other · religious

Devi Mahatmya — Glory of the Goddess

c. 400–600 CE · Early Medieval India (c. 5th–7th century CE) · India (embedded in the Markandeya Purana)

Canto LXXXI — Commencement of the Devi-Mahatmya

LXXXI.

Commencement of the Devt-Mahdtmya.

The slaughter of Madhu and Kaitabha

an the account of the Sdvarnika Manv-antara.

King Su-ratha being defeated and driven from his kingdom took

refuge in the forest with a munt—He met a vaisya who had been

driven from his home by his relatives, and both asked the muni about

the selfish feelings which still possessed them.— He ascribes those feel-

ings to the goddess Mahd-mdya or Great Illusion, and relates how

Brahma lauded the goddess at the end of a former kalpa in order to

seek deliverance from the demons Madhu and Kattabha, and how

Vishnu awaking slew the demons.

Om! Reverence to C’andika.

Markandeya spoke:

Surya’s son Savarni is he who is called the eighth Manu.

2 Hear about his birth, as I tell it at full length, how by

reason of the authority of the Great Illusionf that illustrious

* « Principal,” “ chief.” + Samaya-bandhanah; or “bound for a season,”

{ Mahd-maya,

466

CANTO LXXXI.

son of the Sun, Savarni, became the king of the eighth

many-antara.

In times ago in the Sy4roc'isha period, a king named Sn-

ratha, sprung of the race of OC’aitra, reigned over the whole

earth. And while he guarded his subjects duly as if they

were his own children, there arose hostile kings, who did

not destroy the Kolas.* He the bearer of a very powerful

sceptre had war with them, and was defeated in war by

them, inferior though they were, those non-destroyers of the

Kolas. Then coming to his own city he reigned as king over

his own country. That illustrious king was attacked then by

those powerful enemies. His powerful and corrupt ministers,

who were evil-disposed to a weak person, thereupon robbed

him of treasury and army even there in his own city. Hence

the king deprived of his sovereignty departed alone on horse-

back to a dense forest under the pretence of hunting. There

he saw the hermitage of the noble dvija Medhas, inhabited

by wild animals which were peaceful, graced by the muni’s

disciples; and he dwelt there some time, honoured by the

muni. And roaming hither and thither in that fine hermi-

tage of the muni, he fell into thought there then, bis mind

being distraught by selfishness, egotistical —‘‘ Lost indeed

is the city which I gnarded formerly. Whether it is guarded

righteously or not by those my servants of wicked conduct,

I know not. My chief war-elephant, always ardent, has passed

into the power of my foes; what pleasures will he obtain P

They who were my constant followers now assuredly pay

court to other kings with favour, riches and food. The

treasure which I amassed with great difficulty will go to

waste through those men, addicted to unbecoming expendi-

ture, who are squandering it continually.” These and other

matters the king thought of continually.

* Koldvidhvamsinah. This ia an adjective in the nom. plural, agresing with

bhipdh, and not a gen. oase ; and it is also a single compound, as appears from

the next verse. Besides various fanoiful explanations, the commentator

renders kola as éékara, and the whole word as “ Yavanas.” It seeme plain

that the Kolas mean aboriginal races, the Kola, and the whole word denotes

some enemies who were in allianos with the Kolag.

KING SU-RATHA AND THE DESOLATE VAISYA. 469

Near the brdhman’s hermitage there he saw a solitary”

vaisya, and asked him, “Ho! who art thou? and what is the

reason of thy coming here? Why appearest thou as if full

of sorrow, as if afflicted in mind?” Hearing this speech of

the king, which was uttered in friendly mood, the vaiéya,

bowing respectfully, replied to the king, “I am a vaisya,

Samadhi by name, born in a family of wealthy folk, and have

been cast out by my sons and wife, who are wicked through

greed for wealth. And bereft of riches, wife and sons, taking

my wealth I have come to the forest, unhappy and cast out

by my trusted kinsmen. In this state I know not what is

the behaviour of my sons as regards prosperity or adversity,

nor of my family nor of my wife. Here I] dwell. Is welfare

theirs at home now or ill-luckP Howare they? Are my

sons living good or evil lives?”

The king spoke:

Why dost thou, Sir, fix thy mental affection on those

covetous folk, thy sons, wife and others, who have cast thee

out from thy wealth ?

The vaisya spoke :

This very thought has occurred to me, just as thon hast

nttered it, Sir, What can Ido? My mind does not enter-

tain implacability ; and my mind, which bears affection as of a

master to his family, is affectionate to those very persons,

who have abandoned affection for a father and driven me

out in their greed for riches. I do not comprehend, although

I know it, O high-minded Sir, how it is that the mind is prone

to love even towards worthless kinsmen. On their account

my sighs flow and distress of mind arises. Whatcan I do

since my mind is not relentless to those unloving relatives ?

Markandeya spoke:

Thereupon they both, the vaisya named Samadhi and the

noble king approached the muni, O bréhman, and having

both observed the etiquette worthy of him, as was proper,

they sat down and held various discourse, the vaiéya and the

king.

468 CANTO LXXXE.

The king spoke:

29 Adorable Sir! I desire to ask thee one thing ; tell me that ;

since it tends to afflict my mind without producing submis-

30 siveness of my intellect. I have a selfish feeling for my

kingdom, even with regard to all the requisites of regal

administration, although I know what it is, yet like one who

81 isignorant; how is this, O estof munis? And this man

has been set at nought and cast off by his children, wife and

servants ; and when forsaken by his family he is nevertheless

82 exceedingly fnll of affection towards them. Thus he andl

also are both excessively unhappy; our minds are drawn by

selfish thoughts to this matter, even though we perceive the

33 faultsinit, How happens this then, illustrious Sir, that we

are deluded although aware of tt, and that this state of delu-

sion besets me and him, who are each blind in respect of

discrimination ?

The rishi spoke:

34, Every animal has this knowledge in objects cognizable by

the senses and an object of sense reaches it thus in divers ways,

35 illustrious Sir! Some living beings are blind by day, and

others are blind at night; some living beings ean see equally

36 well by day and at night. Mankind know what. is true, but

not they alone indeed, because cattle, birds, wild animals.

37 and other creatures all certainly know it; and men have * the

same knowledge which those wild animals and birds have,

and equally beth wild animals and birds have the other know-.

38 ledge which those men have. Though they have such know-

ledge, look at these birds, which, though distressed by hunger

themselwes, are yet because of that same delusion assiduous in

39 dropping grains into the beaks of their young ones. Human

beings are full of longings towards their children, O hero; do

they not pass from greed for self unto mutual benefaction ; +

* The Bombay edition reads na instead of c’a, “men have not the same

knowledge, &o.”’

+ This is very noteworthy. The altrnistic vunuee are here said to have

been evolved out of the parental virtues,

44,

MAHA-MAYA, THE GODDESS GREAT ILLUSION. 469

dost thou not perceive this? Nevertheless they are hurled

into the whirlpool of selfishness which is the pit of delusion ;

through the power of the Great Ilusion* they make worldly

existence permanent.f Marvel not then at this. This is the

contemplation-sleep of the lord of tbe world, and the Great

Illusion that comes from Hari; by it the world is completely

deluded. Verily she, the adorable goddess, Great Illusion,

forcibly drawing the minds even of those who know, presents

them to delusion. By her is created this whole universel

hoth moveable and immoveable ; she it is who when propitious

bestows boons on men with a view to their final emancipation,

She is Knowledge supreme; she is the eternal cause of final

emancipation, and the cause of the hondage of worldly

existence ; she indeed is the queen over all lords.

The king spoke :

Adorable Sir! Who then is that goddess whom thon stylest

Mah4é-maya ? How was she horn, and what is her sphere of

action, O brahman ? And what is her disposition, and what

is her nature, and whence did she originate, the goddess—all

that I wish to hear from thee, O thou most learned in sacred

knowledge!

The rishi spoke :

She exists eternally, embodied as the world. By her this

universe was stretched forth. Nevertheless her origin is in

many ways; hear it from me. When she reveals herself

in order to accomplish the purposes of the gods, ‘tt is then.

said in the world that she is horn; she is also named the

Eternal One.{ While the adorable lord Vishnu, stretching

Sesha out, wooed the sleep of contemplation at the end of

the kalpa, when the universe was converted into absolute

ocean, then two terrible Asuras named Madhu and Kaitabha,§

* Mahd-miaya.

+ For Samséra-sthiti-kdrinah the Bombay edition reads Samsdra-sthiti.

kdrind, ‘they are hurled, &c., through the power of the Great Iliusion which

makes worldly existence permanent.’’

t Nityd, § See Hari- Varna, ocii. 13562-81,

470 CANTO LXXXI.

springing from the root of Vishnu’s ear, sought to slay

51 Brahmé. Brahma the Praja-pati stood on the lotus that grew

from Vishnu’s navel; and’ seeing those two fierce Asuras

52 and sleeping Jandrdana, and standing with heart solely thereon

intent, in order to awaken Hari, extolled that Sleep of con-

53 templation which had made its dwelling in Hari’s eyes— the

lord of splendour extolled Vishnu’s Sleep, which is Queen of the

universe, the supporter of the world, the cause of permanence

and dissolution, full of reverence, incomparable.*

Brahma spoke;

54 Thou art Svaha, thou art Svadha; thon indeed art Vashat-

kara, thou hast sound for thy soul;f+ thou art the nectar

of the gods, the two eternal letters,t thou existest having

55 the three-fold matris for thy sonl; § thou existest half a

matré in duration yet eternal; thou indeed canst not be

uttered specifically; thou art || the Savitri, thow art the

56 divine mother** sublime. By thee indeed everything is main-

tained, by thee this world is created, by theeft it is pro-

tected, O goddess! and thou dost always consume it at the

57 end. At its emanation thou didst take the form of creation,

and in protecting it thou hast the form of permanence, and

at the end of this world thow wilt have the form of con-

68 traction, O thou who containest the world! Thou art the

* The Bombay edition introduces stawmi and some changes in the second

line, and reade this verse as the heginning of Brahmé’s invocation.

"+ Or, “thou hast heaven for thy soul,” svardtmikd. The meaning “ gound”

seems preferable, as it agrees with the rest of the verse.

t Om? The commentary overlooks this expression, akshare nitye.

§ “The three prosodial measures.” The expression tridhdmdirdtmikd,

is also divided hy the commentator into tri-dhdmd irdtmikd, “thow hast the

three mansions, (i.e., the three worlds, the three Vedas, the three chief

deities, &c.), thow hast the preserver (Vishnu) for thy sonul.’’

|| For sé tuam the Bombay edition reads sandhyd, “ the twilight.”

@ The Gayatri veree.

#* Mor devt janant the Bomhay edition reads Veda-janant, “the mother of

the Veda,”

Tt For tvayetat read tvayaztat.

ODB TO MAHA-MAYA. 471

Great Knowledge, the Great Illusion, the Great Vigour, the

Great Memory, and the Great Delusion,* the Lady, the Great

59 Goddess, the Great Demon.t And thou art the original

source [ of the universe, the exciting cause of the three

qualities; thou art the Night of the world’s destruction, the

60 Great Night, and the Night of delusion, terrible! Thou art

Good Fortune, thou art Queen, thou art Modesty; thou art

Intelligence characterized by perception; thou art Shame,

Nourishment, and Contentment, Tranquillity and Patience

61 also. Thou art terrible, armed with sword, with spear, with

club, and with discus, with conch, with bow, and having as

62 weapons arrows, slings§ and an iron mace. Thon art genile,

yea tnore than gentle, exceedingly beantiful to those who are

wholly gentle; thou art indeed beyond the highest and the

63 lowest, Queen supreme! And whatever or wherever a thing

is, whether good or bad, thon art the energy which all that

possesses, O thou who art the soul of everything. Oan I

54 extol thee more than this? || By thee, who art such, he

indeed, who created the world, who protects the world, who

consumes the world, is brought under the dominion of sleep.

65 Who is able here to extol thee? Since Vishnn, I and Siva

have been made by thee to assume bodies, who then may be

66 powerful enough to extol thee? Being snch, do thou, O

goddess, landed thus, bewitch these two unassailable Asuras,

67 Madhu and Kaitabha, with thy exalted powers, and let the

imperishable master of the world be lightly brought back to

consciousness, and let him rouse up his intelligence to slay

these two great Asuras !

* Or rather, “thou hast the great delusion,” Mahd-mohd,

+ Mahdsurt. The Bombay edition reads Maheévart, “the Great Queen.” |

{ Prakriti.

§ Bhuéundi. After explaining this word as a contraction of bhuja-satru-

mundt, “she who cuts off enemies with her arms,” the commentator says it

=go-phanikd, “a sling.’ The dictionary says it is “a kind of weapon

(perhaps a kind of fire-arms).”

\| Mayd as in the Bombay edition is preferable to tadd,

q For gajatpatditi read jagat pdty atti according to the Bombay edition ;

see yerse 56.

472 CANTO LXXXI.

The rishi spoke :

68 Then the goddess of darkness, extolled thus by the Creator

there in order to awaken Vishnu to slay Madhu and Kaitabha,

69 issued forth from his eyes, mouth, nose, arms and heart and

breast, and stood in the sight of Brahma whose birth is

70 inscrutable; and Jandrdana, master of the world, being

quitted by her, rose up from his couch in the universal ocean ;

71 and he saw those two then, Madhu and Kaitabha, evil of soul,

excelling inheroism and prowess, red-eyed through anger,

72 fully prepared to devour Brahma. Thereupon the adorable

lord Hari rose up and fought with those two, striking them

73 with his arms, for five thousands of years. And they, exceed-

ingly frenzied with their power, deluded by the Great IIlu-

sion, exclaimed to Kegava, ‘‘ Choose a boon from us!”

