Devī Māhātmyam | Durgā Saptashatī | 9
Chapter 9
The Slaying of Niśumbha
॥ navamo'dhyāyaḥ ||
oṃ rājovāca ॥ 1||
The king (Suratha) said:
vicitramidamākhyātaṃ bhagavan bhavatā mama ।
devyāścaritamāhātmyaṃ raktabījavadhāśritam ॥ 2||
1-2. 'Wonderful is this that you, adorable sir, have related to me about the greatness of the Devi's act in slaying Raktabīja.
bhūyaścecchāmyahaṃ śrotuṃ raktabīje nipātite ।
cakāra śumbho yatkarma niśumbhaścātikopanaḥ ॥ 3||
3. 'I wish to hear further what the very irate Śumbha and Niśumbha did after Raktabīja was killed.'
ṛṣiruvāca ॥ 4||
The Rishi said:
cakāra kopamatulaṃ raktabīje nipātite ।
śumbhāsuro niśumbhaśca hateṣvanyeṣu cāhave ॥ 5||
4-5. After Raktabīja was slain and other asuras were killed in the fight, the asura Śumbha and Niśumbha gave way to unbounded wrath.
hanyamānaṃ mahāsainyaṃ vilokyāmarṣamudvahan ।
abhyadhāvanniśumbho'tha mukhyayāsurasenayā ॥ 6||
6. Enraged on seeing his great army slaughtered, Niśumbha then rushed forward with the chief forces of the asuras.
tasyāgratastathā pṛṣṭhe pārśvayośca mahāsurāḥ ।
sandaṣṭauṣṭhapuṭāḥ kruddhā hantuṃ devīmupāyayuḥ ॥ 7||
7. In front of him behind him and on both sides of him, great asuras, enraged and biting their lips, advanced to slay the Devi.
ājagāma mahāvīryaḥ śumbho'pi svabalairvṛtaḥ ।
nihantuṃ caṇḍikāṃ kopātkṛtvā yuddhaṃ tu mātṛbhiḥ ॥ 8||
8. Śumbha also, mighty in valour, went forward, surrounded, with his own troops to slay Chaṇḍikā in this rage, after fighting with the Mothers.
tato yuddhamatīvāsīddevyā śumbhaniśumbhayoḥ ।
śaravarṣamatīvograṃ meghayoriva varṣatoḥ ॥ 9||
9. Then commenced severe combat between the Devi on one side and on the other, Śumbha and Niśumbha who, like two thunder-clouds, rained a most tempestuous shower of arrows on her.
cicchedāstāñcharāṃstābhyāṃ caṇḍikā svaśarotkaraiḥ ।
tāḍayāmāsa cāṅgeṣu śastraughairasureśvarau ॥ 10||
10. Chaṇḍikā with numerous arrows quickly split the arrows shot by the two asuras and smote the two lords of asuras on their limbs with her mass of weapons.
niśumbho niśitaṃ khaḍgaṃ carma cādāya suprabham ।
atāḍayanmūrdhni siṃhaṃ devyā vāhanamuttamam ॥ 11||
11. Niśumbha, grasping a sharp sword and a shining shield, struck the lion, the great carrier of the Devi on the head.
tāḍite vāhane devī kṣurapreṇāsimuttamam ।
niśumbhasyāśu ciccheda carma cāpyaṣṭacandrakam ॥ 12||
12. When her carrier was struck, the Devi quickly cut Niśumbha's superb sword with a sharp-edged arrow and also his shield on which eight moons were figured.
chinne carmaṇi khaḍge ca śaktiṃ cikṣepa so'suraḥ ।
tāmapyasya dvidhā cakre cakreṇābhimukhāgatām ॥ 13||
13. When his shield was slit and his sword too broken, the asura hurled his spear; and that missile also, as it advanced towards her, was split into two by her discus.
kopādhmāto niśumbho'tha śūlaṃ jagrāha dānavaḥ ।
āyātaṃ muṣṭipātena devī taccāpyacūrṇayat ॥ 14||
14. Then the Dānava Niśumbha, swelling with wrath, seized a dart; and that also, as it came, the Devi powdered with a blow of her fist.
