Devī Māhātmyam | Durgā Saptashatī | 2
Chapter 2
Slaughter of the armies of Mahiṣāsura
॥ dvitīyo'dhyāyaḥ ||
viniyogaḥ
asya śrī madhyamacaritrasya viṣṇurṛṣiḥ ।
śrīmahālakṣmīrdevatā ।
uṣṇik chandaḥ । śākambharī śaktiḥ । durgā bījam ।
vāyustattvam ।
yajurvedaḥ svarūpam । śrīmahālakṣmīprītyarthe
madhyamacaritrajape viniyogaḥ ।|
Meditation of Mahālakṣmī
। dhyānam ।
oṃ akṣasrakparaśū gadeṣukuliśaṃ padmaṃ dhanuḥ kuṇḍikāṃ
daṇḍaṃ śaktimasiṃ ca carma jalajaṃ ghaṇṭāṃ surābhājanam ।
śūlaṃ pāśasudarśane ca dadhatīṃ hastaiḥ pravālaprabhāṃ
seve sairibhamardinīmiha mahālakṣmīṃ sarojasthitām ||
I resort to Mahālakṣmī, the destroyer of Mahiṣāsura, who is seated on the lotus, is of the complexion of coral
and who holds in her (eighteen) hands rosary, axe, mace, arrow, thunderbolt, lotus, bow, pitcher, rod, śakti, sword, shield, conch, bell, wine-cup, trident, noose and the discus Sudarśana.
oṃ hrīṃ ṛṣiruvāca ॥ 1||
The Rishi said:
devāsuramabhūdyuddhaṃ pūrṇamabdaśataṃ purā ।
mahiṣe'surāṇāmadhipe devānāṃ ca purandare ॥ 2||
tatrāsurairmahāvīryairdevasainyaṃ parājitam ।
jitvā ca sakalān devānindro'bhūnmahiṣāsuraḥ ॥ 3||
1-3. Of yore when Mahiṣāsura was the lord of asuras and Indra the lord of devas, there was a war between Devas and asuras for a full hundred years.
In that the army of Devas was vanquished by the valorous asuras. After conquering all Devas, Mahiṣāsura became the lord of heaven (Indra).
tataḥ parājitā devāḥ padmayoniṃ prajāpatim ।
puraskṛtya gatāstatra yatreśagaruḍadhvajau ॥ 4||
yathāvṛttaṃ tayostadvanmahiṣāsuraceṣṭitam ।
tridaśāḥ kathayāmāsurdevābhibhavavistaram ॥ 5||
4-5. Then the vanquished devas headed by Brahma, the lord of beings, went to the place where Śiva and Vishnu were.
Devas described to them in detail, as it had happened, the story of their defeat wrought by Mahiṣāsura:
sūryendrāgnyanilendūnāṃ yamasya varuṇasya ca ।
anyeṣāṃ cādhikārānsa svayamevādhitiṣṭhati ॥ 6||
svargānnirākṛtāḥ sarve tena devagaṇā bhuvi ।
vicaranti yathā martyā mahiṣeṇa durātmanā ॥ 7||
etadvaḥ kathitaṃ sarvamamarāriviceṣṭitam ।
śaraṇaṃ vaḥ prapannāḥ smo vadhastasya vicintyatām ॥ 8||
6-8. ‘He (Mahiṣāsura) himself has assumed the jurisdictions of Sūrya, Indra, Agni, Vāyu, Candra, Yama and Varuṇa and other (devas).
Thrown out from heaven by that evil-natured Mahiṣa, the hosts of devas wander on the earth like mortals.
All that has been done by the enemy of Devas has been related to you both, and we have sought shelter under you both. May both of you be pleased to think out the means of his destruction.'
itthaṃ niśamya devānāṃ vacāṃsi madhusūdanaḥ ।
cakāra kopaṃ śambhuśca bhrukuṭīkuṭilānanau ॥ 9||
9. Having thus heard the words of Devas, Vishnu was angry and also Śiva, and their faces became fierce with frowns.
tato'tikopapūrṇasya cakriṇo vadanāttataḥ ।
niścakrāma mahattejo brahmaṇaḥ śaṅkarasya ca ॥ 10||
anyeṣāṃ caiva devānāṃ śakrādīnāṃ śarīrataḥ ।
nirgataṃ sumahattejastaccaikyaṃ samagacchata ॥ 11||
10-11. They issued forth a great light from the face of Vishnu who was full of intense anger, and from that of Brahma and Śiva too. From the bodies of Indra and other devas also sprang forth a very great light.
