Shakti Sadhana Programme for Navarathri [ Day Five ]

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The Rishi said:

1-2. Then Ciksura, the great asura general, seeing that

army being slain(by the Devi), advanced in anger to fight with

Ambika.

 

3. That asura rained showers of arrows on the Devi in the battle,

even as a cloud (showers) rain on the summit of Mount Meru.

 

4. Then the Devi, easily cutting asunder the masses of his arrows,

killed his horses and their controller with her arrows.

 

5. Forthwith she split his bow and lofty banner, and with her arrows

pierced the body of that (asura) whose bow had been cut.

 

6. His bow shattered, his chariot broken, his horses killed and his

charioteer slain, the asura armed with sword and shield rushed at

the Devi.

 

7. Swiftly he smote the lion on the head with his sharp-edged sword

and struck the Devi also on her left arm.

 

8. O king, his sword broke into pieces as it touched her arm.

Thereon his eyes turning red with anger, he grasped his pike.

 

9. Then the great asura flung at Bhandrakali[a] the pike, blazing

with lustre, as if he was hurling the very sun from the skies.

 

10. Seeing that pike coming upon her, the Devi hurled her pike that

shattered his pike into a hundred fragments and the great asura

himself.

 

11. Mahisasura's very valiant general having been killed, Camara,

the afflictor of devas, mounted on an elephant, advanced.

 

12. He also hurled his spear at the Devi. Ambika quickly assailed it

with a whoop, made it lustreless and fall to the ground.

 

13. Seeing his spear broken and fallen, Camara, full of rage, flung

a pike, and she split that also with her arrows.

 

14. Then the lion, leaping up and seating itself at the centre of

the elephant's forehead, engaged itself in a hand to hand fight with

that foe of the devas.

 

15. Fighting, the two then came down to the earth from the back of

the elephant, and fought very impetuously, dealing the most terrible

blows at each other.

 

 

 

16. Then the lion, springing up quickly to the sky, and descending,

severed Camara's head with a blow from its paw.

 

17. And Udagra was killed in the battle by the Devi with stones,

trees and the like, and Karala also stricken down by her teeth and

fists and slaps.

18. Enraged, the Devi ground Uddhata to powder with the blows of her

club, and killed Baskala with a dart and destroyed Tamra and Andhaka

with arrows.

19. The three-eyed Supreme Isvari killed Ugrasya and Ugravirya and

Mahahanu also with her trident.

20. With her sword she struck down Bidala's head from his body, and

dispatched both Durdhara and Durmudha to the abode of Death with her

arrows.

21. As his army was thus being destroyed, Mahisasura terrified the

troops of the Devi with his own buffalo form.

22. Some ( he laid low) by a blow of his muzzle, some by stamping

with his hooves, some by the lashes of his tail, and others by the

pokes of his horns.

23. Some he laid low on the face of the earth by his impetuous

speed, some by his bellowing and wheeling movement, and others by

the blast of his breath.

24. Having laid low her army, Mahisasura rushed to slay the lion of

the Mahadevi. This enraged Ambika.

25. Mahisasura, great in valour, pounded the surface of the earth

with his hooves in rage, tossed up the high mountains with his

horns, and bellowed terribly.

26. Crushed by the velocity of his wheeling, the earth

disintegrated, and lashed by his tail, the sea overflowed all around.

27. Pierced by his swaying horns, the clouds went into fragments.

Cast up by the blast of his breath, mountains fell down from the sky

in hundreds.

28. Seeing the great asura swollen with rage and advancing towards

her, Chandika displayed her wrath in order to slay him.

29. She flung her noose over him and bound the great asura. Thus

bound in the great battle, he quitted his buffalo form.

30. Then he became a lion suddenly. While Ambika cut off the head

(of his lion form), he took the appearance of a man with sword in

hand.

31. Immediately then the Devi with her arrows chopped off the man

together with his sword and shield. Then he became a big elephant.

32. (The elephant) tugged at her great lion with his trunk and

roared loudly, but as he was dragging, the Devi cut off his trunk

with her sword.

33. The great asura then resumed his buffalo shape and shook the

three worlds with their movable and immovable objects.

34. Enraged threat, Chandika, the Mother of the worlds, quaffed a

divine drink again and again, and laughed, her eyes becoming red.

35, And the asura, also roared intoxicated with his strength and

valour, and hurled mountains against Chandika with his horns.

36. And she with showers of arrows pulverized ( those mountains)

hurled at her, and spoke to him in flurried words, the colour of her

face accentuated with the intoxication of the divine drink.

The Devi said:

37-38. 'Roar, roar, O fool, for a moment while I drink this wine[c].

When you sill be slain by me, the devas will soon roar in this very

place.'

The Rishi said:

39-40. Having exclaimed thus, she jumped and landed herself on that

great asura, pressed him on the neck with her foot and

struck him with her spear.

41. And thereupon, caught up under her foot. Mahisasura half issued

forth ( in his real form) from his own (buffalo) mouth, being

completely overcome by the valour of the Devi.

42. Fighting thus with his half-revealed form, the great asura was

laid by the Devi who struck off his head with her great sword.

43. Then, crying in consternation, the whole asura army perished;

and all the hosts of deva were in exultation.

44. With the great sages of heaven, the devas praised the Devi. The

Gandharva chiefs sang and the bevies of apsaras danced.

Here ends the third chapter called 'The Slaying of Mahisasura' of

Devi-mahatmya in Markandeya-purana during the period of Savarni, the

Manu.

Foot Note :

[a] Name of CandikA

Or `with the handle of her ivory sword'

[c] According to the commentary named Guptavati, the drinking of the

divine wine signifies that the Devi was in her MahAlaksmi form.

>From DEVI MAHATMYAM.

Glory of the Divine Mother.

700 Mantras on Sri Durga.

English Translation by Swami Jagadiswarananda.

Sri Ramakrishna Math, 11th Impression.

I pray to the Divine Mother to shower HER blessings on those who

read this MAhAtmaya.