Devī Māhātmyam | Durgā Saptashatī | 10
Chapter 10
The Slaying of Śumbha
॥ daśamo'dhyāyaḥ ||
oṃ ṛṣiruvāca ॥ 1||
The Rishi said:
niśumbhaṃ nihataṃ dṛṣṭvā bhrātaraṃ prāṇasammitam ।
hanyamānaṃ balaṃ caiva śumbhaḥ kruddho'bravīdvacaḥ ॥ 2||
balāvalepaduṣṭe tvaṃ mā durge garvamāvaha ।
anyāsāṃ balamāśritya yuddhyase cātimāninī ॥ 3||
1-3. Seeing his brother Niśumbha slain, who was dear to him as his life, and his army being slaughter, Śumbha angrily said:
'O Durgā who are puffed up with pride of strength, don't show your pride (here). Though you are exceedingly haughty, you, resorting to the strength of others, fight.'
devyuvāca ॥ 4||
The Devi said:
ekaivāhaṃ jagatyatra dvitīyā kā mamāparā ।
paśyaitā duṣṭa mayyeva viśantyo madvibhūtayaḥ ॥ 5||
4-5. 'I am all alone in the world here. Who else is there besides me?
See, O vile one, these Goddesses, who are but my own powers, entering into my own self!'
tataḥ samastāstā devyo brahmāṇīpramukhā layam ।
tasyā devyāstanau jagmurekaivāsīttadāmbikā ॥ 6||
6. Then all those, Brahmāṇī and the rest, were absorbed in the body of the Devi.
Ambikā alone then remained.
devyuvāca ॥ 7||
The Devi said:
ahaṃ vibhūtyā bahubhiriha rūpairyadāsthitā ।
tatsaṃhṛtaṃ mayaikaiva tiṣṭhāmyājau sthiro bhava ॥ 8||
7-8. ' The numerous forms which I projected by my power here - those have been withdrawn by me, and (now) I stand alone. Be steadfast in combat.'
ṛṣiruvāca ॥ 9||
The Rishi said:
tataḥ pravavṛte yuddhaṃ devyāḥ śumbhasya cobhayoḥ ।
paśyatāṃ sarvadevānāmasurāṇāṃ ca dāruṇam ॥ 10||
9-10. Then began a dreadful battle between them both, the Devi and Śumbha, while all Devas and asuras looked on.
śaravarṣaiḥ śitaiḥ śastraistathā cāstraiḥ sudāruṇaiḥ ।
tayoryuddhamabhūdbhūyaḥ sarvalokabhayaṅkaram ॥ 11||
11. With showers of arrows, with sharp weapons and frightful missiles, both engaged again in a combat that frightened all the worlds.
divyānyastrāṇi śataśo mumuce yānyathāmbikā ।
babhañja tāni daityendrastatpratīghātakartṛbhiḥ ॥ 12||
12. Then the lord of Daityas broke the divine missiles, which Ambikā discharged in hundreds, with (weapons) that repulsed them.
muktāni tena cāstrāṇi divyāni parameśvarī ।
babhañja līlayaivograhuṅkāroccāraṇādibhiḥ ॥ 13||
13. With fierce shout of hum and the like, the Parameśvarī playfully broke the excellent missiles that he discharged.
tataḥ śaraśatairdevīmācchādayata so'suraḥ ।
sāpi tatkupitā devī dhanuściccheda ceṣubhiḥ ॥ 14||
14. Then the asura covered the Devi with hundreds of arrows, and the Devi in wrath split his bow with her arrows.
chinne dhanuṣi daityendrastathā śaktimathādade ।
ciccheda devī cakreṇa tāmapyasya kare sthitām ॥ 15||
15. And when the bow was split the lord of the Daityas took up his spear. With a discus, the Devi split that (spear) also in this hand.
tataḥ khaḍgamupādāya śatacandraṃ ca bhānumat ।
abhyadhā vata tāṃ devīṃ daityānāmadhipeśvaraḥ ॥ 16||
16. Next the supreme monarch of the Daityas, taking his sword bright like the sun and shining shield bearing the images of a hundred moons, rushed at the Devi at that moment.
tasyāpatata evāśu khaḍgaṃ ciccheda caṇḍikā ।
dhanurmuktaiḥ śitairbāṇaiścarma cārkakarāmalam ।
aśvāṃśca pātayāmāsa rathaṃ sārathinā saha ॥ 17||
17. Just as he was rushing forward, Chaṇḍikā split his sword with sharp arrows shot from her bow, as also his shield as bright as the solar rays.
hatāśvaḥ sa tadā daityaśchinnadhanvā visārathiḥ ।
jagrāha mudgaraṃ ghoramambikānidhanodyataḥ ॥ 18||
18. With his steeds slain, with his bow broken, without a charioteer, the Daitya then grasped his terrible mace, being ready to kill Ambikā.