āvidhyātha gadāṃ so'pi cikṣepa caṇḍikāṃ prati ।
sāpi devyās triśūlena bhinnā bhasmatvamāgatā ॥ 15||
15. Then brandishing his club, he flung it against Chaṇḍikā; cleft by the trident of the Devi, it also turned to ashes.
tataḥ paraśuhastaṃ tamāyāntaṃ daityapuṅgavam ।
āhatya devī bāṇaughairapātayata bhūtale ॥ 16||
16. Then the Devi assailed the heroic Dānava advancing with battle-axe in hand, and laid him low on the ground.
tasminnipatite bhūmau niśumbhe bhīmavikrame ।
bhrātaryatīva saṅkruddhaḥ prayayau hantumambikām ॥ 17||
17. When his brother Niśumbha of terrific prowess fell to the ground,
(Śumbha) got infuriated in the extreme, and strode forward to slay Ambikā.
sa rathasthastathātyuccairgṛhītaparamāyudhaiḥ ।
bhujairaṣṭābhiratulairvyāpyāśeṣaṃ babhau nabhaḥ ॥ 18||
18. Standing in his chariot and grasping excellent weapons in his long and incomparable eight arms, he shone by pervading the entire sky.
tamāyāntaṃ samālokya devī śaṅkhamavādayat ।
jyāśabdaṃ cāpi dhanuṣaścakārātīva duḥsaham ॥ 19||
19. Seeing him approaching, the Devi blew her conch, and made a twang of her bow-string, which was unbearable in the extreme.
pūrayāmāsa kakubho nijaghaṇṭāsvanena ca ।
samastadaityasainyānāṃ tejovadhavidhāyinā ॥ 20||
20. And (the Devi) filled all directions with the ringing of her bell, which destroys the strength of all the Daitya hosts.
tataḥ siṃho mahānādaistyājitebhamahāmadaiḥ ।
pūrayāmāsa gaganaṃ gāṃ tathaiva diśo daśa ॥ 21||
21. The lion filled the heaven, the earth and the ten quarters of the sky with loud roars, which made the elephants give up their violent rut.
tataḥ kālī samutpatya gaganaṃ kṣmāmatāḍayat ।
karābhyāṃ tanninādena prāksvanāste tirohitāḥ ॥ 22||
22. Then Kālī, springing upwards in the sky, (came down) and struck the earth with both her hands; by its noise all the previous sounds were drowned.
aṭṭāṭṭahāsamaśivaṃ śivadūtī cakāra ha ।
vaiḥ śabdairasurāstresuḥ śumbhaḥ kopaṃ paraṃ yayau ॥ 23||
23. Śivadūtī made a loud ominous peal of laughter, the asuras were frightened by those sounds, and Śumbha flew into an utmost rage.
durātmaṃstiṣṭha tiṣṭheti vyājahārāmbikā yadā ।
tadā jayetyabhihitaṃ devairākāśasaṃsthitaiḥ ॥ 24||
24. As Ambikā said, 'O evil-natured one, stop, stop',
Devas stationed in the sky cheered her with the words, 'Be victorious'.
śumbhenāgatya yā śaktirmuktā jvālātibhīṣaṇā ।
āyāntī vahnikūṭābhā sā nirastā maholkayā ॥ 25||
25. The spear, flaming most terribly and shining like a mass of fire, which Śumbha approaching hurled was, as it was coming along, put out by a great firebrand (from the Devi).
siṃhanādena śumbhasya vyāptaṃ lokatrayāntaram ।
nirghātaniḥsvano ghoro jitavānavanīpate ॥ 26||
26. The interspace between the three worlds was pervaded by Śumbha's lion-like roar, but the dreadful thunder-clap (of the Devi) smothered that, O King.
śumbhamuktāñcharāndevī śumbhastatprahitāñcharān ।
ciccheda svaśarairugraiḥ śataśo'tha sahasraśaḥ ॥ 27||
27. The Devi split the arrows shot by Śumbha, and Śumbha also split the arrows discharged by her, (each with her and his) sharp arrows in hundreds and thousands.
