On the conquest of the Heavens by S’umbha and Nis’umbha [ p. 425 ] 1-6. Vyâsa said :— O King! I am describing to you that excellent pure life and doings of the Devî that destroy all the sins of all the beings and make them happy. In days of yore, there were two very powerful demons S’umbha and Nis’umbha; they were two brothers, strong heroes and invulnerable by the male persons. Those two wicked Asuras were surrounded with numerable Dânavas; they tormented always the Devas. Then the Goddess Ambikâ, for the good of the Devas, killed S’umbha and Nis’umbha with all their attendants in a very dreadful battle. In the battlefield the Devî killed their main assistants Chanda Munda and the exceedingly terrible Rakta Vîja and Dhumralochana. When the Devî destroyed those Dânavas, the Devas became fearless; the Devas then went to the beautiful Sumeru mountain and praised Her and chanted hymns to Her.
7-8. Hearing about the names of S’umbha and Nis’umbha, Janamejaya asked :— O best of Munis! Who were those two Asuras? How came [ p. 426 ] they to be most powerful? Who put them here? Why were they vulnerable to women only? Under whose tapasyâ and under whose boon did they become so strong? And why did that great Devî kill them? Describe all these to me in detail.
9-20. Vyâsa said :— O King, I am describing to you that beautiful anecdote where the Devî’s holy deeds are involved. Hear. This incident full of all that is good, destroys the hearer’s all sins and grants them all their desired ends. In days of yore, S’umbha and Nis’umbha, the two fair and good looking brothers came out of Pâtâla to this earth. These two Asuras, when they grew to their manhood, performed severe asceticism in Puskara, the holy place of pilgrimage, the most purifying place in this world and they refused to eat rice and water. They became so very skilled in their Yoga practices that they passed away in their one posture and seat one Ajuta (10,000) years. Thus they performed very difficult Tapasyâ. Then the God Brahmâ, the Grandsire of all, became pleased with their asceticism and appeared before them, riding on His vehicle, the Swan. The Creator, seeing them thus deeply merged in meditation, asked them to get up from that state and told them thus :— “I have become pleased with your asceticism. I fulfil the desires of all the Lokas; I have now come to you, pleased to see you so very strong in your ascetic practices; better ask your desired boons from me; I will grant them to you.” Vyâsa said :— O King! Hearing thus the Grandsire’s wards, S’umbha and Nis’umbha got up from their meditation; concentrating their attention towards Him, circumambulated Him and bowed down to Him with their hearts full of reverence. The two Asuras were very weak, lean and thin by their hard tapasyâ and they looked very humble. They fell down before Him like a piece of wood and began to speak in a sweet voice, choked by intense feelings. O Brâhman! O Deva of the Devas! O Thou, the Ocean of Mercy! O Destroyer of fear of the devotees! O Lord! If Thou art pleased then dost Thou grant us immortality. There is nothing in this world more fearful than death; we two have taken refuge unto Thee, being afraid of this death. O Thou, Ocean of mercy! O Creator of the world! O Lord of the Devas! O Universal Soul! Protect us from this fear due to the terrible Death.
21-23. Brahmâ said :— Is this the boon that you ask? This is in every way, against the Law of Nature; for no one, in these three Lokas, can grant this boon to anybody. When one becomes born, one must die; and when one dies, one must be born again. This Law is ordained in this world by the Supreme Creator of this Universe, from time immemorial. Therefore all the beings must die; there is no doubt in this. Better ask any other boon that you desire; I will grant that to you. [ p. 427 ] 24-27. Vyâsa said :— O King! Hearing thus the words of Brahmâ, the two Dânavas pondered over the matter and bowed down to the Prajâpati, the Lord of the Creation and said :— O Merciful One! Grant us then so that we shall be invulnerable to any of the male of the Immortal Devas down to human beings and birds and deers; this is the boon that we ask. Where exists the woman so powerful as to kill us? We never fear any woman in all the three Lokas. O Lotus-born! We, the two brothers, want not to be killed by any male; the females are naturally weak therefore we need not fear them.
