Srimad Devi Bhāgavatam 1.5.2—Prayers by the Vedas

Download the Śrīmad Devī Bhāgavatam Part 1, Skandhas 1-5: https://archive.org/details/srimaddevibhagavatampart1/page/n365 At this juncture, seeing Śiva and the other Devas crying, Bṛhaspati, supremely versed in the Vedas, consoled them thus: ’O highly fortunate one! what use there will be in thus crying and repenting? You ought now to consider the means that you should adopt to redress your calamities. O Lord of the Devas! Fate and one’s own exertion and intelligence are equal; if the success comes not through Fate (Luck or chance) one is certainly to show one’s prowess and merit.’ 42-46. Indra said: ’Fie to your exertion when before our eyes, the head of Bhagavān Viṣṇu Himself has been carried off! Fie, Fie to your prowess and intelligence! Fate is, in my opinion, supreme.’ Brahmā said: ’Whatever auspicious or inauspicious is ordained by Daiva (Fate), everyone must bear that; no one can go beyond the Daiva. When one has taken up a body, one must experience pleasure and pain; there is no manner of doubt in this. See, in long-past days, by the irony of Fate, Śambhu severed my head; His generative organ, too, dropped down through curse. Similarly Hari’s head has, today, fallen into the salt ocean. By the influence of time, Indra, the Lord of Saci, had thousand genital marks over his body, was expelled from Heaven and had to live in the Mānasarovar in the lotuses and had to suffer many other miseries. 47-50. O Glorious ones! When such personages have suffered pains, then who else is there in the world that dues not suffer! So you all cease sorrows and meditate on the Eternal Mahā-māyā; who is the Mother of all, who is supporter of all, who is of the nature of brahmavidyā (the Supreme Knowledge) and who is beyond the guṇas, who is the Prime Prākriti, and who pervades the three lokas, the whole universe, moving and unmoving; She will dispense our welfare.’