 13 the Uttara Charitra of Mahasaraswati. The text itself (Chapter 12) says it should be read or heard on Ashtami, Navami and Chaturdashi, at the great autumn worship that is Sharadiya Navratri, and at every puja, homa and festival.

संक्षेप में: यह पृष्ठ सम्पूर्ण दुर्गा सप्तशती (चण्डी पाठ) को परम्परागत पाठ-क्रम में एक जगह जोड़ता है: नवार्ण मंत्र, देवी कवच, अर्गला, कीलक, रात्रि सूक्त, 700 श्लोकों वाले सभी 13 अध्याय (हर श्लोक संस्कृत में अर्थ सहित), देवीसूक्त, तीनों रहस्य, क्षमापन और सिद्ध कुञ्जिका स्तोत्र। साथ में पाठ की विधि, 3 दिन और 7 दिन के विभाजन, नवरात्रि का क्रम और ज्योतिषीय संदर्भ भी दिए गए हैं। हर कड़ी उस पाठ के पूरे पृष्ठ पर ले जाती है। पूरा लेख हिंदी में पढ़ें →

Before the chapters: the preparatory angas

A full paath begins with the Navarna mantra and its nyasa, then the three "limbs" that guard the reading, then the Ratri Suktam. Many traditions also add the Devi Atharvashirsha here.

1. Navarna Vidhi and Nyasa the mantra Om Aim Hreem Kleem Chamundayai Vichche, with the nyasa and dhyana
2. Devi Kavach (Shri Devyah Kavacham) the first anga: the Goddess as armour, limb by limb
3. Argala Stotram the second anga: rupam dehi jayam dehi
4. Keelak Stotram the third anga: the "nail" that releases the fruit of the paath
5. Vedokta Ratri Suktam (Rigveda 10.127) the Vedic hymn to Night; read first where both are printed
6. Tantrokta Ratri Suktam the hymn to the Night, read before the first chapter
7. Devi Atharvashirsha optional here; the Devi Upanishad

The 13 chapters of the Durga Saptashati in order

Read the chapters in sequence and never stop in the middle of one. Each page carries the chapter's viniyoga or dhyana, every verse in Sanskrit with its meaning, the story in brief, and the fruit tradition assigns to that chapter.

1. Chapter 1: Madhu Kaitabha Vadha 104 verses · Prathama Charitra, Mahakali
2. Chapter 2: Mahishasura Sainya Vadha 69 verses · Madhyama Charitra, Mahalakshmi
3. Chapter 3: Mahishasura Vadha 44 verses
4. Chapter 4: Shakradi Stuti 42 verses
5. Chapter 5: Devi Duta Samvada (Ya Devi Sarvabhuteshu) 129 verses · Uttara Charitra, Mahasaraswati
6. Chapter 6: Dhumralochana Vadha 24 verses
7. Chapter 7: Chanda Munda Vadha 27 verses
8. Chapter 8: Raktabija Vadha 63 verses
9. Chapter 9: Nishumbha Vadha 41 verses
10. Chapter 10: Shumbha Vadha 32 verses
11. Chapter 11: Narayani Stuti (Sarva Mangala Mangalye) 55 verses
12. Chapter 12: Bhagavati Vakya (Phalashruti) 41 verses
13. Chapter 13: Suratha Vaishya Varapradana 29 verses

After the chapters: the closing angas

The paath closes with the Devi Suktam, the three Rahasyas (the "secrets" that explain the forms of the Goddess), the prayer for forgiveness and the Siddha Kunjika Stotram, which many read when there is no time for the whole text.

1. Rigvedokta Devi Suktam aham rudrebhir vasubhish charami, the Ambhrini hymn
2. Pradhanika Rahasyam the first secret: Mahalakshmi as the root of the three forms
3. Vaikritika Rahasyam the second secret: the forms as they appear
4. Murti Rahasyam the third secret: Nanda, Raktadantika, Shakambhari, Durga, Bhima, Bhramari
5. Kshama Prarthana (Aparadha Sahasrani) the eight-verse prayer for forgiveness that closes the paath
6. Devyaparadha Kshamapana Stotram the prayer for forgiveness of offences
7. Siddha Kunjika Stotram the key to the paath; read after it, or alone when time is short

How to do the Durga Saptashati path (vidhi)

Sit facing east or north on a clean asana after bathing, with a lamp of ghee, a kalash of water, flowers, incense and, if possible, a printed copy of the text on a small stand. Begin with achamana and sankalpa: state your name, gotra, the place and the tithi, and the purpose of the paath. Worship the book itself with a flower (pustaka puja) and the Goddess, as an image or a kalash, with the five or sixteen upacharas. Then read in the order given above: the Navarna mantra with nyasa, the Kavach, Argala and Keelak, the Ratri Suktam, the thirteen chapters, the Devi Suktam, the Rahasyas, the Kshamapana and the Kunjika. Close with aarti and distribute prasad.