The god spoke:

74 Be ye both now content with me; ye must both he slain

by me! What need is there of any other boon here? Thus

much indeed is my choice.

The rishi spoke :

70 Gazing then at the entire world which was nothing but

water, those two, who had been thus tricked, spoke to the

adorable lotus-eyed god,— Slay us where the earth is not

overwhelmed with water.” *

The rishi spoke :

76 “Be it so” said the adorable wielder of the conch, discus

and club, and cutting + them with his discus clove them both

asuuder, heads and buttocks.

77 Thus was she born when praised by Brahma himself. Now

listen again, I tell thee of this goddess’ majesty.

* The Bombay edition makes this sentence the second line of a new verse

and reade as the first line of it—Priétaw svas tava yuddhena sldghyas tvam

mrityur dvayoh, “ We are pleased at the battle with thee; thou art worthy of

praise as Death to us!”

{ For kritud road krittud ?

VICTORY OF THE ASURAS OVER THE GODS. 4:73.

Canto LXXXII,

The Devi-méhaimya.

Slaughter of the army of the Asura Mahisha.

The gods were defeated in a great battle formerly by the Asuras and

driven from heaven, and the Asura Mahisha became supreme.—All

the gods gave forth thetr.special energies, which combined and formed

the goddess O!andikd.—They gave her thetr weapons, and she fought

with and destroyed the Asuras. i:

2 and Indra lord of the gods; in it the army of the gods was

vanquished by the Asuras who excelled in valour, and the

Asura Mahisha after conquering all the gods’ hecame the

8 Indra. Then the vanquished gods, placing the Prajd-pati

Brahma at their head, went where abode Siva and Vishnu.

4 The thirty gods described to them accurately what had

happened, the fnll story of the gods’ discomfiture which

5 had heen wronght by the Asura Mahisha,—~‘‘ He, Mahisha, in

his own person domineers over the jurisdictions of the

Sun, Indra, Agni, Vayn and the Moon, of Yama and Varuna

6 and of the other gods. Cast out by that evil-souled Mahisha

from Svarga all the hosts of the gods wander on the earth

7 like mortals. It has now been related to you both, all that

has heen wrought by the foe of the Immortals, and we have

sought you both as a refuge; let his destruction be devised ! ”

8 Having thus heard the words of the gods, Vishnu was

wroth and Siva also; both their faces became furrowed with

9 frowns. Then issued forth great energy ¢ from the mouth

of Vishnu who was full of intense anger, and from the

10 mouths of Brahma and Siva; and from the bodies of Indra,

* For Davdsuram read Devdsuram, t Tejas.

The rishi spoke:

Of yore there was a fight for a full hundred years between

the gods * and Asuras, when Mahisha was lord of the Asuras

474

CANTO LXXXIT.

and the other gods went forth a very great energy ; and it

all amalgamated. The gods beheld the mass of intense

energy there like a burning monntain, pervading the other

regions of the sky with its blaze; and that unparalleled

energy born of the bodies of all the gods, which pervaded

the three worlds with its light, gathering into one became

afemale. By what was Siva’s energy her face was deve-

loped, and by Yama’s energy grew her hair, and her arms

by Vishnu’s energy, by the Moon’s her twin breasts; and

her waist came into being by Indra’s energy, and by Varnuna’s

her legs and thighs, by the EHarth’s energy her hips, by

Brahma’s energy her feet, her toes by the Sun’s energy, and

by the Vasus’ energy her hands and fingers, and by Kuvera’s

her nose; and her teeth grew by the Praja-pati’s energy,

and three eyes were developed by Agni’s energy ; and her

eyebrows were the energy of the two twilights, and her ears

Vayu’s energy; and the coming into being of the energies of

the other gods became the auspicious goddess.

Then gazing at her, who had sprung from the combined

energies of all the gods, the Immortals who were afflicted by

Mahisha felt a keen joy.* The bearer of' the bow Pinaka

drawing a trident forth from his own trident gave it to her;

and Krishna gave a discus pulling it out of his own discus;

and Varuna gave her a conch, Agni a spear, Maruta gave a

bow and a quiver filled with arrows.¢ Indra lord of the

Immortals gave a thunder-bolt pulling it out of his own

thunder-holt ; the Thonsand-eyed gave her a bell from his

elephant Airdvata. Yama gave a rod from his own rod of

Fate, and the lord of the waters a noose; and the Praja-pati

gave her a necklace of beads, Brahma an earthen water-pot ;

the Sun bestowed his own rays on all the pores of her skin,

and Destiny { gave her a sword and a spotless shield;

* The Bombay edition inserts a verse here. “Then the gods gave her also

their own several weapons; wishing for victory they shouted alond to the

victorious goddess ‘Conquer ! conquer!’ ”

+ For vdna-pirne read vdna-pirnd ?

t Or Time, Kala,

‘32

-33

ORIGIN OF ‘tHE GODDESS C’ANDIKA. 475

and the Ocean of milk a spotless necklace of pearls and also

a pair of undecaying garments, And a celestial crest-jewel, a

pair of ear-rings, and bracelets, and a brilliant half-moon

ornament, and armlets over all her arms, and also a pair of

bright anclets, a necklet of the finest make, and rings and

gems on all her fingers —these Vigva-karman gave to her, and

also a brightly polished axe, weapons of many shapes and also

armour that could not he pierced. And Ocean gave her &

garland of fadeless lotus-flowers for her head and another for

her breast, and a very brilliant lotus-flower bestdes. Himavat

gave her a lion to ride on and gems of various kinds. Kuvera

gave a drinking cup full of wine. And Sesha, the lord of all

the serpents, who supports this earth, gave her a serpent-

necklace adorned with large gems. Honoured by other gods

also with giffs of ormaments* and weapons, the goddess

uttered a loud roar blended with a horse-laugh again and

again. The whole welkin was filled with her terrible roar.

By that penetrating and exceedingly: great roar a great echo

arose, all the worlds shook and the seas trembled, the earth

quaked and all the mountains moved. And “Conquer thon !”

exclaimed the gods with joy to her who rode on the lion

and the munis extolled her as they bowed their bodies in

faith.

Seeing all the three worlds greatly agitated, the foes of the

Immortals uniting all their armies rose up together, with up-

lifted weapons. ‘‘Ha! whatisthisP” exclaimed the Asura

Mahisha in wrath, and rushed surrounded hy all the Asuras

towards that roar. Then he saw the goddess, pervading the

three worlds ¢ with her light, causing the earth to bow at the

touch of her feet, grazing the firmament with her crest,

shaking the whole of Patala with the twang of her bow- -string,

standing pervading the sky all around with her thousand

arms. Then began a battle between the goddess and the

* For bhashanair read bhishanair.

+ For vydpta-loka-trayum read vydpta-loka-traydm, with the Bombay

‘edition; otherwise this word, read as a neuter noun, separates devim from the

feminine adjectives which follow.

476

CANTO

Canto LXXXII — Slaughter of the Army of Mahisha

LXXXII.

enemies of the gods, in which every region of the sky was

illumined with the weapons and arms hurled in abundance.

And the Asura Mahisha’s general, the great Asura named

C’ikshura, fought with her; aud the Asura C’amara attended by

his cavalry fought along with others. The great Asnra

named Udagra with six myriads of chariots fought; and

Maha-hanu with a thonsand myriads gave battle; and the

great Asura Asi-loman with fifty millions; with six hundred

myriads Vaskala fought in the battle; Ugra-darsgana* with

many troops of thousands of elephants and horses, and sur-

rounded with ten million chariots fought in that battle; and

the Asura named Vidala fought in the battle there, surround-

ed with fifty myriads of myriads of chariots. And other

great Asuras in myriads, surrounded with chariots, elephants

and horses, fought with the goddess in that hattle there. Now

the Asura Mahisha was surrounded with thousands of ten

million times ten millions of chariots and elephants and horses

in the battle there. With iron maces and javelins, with spears

and clubs, with swords, with axes and halherds they fought

in the battle against the goddess. And some hurled spears,

and others nooses, but they assailed the goddess with blows

from their swords in order to slay her.

And then the goddess C’andika clove, as it were in merest

play, those weapons and arms by rainiug forth her own

weapons and arms. The goddess betrayed no exertion in her

countenance, while the gods and rishis were praising her. The

queenly goddess hurled her weapons and arms at the Asuras’

bodies. The lion also that bore the goddess, enraged and

with ruffled mane, stalked among the armies of Asuras, like

fire through the forests. And the deep breaths, which

Ambika fighting in the battle breathed forth, came into real

being at onceas troops hy hundreds and thousands. These

fought with axes, with javelins, and swords and halberds,

destroying the Asura bands, being invigorated by the god-

* Instead of pari-vdritah I take the reading of the Bombay edition Ugra-

daréanah as a proper name. The Calcutta text contains no name ag a nomi-

native in this line or the next.

THE GODDESS SLAUGHTERS THE ASURA ARMIES. AT?

dess’ energy. And of these bands some raised a din with

large dinms, and others with conchs, and others besides with

drums, in that great battle-festival. Then the goddess with

her trident, her club, with showers of spears, and with her

sword and other weapons slaughtered the great Asuras in

hundreds, and laid others low who were bewitched with the

ringing of her bell; and binding other Asuras with her noose

dragged them onthe ground. And others again, cloven in

twain by sharp slashes of her sword and crushed * by blows

with her mace, le on the ground; and some grievously

battered by her club vomited forth blood. Some were felled

to the ground, pierced in the breast by her trident. Some

heing closely massed together were cnt in pieces + by the

torreut of her arrows in the battle-field. Following the manner

of an army,f{ the afflicters of the thirty gods gave up thie

ghost ; some with their arms cut off, and others with severed

necks; their heads fell from others, others were torn asunder

in the middle ; and other great Asuras fell to the earth with

legs clean cut off; some were cloven by the goddess into two

parts, with a single arm and eye and foot to each part; and

others fell and rose again, although with head ent off.

Headless corpses, still grasping the finest weapons, fought

with the goddess; and others danced there in the hattle,

keeping time to the strains of the musical instruments.

Corpses, with heads severed, still held swords and spears and

lances § in their hands; and other great Asuras were shouting

to the goddess, “Stand! stand !” || With the prostrate chariots,

elephants and horses and Asuras the earth became impassable

* Vi-pothita ; vi-puth is not in the dictionary.

+ For kritdh read krittéh ?

t Sendnukdripah ; but the commentator translates it, “fighting in the

rear of the army.” The Bombay edition reads faildnukdrinah, “ who resem-

bled mountains.”

§ For ushti read rishtt.

|| The Bombay edition adds a line to this verse, “ while from their mangled

limbs flowed streams of blood (rudhiraugha-viluptdngdh) in that appalling

battle.’’

478

CANTO LXXXDI.

where that great battle took place. And large rivers formed

of torrents of blood straightway flowed along there amidst

the armies of Asuras, aid among the elephants, Asuras and

horses.

Thus Ambika brought that great army of the Asuras to

utter destruction in a moment, even as fire utterly consumes

a huge pile of grassandtimber. And the lion, with quivering

mane, stalked on roaring aloud.* While he prowled ¢ as it

were for lives out of the bodies of the foes of the Immortals,

the battle was fonglit there between those troops of the

goddess and the Asuras, so that the gods in heaven sending

down showers of flowers gratified ft her.§

Canto LXXXTTI.

The Devi-mahatmya.

The slaying of the Asura Mahtsha.

The description of the battle is continued—The goddess slew the

Asura chiefs in single combat and finally the Asura Mahisha.

The rishi spoke:

Now the great Asura, the general C'ikshura, seeing that

army being slaughtered, advanced in wrath to fight with

Ambika. The Asura rained a shower of arrows on the god-

dess in the battle, as a cloud deluges mount Meru’s summit

with a shower of rain. The goddess, cutting asunder the

masses of his arrows then as it were in play, smote his horses

with her arrows and their charioteer ; and split his bow forth-

with and his banner raised high aloft; and with swift

* The Bombay edition repeats here the second line of verse 50.

' ob Vi-c'invati, the loc. case, with stmhe uriderstoad,

{~ Or “lauded, ’’ according to another reading.

§ For eshdm read endm.

‘HE GODDESS SLAYS THE ASURA CHIEFS. 47%

missiles pierced his limbs as he stood with shattered bow.

His bow shattered, his chariot useless, his horses killed, bis

charioteer slain, the Asura armed with sword and shield

rushed at the goddess. With the utmost celerity he smote

the lion on the head with his sharp-edged sword, and struck

the goddess also on her left arm. His sword shivered to

pieces as it touched her arm (O prince). Thereon red-eyed

with anger, he grasped his pike, and he, the great Asura,

flung it at Bhadra-kali, as it were the Sun’s orb blazing

brightly with its splendour from out the sky. Seeing that-

pike fallmg on her, the goddess hurled her pike, and it

shattered that pike into a hundred fragments and the great

Asura also.

When he, Mahisha’s very valiant general, was slain,

C’amara, the afflicter of the thirty gods, advanced mounted

on an elephant; and he also hurled his spear at the goddess.