And (all) this light united together.
atīva tejasaḥ kūṭaṃ jvalantamiva parvatam ।
dadṛśuste surāstatra jvālāvyāptadigantaram ॥ 12||
atulaṃ tatra tattejaḥ sarvadevaśarīrajam ।
ekasthaṃ tadabhūnnārī vyāptalokatrayaṃ tviṣā ॥ 13||
12-13. Devas saw there a concentration of light like a mountain blazing excessively, pervading all the quarters with its flames.
Then that unique light, produced from the bodies of all Devas, pervading the three worlds with its lustre, combined into one and became a female form.
yadabhūcchāmbhavaṃ tejastenājāyata tanmukham ।
yāmyena cābhavan keśā bāhavo viṣṇutejasā ॥ 14||
saumyena stanayoryugmaṃ madhyaṃ caindreṇa cābhavat ।
vāruṇena ca jaṅghorū nitambastejasā bhuvaḥ ॥ 15||
14-15. By that which was Śiva's light, her face came into being; by Yama's (light) her hair, by Vishnu's light her arms; and by Candra's (light) her two breasts. By Indra's light her waist, by Varuṇa’s (light) her shanks and thighs and by earth's light her hips.
brahmaṇastejasā pādau tadaṅgulyo'rkatejasā ।
vasūnāṃ ca karāṅgulyaḥ kaubereṇa ca nāsikā ॥ 16||
tasyāstu dantāḥ sambhūtāḥ prājāpatyena tejasā ।
nayanatritayaṃ jajñe tathā pāvakatejasā ॥ 17||
bhruvau ca sandhyayostejaḥ śravaṇāvanilasya ca ।
anyeṣāṃ caiva devānāṃ sambhavastejasāṃ śivā ॥ 18||
16-18. By Brahma's light her feet came into being; by Surya's light her toes, by Vāsus (light) her fingers, by Kubera's (light) her nose; by Prajāpati’s light her teeth came into being and similarly by Agni's light her three eyes were formed.
The light of the two Sandhyās became her eye-brows, the light of Vāyu her ears; the manifestation of the lights of other devas too (contributed to the being of the) auspicious Devi.
tataḥ samastadevānāṃ tejorāśisamudbhavām ।
tāṃ vilokya mudaṃ prāpuramarā mahiṣārditāḥ ।
tato devā dadustasyai svāni svānyāyudhāni ca ॥ 19||
19. Then looking at her, who had come into being from the assembled lights of all Devas, the immortals who were oppressed by Mahiṣāsura experienced joy.
śūlaṃ śūlādviniṣkṛṣya dadau tasyai pinākadhṛk ।
cakraṃ ca dattavān kṛṣṇaḥ samutpāṭya svacakrataḥ ॥ 20||
śaṅkhaṃ ca varuṇaḥ śaktiṃ dadau tasyai hutāśanaḥ ।
māruto dattavāṃścāpaṃ bāṇapūrṇe tatheṣudhī ॥ 21||
20-21. The bearer of Pināka (Śiva) drawing forth a trident from his own trident presented it to her; and Vishnu bringing forth a discus out of his own discus gave her.
Varuṇa gave her a conch, Agni a spear; and Maruta gave a bow as well as two quivers full of arrows.
vajramindraḥ samutpāṭya kuliśādamarādhipaḥ ।
dadau tasyai sahasrākṣo ghaṇṭāmairāvatādgajāt ॥ 22||
kāladaṇḍādyamo daṇḍaṃ pāśaṃ cāmbupatirdadau ।
prajāpatiścākṣamālāṃ dadau brahmā kamaṇḍalum ॥ 23||
22-23. Indra, lord of devas, bringing forth a thunderbolt out of (his own) thunderbolt and a bell from that of his elephant Airāvata, gave her.
Yama gave a staff from his own staff of Death and Varuṇa, the lord of waters, a noose; and Brahma, the lord of beings, gave a string of beads and a water-pot.
