Garja Garja Kshanam Mudha (The Devi's Challenge and the Slaying of Mahishasura) — Word-by-Word Meaning
गर्ज गर्ज क्षणं मूढ (देवी की ललकार और महिषासुर-वध)
Every Sanskrit word explained in English
Word-by-Word Breakdown
देव्युवाच
devyuvāca
The Devi (Goddess) said
गर्ज गर्ज
garja garja
Roar, roar (bellow your fill)
क्षणम्
kṣaṇam
For a moment
मूढ
mūḍha
O fool, O deluded one
मधु यावत् पिबामि अहम्
madhu yāvat pibāmi aham
While I drink this wine (madhu)
मया त्वयि हते
mayā tvayi hate
When you are slain by me
अत्र एव
atra eva
Right here, in this very place
गर्जिष्यन्ति आशु देवताः
garjiṣyanti āśu devatāḥ
The gods shall soon roar (in triumph)
ऋषिरुवाच
ṛṣiruvāca
The Rishi (sage) said
एवम् उक्त्वा समुत्पत्य
evam uktvā samutpatya
Having said this, springing up
सारूढा तं महासुरम्
sārūḍhā taṃ mahāsuram
Mounting upon that great asura
पादेन आक्रम्य कण्ठे
pādena ākramya kaṇṭhe
Pressing his neck with her foot
शूलेन एनम् अताडयत्
śūlena enam atāḍayat
Struck him with her trident
अर्धनिष्क्रान्तः
ardha-niṣkrāntaḥ
Only half-emerged (from the buffalo's mouth)
महासिना शिरः छित्त्वा निपातितः
mahāsinā śiraḥ chittvā nipātitaḥ
Felled, his head cut off with her great sword
Complete Translation
The Devi said: 'Roar, roar your fill for a moment, O fool, while I drink this wine. When you are slain by me here, the gods themselves shall soon roar in triumph.' The Rishi said: Having spoken thus, she sprang up and, mounting upon that great asura, pressed his neck with her foot and struck him with her trident. Then, pressed down by her foot, he came forth half-out from his own buffalo mouth, wholly overpowered by the Devi's valour. Fighting thus, only half-emerged, that great asura was felled by the Devi, who cut off his head with her great sword.
Origin & History
Source: Durga Saptashati Chapter 3
Author: Sage Markandeya (Markandeya Purana)
Period: c. 400–600 CE (Markandeya Purana)
After the Goddess had destroyed Mahishasura's vast armies and his generals, Mahishasura himself, repeatedly changing his shape between buffalo, lion, man and elephant, attacked her. The Devi, intoxicated with the battle, drank the divine madhu, hurled her defiant challenge, and finally pinned him underfoot and severed his head as he tried to escape his buffalo form, ending the hundred-year tyranny of the asuras.
Frequently Asked Questions
What event do these verses describe?▼
They describe the final slaying of Mahishasura, the buffalo-demon. The Devi challenges him to roar while he can, then leaps upon him, holds down his neck with her foot, strikes him with her trident and beheads him with her sword as he is caught half-emerged from his buffalo form.
Why does the Devi tell the demon to 'roar'?▼
Mahishasura had been boasting and bellowing in the pride of his strength, repeatedly changing forms. The Devi's words 'Roar, roar your fill, O fool' are a fearless challenge declaring that his arrogance is about to end and that the gods will soon roar in triumph at his death.
How is this connected to Mahishasura-Mardini?▼
It is the very deed that earns the Goddess the title Mahishasura-Mardini, 'the slayer of Mahishasura'. The popular Mahishasura-Mardini Stotra (Aigiri Nandini) celebrates this same victory described in the third chapter of the Durga Saptashati.
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