Down to the ground Ambika quickly struck it, assailed with

a contemptuous hoot and rendered lustre-less. Seeing his

spear broken and fallen, C’amara filled with rage flun g a pike;

and that she split with her arrows. Then the lion leaping

up fastened on to the hollow of the elephant’s forehead, and

fought in close combat aloft with that foe of the thirty gods ;

but both then fell, as they were fighting, from the elephant

to the ground. They fought closely locked togetker with

most terrible blows. Then quickly springing up to the sky,

and descending, the lion severed C’d4mara’s head with a blow

from his paw.

And Udagra was slain in battle by the goddess with stones,

trees and other things, and Karala also was stricken down

by her teeth and fists and feet.* And the goddess enraged

ground Ud-dhata to powder with blows from her ciub; and

killed Vaskala with a dart, Tamra and Andhaka with arrows.

And the supreme three-eyed goddess slew Ugrasya and Ugra-

virya and Maha-hanu also with her trident. With her sword

she struck Vidala’s head clean down from his body. She

* Danta-mushti-talaif; or, according to the commentator, ‘‘ with the lower

parts of her ivory sword-hilt.”

480

CANTO

Canto LXXXIII — The Slaying of Mahisha (continued)

LXXXIII.

despatched both Dur-dhara and Dar-mukha to Yama’s abode

with her arrows.*

Now, as his army was beiug thus destroyed utterly, the

Asura Mahisha in his own buffalo-shape terrified her troops,

Some he laid low by a blow from his muzzle, and others by

stamping with his hooves, and others because they were lashed

with his tail and gashed with his horns, and others again by

his impetuous rush, his hellowing and his wheeling career,

and others by the blast of his breath—thus he laid them low

on the face of the earth. Having laid low the van of her

army, the Asura rushed to attack the great goddess’ lion.

Thereat Ambika displayed her wrath. And he, great in

valour, pounding the surface of the earth with his hooves in

his rage, tossed the mountains aloft + with his horns and

bellowed. Crushed by his impetuous wheelings the earth

crumbled to pieces ; and the sea lashed by his tail overflowed

in every direction; and the clouds pierced by his swaying

horns were rent to fragments; mountains fell in hundreds”

from the sky, being cast down by the blast of his breath.

C’andika looked on the great Asura, as swollen with rage he

rushed on, and gave a way to her wrath then in order to slay

him. She flung her noose full over him, and bound the great

Asura fast. And he quitted his buffalo shape when held’

bound in the great battle, and then became a lion suddenly.

While Ambika is cutting off his head he took the appearance

of aman with scymitar in hand. Straightway the goddess

with her arrows swiftly pierced the man together with his

scymitar and shield, Then he became a huge elephant, and

tugged at her great lion with his trunk and roared, but the

goddess cut off his trunk with her sword as he made his tugs.

* Ths Bombay sdition inserts four linss here. ‘“ And she, who is the Night

of Fate, laid Kéla low with her rod of Fats. She bslabonred Ugra-dargana,

with very fisrce blows from her scymitar. She clovs Asi-loman indeed with

her sword in ths battle-festival. Her troops, her lion and the goddess herself

xaised aloud the battls-cry of victory along with those battle-festivals,”

+ Uc'c'aih, which the Bombay edition reads, is preferable to ue’c’én, “ high

mountains,” i

THE GODDESS SLAYS THE ASURA MAHISHA. 481

Next the great Asura assumed his buffale shape again, and

so shock the three worlds with all that is moveable and im-

moveable therein. Enraged thereat C’andika, the mother of

the world, quaffed a sublime beverage again and again,* and

laughed as her eyes gleamed ruddy, And the Asura roared

out, puffed up with his strength and valour aud frenzy, and

hurled mountains against C’andika with his horns. And she,

shivering to atoms with shewers of arrows those mountains

that he hurled, speke to him in confused werds, while her

mouth was rendered ruddier by the mead that she had drunk.

The geddess spoke :

Roar, roar on thy brief mement, O fool, the while I quaff

this mead! The gods shall soon roar, when I shall slay thee

even here.

Exclaiming thus she leaped upwards and sat herself on that

great Asura, and kicked him onthe neck with her foet and

struck him with her spear. And thereupon he, being assailed

by her foot, half issued fortht from his own mouth in sooth,

being completely encompassed by the goddess’ valeur. That

great Asura being thus attacked half issued forth indeed.

The geddess struck off his head with her great sword and

laid him lew. ¢

Then perished all that Daitya army with great lamentation.

And all the hosts of the gods rose te the highest exultation.

The gods and the great heavenly rishis poured forth praises

to the goddess, the Gandharva chiefs burst into song and the

bevies of Apsarases into dances.

* See canto Ixxxii, verse 29,

+ For evdti the Bombay edition reads evdsid.

{ The Bombay edition inserts two verses here. ‘Thus the Asura named

Mahisha was destroyed by the goddess along with his army and his bands of

friends, after he had bewitched the three worlds. When Mahisha was slain,

all created things in the three worlds then uttered the shout ‘ Conquer thou!’

along with gods and Asuras and men,”

482

CANTO

Canto LXXXIV — The Slaying of Mahisha (concluded)

LXXXIV.

Canto LXXXIV.

The Devi-mahdtmya.

The Slaying of the Asura Mahisha concluded.

The gods poured forth their praises to C’andiké on her victory—And

she gave them the boon that she would always befriend them, tf

they recalled her to mind in calamities,

The rishi spoke : *

When that most valiant evil-souled army of the gods’ foes

was vanquished by the goddess, Sakra and the hosts of other

gods poured forth their praises to her with their voices,

reverently bending down their necksf and shoulders, while

their bodies looked handsome because their hair stood erect

with exultation.

The goddess, who stretched out this world by her power,

Whose body comprises the entire powers of all the hosts

of gods,

Her, Ambika, worthy of worship by all gods and great

rishis,

We bow before{ in faith ; may she ordain blessings for ns !

May she, whose peerless majesty and power Ananta

Adorable, Brahm4 and Hara cannot in sooth declare,

May she, C’andika, to protect the entire world

And to destroy the fear of evil turn her mind !

Her, who is Good-Fortune herself in the dwellings of men

of good deeds, Ill-Fortune

* The Bombay edition inserts a preliminary verse here—“ Then all the

hosts of gods with Indra at their head began to sing the praise of the

goddess, when the Asora Mahisha was slain.” This is tantological and

superfluous.

+ For -Siro-’dhardmsd read -Sirodhardmsd as in the Bombay edition.

t Natéh sma; so again in verse 4. This seems a peculiar use of the

particle sma, Similarly pra-yaték sma in canto Ixxxv, verse 7.

HYMN TO C/ANDIKA. 483

In those of men of sinful souls; who 1s Intelligence in the

hearts of the prudent,

Who is Faith in those of the good, and Modesty in that of

the high-born man ;*

Her, even thee, we bow before; protect the universe,

O goddess !

5 Can we describe+ this thy thoughbt-transcending form ?

Or thy abundant surpassing valour that destroyed the

Asuras ?

Or thy surpassing { feats which were displayed in hatiles

Among all the hosts of Asuras, gods and others, O goddess ?

6 Thou art the cause of all the worlds! Though character-

ized by the three qualities, by faults§

Thou art not known! Even by Hari, Hara and the other

gods thou art incomprehensible !

Thou art the resort of all; thou art this entire world which

is composed of parts!

Thou verily art sublime original Nature|| untransformed !

7 Thou, whose complete divinity by means of utterance

Finds satisfaction in all sacrifices, O goddess, J

Art verily Svaha, and givest satisfaction to the Pitri-hosts!

Hence thou art in truth declared by men to be Svadha

also.

8 Thou art she, who effects final emancipation, and performs

great thought-transcending penances !

Thou studiest** with thy organs, which are the essence of

strength, ++ well-restrained !

* For kula-jana-prabhasya read kula-jana-prabhavasya, with the Bombay

edition. :

+ Kim varnaydma.

+ For tavdti ydni the Bombay edition reade tavddbhutdni, which ie

equivalent.

§ For doshair the Bombay edition reads devair, which is inferior.

\| Prakriti.

{| The Bombay edition reads plurals.

** Abhy-asyase; ftmane-pada, which seems rare.

++ Sattva-sdéraih of the Bombay edition ie preferable to tativa-sdraih.

484,

CANTO LXXXIY.

With munis, who seek final emancipation and who have

shed all their faults,

Thou art The Knowledge, adorable, sublime in sooth, O

goddess !

Sound is thy soul! thow art the repository of the most

spotless rié and yajus hymns,

And of the simans, which have the charming-worded texts

of the Ud-githa!

Thou as goddess art the triple Veda, the adorable, and for

the existence and production

Of all the worlds art active ; thow art the supreme destroyer

of their pains !*

Thou art Mental Vigour,t O goddess! thou hast compre-

hended the essence of all the Scriptures !

Thou art Durga; the boat to cross the difficult ocean of

existence ; devoid of attachments !

Thou art Sri, who has planted her dominion alone in the

heart of Kaitabha’s foe !

Thou indeed art Gauri, who has fixed her dweling in the

moon-crested god !

Slightly-smiling, spotless, resembling the full moon’s

Orb, beautiful as the choicest gold, and lovely was thy

face!

Yet ’t was very marvellous that, being swayed by anger,

The Asura Mahisha suddenly smote thy face when he

saw it.

But after seeing thy wrathful face, O goddess, terrible with

its frowns,

And sheeny in hue hike the rising moon, that Mahisha

Did not forthwith yield up his life, ’t was passing wonder-

ful !

* This half verse admits of more than one translation. I have adopted

from the commentary what seems the most natnral meaning. Vérttdé seems

obscure ; the oommentary explains it as vrittdnta-riipd, “having the form of

events” or “having the form of history;” or as krisht-go-rakshddi-vrittir,

“following the ocoupations of cultivation, cattle-rearing and such like.”

+ Medhd.

HYMN TO C’ANDIKA. 435

‘For who can live after a the King of Death en-

raged P

Be gracious, O goddess, as supreme lady, to life!

When enraged thon dost forthwith destroy whole families!

Known at this very moment is this, that here is brought

to its end

The Asura Mahisha’s most extensive might !

Esteemed are they among the nations, theirs are riches,

Theirs are glories, and their sum of el

perishes not,

Happy are they indeed, and they possess devoted children,

servants aud wives,

On whom thou, well-pleased, dost always bestow prosperity,

O lady !

All righteous actions ever indeed, O goddess,

With utmost respect the man of good deeds daily performs,

And gains heaven thereafter by thy favour, O lady.

Dost thou not by him} bestow rewards even on the three

worlds, O goddess ?

Thou, O Durga, when called to mind, dost remove terror

from every creature !

Thou, when called to mind by those in health, dost bestow

a mind extremely bright !

What goddess but thou, O dispeller of poverty, pain and

fear,

Has ever benevolent thoughts in order to work benefits to

all?

By these slain foes the world attains { to happiness; thus

let these

Forsooth practise sin so as to descend to hell for long !§

* Or bandhu-vargah, **whole body of kinsfolk,” according to the Bomhay

edition.

+ Tena, or “ therefore.”

t Or upaitu, “ may it attain,’ according to the Bombay edition,

§ This appears to be one meaning given in the commentary; another,

which seems to be preferred, is to read ndéma narakdya as na dma narakdya,

“Jet these not practice sin so as to descend to the Hell of Disease for long !""-

486 CANTO LXXXIV.

‘Meeting death in battle let them proceed to heaven ’—

Thinking thus, thou dost assuredly destroy the enemies,

O goddess !

18 Having indeed seen them, why dost thou not, O lady,

reduce to ashes

All the Asuras, since thou directest thy weapons against

the foes P

“Let even enemies, purified by dying in arms, attain in

sooth to the bright worlds ’—

Such is thy most kindly intention towards even them.

19 And though, neither by the sharp flashes* of abundant

light from thy scymitar,

Nor by the copious lustre of thy spear-point, the eyes of

the Asuras

Were destroyed; yet, as they gazed upon thy countenance

Which bore a portion of the radiant moon, this very thing

happened.

20 Thy disposition, O goddess, subdues the conduct of men

of evil conduct ;

And this thy form surpasses thought and rivalry by others ;

And thy valour vanquishes those who bave robbed the gods

of their prowess ;

Thon hast as it weref manifested pity thns even on

enemies !

2] To what my this thy prowess be compared ?

And whereto thy form most charming, which strikes fear

among foes ?

Compassion in mind and relentlessness in battle are seen

In thee, O goddess, who bestowest boons even on the three

worlds!

22 Through the destruction of the foes, these three worlds

entire

Have been saved by thee. Having slain them in the battle-

front

* Visphurana; not in the dictionary.

+ Or prakatitaiva, “ thou hast indeed manifested,’ as in the Bombay

edition.

24,

HYMN TO C’ANDIKA. 487

Thou hast led even those hosts of foes to heaven, and

dispelled the fear

Which beset us from the frenzied foes of the gods.

Reverence to thee!

With thy spear protect us, O goddess!

Protect us with thy sword also, O Ambika !

By the clanging of thy bell protect us,

And by the twanging of the thong of thy bow!

In the east guard us, and in the west ;

O C’andika, guard us in the south

By the brandishing of thy spear,

And also in the north, O goddess !

Whatever gentle forms of thee wander about in the three

worlds,

And whatever exceedingly terrible forms wander, by means

of them guard us and the earth!

Thy sword and spear and club, and whatever other weapons,

O Ambika,

Rest in thy pliant hand, with them guard us on every side!