samastaromakūpeṣu nijaraśmīn divākaraḥ ।
kālaśca dattavān khaḍgaṃ tasyai carma ca nirmalam ॥ 24||
24. Surya bestowed his own rays on all the pores of her skin and Kāla (Time) gave a spotless sword and a shield.
kṣīrodaścāmalaṃ hāramajare ca tathāmbare ।
cūḍāmaṇiṃ tathā divyaṃ kuṇḍale kaṭakāni ca ॥ 25||
ardhacandraṃ tathā śubhraṃ keyūrān sarvabāhuṣu ।
nūpurau vimalau tadvad graiveyakamanuttamam ॥ 26||
aṅgulīyakaratnāni samastāsvaṅgulīṣu ca ।
viśvakarmā dadau tasyai paraśuṃ cātinirmalam ॥ 27||
astrāṇyanekarūpāṇi tathābhedyaṃ ca daṃśanam ।
amlānapaṅkajāṃ mālāṃ śirasyurasi cāparām ॥ 28||
adadajjaladhistasyai paṅkajaṃ cātiśobhanam ।
himavān vāhanaṃ siṃhaṃ ratnāni vividhāni ca ॥ 29||
25-29. The milk-ocean gave a pure necklace, a pair of un-decaying garments, a divine crest-jewel, a pair of ear-rings, bracelets, a brilliant half-moon(ornament), armlets on all arms, a pair of shining anklets, a unique necklace and excellent rings on all the fingers.
Viśvakarma gave her a very brilliant axe, weapons of various forms and also an impenetrable armour.
The ocean gave her a garland of unfading lotuses for her head and another for her breast, besides a very beautiful lotus in her hand.
The (mountain) Himavān gave her a lion to ride on a various jewels.
dadāvaśūnyaṃ surayā pānapātraṃ dhanādhipaḥ ।
śeṣaśca sarvanāgeśo mahāmaṇivibhūṣitam ॥ 30||
nāgahāraṃ dadau tasyai dhatte yaḥ pṛthivīmimām ।
anyairapi surairdevī bhūṣaṇairāyudhaistathā ॥ 31||
sammānitā nanādoccaiḥ sāṭṭahāsaṃ muhurmuhuḥ ।
tasyā nādena ghoreṇa kṛtsnamāpūritaṃ nabhaḥ ॥ 32||
amāyatātimahatā pratiśabdo mahānabhūt ।
cukṣubhuḥ sakalā lokāḥ samudrāśca cakampire ॥ 33||
30-33. The lord of wealth (Kubera) gave her a drinking cup, ever full of wine.
Śeṣa, the lord of all serpents, who supports this earth, gave her a serpent-necklace bedecked with best jewels.
Honoured likewise by other devas also with ornaments and weapons, she (the Devi) gave out a loud roar with a decrying laugh again and again.
By her unending, exceedingly great, terrible roar the entire sky was filled, and there was great reverberation. All worlds shook, the seas trembled.
cacāla vasudhā celuḥ sakalāśca mahīdharāḥ ।
jayeti devāśca mudā tāmūcuḥ siṃhavāhinīm ॥ 34||
tuṣṭuvurmunayaścaināṃ bhaktinamrātmamūrtayaḥ ।
dṛṣṭvā samastaṃ saṅkṣubdhaṃ trailokyamamarārayaḥ ॥ 35||
sannaddhākhilasainyāste samuttasthurudāyudhāḥ ।
āḥ kimetaditi krodhādābhāṣya mahiṣāsuraḥ ॥ 36||
abhyadhāvata taṃ śabdamaśeṣairasurairvṛtaḥ ।
sa dadarśa tato devīṃ vyāptalokatrayāṃ tviṣā ॥ 37||
pādākrāntyā natabhuvaṃ kirīṭollikhitāmbarām ।
kṣobhitāśeṣapātālāṃ dhanurjyāniḥsvanena tām ॥ 38||
diśo bhujasahasreṇa samantādvyāpya saṃsthitām ।
tataḥ pravavṛte yuddhaṃ tayā devyā suradviṣām ॥ 39||
śastrāstrairbahudhā muktairādīpitadigantaram ।
mahiṣāsurasenānīścikṣurākhyo mahāsuraḥ ॥ 40||
yuyudhe cāmaraścānyaiścaturaṅgabalānvitaḥ ।
rathānāmayutaiḥ ṣaḍbhirudagrākhyo mahāsuraḥ ॥ 41||
ayudhyatāyutānāṃ ca sahasreṇa mahāhanuḥ ।
pañcāśadbhiśca niyutairasilomā mahāsuraḥ ॥ 42||
ayutānāṃ śataiḥ ṣaḍbhirbāṣkalo yuyudhe raṇe ।
gajavājisahasraughairanekaiḥ parivāritaḥ ॥ 43||
vṛto rathānāṃ koṭyā ca yuddhe tasminnayudhyata ।
biḍālākhyo'yutānāṃ ca pañcāśadbhirathāyutaiḥ ॥ 44||
yuyudhe saṃyuge tatra rathānāṃ parivāritaḥ ।
anye ca tatrāyutaśo rathanāgahayairvṛtāḥ ॥ 45||
yuyudhuḥ saṃyuge devyā saha tatra mahāsurāḥ ।
koṭikoṭisahasraistu rathānāṃ dantināṃ tathā ॥ 46||
34-46. The earth quaked and all the mountains rocked. 'Victory to you,' exclaimed Devas in joy to her, the lion-rider. The sages, who bowed their bodies in devotion, extolled her.