cicchedāpatatastasya mudgaraṃ niśitaiḥ śaraiḥ ।
tathāpi so'bhyadhāvattāṃ muṣṭimudyamya vegavān ॥ 19||
19. With sharp arrows, she split the mace of Śumbha, who was rushing at her. Even then, raising his fist, he rushed swiftly at her.
sa muṣṭiṃ pātayāmāsa hṛdaye daityapuṅgavaḥ ।
devyāstaṃ cāpi sā devī talenorasyatāḍayat ॥ 20||
20. The Daitya-king brought his fist down on the heart of the Devi, and the Devi also with her palm smote him on his chest.
talaprahārābhihato nipapāta mahītale ।
sa daityarājaḥ sahasā punareva tathotthitaḥ ॥ 21||
21. The Daitya-king, wounded by the blow of her palm fell on the earth, but immediately he rose up again.
utpatya ca pragṛhyoccairdevīṃ gaganamāsthitaḥ ।
tatrāpi sā nirādhārā yuyudhe tena caṇḍikā ॥ 22||
22. Seizing the Devi, he sprang up and mounted on high into the sky. There also Chaṇḍikā, without any support, fought with him.
niyuddhaṃ khe tadā daityaścaṇḍikā ca parasparam ।
cakratuḥ prathamaṃ siddhamunivismayakārakam ॥ 23||
23. Then the Daitya (Śumbha) and Chaṇḍikā fought, as never before, with each other in the sky in a close contact, which wrought surprise to the Siddhas and sages.
tato niyuddhaṃ suciraṃ kṛtvā tenāmbikā saha ।
utpāṭya bhrāmayāmāsa cikṣepa dharaṇītale ॥ 24||
24. Ambikā then, after carrying on a close fight for a very long time with him, lifted him up, whirled him around and flung him down on the earth.
sa kṣipto dharaṇīṃ prāpya muṣṭimudyamya vegavān ।
abhyadhāvata duṣṭātmā caṇḍikānidhanecchayā ॥ 25||
25. Flung thus, the evil-natured (Śumbha) reaching the earth and raising his fist, hastily rushed forward desiring to kill Chaṇḍikā.
tamāyāntaṃ tato devī sarvadaityajaneśvaram ।
jagatyāṃ pātayāmāsa bhittvā śūlena vakṣasi ॥ 26||
26. Seeing that lord of all the Daitya-folk approaching, the Devi, piercing him on the chest with a dart, threw him down on the earth.
sa gatāsuḥ papātorvyāṃ devī śūlāgravikṣataḥ ।
cālayan sakalāṃ pṛthvīṃ sābdhidvīpāṃ saparvatām ॥ 27||
27. Pierced by the pointed dart of the Devi he fell lifeless on the ground, shaking the entire earth with its seas, islands and mountains.
tataḥ prasannamakhilaṃ hate tasmin durātmani ।
jagatsvāsthyamatīvāpa nirmalaṃ cābhavannabhaḥ ॥ 28||
28. When that evil-natured (asura) was slain, the universe became happy and regained perfect peace, and the sky grew clear.
utpātameghāḥ solkā ye prāgāsaṃste śamaṃ yayuḥ ।
sarito mārgavāhinyastathāsaṃstatra pātite ॥ 29||
29. Flaming portent-clouds that were in evidence before became tranquil, and the rivers kept within their courses when (Śumbha) was stricken down there.
tato devagaṇāḥ sarve harṣanirbharamānasāḥ ।
babhūvurnihate tasmin gandharvā lalitaṃ jaguḥ ॥ 30||
30. When he had been slain, the minds of all the bands of devas became overjoyed, and the Gandharvas sang sweetly.
avādayaṃstathaivānye nanṛtuścāpsarogaṇāḥ ।
vavuḥ puṇyāstathā vātāḥ suprabho'bhūddivākaraḥ ॥ 31||
jajvaluścāgnayaḥ śāntāḥ śāntā digjanitasvanāḥ ॥ 32||
31-32. Others sounded (their instruments), and the bands of nymphs danced; likewise favourable winds blew; the sun became very brilliant; the sacred fires blazed peacefully and tranquil became the strange sounds that had risen in different quarters.
॥ svasti śrīmārkaṇḍeyapurāṇe sāvarṇike manvantare devīmāhātmye śumbhavadho nāma daśamo'dhyāyaḥ ॥ 10॥
Here ends the tenth chapter called 'The Slaying of Śumbha' of Devi-Māhātmya in Mārkaṇḍeya Purāṇa, during the period of Sāvarṇi, the Manu.