The rishi spoke:

Thus was she, the Upholder of the worlds, hymned by the

gods, and they paid honour to her with celestial flowers that

blossomed in Nandana, and with perfumes and unguents.

Moreover all the thirty gods in faith censed her with heavenly

incenses. Benignly sweet in countenance she spoke to all

the prostrate gods.

The goddess spoke :

Choose, ye thirty all! whatever ye desire of me, for I grant

it with pleasure, being highly honoured by these hymns,*

The gods spoke:

Thou, O adorable lady, hast accomplished all, nought

remains undone, in that this Asura Mahisha, our foe has

* The Bombay edition inserts another verse here—‘“‘‘ And whatever else

must be done, I do not deem it difficult.’ Hearing this speech from the

goddess, those heaven-dwellers made answer.’’

488

CANTO LXXXY.

been slain. Yet if thou must grant us a boon, O goddess

great! whenever we call thee, call thee to mind, do thou

away with our direst calamities! And whatever mortal

shall praise thee with these hymns, O lady of spotless coun-

tenance, to prosper him in wealth and wife and other bless-

ings by means of riches, success and power do thou incline

always, O Ambika, who art propitious to us!

The rishi spoke :

Being thus propitiated by the gods for the good of the

world and on their own behalf, “‘ Be it so!” said she, Bhadra-

kali; and vanished from their sight, O king.

Thus I have narrated this, O king, how the goddess came into

being of yore from out of the gods’ bodies, she who desires the

good of all the three worlds. And again she came into existence

having the body of Gauri, just as she did before, in order

to slay the wicked Daityas and Sumbha and Nigumbha, and

to preserve the worlds, as benefactress of the gods. Hearken

then to what I have declared to thee. I have truly told it

thee.

Canto LXXXYV.

The Devi-méhdimya.

The goddess’ conversation with the Asura’s messenger.

The Asuras Sumbha and Nisumbha conquered the gods and drove

them from heaven.—The gods invoked O'andikd at Himavat in a

hymn, appealing to her by all her attributes to help them.—Pérvati

came there and C’andikd sprang forth from her body.—The

servants of Sumbha and Nisumbha saw her and extolled her

perfect beauty to Sumbha.—He sent a messenger to invite her to

marry him.—She explained that by a vow she could marry no one

who did not conquer her in fight.

The rishi spoke :

Of yore the Asuras S'umbha and Nisumbha, trusting in

THE GODS INVOKE C’/ANDIKA 489

their pride and strength, robbed Sfadi’s lord of the three

2 worlds* and of his portions of the sacrifices; they both

usurped likewise the sun’s dignity and the moon’s dominion,

3 and Kuvera’s and Yama’s and Varuna’s; and they both

exercised Vayu’s authority and Agni’s sphere of action.t

Thereby the gods were scattered, deprived of their sover-

4 eignties and put to rout. The thirty gods, bereft of their

dominion and set at nought by those two great Asuras, all

® recall to mind that never-vanquished goddess,—‘‘ Thou didst

grant us the boon,{ ‘ As ye when in calamities shall call me to

mind,§ that very moment will I put an end to all your direst

6 calamities.” Making this resolve the gods went to Hima-

vat, lord among mountains, and there raised their hymn to

the goddess, who is Vishnu’s illusive power.||

The gods spoke :

7 Reverence to the goddess, to the great goddess !

To her who is auspicious reverence perpetually !

Reverence to Prakriti the good !

Submissive we fall prostrate before her! ¥J

i) Reverence to her who is terrible, to her who is constant !

To Gauri, to Dhatri reverence, yea reverence !

And to the Moon-light,** to her who has the moon’s form,

To her who is happy, reverence continually !

* For tratkokyam read tratlokyam.

+ The Bomhay edition inserts a line here —

anyeshdm c'ddhikdrdn sah svayam evddhitishthati

and reads the first three words with the preceding words, but does not

explain the last four in its commentary. I would suggest that the line

should run thus—

anyeshdm adhikérdmée'a svayam evddhitashthatuk

‘and they themselves dominated the lordships of the other gods,”

{ See canto ]xxxiv, verse 31.

§ Smritékhildh, ie., smritd, and akhildh agreeing with paramdpadah.

‘|| Vishnu-mdyd.

{ Pranatéh sma tém ; sma is used here with a past participle.

** Jyotsndyat.

490 CANTO

Canto LXXXV — The Praise of the Goddess by the Gods

LXXXV.

9 Falling prostrate, to her who is propitious, to Prosperity,*

To Perfection let us pay ¢ reverence, yea reverence !

To Nirriti,t to the goddess of Good-Fortune of kings,

To thee, S’arvani, reverence, yea reverence !

10 To Durga, to her who is a further shore difficult to be

reached, §

To her who is essential, to her who works all things, ||

And to Fame also, to her who is blue-black,§

To her who is smoke-dark reverence continually !

11 Before her who is at once most gentle and mest harsh

We fall prostrate ; to her reverence, yea reverence !

Reverence to her who is the foundation of the world!

To the goddess who is Action reverence, yea reverence !

12 To the goddess who among all created things

Is called Vishnu’s illusive power,

Reverence to her, yea reverence to her!

Reverence to her, reverence, yea reverence !

13 To the goddess who among all created beings

Bears the name Consciousness, **

Reverence to her, yea reverence to her !

Reverence to her, reverence, yea reverence !

14 To the goddess who among all created beings

Stands firm ¢f with the form of Intellect,t+

Reverence to her, yea reverence to her !

Reverence to her, reverence, yea reverence !

* For Vridvyai read Vriddhyat. But the Bombay edition reads mridvyai,

“to her who is gentle.”

+ Kurmo; the Bombay edition reads Kiérmyat, “‘ to the female Tortoise,”’

t “ Dissolution.”

§ Durga-pardyat.

|| Sarva-kdrinyai ; this violates the metre. The Bombay edition reads

better, sarva-kdvini, “ O thou who workesi all things ! ”

@ Krishndyat.

** C’ectand.

++ Samsthitd; or “ abides.” The commentary explains it ag samyak

sthatd.

{fi Buddhi-ripena.

yA}

HYMN TO C’ANDIKA

To the goddess who among all] created beings

Stands firm with the form of Sleep,

Reverence to her, yea reverence to her !

Reverence to her, reverence, yea reverence !

To the goddess who among all created beings

Stands firm with the form of Hunger,

Reverence to her, yea reverence to her!

Reverence to her, reverence, yea reverence,

To the goddess who among al] created beings

Stands firm with the form of Shadow,

Reverence to her, yea reverence to her !

Reverence to her, reverence, yea reverence !

To the goddess who among all created beings

Stands firm with the form of Energy,*

Reverence to her, yea reverence to her!

Reverence to her, reverence, yea reverence !

To the goddess who among all created beings

Stands firm with the form of Thirst,

Reverence to her, yea reverence to her !

Reverence to her, reverence, yea reverence !

To the goddess who among all created beings

Stands firm with the ferm of Patience,

Reverence to her, yea reverence to her!

Reverence to her, reverence, yea reverence !

To the goddess who among all created beings

Stands firm with the form of Speciality,

Reverence to her, yea reverence to her!

Reverence to her, reverence, yea reverence!

To the goddess who among all created beings

Stands firm with the form of Modesty,

Reverence to her, yea reverence to her!

Reverence to her, reverence, yea reverence !

To the goddess who among all created beings

* Sakti-ripena.

+ Jati.

aneka-samavayiné.

491

The commentary explains it as ityaikdnugata-pratyaya-hetur

492

CANTO LXXXY.

Stands firm with the form of Peaceableness,

Reverence to her, yea reverence to her!

Reverence to her, reverence, yea reverence !

To the goddess who among all created beings

Stands firm with the form of Faith,

Reverence to her, yea, reverence to her !

Reverence to her, reverence, yea reverence !

To the goddess who among all created beings

Stands firm with the form of Loveliness,

Reverence to her, yea reverence to her!

Reverence to her, reverence, yea reverence !

To the goddess who among all created beings

Stands firm with the form of Good-Fortnne,

Reverence to her, yea reverence to her!

Reverence to her, reverence, yea reverence ! *

To the goddess who among all created beings

Stands firm with the form of Activity,

Reverence to her, yea reverence to her!

Reverence to her, reverence, yea reverence !

To the goddess who among all created beings

Stands firm with the form of Memory,

Reverence to her, yea reverence to her !

Reverence to her, reverence, yea reverence !

To the goddess who among all created beings

Stands firm with the form of Mercy,

Reverence to her, yea reverence to her !

Reverence to her, reverence, yea reverence! f

To the goddess who among all created beings

Stands firm with the form of Contentment,

Reverence to her, yea reverence to her !

Reverence to her, reverence, yea reverence !

To the goddess who among all created beings

* The Bombay edition inserts here a similar verse, invoking the goddess

in the form of Steadfastness (dhritz).

+ After this verse and after verse 30 the Bomhay edition inserts two

similar verses, invoking the goddess in the form of Good Polioy (néti) and

Nourishment (pushit) respectively.

HYMN TO C/ANDIKA 493

Stands firm with the form of Mother,

Reverence to her, yea reverence to her !

Reverence to her, reverence, yea reverence !

32 To the goddess who among all created beings

Stands firm with the form of Error,

Reverence to her, yea reverence to her !

Reverence to her, reverence, yea reverence !

33 To her who both governs the organs of sense

Of created beings, and rules among all

Created beings perpetually,—to her

The goddess of Pervasiveness reverence, yea reverence !

34 To her who exists pervading this entire

World with the form of Thinking Mind,

Reverence to her, yea reverence to her!

Reverence to her, reverence, yea reverence !

30 Praised by the gods afore-time because of eagerly-desired

protection,

And waited upon by the lord of the gods many days,

May she, the goddess, the origin of brightness, accomplish

for us

Bright things, yea good things, and ward off calamities!

36 And she, who is both reverenced as queen by us gods,

Who are tormented now by the arrogant Daityas,

And whom we called to mind as we bow our bodies in faith,*

She this very moment destroys + all our calamities !

The rishi spoke :

37 While the gods were thus engaged in offering hymns and

other reverential acts, Parvati came there to bathe in the water

88 of the Ganges, O prince. She, the beautiful-browed, said to

those gods,—‘‘ Whom do ye, lords, hymn here?”’ And spring-

* Bhakti-vinamra-mirttibhih must be taken with asmabhir, though it is

ill-placed as the verse stands. It would be better to read the second half of

the verse thus—

Ya c’a smrité bhakti-vinamra-miritibhih

Sarvdpadas tat-kshanam eva hanti nah.

+ Hantu, “may she destroy,” would be better thau hantz,

4,94,

44,

CANTO LXXXY.

ing forth from the treasure-house of her body the auspicious

goddess spoke—‘ For me this hymn is uttered by the assem-

bled gods, who have been set at nought hy the Daitya

Sumbha and routed in hattle hy Nisumbha.” Because

Ambika issued forth from the treasure-house* of Parvati’s

body, she is therefore named in song as Kaushikit

among all the worlds. Now after she had issued forth, the

other also, even Parvati, became Krishna; she is celebrated

as Kdlika; she fixed her abode on Mount Hima-vat.

Thereafter C’anda, and Munda, the two servants of S'umbha

and Nisumbha, saw Ambika displaying her sublime and most

captivating form ; and both spake out unto Sumbha ;—

‘What woman then, most surpassingly captivating, dwells

here, illuminating Mount Hima-vat, O great king? Such

sublime beauty was never in sooth seen by anyone anywhere ;

let it be ascertained if she is any goddess, and let her be taken

possession of, O lord of the Asuras. A gem among women,

surpassingly beautiful in body, illuminating the regions of

the sky with her lustre, there she is then, O lord of the

Daityas; deign, Sir, to look at her, Moreover, whatever

gems, precious stones, elephants, horses and other valuable

things indeed exist in the three worlds, O lord, all those

display their splendour at this present time in thy house.

Airavata, gem among elephants, has been captured from

Purandara ; and this Parijata tree and also the horse Uééaih-

sravas. Here stands the heavenly chariot yoked with swans

in thy court-yard ; it has been brought here, the wonderful

chariot composed of gems, which helonged to Brahma.

Here is the Nidhi Maha-padma,f{ captured from the Lord

of wealth. And the Ocean gave a garland made of filaments

and of uudying lotus flowers. In thy house stands Varuna’s

umbrella, which streams with gold. And here is the choice

chariot that belonged to Praja-pati formerly. Thou, O lord,

* Kosha; but koga is better.

+ Kauéiké is better. The derivation is of course absurd,

ft See canto Ixviii, verse 12.

355

SUMBHA’S MESSAGE TO C’ANDIKA 495

hast carried off Death’s power which is named Utkranti-da.*

The noese of the Ocean-king is in thy brether’s possession.

And Nigumbha has every kind of gem which is preduced

inthe sea, Agni alse gave thee two garments which are

purified by fire. Thus, O lerd of the Daityas, all gems

have been captured by thee; why dost theu not seize this

auspicious lady, this gem of womankind ?”

The rishi spoke :

Sumbha, on hearing this speech then from C’anda and

Munda, sent the great Asura Su-griva as messenger to the

goddess, saying—“Ge and address her thus and thus

according to my words, and lightly conduct the matter so that

she may come fo me of her own good pleasure.” He went te

where the goddess sat on a very bright spot in the mountain

and spoke gently with mellifluens voice.