Seeing the three worlds agitated the foes of devas, mobilized all their armies and rose up together with uplifted weapons:
Mahiṣāsura, exclaiming in wrath, 'Ha! What is this?' rushed towards that roar, surrounded by innumerable asuras.
Then he saw the Devi pervading the three worlds with her lustre:
Making the earth bend with her footstep, scraping the sky with her diadem, shaking the nether worlds with the twang of the bowstring, and standing there pervading all the quarters around with her thousand arms.
Then began a battle between that Devi and the enemies of Devas, in which the quarters of the sky were illumined by the weapons and arms hurled diversely.
Mahiṣāsura's general, a great asura named Chikṣura and Cāmara, attended by forces comprising four parts, and other (asuras) fought.
A great asura named Udagra with sixty thousand chariots, and Mahāhanu with ten millions (of chariots) gave battle.
Asilomā, another great asura, with fifteen millions (of chariots), and Bāṣkala with six millions fought in that battle.
Privarita with many thousands of elephants and horses, and surrounded by ten millions of chariots, fought in that battle.
An asura named Bidāla fought in that battle surrounded with five hundred crores of chariots. And other great asuras, thousands in number, surrounded with chariots, elephants and horses fought with the Devi in that battle.
hayānāṃ ca vṛto yuddhe tatrābhūnmahiṣāsuraḥ ।
tomarairbhindipālaiśca śaktibhirmusalaistathā ॥ 47||
yuyudhuḥ saṃyuge devyā khaḍgaiḥ paraśupaṭṭiśaiḥ ।
kecicca cikṣipuḥ śaktīḥ kecit pāśāṃstathāpare ॥ 48||
47-48. Mahiṣāsura was surrounded in that battle with thousands of crores of horses, elephants and chariots.
Others (asuras) fought in the battle against the Devi with iron maces and javelins, with spears and clubs, with swords, axes and halberds. Some hurled spears and others nooses.
devīṃ khaḍgaprahāraistu te tāṃ hantuṃ pracakramuḥ ।
sāpi devī tatastāni śastrāṇyastrāṇi caṇḍikā ॥ 49||
līlayaiva praciccheda nijaśastrāstravarṣiṇī ।
anāyastānanā devī stūyamānā surarṣibhiḥ ॥ 50||
mumocāsuradeheṣu śastrāṇyastrāṇi ceśvarī ।
so'pi kruddho dhutasaṭo devyā vāhanakesarī ॥ 51||
cacārāsurasainyeṣu vaneṣviva hutāśanaḥ ।
niḥśvāsān mumuce yāṃśca yudhyamānā raṇe'mbikā ॥ 52||
ta eva sadyaḥ sambhūtā gaṇāḥ śatasahasraśaḥ ।
yuyudhuste paraśubhirbhindipālāsipaṭṭiśaiḥ ॥ 53||
nāśayanto'suragaṇān devīśaktyupabṛṃhitāḥ ।
avādayanta paṭahān gaṇāḥ śaṅkhāṃstathāpare ॥ 54||
mṛdaṅgāṃśca tathaivānye tasmin yuddhamahotsave ।
tato devī triśūlena gadayā śaktivṛṣṭibhiḥ ॥ 55||
khaḍgādibhiśca śataśo nijaghāna mahāsurān ।
pātayāmāsa caivānyān ghaṇṭāsvanavimohitān ॥ 56||
asurān bhuvi pāśena baddhvā cānyānakarṣayat ।
kecid dvidhākṛtāstīkṣṇaiḥ khaḍgapātaistathāpare ॥ 57||
vipothitā nipātena gadayā bhuvi śerate ।
vemuśca kecidrudhiraṃ musalena bhṛśaṃ hatāḥ ॥ 58||
49-58. They began to strike her with swords in order to kill her.
Showering her own weapons and arms, that Devi Chaṇḍikā very easily cut into pieces all those weapons and arms.
Without any strain on her face, and with gods and sages extolling her, the Īśvarī threw her weapons and arms at the bodies of the asuras.
And the lion also which carried the Devi, shaking its mane in rage, stalked among the hosts of the asuras like a conflagration amidst the forests.
