ਮਹਿषਾਸੁਰਵਧ

Meaning(Om. The Rishi said:) Seeing that army being slaughtered, the great asura Chikshura, the general, advanced in fury to fight Ambika.

MeaningThat asura rained showers of arrows upon the Devi in battle, as a cloud (pours) showers of water on the peak of Mount Meru.

MeaningThen the Devi, cleaving his masses of arrows as if in mere play, slew his horses with her arrows, and their charioteer as well.

MeaningShe at once split his bow and his lofty banner, and pierced in the limbs with her swift arrows him whose bow was cut.

MeaningHis bow shattered, his chariot gone, his horses slain and his charioteer killed, the asura, bearing sword and shield, rushed at the Devi.

MeaningStriking the lion on the head with his sharp-edged sword, the swift one struck the Devi too on her left arm.

MeaningHis sword, O delight of the king, on reaching her arm broke to pieces. Thereupon, his eyes red with anger, he seized his pike (shula).

MeaningThen the great asura hurled it at Bhadrakali — that pike blazing with radiance, like the orb of the sun (falling) from the sky.

MeaningSeeing that pike falling, the Devi let fly her own pike; by it that pike was shattered into a hundred fragments, and that great asura too.

MeaningWhen that most valiant general of Mahisha was slain, Chamara, the tormentor of the gods, came mounted on an elephant.

MeaningHe too hurled his spear (shakti) at the Devi; but Ambika quickly, with a mere 'hum' (hunkara), struck it down to the ground, robbed of its splendour.

MeaningSeeing his spear broken and fallen, Chamara, filled with rage, flung a pike; but she split that too with her arrows.

MeaningThen the lion, leaping up, settled in the hollow of the elephant's temples and fought arm-to-arm, high aloft, with that foe of the gods.

MeaningFighting, the two then came down from the elephant to the earth, and battled, greatly enraged, with most terrible blows.

MeaningThen, springing swiftly into the sky and dropping down, the lion (foe of beasts) severed Chamara's head with a blow of its paw.

MeaningAnd Udagra was slain in battle by the Devi with rocks, trees and the like; and Karala too was felled by her teeth, fists and palms.

MeaningThe Devi, enraged, ground the demon Uddhata to powder with blows of her mace, (slew) Bashkala with a javelin (bhindipala), and Tamra and Andhaka with arrows.

MeaningThe three-eyed Supreme Goddess (Parameshwari) slew with her trident Ugrasya, Ugravirya, and Mahahanu likewise.

MeaningWith her sword she struck Bidala's head from his body; and both Durdhara and Durmukha she sent with her arrows to the abode of Yama (death).

MeaningWhile his army was thus being destroyed, Mahishasura terrified her hosts (ganas) with his buffalo form,

Meaningstriking some with a blow of his muzzle, others with a fling of his hooves, others lashed by his tail, and others gored by his two horns;

Meaningand some others by his speed, by his bellow and his wheeling about, and others by the blast of his breath, he laid low upon the ground.

MeaningHaving laid low the host of the Pramathas (the Devi's attendants), the asura rushed on to slay the Mahadevi's lion; at this Ambika grew wrathful.

MeaningHe too, of great might, in his fury, pounding the earth's surface with his hooves, hurled high mountains with his horns, and bellowed.

MeaningCrushed by the speed of his wheeling, the earth crumbled apart; and the ocean, lashed by his tail, overflowed on every side.

MeaningThe clouds, torn by his tossing horns, broke into pieces; and mountains by the hundred fell from the sky, (shattered) by the gale of his breath.

MeaningSeeing the great asura thus swollen with wrath and rushing on, Chandika kindled her anger for his slaying.

MeaningShe flung her noose over him and bound the great asura; bound in the great battle, he forsook his buffalo form.

MeaningThen at once he became a lion; and just as Ambika moved to cut off its head, he appeared as a man, sword in hand.

MeaningAt once the Devi pierced the man, together with his sword and shield, with her arrows; then he became a great elephant.

MeaningWith his trunk he dragged at her great lion and roared; but as he dragged, the Devi cut off his trunk with her sword.

MeaningThen the great asura once more assumed his buffalo form and, as before, convulsed the three worlds with all that moves and is unmoving.

MeaningAt this the Mother of the world, Chandika, enraged, drank again and again the choice drink (madhu), and laughed, her eyes turning red.

MeaningAnd the asura too roared, puffed up with the pride of his strength and valour, and hurled mountains at Chandika with his horns.

MeaningAnd she, pulverizing with showers of arrows those (mountains) hurled by him, spoke to him, her words faltering, her face flushed with the intoxication (of battle):

Meaning(The Devi said:) 'Roar, roar your fill for a moment, O fool, while I drink this wine (madhu). When you are slain by me here, the gods themselves shall soon roar (in triumph).'

Meaning(The Rishi said:) Having said this, she sprang up and, mounting upon that great asura, pressed his neck with her foot and struck him with her trident.

MeaningThen, pressed down by her foot, he came forth half-out from his own (buffalo) mouth, wholly overpowered by the Devi's valour.

MeaningFighting thus, only half-emerged, that great asura was felled by the Devi, who cut off his head with her great sword.

MeaningThen, with a cry of 'Alas!', the whole army of the daityas perished; and all the hosts of the gods attained the highest joy.

MeaningThe gods, together with the divine great sages, extolled the Devi; the lords of the Gandharvas sang, and the bands of Apsaras danced.