The messenger spoke :

O geddess! Sumbha, lord of the Daityas, is supreme lord,

over the three worlds. A messenger am I, sent by him; to

thy presence here I have come. Hearken te what he has

said, whose command is never resisted among all beings of

divine origin, and who has vanquished every foe of the

Daityas— Mine are all the three worlds; ebedient to my

authority are the gods, I eat every portion of the sacrifices

separately. The choicest gems in the three worlds are alte-

gether under my power; and so are the finest elephants and

the chariot of the lerd of the gods, since I have captured

them. That gem among horses, named Uééaih-sravasa, which

came forth at the churning of the sea of milk, was presented

to me by the immortals who prostrated themselves before me.

And whatever other created things in the shape of gems

existed among the gods, Gandharvas and Nagas, they were

presented even to me, O brilliant lady. I esteem thee

O goddess, te be the gem of womankind in the world ; do

* “Giving an exit,” “granting departure.”

496

CANTO LXXXY.

thou, who art such, approach unto me, since I am an enjoyer

of gems. Hither to me, or to my younger brother Nisumbha

of wide-reaching prowess, approach thou, O lady of quick

side-glances, since thou art in truth a gem. Supreme

dominion beyond compare thou shalt gain by wedding me.

Understand and consider this, and come unto wedlock with

me!”

The rishi spoke :

Thus accosted the goddess, smiling deeply within herself,

she, Durga the adorable and good, who supports this world,

sang this reply then,

The goddess spoke :

Truly hast thou spoken; nought hast thou uttered falsely

herein. Sovereign of the three worlds is Sumbha, and like

unto him is Nisumbha also! But how can that which has

been promised concerning this myself he fulfilled falsely ?

Hearken, what vow I made formerly by reason of my small

understanding at that tume,— He who vanquishes me in fight,

who forces my pride from me, and who is my match in

strength in the world, he shall be my husband.’ Let Sumbha

come here then, or Nisumbha the great Asura; let him

vanquish me—what need of delay here? and let him lightly

take my hand in marriage !

The messenger spoke:

Proud art thou! Talk not so before me, O goddess !

What male in the three worlds may stand front to front with

S’umbha and Nigumbha? All the gods verily stand not face

to face with even the other Daityas in battle, O goddess ;

how much less canst thou so stand, a woman single-handed !

With S'umbha and those other Daityas, against whom Indra

aud all the other gods stood not in battle, how shalt thou,

a woman, venture face to face? Do thou, being such, to

whom I have in sooth delivered my message, go near unto

Sumbha and Nisumbha, let it not be that thou shalt go with

O’ANDIKA’S MESSAGE TO SUMBHA. 497 .

thy dignity shattered in that thou wilt be dragged thither by

thy hair !

The goddess spoke :

So strong as this is SXumbha! and so exceedingly heroic is

Nisumbha! What can I-do, since there stands my ill-con-

sidered promise of long ago? Gothou thyse:l; make known

respectfully to the lord of the Asuras all this that I have said

to thee, and let him do whatever is fitting.

Canto

Canto LXXXVI — Boons Granted by the Goddess

LXXXVI.

The Devi-mdhdtmya :

The slaying of Sumbha and Nisumbha’s general Dhimra-loc’ana.

Sumbha despatched his general Dhimra-loc’ana and an army to

capture the goddess and she destroyed them.—He then despatched

O’anda and Munda with another army.

The rishi spoke:

The messenger, on hearing this speech from the goddess,

was filled with indignation, and approaching related it fully

to the Daitya king. The Asura monarch then, after hearing

that report from his messenger, was wroth and commanded

Dhimra-loéana, a chieftain of the Daityas ;—

‘Ho! Dhimra-loéana, haste thee together with thy army;

fetch by force that shrew, who will be unnerved when dragged

along by her hair. Or if any man besides stands up to offer

her deliverance, let him be slain, be he an Immortal, a Yaksha

or a Gandharva forsooth.”

The rishi spoke :

Thereupon at his command the Daitya Dhimra-loéana went

forthwith quickly, accompanied by sixty thousand Asuras.. On

seeing the goddess stationed on the snowy mountain, he cried

aloud to her there—‘ Come forward to the presence of Sumbha

and Nisumbha; if thou wilt not, lady, approach my lord with

498

CANTO LXXXVI.

aitection now, I will here take thee by force, who wilt be un-

nerved since thou shalt be dragged along by thy hair!”

The goddess spoke :

Sent by the king of the Daityas, mighty thyself, and accom-

panied by an army, thou dost thus take me by force—then

what can I do unto thee ?

The rishi spoke :

At this reply the Asura Dhimra-loéana rushed towards her.

Then Ambikd with a mere roar reduced him to ashes. And

the great army of Asuras enraged poured on Ambiké a shower

both of sharp arrows and of javelins and axes. The lion that

carried* the goddess, shaking his mane in anger and uttering a

most terrific roar, fell on the army of Asuras; he slaughtered

some Asuras with a blow from his fore-paw, and others

with his mouth, and others, very great Asuras, by striking

them with his hind foot. The lion with his claws tore out

the entrails of some, and struck their heads off with a cuff-like

blow. And he severed arms and heads from others, and

shaking his mane drank the blood that flowed from the entrailsf

of others. In a moment all that army was brought to destruc-

tion by the high-spirited lion, who bore the goddess and who

was enraged exceedingly.

When he heard that that Asura Dhimra-loéana was slain

by the goddess, and all his army besides was destroyed by the

goddess’ lion, Sumbha, the Jord of the Daityas, fell into a

rage and his lip quivered greatly, and he commanded the two

mighty Asuras C’anda and Munda,—“ Ho, C’anda! Ho, Munda !

take with you a multitude of troops and go there; and going

there bring her here speedily, dragging her by her hair or

binding her; if ye have a doubt of that, then let her be slain

outright in fight by all the Asuras brandishing all their

weapons. When that shrew is slain and her lion striken down,

seize her, Ambika, bind her and bring her quickly !” |

* Tu vdhanah in the Bombay edition is better than sva-vdhanah.

+ O’aranena of the Bombay edition is better than e’ddharena.

+ For kaushthdd read koshthad.

KAL{ DESTROYS THE ASURAS.. 499

Canto

Canto LXXXVII — The Asuras Shumbha and Nishumbha

LXXXVII.

The Devi-méhaimya.

The slaying of C’anda and Munda.

The goddess Kali destroyed the second Asura army and also the

generals C’anda and Munda—C'andikad gave Kéli as a reward the

12 4

name C'dmundd.

The rishi spoke:

Then at his command the Daityas, led by C’anda and

Munda, and arrayed in the four-fold order of an army, march-

ed with weapons uplifted. Soon they saw the goddess, slightly

smiling, seated upon the lion, on a huge golden peak of the

majestic mountain. On seemg her some of them made a

strenuous effort to capture her, and others approached her

holding their bows bent and their swords drawn.

Thereat Ambika uttered her wrath aloud against those foes,

and her conntenance then grew dark as ink in her wrath. Out

from the surface of her forehead, which was rugged with

frowns, issued suddenly Kali of the terrible countenance,

armed with a sword and noose, bearing a many-coloured

skull-topped staff,* decorated with a garland of skulls, clad in

a tiger’s skin, very appalling because of her emaciated flesh,

exceedingly wide of mouth, lolling out her tongue terribly,

having deep-sunk reddish eyes, and filling the regions of the

sky with her roars. She fell upon the great Asuras impetuous-

ly, dealing slaughter among the host, and devoured that army

of the gods’ foes there. Taking up the elephants with one

hand she flung them into her mouth, together with their rear-

men and drivers and their warrior-riders and bells. Flinging

likewise warrior with his horses, and chariot with its driver

into her mouth, she ground them most frightfully with her

teeth. She seized one by the hair, and another by the neck;

and she kicked another with her foot, and crushed another

against her breast. And she seized with her mouth the

* Kor khattdaga read khafvanga here and again in verse 14,

500

CANTO LXXXVII.

weapons and the great arms which those Asuras abandoned,

and crunched them up with her teeth in her fnry. She

crushed all that host of mighty and high-spirited Asnras ;

and devoured some and hattered others; some were slain with

her sword, some were struck with her skull-topped staff, and

other Asuras met their death being wounded with the edge of

her teeth.

Seeing all that host of Asuras laid low in a moment,

C’anda rushed against her, Kali, who was exceedingly appal-

ling. Munda the great Asura covered her, the terrible-eyed

goddess, with very terrible showers of arrows and with dis-

cusesy hurled in thousands. Those discuses seemed to be

penetrating her countenance in multitudes, like as very many

solar orbs might penetrate the body of a thunder-cloud.

Thereat K4li, who was roaring frightfully, laughed terribly

with excessive fury, showing the gleam of her unsightly teeth

within her dreadful mouth. And the goddess, mounting upon

her great lion, rushed at C’anda, and seizing him by his hair

struck off his head with her sword. And Munda also rushed

at her when he saw C’anda laid low; him also she felled to the

ground, stricken with her scymitar in her fury. Then the army,

so much as escaped unslain, seeing C’anda laid low and most

valiant Munda also, seized with panic fied in all directions.

And Kali, holding C’anda’s head and Munda also, approached

C’andika and said, her voice mingled with passionate loud

laughter—“ Here I have brought thee C’anda and Munda, two

great heasts; thou thyself shalt slay Sumbha and Nigumbha

in the hattle-sacrifice.”

The rishi spoke :

Thereon, seeing those two great Asuras C’anda and Munda

brought to her, auspicious C’andika spoke to Kali this witty

speech,* ‘‘ Because thou hast seized both C’anda and Munda

and brought them, thou, O goddess, shalt therefore be famed

in the world by the name C’amunda !”

* Lalitam vac’ah; a bon mot.

SUMBHA GOES FORTH AGAINST C’ANDIKA. 001

Canto LXXXVIILI.

The Devi-méhdimya.

The slaying of Rakta-vija.

Sumbha sent forth all his armies against C’andika—To help her the

Energies (Saktis) of the gods took bodily shape—C’andiké despatched

Siva to offer terms of peace to Swmbha, but the Asura hosts attacked

her and the battle began—C'andikd’s fight with the great Asura

Rakta-viga is described—He was killed.

The rishi spoke :

1 After both the Daitya C’anda was slain and Munda was laid

low, and many soldiers were destroyed, the lord of the Asuras,

2 majestic Sumbha, with mind overcome by wrath, gave com-

3 mand then to array all the Daitya hosts,—‘“ Now let the

eighty-six Daityas, upraising their weapons, march forth with

all their forces; let the eighty-four Kambis* march forth

4 surrounded by their own forces; let the fifty Asura families

who excel in valour go forth; let the hundred families of

5 Dhaumrast go forth at my command. Let the Kalakas,t the

. Danrhyitas,§ the Mauryas,|| and the K4lakeyas,4]/—let these

Asuras, hastening at my command, march forth ready for

battle.”

6 After issning these commands S'iumbha, the lord of the

Asuras, who ruled with fear, went forth, attended by many

* Kambé means a thief or plunderer. The commentary says Kambis are a

class of Daityas.

+ “The descendants of Dhimra.” Dhimras is the reading in the Bombay

edition. They are a class of Daityas.

t A group of Danavas.

§ The Bombay edition reads Daurhridas, ** the descendants of Durhrid.”

| “* The descendants of Mura.” Mura or Muru is referred to generally in

connexion with Pragjyotisha; ¢.g., Mah4-Bharata, Sabha-P., xiii. 578; Vana-

P., xii. 488; and Udyoga-P., xlvii. 1887-92 : Hari-V., exxi. 6791-6801.

q A group of Dénavas. They are mentioned in the Maha-Bharata, Sabha-

P., iv. 118; Udyoga-P., clvii. 5379: and Vana-P., c. 8691.

CANTO

Canto LXXXVIII — The Goddess Slays the Asuras

LXXXVIII.

thousands of great soldiers. C’andika, seeing that most

terrible army at hand, filled the space between the earth and

the firmament with the twanging of her bow-string. Thereon

her lion roared exceedingly loud, O king; and Ambika

augmented* those roars with the clanging of her bell. Kali,

filing the regions of the sky with the noise from her bow-

string, from her lion and from her bell, and expanding her

mouth wide with her terrific roars, had the predominance.f

On hearing that roar which filled the four regions of the sky,

the Daitya armies enraged surrounded the goddess’ lion and

Kali.

At this moment, O king, in order to destroy the gods’ foes,

and for the well-being of the lion-like Immortals, there issued

forth endowed with excessive vigour and strength the

Energies§ from the bodies of Brahma, Siva, Guha and Vishnu

and of Indra also, and went in the forms of those gods to

C’andika. Whatever was the form of each god, and what-

ever his ornaments and vehicle, in that very appearance his

Energy advanced to fight with the Asuras. In the front of a

heavenly car drawn by swans advanced Brahma’s Energy, bear-

ing a rosary of seeds and an earthen water-pot; she is called

Brahméni. Mahegvara’s Energy, seated on a bull, grasping a

fine trident, and wearing a girdle of large snakes, arrived,

adorned with a digit of the moon. And Kumara’s Pnergy,

Ambika, with spear in hand and riding on a choice peacock,

advanced in Guha’s shape to attack the Daityas. Likewise

Vishnu’s Energy, seated upon Garuda, advanced with conch,

discus, club, bow and scymitar in hand. The Energy of Hari,

who assumcs the peerless form of a sacrificial boar, she also

* For c’opavrimhayat read c/apy avrimhayat as in the Bombay edition.