The sighs which Ambikā, engaged in the battle, heaved became at once her battalions by hundreds and thousands.
Energized by the power of the Devi, these (battalions) fought with axes, javelins, swords, halberds, and destroyed the asuras. Of these battalions, some beat drums, some blew conches and others played on tabors in that great martial festival.
Then the Devi killed hundreds of asuras with her trident, club, showers of spears, swords and the like, and threw down others who were stupefied by the noise of her bell; and binding others with her noose, she dragged them on the ground.
Some were split into two by the sharp slashes of her sword, and others, smashed by the blows of her mace, lay down on the ground; and some severely hammered by club vomited forth blood.
kecinnipatitā bhūmau bhinnāḥ śūlena vakṣasi ।
nirantarāḥ śaraugheṇa kṛtāḥ kecidraṇājire ॥ 59||
śyenānukāriṇaḥ prāṇān mumucustridaśārdanāḥ ।
keṣāñcid bāhavaśchinnāśchinnagrīvāstathāpare ॥ 60||
śirāṃsi peturanyeṣāmanye madhye vidāritāḥ ।
vicchinnajaṅghāstvapare petururvyāṃ mahāsurāḥ ॥ 61||
59-61. Pierced in the breast by her trident, some fell on the ground. Pierced all over by her arrows and resembling porcupines, some of the enemies of devas gave up their lives on that field of battle:
Some had their arms cut off, some, their necks broken the heads of others rolled down; some others were torn asunder in the middle of their trunks, and some great asuras fell on the ground with their legs severed.
ekabāhvakṣicaraṇāḥ keciddevyā dvidhākṛtāḥ ।
chinne'pi cānye śirasi patitāḥ punarutthitāḥ ॥ 62||
62. Some rendered one-armed, one-eyed, and one-legged were again clove in twain by the Devi. And others, though rendered headless, fell and rose again.
kabandhā yuyudhurdevyā gṛhītaparamāyudhāḥ ।
nanṛtuścāpare tatra yuddhe tūryalayāśritāḥ ॥ 63||
63. Headless trunks fought with the Devi with best weapons in their hands. Some of these headless trunks danced there in the battle to the rhythm of the musical instruments.
kabandhāśchinnaśirasaḥ khaḍgaśaktyṛṣṭipāṇayaḥ ।
tiṣṭha tiṣṭheti bhāṣanto devīmanye mahāsurāḥ ॥ 64||
pātitai rathanāgāśvairasuraiśca vasundharā ।
agamyā sābhavattatra yatrābhūt sa mahāraṇaḥ ॥ 65||
64-65. The trunks of some other great asuras, with their swords, spears and lances still in their hands, shouted at the Devi with their just severed heads, 'Stop, stop'.
That part of earth where the battle was fought became impassable with the asuras, elephants and horses and chariots that had been felled.
śoṇitaughā mahānadyaḥ sadyastatra prasusruvuḥ ।
madhye cāsurasainyasya vāraṇāsuravājinām ॥ 66||
kṣaṇena tanmahāsainyamasurāṇāṃ tathāmbikā ।
ninye kṣayaṃ yathā vahnistṛṇadārumahācayam ॥ 67||
66-67. The profuse blood from the asuras, elephants and horses flowed immediately like large rivers amidst that army of the asuras.
As fire consumes a huge heap of straw and wood, so did Ambikā destroy that vast army of asuras in no time.
sa ca siṃho mahānādamutsṛjan dhutakesaraḥ ।
śarīrebhyo'marārīṇāmasūniva vicinvati ॥ 68||
devyā gaṇaiśca taistatra kṛtaṃ yuddhaṃ tathāsuraiḥ ।
yathaiṣāṃ tutuṣurdevāḥ puṣpavṛṣṭimuco divi ॥ 69||
68-69. And her carrier-lion, thundering aloud with quivering mane, prowled about in the battlefield, appearing to search out the vital breaths from the bodies of the enemies of devas.
In that battlefield the battalions of the Devi fought in such a manner with the asuras that Devas in heaven, showering flowers, extolled them.
॥ svasti śrīmārkaṇḍeyapurāṇe sāvarṇike manvantare devīmāhātmye mahiṣāsurasainyavadho nāma dvitīyo'dhyāyaḥ ॥ 2॥
Here ends the second chapter called 'Slaughter of the armies of Mahiṣāsura' of Devi-Māhātmya in Mārkaṇḍeya-Purāṇa, during the period of Sāvarṇi, the Manu.