tataḥ sā caṇḍikā kruddhā śūlenābhijaghāna tam ।
sa tadābhihato bhūmau mūrcchito nipapāta ha ॥ 28||
28. Then Chaṇḍikā became angry and smote him with a trident. Wounded therewith, he fainted and fell to the ground.
tato niśumbhaḥ samprāpya cetanāmāttakārmukaḥ ।
ājaghāna śarairdevīṃ kālīṃ kesariṇaṃ tathā ॥ 29||
29. Then Niśumbha, regaining consciousness seized his bow and struck with arrows the Devi and Kālī and the lion.
punaśca kṛtvā bāhūnāmayutaṃ danujeśvaraḥ ।
cakrāyudhena ditijaśchādayāmāsa caṇḍikām ॥ 30||
30. And the Dānava-lord, the son of Diti, putting forth a myriad arms, covered Chaṇḍikā with myriad discuses.
tato bhagavatī kruddhā durgā durgārtināśinī ।
ciccheda devī cakrāṇi svaśaraiḥ sāyakāṃśca tān ॥ 31||
31. Then Bhagavatī Durgā, the destroyer of difficulties and afflictions, became angry and split those discuses and those arrows with her own arrows.
tato niśumbho vegena gadāmādāya caṇḍikām ।
abhyadhāvata vai hantuṃ daityasainyasamāvṛtaḥ ॥ 32||
32. Thereupon Niśumbha, surrounded by the Daitya host, swiftly seizing his club, rushed at Chaṇḍikā to sly her.
tasyāpatata evāśu gadāṃ ciccheda caṇḍikā ।
khaḍgena śitadhāreṇa sa ca śūlaṃ samādade ॥ 33||
33. As he was just rushing at her, Chaṇḍikā struck his club with her sharp-edged sword; and she took hold of a dart.
śūlahastaṃ samāyāntaṃ niśumbhamamarārdanam ।
hṛdi vivyādha śūlena vegāviddhena caṇḍikā ॥ 34||
34. As Niśumbha, the afflicter of Devas, was advancing with the dart in hand, Chaṇḍikā pierced him in the heart with a swiftly hurled dart.
bhinnasya tasya śūlena hṛdayānniḥsṛto'paraḥ ।
mahābalo mahāvīryastiṣṭheti puruṣo vadan ॥ 35||
35. From his (Niśumbha's) heart that was pierced by the dart, issued forth another person of great strength and valour, exclaiming (at the Devi) 'Stop.'
tasya niṣkrāmato devī prahasya svanavattataḥ ।
śiraściccheda khaḍgena tato'sāvapatadbhuvi ॥ 36||
36. Then the Devi, laughing aloud, severed the head of him, who issued forth, with her sword. Thereupon he fell to the ground.
tataḥ siṃhaścakhādogradaṃṣṭrākṣuṇṇaśirodharān ।
asurāṃstāṃstathā kālī śivadūtī tathāparān ॥ 37||
37. The lion then devoured those asuras whose necks he had crushed with his fierce teeth, and Kālī and Śivadūtī devoured others.
kaumārīśaktinirbhinnāḥ kecinneśurmahāsurāḥ ।
brahmāṇīmantrapūtena toyenānye nirākṛtāḥ ॥ 38||
38. Some great asuras perished, being pierced through by the spear of Kaumārī. Others were repulsed by (sprinkling of) the water purified by the incantation of Brahmāṇī.
māheśvarītriśūlena bhinnāḥ petustathāpare ।
vārāhītuṇḍaghātena keciccūrṇīkṛtā bhuvi ॥ 39||
39. Others fell, pierced by a trident wielded by Maheśvarī; some were powdered on the ground by the blows from the snout of Vārāhī.
khaṇḍaṃ khaṇḍaṃ ca cakreṇa vaiṣṇavyā dānavāḥ kṛtāḥ ।
vajreṇa caindrīhastāgravimuktena tathāpare ॥ 40||
40. Some Dānavas were cut to pieces by the discus of Vaiṣṇavī, and others again by the thunderbolt discharged from the palm of Aindrī.
kecidvineśurasurāḥ kecinnaṣṭā mahāhavāt ।
bhakṣitāścāpare kālīśivadūtīmṛgādhipaiḥ ॥ 41||
41. Some asuras perished (themselves), some fled from the great battle, and others were devoured by Kālī, Śivadūtī and the lion.
॥ svasti śrīmārkaṇḍeyapurāṇe sāvarṇike manvantare devīmāhātmye
niśumbhavadho nāma navamo'dhyāyaḥ ॥ 9॥
Here ends the ninth chapter called 'the Slaying of Niśumbha' of Devi Māhātmya in Mārkaṇḍeya Purāṇa during the period of Sāvarṇi, the Manu.