Three rules matter more than the rest. Read from the text, not from memory, clearly and without hurry; the paath of 700 verses takes about three hours at a steady pace. Do not break a chapter; if you must stop, stop at a chapter's end and resume with the dhyana of the next. Do not skip the angas; the Keelak Stotram itself says the Kavach, Argala and Keelak are what release the fruit of the reading. Traditions that use the Shapoddhara, Utkilana and Mritasanjivani mantras read them before the Kavach; follow your family or guru tradition on this.

If you cannot read Sanskrit, read the Hindi meaning with devotion; the text says the Goddess accepts worship "whether done with knowledge or without" (Chapter 12, verse 11). The Saptashloki Durga, seven verses drawn from the Saptashati, is the traditional short form for a day when the full paath is not possible, and a samput mantra may be added before and after each verse for a specific intention.

How to divide the paath over several days

The whole text in one sitting is the ideal. When it is read over several days, the tradition fixes the divisions so that no chapter is split and each day ends at a natural pause:

• Over 3 days, by charitra: day 1, Chapter 1 · day 2, Chapters 2 to 4 · day 3, Chapters 5 to 13.
• Over 7 days: day 1, Chapter 1 · day 2, Chapters 2 and 3 · day 3, Chapter 4 · day 4, Chapters 5 to 8 · day 5, Chapters 9 and 10 · day 6, Chapter 11 · day 7, Chapters 12 and 13.
• In Navratri: the ideal is one full paath every day for nine days; otherwise one paath over the nine days using the 7-day division, with the angas on the first day and the Kunjika, Kshamapana and Devimayi stuti on the ninth, followed by kanya puja or havan.

On each day begin with the Navarna mantra and the dhyana of the first chapter to be read, and end with the Kshamapana. The angas, Kavach to Ratri Suktam, are read on the first day and the closing angas on the last; many families read the Kavach, Argala and Keelak every day.

Other hymns read with the Saptashati

• Shri Durga Manas Puja the sixteen offerings made in the mind, after the paath or when no puja is possible
• Durga Panjara Stotram the short protection hymn, Durge raksha namostute
• Navadurga Stotram (Vande Vanchhita Labhaya) one dhyana verse per Navratri night
• Shri Navadurga Stavah the nine Durgas by their meaning; closes with Ya Chandi Madhukaitabha
• Durga Ashtottara Shatanama Stotram the 108 names
• Durga Dwatrimsha Namamala the 32 names, read for protection
• Mahishasura Mardini Stotram (Ayi Giri Nandini) sung after the paath in many homes
• Devimayi Stuti (Tava Cha Ka Kila Na Stutirambike) the short stuti at the close
• Durga Chalisa the Hindi chalisa, for daily reading

Astrological relevance

In the Jyotish tradition the Saptashati is the remedy of the widest reach: the Prathama Charitra is read for Rahu, Ketu and Shani, the Madhyama Charitra for the Sun and Jupiter, and the Uttara Charitra for Mercury and Venus, with the full paath for a difficult Mahadasha or for a chart with several afflicted grahas. A Durga Saptashati Anushthan performed by pandits, with the paath, havan and sankalpa in your name, is the form used when the person cannot do the paath themselves. To see which dasha is running, begin with a free kundli or talk to an astrologer.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the correct order of the Durga Saptashati path?
Navarna mantra with nyasa; Devi Kavach, Argala Stotram and Keelak Stotram; Ratri Suktam; the 13 chapters in sequence; Devi Suktam; the three Rahasyas; the Kshamapana; and the Siddha Kunjika Stotram. The list above links every item in that order.

How long does a complete Durga Saptashati path take?
About three hours for the 700 verses at a steady pace, plus half an hour or so for the angas. Over three days the division is by charitra (1 · 2 to 4 · 5 to 13); over seven days it is 1 · 2 and 3 · 4 · 5 to 8 · 9 and 10 · 11 · 12 and 13.

Can I read only some chapters?
Yes. Tradition assigns a fruit to each chapter, and single chapters or a single charitra are read for specific purposes; each chapter page states its traditional fruit. A chapter should always be read whole, with its dhyana at the start, and the Kshamapana or Kunjika at the end.

Is the Durga Saptashati only for Navratri?
No. Chapter 12 names Ashtami, Navami and Chaturdashi, the autumn worship, and every puja, homa and festival as occasions, and promises that the Goddess never leaves a place where it is read daily. Navratri is the time when the full paath is most widely done.

Can women read the Durga Saptashati, and can it be read without a priest?
Yes to both. The text itself has the merchant Samadhi and King Suratha read and worship on a river bank without a priest, and nothing in the Saptashati restricts the reader. Where a family tradition sets conditions, follow it; otherwise read with a clean body, a steady mind and the text in front of you.

Why is it called Saptashati when it is 13 chapters?
Saptashati means "seven hundred": the text is counted as 700 verses, the uvacha lines and half-verses included, as the colophon of Chapter 13 records (57 uvacha mantras, 42 half-verses, 535 verses and 66 avadanas). The 13 chapters are the divisions of those 700 verses.