+ Jigye; ji is here used by itself in the Atmane-pada. The commentary

gives ‘“‘ vanquished the enemies

” asan alternative translation. It mentions

jajve as an alternative reading, which means then “ expanded her mouth

wide with her terrific roars.”

t{ For sa-roshair the Bombay edition reads Saraughair “with multitudes of

arrows.”

§ Saktayah.

THE ENERGIES OF THE GODS JOIN THE FIGHT. 503-

advanced assuming a hog-like form. Nri-simha’s Energy

assuming a body like Nri-sithha’s arrived there, adorned with

a cluster of constellations hurled down by the tossing of his

mane. Likewise Indra’s Energy, with thunder-bolt in hand,

seated upon the lord of elephants and having a thousand eyes,

arrived; as ts Sakra, such indeed was she. Then those

Energies of the gods surrounded Siva. He said to C’andika,

“Let the Asuras be slain forthwith through my good-will.”

Thereupon from the goddess’ body there came forth

C’andika’s Energy, most terrific, exceedingly fierce, howling.

hke a hundred jackals. And she the unconquered said to

Siva, who was smoke-coloured and had matted locks, ‘“‘ Be —

thon, my lord, a messenger to the presence of Sumbha and

Nisumbha. Say unto the two overweening Danavas, Sumbha

and Nigumbha, and to whatever other Danavas are assembled

there to do hbattle—‘ Let Indra obtain the three worlds,

let the gods be the enjoyers of the ohlations; go ye to Patala

if ye wish to live. Yetif through pride in your strength ye

are longing for battle, come ye on then! let my jackals be

glutted with your flesh.” Because the goddess appointed

Viva himself to be ambassador,* she has hence attained fame

as Siva-duiti in this world.

Those great Asuras however, on hearing the goddess’ speech

fully announced, were filled with indignation and went wheret

Katy4yani{ stood. Then, at the very first, the arrogant and

indignant foes of the Immortals in front poured on the god-

dess showers of arrows, javelins and spears. And gracefully

she clove those arrows, darts, discuses and axes, which were

hurled,§ with large arrows shot from her resounding how.||

And in front of her stalked Kali then, tearing the foes asunder

* For daityena read diityena as in the Bombay edition, or perhaps dautyena.-

“with the rank of ambassador.”

+ Yatra as in the Bombay edition is better than yatah.

{ A name of C’andika.

§ For pratihdn read prahitan.

|| Dhmdta-dhanur-muktair ; the commentary explains dhmdta as maurvt-

tam-kdrena Sabditam, “ resonant with the twanging of the bow string.”

504

44)

CANTO LXXXVIII.

with the onset of her darts and crushing them with her skull-

topped staff.* And Brahmani caused the foes to lose their

courage by casting water on them from her earthen pot, and

weakened their vigour, by whatever way she ran. Maheé-

wara’s Energy slew Daityas with her trident, and Vishyu’s

Energy with her discus, and Kumara’s Hnergy, very wrathful,

slew them with her javelin. Torn te pieces by the down-

rush of the thunder-bolt hurled by Indra’s Energy, Daityas and

Danavas fell on the earth in hundreds, pouring out streams

of blood. Shattered by the hog-embodied Hnergy with blows

from her snout, wounded in their breasts by the points of her

tushes, and torn by her discus, demons fell down. And Nri-

simmha’s Energy roamed about in the battle, devouring other

great Asuras who were torn by her claws, as she filled the

intermediate region of the sky with her roaring.t Asuras,

demoralized by Siva-duti with her violent loud laughs, fell

down on the earth; she then devoured those fallen ones,

Seeing the enraged band of Mothers{ crushing the great

Asuras thus by various means, the troops of the gods’ foes

perished.

Rakta-vija, a great Asura, seeing the Daityas, who were

hard-pressed by the band of Mothers, intent on fleeing, strode

forward to fight in wrath. When from his body there. falls

to the ground a drop of blood, at that moment starts up from

the earth an Asura of his stature. He,a great Asura, with

club in hand fought with Indra’s Energy, and Indra’s Energy

then struck Rakta-vija with her thunder-bolt; blood flowed

quickly from him when wounded by the thunder-bolt. There-

upon stood up together fresh combatants, like him in body,

like him in valour; for as many blood-drops fell from his

body, so many men came into being, like him in courage,

strength and valour. And those men also who sprang from

his blood fought there with the Mothers in a combat, dreadful

because of the sweep of their very sharp weapons. And again

* Wor khattdiga read khafvanga.

+ Ndddapirna-dig-antard. The reading of the Calcutta edition ndddpirna-

dig-ambaré is hardly satisfactory.

t Mdtri-gana; i.e., the Energies,

THE SLAYING OF THE ASURA RAKTA-V{JA. 505

when his head was wounded by the fall of her thunder-bolt,

his blood poured forth; therefrom were born men by thou-

sands. And Vishnu’s Hnergy struck at this foe with her discus

in the battle. Indra’s Hnergy beat that lord of the Asuras

with her club. The world was filled by the thousands of

great Asuras, who were his equals, and who sprang from the

blood that flowed from him when cloven by the discus of

Vishnu’s Hnergy. Kumara’s Energy struck the great Asura

Rakta-vija with her spear, and Varaha’s Hnergy also struck

him with her sword, and Mahesvara’s Huergy with her trident.

And the Daitya Rakta-vija, that great Asura, filled full of

wrath, struck every one of the Mothers in turn with his club.

By the stream of blood, which fell on the earth from him

when he received many wounds from the spears, darts and

other weapons, Asuras came verily* into being in hundreds.

And those Asuras who sprang from that Asura’s blood pervaded

the whole world ; thereat the gods fell into the utmost terror.

Seeing the gods dejected, C’andika spoke with haste ; she said

to Kali, “O C’Amunda ! stretch out thy mouth wide; with this

mouth do thou quickly take in the great Asuras, which are

the drops of blood, that have come into being out of Rakta-

vijat at the descent of my weapon on him. Roam about in

the battle, devouring the great Asuras who sprang from him ;

so shall this Daitya with bis blood ebbing away meet destruc-

tion. These fierce demons are being devoured by thee and at

the same time no others will be produced.”

Having enjoined her thus, the goddess next smote him with

her dart. Kali swallowed Rakta-vija’s blood with her mouth.

Then he strnck C’andikaé with his club there; and the blow of

his club caused her no pain, even the shghtest, but from his

stricken body blood flowed copiously, and from whatever

direction it came, C’4munda takes it then with her mouth. The

great Asuras, who sprang up from the flow of blood in her

mouth, C’amunda both devoured them and quaffed his blood.

The goddess smote Rakta-vija with her dart, her thunder-bolt,

* For yodhai read yo vai as in the Bombay edition.

+ For Rakta-vindoh read Rakta-vijdt, as in the Bombay edition.

506 CANTO LXXXIX,

60 arrows, swords and spears, when C’Amunda drank up his blood.

Stricken with that multitude of weapons, he fell on the earth’s

61 surface, and the great Asura Rakta-vija became blood-less,

O king. Thereat the thirty gods gained joy unparalleled,

O king. The band of Mothers which sprang from them

broke into a dance, being intoxicated with blood.

Canto

Canto LXXXIX — The Goddess and the Asura Raktabija

LXXXIX.

cohen

The Devi-mahdtmya.

The slaying of Nigsumbha.

Nigumbha attacked the goddess C’andiké and was worsted in single

combat.—Sumbha came to his help, but the goddess foiled him,

and slew Nisumbha—Numbers of the Asuras were destroyed.

The king spoke:

J Wonderful is this that thon, Sir, bast related to me,

the majesty of the goddess’ exploits in connexion with

2 the slaying of Rakta-vija; and I wish to hear further what

deed did Sumbha do after Rakta-vija was killed, and what

the very irascible Nisumbha did.

The rishi spoke:

3 After Rakta-vija was slain and other demons were killed

in the fight, the Asura S'umbha gave way to unbounded wrath,

4 and Nisumbha also. Pouring out his indignation at behold-

ing his great army being slaughtered, Nisumbha then rushed

5 forward with the flower of the Asura army. In front of him

and behind and on both sides great Asuras, biting their lips

6 and enraged, advanced to slay the goddess. Sumbba also went

forward, mighty in valour, surrounded with his own troops,

to slay O’andika im his rage, after engaging in battle with

7 the Mothers. Then occurred a desperate combat between

the goddess and S’umbha and Nigumbha, who both, like two

c/ANDIKX FIGHTS WITH SUMBHA AND NISUMBHA. 507

thunder-clouds, rained a most tempestuous shower of arrows

on her. C/andiké with multitudes of arrows quickly split

the arrows shot by them, and smote the two Asnra lords on

their limbs with her numerous weapons.

Nigumbha grasping a sharp scymitar and glittering shield

struck the lion, the nohle beast that bore the goddess, on the

head. When her animal was struck, the goddess quickly

clove Nisumbha’s superb sword with a horse-shoe-shaped

arrow, and also his shield on which eight moons were pour

trayed. When his shield was cloven and his sword too, the

Asura hurled his spear ; and that his missile also, as it came

towards her, she split in two with her discus. Then Nisum-

bha, the Danava, puffed up with wrath, seized a dart; and

that also, when it came, the goddess shattered with a blow of

her fist. And then aiming* his club he flung it against

C’andik4, yet that was shivered by the goddess’ trident and

became ashes. As that lordly Daitya then advanced with

battle-axe in hand, the goddess struck him with a mult

tude of arrows and laid him low on the ground.

When his brother Nisumbha, who was terrible in prowess,

fell to the ground, Sumbha in utmost fury strode forward to

slay Ambiké. And he, standing in his chariot, appeared to

fill the entire sky with his eight arms, which were lifted far

on high grasping his superb weapons.

Beholding him approaching, the goddess sounded her

conch, and made her bow also give forth from its string a

note which was exceedingly hard to endure. And she filled

all regions with the clanging of her bell, which caused

the vigour of all the Daitya hosts to die away. Then her

lion filled the heaven, the earth and the ten regions of the

sky with loud roars, which checked the copious flow of

the exudation from the demons’ rutting elephants. Kali

springing upward then struck the heaven and the earth with

both her hands; the boom thereof drowned those previous

sounds. Siva-dutif uttered a loud inauspicious laugh. At

* Avidhya. The Bombay edition reads dddya, “taking.”

+ I. ,, C‘andika ; see canto Ixxxviii, verse 27.

508

CANTO LXXXIX.

those sounds the Asuras trembled;* Sumbha gave way

to utmost rage. When Ambika cried out “ Stand, O evil-

souled ! stand!” the gods who had taken their stations in the

air then called to her, ‘“‘ Be thou victorious !”’

The spear flaming most terribly, which S’umbha approaching

hurled, that, gleaming like a mass of fire as it came along, was

driven aside by a great fire-brand, The vault between the

three worlds reverberated with S'umbha’s lion-like roaring, but

the dreadful sound of the slaughter among his soldiers sur-

passed that, O king. The goddess split the arrows shot by

Sumbha, and Sumbha the arrows that she discharged, each

with her and his sharp arrows in hnndreds and thousands.

C’andiké enraged thereat smote him with a dart. Wounded

therewith he fell in a faint to the ground.

Thereupon Nisumbha, regaining consciousness, seized his bow

again and struck the goddess, and Kali and the lion with

arrows. And the Danava lord, that son of Diti, putting forth

a myriad arms, again covered O’andika with a myriad discuses.t

The goddess then enraged, she, Durga who destroys the afilic-

tions of adversity, split those discuses and those arrows with

her own arrows. Then Nisumbha seizing his club rushed

impetuously at C’andika to slay her outright, with the Daitya

host surrounding him. As he was just falling upon her,

C’andikaé swiftly clove his club with her sharp-edged scymi-

tar. And he took hold of a dart. C’andik&d with a dart

hurled swiftly pierced Nisumbha, the afflicter of the _Immor-

tals, in the heart, as he approached with dart in hand.

When he was pierced by the dart, out of his heart issned

another man of great strength and great valour, exclaiming

‘““Stand!” When he stepped forth, the goddess laughing aloud

then struck off his head with her scymitar ; thereupon he

fell to the ground.

The lion then devoured those Asuras whose necks he had

crushed with his savage teeth, and K4li and Siva-diti de-

voured the others. Some great Asuras perished, being

* For Asurdstreshu read Asurds tresuh as in the Bombay edition.

+ For c’akrdyudhena read c’akrdyutena as in the Bombay edition.

C’ANDIKA’S COMBAT WITH SUMBHA, 509

pierced through by the spear held by Kumara’s Energy;

others were driven back by the water purified by the spell

uttered by Brahma’s Energy; and others fell, pierced by the

trident wielded by Siva’s Energy; some were pounded to

dust on the ground by blows from the snout of Varéha’s

Energy; some Danavas were out to pieces by the discus

hurled hy Vishnu’s Energy ; and others again by the thunder-

bolt discharged from the fingers of Indra’s Energy. Some

Asuras perished outright, some perished by reason of the

great battle, and others were devoured by Kali, Siva-duti

and the lion.

Canto

Canto XC — The Slaying of Nishumbha

XC.

The Devi-mahdimya.

The slaying of Sumbha.

Ambiké absorbed all the other goddesses, and fighting with Sumbha

in single combat, killed him.—The universe was then filled

unith joy.