28-58. Vyâsa said :— O King! Hearing their words, the Grandsire Brahmâ gladly granted them their desired boon and returned to His own abode. On Brahmâ going away, the two Dânavas, too, returned to their own places. They then appointed the Muni Bhrigu as their priest and began to worship him. Bhrigu, the best of the Munis, then, on an auspicious day and when the star was benign, got a beautiful golden throne built and gave it to the king. S’umbha, being the eldest, was then installed on the auspicious throne as the king; the other brave and excellent demons began to assemble there quickly for serving him. The two great warriors Chanda and Munda, proud on account of their great strength came there with their large armies, chariots, horses, and elephants. Similarly the valiant warriors Dhumralochana, hearing that S’umbha had become their King, came there with his own army. There came up also at that time the great warrior Rakta Vîja, more powerful on account of his getting a boon, attended by his army of two Aksauhinî soldiers. O King! Hear why this Rakta Vîja became so very unconquerable; whenever this Asura was wounded by any weapon, if one drop of blood fell on the ground, at once would be created so many innumerable Asuras, resembling his wicked nature and with similar weapons in their hands. The Asuras born of this blood would have similar appearances and would be similar in strength and ready to fight at once when they were born. That great warrior, the great Demon Rakta Vîja was unconquerable in battle for this very reason and no being could now kill him. The other Asuras, when they heard that S’umbha had become their king, came up there with their armies consisting of four divisions of elephants, chariots, cavalry and infantry and began to serve him. The army of S’umbha and Nis’umbha thus became countless; and they forcibly conquered and got possession of all the kingdoms that existed then on the surface of the earth. Then Nis’umbha, the destroyer of enemies, collected his army and marched up to the Heavens without any delay to conquer Indra, the Lord of S’achî. He fought very hard with all the Lokapâlas on all sides when Indra struck him on his breast with His thunderbolt. Nis’umbha fell unconscious [ p. 428 ] on the ground with that blow when his soldiers, defeated in the battle, fled away on all sides. S’umbha, the destroyer of the enemies’ forces, hearing the unconscious state of the younger brother, came up at once on the field and shot at the Devas with multitudes of arrows. The untiring S’umbha fought so violently that Indra and the other Devas and Lokapalas were defeated. S’umbha then took away, perforce, the position of Indra and he occupied the Celestial Tree and Heavenly milching cow that yielded all desires and other excellent things over which Indra used to reign. In fact, that high-souled Asura got the dominion of the three Lokas and took away all those that were offered at the sacrifices. He became highly glad on getting the Nandana Garden and was extremely delighted when he drank the celestial nectar. He then defeated in battle Kuvera, the god of wealth and occupied his kingdom. He defeated the Moon, Sun, and Yama, the God of Death and occupied their positions. Surrounded by his army, Nis’umbha dispossessed Varuna, Fire, and Air of their kingdoms and began to reign in their stead. Thus deprived of their kingdoms, prosperity and wealth, the Devas left the Nandana Garden and fled, out of terror, to the caves of hills and mountains. Thus deprived of all their rights, the Devas without any weapons, without any lustre, without any home, and without anywhere to go, began to wander in lonely forests. O King! All the Immortals began to knock about in lonely gardens, mountain caves and rivers; and nowhere they found happiness; for happiness depends entirely unto the hands of Fate. O Lord of men! Even those fortunate souls, who are powerful, and wealthy and wise, meet at times with distress and poverty. O King! How marvellous are the ways and manners of Time! It makes kings and donors beggars; it renders the powerful, weak; literates, illiterates; and it makes great warriors into terrible cowards. O King! Vâsava performed one hundred horse-sacrifices and got the excellent Indra’s position; but again be fell into extreme difficulties; thus runs the wheel of Time.
59. It is Time that bestows the gem of knowledge to a person and it is Time again that deprives that very same man of his wisdom and makes him a great sinner.
60-61. The Bhagavân Visnu takes incarnations, under the control of Time, in several lower wombs as boar, etc., and Mahâ Deva carries on His body the human skulls, that are not even fit to be touched. When Brahmâ, Visnu, Mahes’a and others suffer such painful things, then one need not wonder at the workings of the Great inscrutable Time.
Here ends the Twenty-first Chapter of the Fifth Book on the conquest of the Heavens by S’umbha and Nis’umbha in S’rî Mad Devî Bhâgavatam, the Mahâ Purânam of 18,000 verses by Maharsi Veda Vyâsa.
On the eulogising of the Devî by the Devas [ p. 429 ] 1-7. Vyâsa said :— O King! When the Devas were all defeated, S’umbha began to govern all their kingdoms; thus one thousand years passed away. The Devas, on the other hand, deprived of their kingdoms, were all drowned in an ocean of cares and anxieties; at last they began to feel very much and were greatly afflicted. They asked with reverence their own Guru Brihaspati, “O Guru! What are we to do now? O All knowing! You are the Great Muni; kindly say unto us if there be any means by which we can get rid of this our present crisis. There are thousands of Vedic Mantrams which yield the desired results, if they are worshipped with due rites and ceremonies and if all the rules be observed thereof. O best of Munis! Many Yajñâs are mentioned in the Vedas that yield all the desired results; you know them all; so kindly perform those Yajñâs. Do all those ceremonies duly that are ordained in the Vedas for the killing of enemies; O Descendant of Ângirasa! You ought to perform as early as possible those sacrifices for magical purposes to destroy the Dânavas so that all our miseries come to an end.”
8-22. Brihaspati said :— “O Lord of the Suras! All the mantras mentioned in the Vedas yield the desired results, but subservient to the Great Destiny only; they do not give results of themselves but do so in obedience to to the laws ordained by Nature. You all are the presiding Deities of the Vedic Mantras; but, now, by the strange irony of Time, you are put to difficulties and troubles; what can I do now in this case? See! Indra, Agni, Varuna, and other gods are invoked in sacrifices; how, then, can sacrificial ceremonies do good when you are put to so great difficulties. Therefore there is no remedy to those which will take place unavoidably; but those who are wise declare that in such cases means are to be adopted. Some sages say that Fate is strong but those who advocate the cause of taking remedial means say that Fate is powerless; remedies or manly exertions lead to all success. But, O King of the Devas! The embodied souls ought to resort to both Fate and Remedies; it is never advisable to depend solely on Fate. Therefore, it is advisable to think out again and again as far as one’s own Intellect goes, the best remedies. O Devas! I have thought over again and again on this subject and say to you my opinion. Hear. In days of yore, the Bhagavatî, being appeased, killed Mahisâsura; and when you [ p. 430 ] all praised and chanted hymns to Her, She gave you this boon that She will remove all your sorrows and troubles no sooner you remember Her, and She told that you all must remember Her whenever any difficulty would arise to you out of this Great Destiny. She would, then, free you all of your ocean of great difficulties. Therefore do you all now go to the highly sacred and exquisitely beautiful Himâlayân mountains and worship the most worshipful Chandikâ Devî with your love and devotion. Know all the rules of the Seed mantra of Mâyâ and be engaged in taking Her name accompanied with burnt offerings. I have come to know, by Yogic power, that She will be pleased with You. I see that today your difficulties will come to an end; there is not the least doubt in this. I have heard that the Devî resides always in the Himâchal; if you worship and praise and chant hymns to Her, She will certainly grant you your desired boons. Therefore fully decide on this thing and go to the Himâlayâs. O Devas! She will fulfil all your desires and carry out all your intentions.”
23-24. Vyâsa said :— O King! Hearing thus his words, the Devas departed to the Himâlayâs and they became all merged in the devotional worship of the Supreme Goddess and began to meditate constantly in their hearts the Seed mantra of Mâyâ (Hrîm). They bowed down to the Goddess Mahâ Mâyâ, the Discarder of all the fears of Her Bhaktas and began to chant hymns to Her with perfect devotion.