The rishi spoke :

Seeing his brother Nigumbha slain, who was dear to him

as his life, and his army being slaughtered, S’'umbha in

wrath spoke thus—*O Durga, who art tainted with the

arrogance of strength, bring not thy pride here, thou who,

trusting in the strength of the other goddesses, dost fight in

exceeding haughtiness ! ”

The goddess spoke :

Alone verily am I in the world here; what other goddess

is there besides me? See, vile one! that these goddesses, who

have their divine power from me, are entering into me

indeed.

Then all those goddesses, Brahmani and the others, became

absorbed into the goddess’ breasts; Ambika then remained

alone indeed.

510

GANTO XC.

The goddess spoke :

Whereas I existed* with my divine power in many forms

here—that has been drawn in by me, truly alone I stand

now. Be thou steadfast in combat !

The rishi spoke:

Thereupon commenced a battle between them both, the

goddess and Sumbha, while all the gods and the Asuras

looked on—a batile without quarter. With showers of arrows,

with sharp weapons ‘and also with pitiless missiles both

engaged anew in a combat which set all the world in fear.

And the lord of the Daityas broke the heavenly missiles,

which Ambika discharged in hundreds, with weapons that

parried them. And the supreme goddess in merest play

broke the heavenly missiles that he discharged, with fierce

shouts, ejaculations and other sounds. Then the Asura

covered the goddess with hundreds of arrows, and the god-

dess enraged thereat split his bow also with her arrows.

Aud when his bow was split the lord of the Daityas took

up his spear, The goddess split it,as he held it in his

hand, with a discus. Next the supreme monarch of the

Daityas, seizing his scymitar and sun-like shield, on which

a hundred moons were pourtrayed, rushed at the goddesst

at that monent. Just as he was falling upon her, C’andika

hastily split his scymitar with sharp arrows shot from her

bow, and his shield also which was spotless as the sun’s rays.

With his steeds wounded, with his bow split, without a

charioteer, the Daitya thent grasped his terrible mace, being

ready to slay Ambika. As he was falling upon her, she clove

his mace with sharp arrows; nevertheless raising his fist

he rushed swiftly at her. The lordly Daitya brought his

fist down on the goddess’ heart, and the goddess also smote

him on his breast with her palm. Wounded by the blow of

* For yadd sthitdé read yad dsthité as in the Bombay edition.

¢t For devt read devim. The Bombay edition reads tam hantum,

t For sada read tadd.

The

C'ANDIKA SLAYS SUMBHA. 511

her palm the Daitya king fell suddenly on the earth; and

again indeed he rose up, and springing upward he: seized

the goddess and mounted on high into the sky. There also

O’andika, being without any support, fought with him. The

Daitya and O’andika then fought at first with each other in

the sky in a close combat, which wrought dismay among the

Siddhas and munis; after carrying on the close combat for a

very long time with him, Ambik4 lifted him up.then and

whirled him arouud and flung him on the earth: When flung

thus he touched the earth, he raised his fist hastily and

rushed, evil of soul as he was, with the wish to kill C’andika.

Seeing him, the lord of all the Daitya folk, approaching,

the goddess then pierced him in the breast with a dart and

felled him down on the earth. Shattered by the point

of the goddess’ dart he fell lifeless on the ground, shaking

the whole earth and its seas, islands and mountains.

When that evil-souled demon was slain, the mnniverse

became placid, the earth regained perfect well-being, and the

sky grew pure. Portent-clonds, which were full of flame

before, became tranquil, and the rivers kept within their

channels, when he was stricken down there. All the bands

of gods then grew exceedingly joyful in mind, when he was

slain; the Gandharvas sang out sweetly, and others of

them sounded their instruments, and the bevies of Apsarases

danced; and favourable breezes blew, very brilliant grew the

sun, and the tranquil sacred fires blazed freely, and tranquil

became the strange sounds that had occurred in the regions

of the sky:

Canto XCI,

The Devi-mdhatmya.

The Hulogy of the Goddess.

gods offered a hymn of praise to the goddess.—She granted them

the boon that she will always become incarnate and deliver the

world whenever it ts oppressed by demons.

512 CANTO

Canto XCI — The Slaying of Shumbha

XCI.

The rishi spoke :

1 When the great lord of the Asuras was slain there by the

goddess, Indra and the other gods led by Agni offered praise

to her, Katydyani, because they had gained their desire ;*

and their faces shone forth, and their hopes became mani-

fest.t

z ‘“O goddess, who removest the sufferings of thy suppliants,

be gracious !

Be gracious, O mother of the whole world !

Be gracious, O queen of the universe! safeguard the

nniverse !

Thou, O goddess, art queen of all that is moveable and

immoveable!

3 Thon alone hast become the support of the world,

Because thou dost subsist in the form of the earth !

By thee, who existest in the form of water, all

This universe is filled, O thou inviolable in thy valour!

4 Thou art Vishnu’s energy, boundless in thy valour ;

Thou art the germ of the universe, thou art Illusion

sublime !

All this world has been bewitched, O goddess ;

Thou indeed when attained{ art the cause of final emanci-

pation from existence on the earth !

5 All sciences are portions of thee, O goddess;

So are all females without exception in the worlds§ !

By thee alone, as mother, this world has heen filled !

What praise can there be for thee? Thou art beyond praise,

the sublimest expression] !

* For ishta-cLambhdd read ishta-labhdd with the Bombay edition.

+ The Bombay edition reads vikdéi-vaktrdbja-vikdsitdééh, which means

much the same.

t Prapannd; but prasannd, ‘‘ well-pleased,” in the Bombay dition is

better.

§ The Bombay edition reads—

striyak samastah sakalam jagac’ e’a.

“ So are all females, and so ts the whole world.”

\| Paroktih; or “ the expression of the sublime.”

HYMN TO C’ANDIKA. 513

When as being the goddess, who constitutes every created

thing,

And who bestows Svarga and final emancipation from

existence,

Thou are praised—for thy praise again

What sublime words can be sufficient ?

O thou, who abidest under the form of Intelligence

In the heart of every living creature ;

O goddess, who bestowest Svarga and final emancipation

from existence,

O Narayani, reverence be to thee!

Thou in the form of minutes, moments and other portions

of time,

Dost bring results to pass;

O thou who art mighty in the death of the universe,

O Narayani, reverence be to thee!

O thou who art beneficent with every happiness,

O lady auspicious, who accomplishest every petition,

O giver of refuge, O Tryambaka, O brilliant one,

O Narayani, reverence be to thee!

O eternal goddess, who constitutest the energy

Of creation, permanence and destruction,

O thou abode of good qualities, who consistest of good

qualities,

O Nardyani, reverence be to thee !*

O thou who ridest in a beavenly car yoked with swans,

Who assumest the form of Brahmani,t

O goddess who sprinklest kusga-grass-steeped water,

O Narayani, reverence be to thee!

O thou who holdest a trident, the moon and a serpent,

* The Bombay edition inserts a verse here—

O thou who art the Sepreme Way for the salvation

OF those that seek refuge, of the woe-hegone and of the affiicted,

O goddess who takest suffering away from every one,

O Narayani, reverence he to thee!

¥ The Energy (Sakti, fem.) of Brahma. The'swan is his vehicle.

{ The Commentary translates kshartkd as kshepaya-kdrini or d-sektré.

514 CANTO XCI.

Who art borne on a huge bull,

With the natural character of Maheévari,*

O Narayani, reverence be to thee!

13. =O thou who art attended by the peacock and cock,.

Who bearest a great spear, O sinless one ;

O thou who takest thy station in Kaumari’sf form,

O Narayani, reverence be to thee!

14 QO thou who holdest as thy finest weapons

A conch, discus, club, and the bow Sriga,

Be gracious, O thou who hast Vaishnavi’st form;

O Narayani, reverence be to thee!

15 O thou who graspest a huge formidable discus,

Who hast uplifted the earth with thy tushes,

O auspicious one, who hast a hog-like form,§

O Narayani, reverence be to thee!

16 O thou who in the fierce man-lion|]| form

Didst put forth thy efforts to slay the Daityas,

O thou who art connected with the: deliverance of the

three worlds,

O Narayant, reverence be to thee !

17 O thou who bast a diadem and a great thunderbolt,

Who art dazzling with a thousand eyes,

And who tookest away Vritra’s life-breath, O Aindri ;**

O Narayani, reverence be to thee!

18 O thou who with the nature of Siva-dutit+

* The Energy (fakti) of MaheSvara or Siva. The trident, moon and ser-

pent are hia emblems and ornaments, and the bull ia his vehicles.

+ The Energy of Kumara or Karttikeya. The peacock is his vehicle, and

the cook is an attendant of his parents, Siva and Parvati.

t The Energy of Vishnu. The conch, discus, olub and how are his

weapons.

§ The Energy of Vishnu in his incarnation as 2 hoar.

| The Energy of Viehnn in his incarnation as a lion-headed man.

@ Another reading is Trailokya-trdna-mahite, “ O thou who art honoured

with the deliverance of the three worlds.”

** The Energy (sakti) of Indra, the slayer of Vritra. The diadem is his

ornament, the thunder-bolt his weapon, and he has a thousand eyes.

+} See canto Ixxxvii, verse 25,

24,

HYMN TO C’ANDIKA. 515

Slewest the mighty hosts of the Daityas,

O thou of terrible form, of loud shrieks,

O Nardyani, reverence be to thee!

O thou who hast a face formidable with tushes,

Who art decorated with a garland of heads,

O C'émunda, who grindest shaven heads,

O Nardyani, reverence be to thee!

O Lakshmi, Modesty, Wide-Knowledge !

O Faith, Nourishment, Svadha, Immoveable !

O Great-Night, Great-I]]usion !*

O Narayani, reverence be to thee!

O Mental-Vigour, Sarasvati, Choice One!

O Welfare, Wife of Babhru,+ Dark One!

O Self-controlled Queen, be thon gracious!

O Né&rayani, reverence be to thee !f

O thou who hast the nature of all, Queen of all!

O thou who possessest the might of all!

From terrors save us, O goddess!

O goddess Durga, reverence be to thee!

Kindly is this thy countenance,

Which is adorned with three eyes ;

May it guard us from all created things !

O Katyayani, reverence he to thee!

Formidable with flames, exceedingly sharp,

Destroying the Asuras without quarter,

May thy trident guard us from fear!

O Bhadra-k4li, reverence be to thee!

Thy bell, that fills the world with its ringing

And destroys the glories of the Daityas,

May thy bell guard us, O goddess,

* The Calcutta edition reads “ Wide-knowledge ” again here.

+ Le., Siva.

t The Bombay edition inserts a verse here—

O thon, the limit of whose hands and feet is everywhere,

Whose eyes and head and mouth are everywhere,

Whose ears and nose are everywhere ;

516

CANTO XCI.

Even us like children from sins!

Besmirched with the blood and fat of the Asuras

As with mire, gleaming with rays,

May thy scymitar be for our welfare!

O C’andika, to thee we bow!

Thou destroyst all sicknesses, when gratified ;

But when wrathtful destroyest all longed-for desires.

No calamity befalls men who have sought unto thee !

They who have sought unto thee become verily a refuge

themselves !

This slaughter that thon hast now wrought

On the great Asuras who hate righteousness, O goddess ,

By multiplying thy body in many forms,—

O Ambika, what other goddess achieves that ?

In the sciences, in the scriptures, which need the lamp of

discrimination, |

And in the ancient sayings, who but thou

Within the pit of selfishness, wherein is exceeding great

darkness,

Causes this universe to whirl about most grievously ?

Wherever dwell Rakshasas and virulently-poisonous Nagas,

Wherever foes eaist, wherever the powers of the Dasyus,

And where flaming fire appears amid the ocean,

There abiding thou dost safeguard the universe !

O queen of the universe, thou safeguardest the universe !

Thou hast the nature of the universe, for thou upholdest

the universe,

Thou art.the lady worthy to be praised by the lord of the

universe. They are

The refuge of the universe, who bow in faith before thee!

O goddess, be gracious! Protect us wholly from fear of

our foes

Perpetually, as thou hast at this very time saved us promptly

by the slaughter of the Asuras !*

And bring thou quickly to rest the sins of all the worlds

* For yathd sura-badhdd read yathdsura-badhdd.

C’ANDIKA GIVES THE GODS A BOON. 517

And the great calamities which have sprung from the

maturing of portents !

To us who are prostrate be thou gracious,

O goddess, who takest away affliction from the universe !

O thou worthy of praise from the dwellers in the three

worlds,

Bestow thou boons on the worlds ! ”

The goddess spoke :

I am ready to bestow a boon. O ye hosts of gods, choose

whatever boon ye desire in your mind; I grant it as a thing

that benefits the worlds.

The gods spoke:

O queen of all, complete thou* thus indeed the pacification

of every trouble of the three worlds, and the destruction of

our enemies,

The goddess spoke:

When the twenty-eighth age has arrived, in the Vaivasvata

Manv-antara, two other great Asuras shall be born, Sumbha

and Nisumbha. Then born as the offspring of Yasod4’s womb

in the cowherd Nanda’s house, and dwelling on the Vindhya

mountains, I will destroy them both. And again becoming

incarnate in a very terrible form on the face of the earth, I

will slay the Vaiprac’itta} Danavas ; and when I devour those

fierce and great Vaiprac’itta Asuras, my teeth shall become

red like the flowers of the pomegranate. Hence the gods

in Svarga and men in the world of mortals praising me shall

always talk of me as “ Red-toothed.”}

And again after a period of a hundred years during which

rain and water shall fail, praised by the munis I shall be

born, but not womb-begotten, on the earth. Then because

I shall behold the munis with a hundred eyes, mankind shall

therefore celebrate me as “* Hundred-eyed.’’§

* Hor tvathd read tvayd.