25-42. O Goddess! Salutation to Thee! O Thou, the Lord of the Universe! the Lord of our hearts! Thou art the Everlasting Bliss and the Giver of bliss to the Devas! Salutation to Thee! Thou art the Destroyer of the Dânavas and Thou art the Giver of all desires of human beings. Thou canst be approached with devotion. Salutation to Thee! O Thou, the Incarnate of all the Devas! Thy names are endless; Thy forms are endless; none can count them. Thou residest always as the Force Incarnate in all the actions, in the Creation, Preservation and Dissolution of Beings. O Goddess! Thou art the Memory, Constancy, Intelligence, Old Age. Thou art the nourishment, contentment; Thou upholdest all; Thou art the beauty, peace, good knowledge, prosperity and happiness, Thou art the Goal, fame, and intellect and Thou art the Eternal Seed unmanifested. We now bow down to those forms of Thine through which Thou dost serve the purpose of the Devas in this world as we are now in need of peace. Thou art forgiveness and mercy; Thou art the Yoga Nidrâ (a state between sleep and wakefulness); Thou art the kindness and Thou residest in all the beings in so many forms, great and grand, and so very celebrated; O Goddess! Thou hadst already served the cause of the gods in killing our [ p. 431 ] great enemy Mahisâsura, puffed up with vanity. Therefore Thy mercy is well known amongst the gods; what more, Thy mercy is known, since very ancient times and it is narrated in the Vedas. What wonder is there that a mother nourishes gladly her own sons and preserves them carefully! For Thou art the Mother of the Devas; Thou art the great source of help to them; therefore dost Thou fulfill all their desires with Thine whole heart. O Devî! We do not know the limit of Thy qualities nor of Thy forms; O Goddess! Thou art worshipped by the whole Universe. Thou art fully competent to save all from dangers; we are objects of Thy pity; dost Thou save us from our present troubles! Thou art capable to kill enemies without shooting any arrrows, without striking any blows, without hurling any trident, axes, S’aktis, clubs, or any other weapons; merely by Thy mere will Thou canst kill; still for sports and for the good of all beings Thou incarnatest and fightest for the sake of Lîlâ. The ignorant persons know such things as birth, death, etc., that this world is not eternal; that no actions can be without any cause; we, therefore, ascertain by reasoning and inference that Thou art the Supreme Cause of this whole Universe. Brahmâ is the Creator, Visnu is the Preserver, and Mahes’a is the Destroyer; so it is related in the Purânas. Thou again hast given birth to these three Gods in the respective cycles; therefore Thou art the Mother of all; there is no doubt in this. O Devî! In days of yore, these three Devas worshipped Thee; Thou Wert pleased and gavest them all the best powers. Being thus endowed with Thy powers, they have been able to create, preserve and destroy this Universe beautifully. Art they not foolish, though they be Yatis (persons of self-controlled nature), who do not worship the Universal Mother, the Consciousness Incarnate, the Giver of liberation, on Whose feet are worshipped by the Devas, and worshipping Whom, one gets the fruits of all one’s desires? Certainly those Vaisnavas, Sauras (worshippers of the Sun) and Pas’upatas (worshippers of S’iva) are foolish braggarts who do not meditate Thee as the embodiment of Kamalâ (prosperity), modesty, beauty, continuancy, Fame, nourishment. O Mother! The Asuras, Hari, Hara and other great Devas worship Thee in this world; therefore those mortals are certainly deceived by their Creator that do not worship Thee on the surface of this earth. O Devî! Hari himself serves the lotus feet of Laksmî by colouring them (toes and other fingers of the feet) red with lac juice; Hara is very anxious to serve the lotus feet and take the dust thereof of Parvatî; Laksmî and Parvatî are but Thy part manifestations; therefore to serve them is, in other words to serve Thee. What to speak of other persons, even those who can discriminate between real and unreal and those who have left their worldly homes and have become dispassionate towards worldly objects, even those Munis worship forgiveness and mercy, that are but Thy parts; therefore who is there [ p. 432 ] in this world that does not serve Thy lotus-feet! O Devî! Those human beings plunge into the dreadful wells of this Samsâra, the round of birth and death, and are deprived of all pleasures, who do not serve Thy lotus feet. What more can be said than the fact that those fallen beings suffer terribly from poverty, humility, leprosy, headache, and the chronic enlargement of spleen. O Mother! Those persons are void of any wealth and wife; they are the carriers of loads of wood and collect grass and leaves and show their skill in such acts; they are of little understanding and never they served in their previous births Thy lotus-feet. This we have come to know very well within our heart of hearts.