+ The descendants of Viprac’itti.

t Rakta-dantikd,

§ Satdksht.

518. CANTO

Canto XCII — Praise of the Goddess

XCII.

43 Next, O ye gods, I shall support* the whole world with the

life-sustaining vegetables, which shall grow out of my own

44 body, during a period of heavy rain. I shall gain fame on

the earth then as Sakambhari; + and in that very period I

shall slay the great Asura named Durgama.

45 And again when taking a terrible form on mount Himavat I

shall destroy Rakshasas for the sake of delivering the munis,

46 all the munis bowing their bodies reverently shall laud me

then; hence my name “ The terrible goddess ”{ shall become

celebrated.

47 When Arunaksha§ shall work great trouble in the three

worlds, I shall take a hee-like form, the form of innumerable

48 bees, and shall slay the great Asura for the welfare of the.

three worlds, and folk shall then extol me everyone as

Bhramari.||

49 Thus whenever trouble shall arise caused by the Danavas,

at each such time I shall become incarnate and accomplish

the foes’ destruction.

Canto XCII.

The Devi-méhdimya.

The slaying of Sumbha and Nisumbha concluded.

The goddess descanis on the merits of this poem and the beneficent

resulis of reading and listening to 1t.—The gods regained their

rights and the Daityas departed to Pdiéla.—Her attributes and

beneficence are extolled.

* T.e., nourish.

+ “ Herb-bearing ” or ‘ Herb-nourishing,”

t Bhimd Devt.

§ Or Arundkhya in the Bombay edition ; When the Asura named Aruna

shall work, &c.”

l| “The bee-like goddess,”

EULOGY OF THE DEV{-MAHATMYA. 519

The goddess spoke :

And whoever with mind composed shall praise me constant-

ly with these hymns, I will qniet down every trouble for him

assuredly. And those who shall celebrate the destruction of

Madhu and Kaitabha, the slaughter of the Asura Mahisha,

and the slaying of Sumbha and Nisumbha likewise; and

those also who shall listen* in faith to this poem of my

sublime majesty on the eighth day of the lunar fortnight, on

the fourteenth and on the ninth, with intent mind, to them

shall happen no wrong-doing whatever, nor calamities that

arise from wrong-doing, nor poverty, nor indeed deprivation of

their desires.t| Never shall he experience fear from enemies,

from robbers, nor from kings, nor from weapon or fire or

water-flood, Hence this poem of my majesty must be read

by men of composed minds and listened to by them always

with faith, for it is the supreme course of blessings. Now

may this poem of my majesty quell all kinds of calamities,

which arise from grievous pestilence,t and the three-fold

portent. Where this poem is duly read constantly at my

sanctuary, I will never forsake that place, and there my

presence is fixed. At the offering of the bali, and during

worship, in the ceremonies with fire, and at a great festival,

all this story of my exploits must verily be proclaimed and

listened to. I will accept with kindliness both the balt

worship that is paid, and the oblation by fire that is offered, by

him who understands or him who understands not. And at

the great annual worship that 1s performed in autnmn time,

the man, who listens filled with faith to this poem of my

majesty, shall assuredly through my favour be delivered from

every tronble, and be blessed with riches, grain and children.

From listening to this poem of my majesty moreover come

splendid issues and prowess in battles, and a man becomes

* The Bomhay edition reads stoshyantt, “ shall celehrate in song.”

+ Ishta-viyojana; or “separation from loved ones.” Viyojana is not in the

dictionary.

{ Mahd-mért; or ‘* cholera.”

520 CANTO XCLI.

14 fearless.* When men listen to this poem of my majesty,

enemies pass to destruction, and prosperity acorues and their

15 family rejoices. Let a man listen to this poem of my majesty

every where, at a ceremony for securing tranquillity, and after

seeing an ili-dream and when planets are greatly eclipsed.

16 Thereby portents turn into calm, and also dreadful eclipses of

the planets, aud also an ill-dream which men have seen; and

17 a sweet dream appears, It produces peacefulness in children

who have been possessed by the demon that seizes children, and

at 1s the best promoter of friendship among men when union

18 is dissolved ; it is the most potent diminisher of the power

of all men of ill livelihood ; verily through reading it, comes

19 the destruction of Rakshasas, goblins and Pigdéas. All this

poem of my majesty brings a man near untome. And by

means of cattle, flowers, arghya offerings and incenses, and

20 by the finest perfumes and lamps, by feasts given to brahmans,

by oblations, by sprinkled water day and night, and by

various other objects of enjoyment, by gifts yearly—the

21 favour which comes by such means, such favour is won from me

when this story of my noble exploits is once heard. When

22 heard it takes away sins and confers perfect health. This

celebration of me preserves created beings from future births,

even this story of my exploits in battles, the annihilation of —

23 the wicked Daityas. When it is heard, no fear, that is.

caused by enmity, springs upamong men. And the hymns

which ye have composed, and those composed by bréhman

24, rishis, and those composed by Brahma bestow a splendid

mind.t He whois surrounded by a raging fire in a forest

* The text as it stands is incorrect, for pardkrama is masc., and pardkra-

mam, acc., has no verb. I have read therefore pardtramagé c’a for pardkra-

mam c’a. The Bombay edition reads tathotpatith prithak subhdh pardkra-

mdmé c’a, and the commentary translates the verse thns—‘From listening to

this poem of my majesty, and to my splendid diverse appearances in the

forms of the Energies, and to my feats of prowess in battles, a man becomes

fearless.”

+ Bédla-graha; see canto li.

~ Or gatim, “course” or ‘ issue.”

31.

30:

34,

3D.

THE DEMONS WERE BANISHED TO PATALA, 521°

or on a lonesome road, or.who is encompassed by. robbers in

a desolate spot, or who is captured. by enemies, or who is.

prowled after by a lion or tiger or by wild elephants :in a

forest, or who is under the command: of an enraged king,

or who-is sentenced.to death, or who has fallen into. bonds,

or who is whirled around by the wind, or who stands in a

ship in the wide sea, or, who is in the most dreadful battle

with weapous- falling wyon him, or who is afflicted with pain

amidst all kinds of terrible troubles—such a man. on. calling

to: mind this story of my exploits is delivered from his- strait.

Through my power lions and other dangerous beasts,. robbers

and enemies, from’ a distance indeed, flee from him. who calls

to: mind this-story of my exploits.

The rishi spoke:

Having. spoken thus-the adorahle C’andika, who is- fierce in

prowess, vanished there, while the gods were gazing indeed

on her. ‘The gods also relieved from fear, their foes being

slain, all resumed. their own-dominions.as- before, paréicipating

in their shares of sacrifices.

And the Daityas—when Sumbhe, that most: fierce foe of

the gods, who- brought ruin on the world and: who was-peerless

in prowess, had heen slain by the goddess in fight, and

Nisumbha also great in valour was slain—all came to Patala.

Thus- that adorable goddess, although: everlasting, yet

taking birth again and again, accomplishes: the. safeguarding

of the world, O.king: By her this universe is bewitched ; she

verily gives birth to the universe. And when besought, -she

bestows knowledge; when gratified, she bestows prosperity.

All this egg of Brahma, O king, is pervaded by her, who is

Mahakali at Mahak4ls,* and who has the nature of the Great

Destroying Goddess.t' She indeed‘ is Malié-marf at tle fated

time; she indeed is creation, the Unborn ; she indeed the Eternal

gives stability to created'beings at their fated time. She indeed

*.A shrine saered. to. Siva at Ujjain; see Raghu-Vaméia, vi, 82-34. and.

Merha-Dita i. 34.

* [Footnote: Maha-maya; see verse 7 above]

O22

CANTO XCTII.

is Lakshmi, bestowing prosperity on the houses of men while

she abides with them; and she indeed when she is absent

becomes the goddess of Ill Fortnne* unto their destruction.

When bymned and worshipped with flowers, and with incense,

perfumes and other offerings, she bestows wealth and sons, and

a mind brilliant in righteousness.

————

Canto

Canto XCIII — The Devi-Mahatmya (concluded)

XCIII.

The Devi-méhdimya (concluded).

After hearing this poem, king Su-ratha and the vaisya practised

austerities and worshipped the goddess.—C’andikd appeared to

them and gave the king the boon that he should be Manu Sdvarni

in a future life, and bestowed knowledge on the vaisya.

The rishi spoke:

I have now related to thee, O king, this sublime poem the

Devi-mahatmya. Such majestic power has the goddess, by

whom this worldis upheld. Moreover knowledge is conferred

by her who is the adorable Vishnu’s Illusive power. By her

thou and this vaisya and other men of discrimination, and

celebrated men are bewitched; and others shall become

bewitched. Go unto her, the supreme queen, as to a place of

refuge, O great king. She indeed, when propitiated by men,

bestows enjoyment, Svarga and final emancipation from

existence.

Markandeya spoke:

Having heard this his speech, king Su-ratha fell prostrate

before the illustrious rishi who performed severe penances,

and being down-cast by his excessive regard for self and

by the deprivation of his kingdom, went forthwith to per-

form austerities; and the vaisya, O great muni, in order to

get a vision of Amba, took up his station on a sand-bank

* A-lakshmnd,

WHO SHALL BE THE MANU SAVARNI, 523

in a river; and the vaisya practised austerities, muttering the

sublime hymn to the goddess. They both made an earthen

image of the goddess on that sand-bank, and paid worship

to it with flowers, incense, fire and libations of water. Ab-

staining from food, restricting their food, concentrating their

minds on her, keeping their thoughts composed, they both

offered the bali offering also sprinkled with blood drawn

from their own limbs. When they continued with subdued

souls to propitiate her thus for three years, C’andika, who

upholds the world, well-pleased spoke in visible shape.

The goddess spoke :

What thou dost solicit, QO king, and thou O rejoicer of thy

family, receive ye all that from me; well-pleased I bestow it.

Markandeya spoke :

Then the king chose a kingdom that should not perish in

another life, and in this fe his own kingdom wherein the

power of liis enemies shonld be destroyed by force. Then

the vaigya also, whose mind was down-cast, chose knows

ledge,—to be wise, knowing ‘what ts mine,’ and ‘what I

am, ’—knowledge that causes the downfall of worldly attach-

ments.

The goddess spoke :

O king, thou shalt obtain thine own kingdom in a very few

days, after slaying thine enemies; it shall be steadfast for

thee there; and when dead thou shalt gain another life from

the god Vivasvat, and shalt be a Mann on earth, by name

Sdvarnika, And O excellent vaisya, I bestow on thee the

boon which thou hast besought of me; knowledge shall be

thine unto full perfection.

Markandeya spoke:

Having thus given them both the boon that each desired,

the goddess vanished forthwith, while extolled by them

both in faith.

Having thus gained the boon from the goddess, Su-ratha

the noble kshattriya shall obtain a new birth through the

Sun, and shal] be the Mann Savarni.

524

‘CANTO XCI¥.

notes

The Devi Mahatmya (Sanskrit: देवीमाहात्म्यम् — "Glorification of the Goddess") is one of the most important texts in the Shakta tradition of Hinduism. It forms Cantos 81–93 of the Markandeya Purana and is also known as the Durga Saptashati ("700 verses to Durga") or Chandi Path. The text is recited daily in Shakta temples throughout India, particularly in Bengal and other eastern regions. The narrative frame places the text as an instruction: a sage (the rishi Medhas) teaches a dispossessed king (Suratha) and a merchant (Samadhi) about the nature of the Great Goddess (Mahamaya, Chandika, Durga) through three episodes of her power. The three cycles are: (1) Madhu and Kaitabha — demons who threaten Brahma while Vishnu sleeps; Brahma praises the Goddess, Vishnu awakes and slays the demons (Cantos LXXXI–LXXXII); (2) Mahishasura — the buffalo-demon Mahisha who has defeated the gods; the gods combine their energies to create the goddess Chandika, who destroys Mahisha's army and slays Mahisha himself (Cantos LXXXII–LXXXV); (3) Shumbha and Nishumbha — two powerful asuras who conquer the three worlds; the Goddess takes multiple forms (including Kali and Camunda) to defeat their armies and finally slays both demons (Cantos LXXXVI–XCIII). The text concludes with boons granted to Suratha and the merchant. The Devi Mahatmya is estimated to have been composed between the 5th and 7th centuries CE. It is notable for presenting the divine feminine (Shakti) not as a consort of a male god but as the supreme, independent reality — all gods receive their power from the Goddess, and the cosmos itself is her manifestation. The Markandeya Purana was translated into English by Frederick Eden Pargiter (1852–1927) for the Bibliotheca Indica series of the Asiatic Society of Bengal, published in installments 1888–1904. The complete volume appeared in 1904. Pargiter was a scholar of Sanskrit and Puranic literature; his translation is complete, numbered by verse, and accompanied by extensive footnotes identifying parallel texts and emendations. OCR artifacts from the digitised 1904 print edition are preserved verbatim in the text above. Translation by F.E. Pargiter (1904). From "The Markandeya Purana," Bibliotheca Indica. Asiatic Society of Bengal, Calcutta. Public domain (pre-1929 publication). Source: Internet Archive, archive.org/details/the-markandeya-purana

HinduWarGoddessRitual

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