43-47. Vyâsa said :— O King! When all the Devas thus eulogised, instantly the Devî Ambikâ, full of youth and beauty appeared there out of mercy. That extraordinary beautiful Bhagavatî, endowed with all auspicious signs, and adorned with the Divine clothings, ornaments, and garlands and sandal paste, etc., appeared before the Devas. Before Whom, even the world enchanter Cupid bows down; with such beautiful, Divine appearance, the Devî emerged from the mountain cave in order to take Her ablutions in the Ganges. That Devî, sweet voiced like a cuckoo, gladly smiling began to say to the Devas, singing hymns to Her, in a voice deep like that of a rumbling cloud.
48. The Devî said :— O Best of Suras! Whom are you praising constantly in this place? What do you want! Why are you so anxious and seem to be so much care-worn? Do please tell all this to Me in detail.
49. Vyâsa said :— O King! The Devas were first enchanted by Her beauty and softness; then, being encouraged by Her sweet words, began to speak with great joy.
50-57. O Devî! We pray toThee, O Lord of his Universe! We bow down to Thee. O Thou, the Ocean of mercy! Protect us from all the troubles; we are very much care-worn and tormented by the Daityas. O Great Goddess! In ancient times Thou didst kill Mahisâsura, the source of troubles to all and then told us to remember Thee whenever any difficulty would arise. Then Thou wouldst undoubtedly remove all the troubles arising from the Daityas no sooner we remember Thee. O Devî! We have now remembered Thee for that very reason. At present the two dreadful Asuras, S’umbha and Nis’umbha have sprang up and are creating great disturbances; and they cannot be killed by any male beings. The powerful Raktavîja and Chanda Munda and other Asuras united have dispossessed the Devas of their Heavens. Thou alone art our goal and refuge; without Thee there is none other to save us. Therefore, O Beautiful One! Thou dost do this work for the Devas who are extremely troubled and distressed. O Powerful Devî! The Devas are always at the services of Thy lotus feet; still the very powerful Dânavas are throwing them into dangers; O Mother! Thou art the [ p. 433 ] Preserver of the distressed; therefore dost Thou preserve the Devas, devoted to Thee. O Mother! The Dânavas, being very much emboldened by their powers, are creating many havocs on the surface of the Earth; now remembering that, in the beginning of the Yugas, Thou didst create all this Universe, Thou dost now ought to protect all this Universe.
Here ends the Twenty-second Chapter of the Fifth Book on the eulogising of the Devî by the Devas in S’rî Mad Devî Bhâgavatam of 18,000 verses by Maharsi Veda Vyâsa.
On the prowess of Kaus’ikî [ p. 433 ] 1-7. Vyâsa said :— O King! When the tormented Devas praised thus, the Devî created from Her body another supremely beautiful form. This created form, the Ambikâ Devî, became known in all the worlds as Kaus’ikî, as She came out of the physical sheath of the Devî Parvatî. When Kaus’ikî was created out of the body of Parvatî, the Parvatî’s body became transformed and turned out into a black colour and became known as KâIikâ. Her terrible black appearance, when beheld, increases the terror even of the Daityas. O King! This Devî is now become known in this world as Kâlarâtri, the night of destruction, at the end of the world, identified with Durgâ, the Fulfiller of all the desires. The Ambikâ Devî, then, began to look splendid, decked with various ornaments; Her beautiful form began to look very lovely. The Devî Ambikâ then smiled a little and said, “Better be fearless; I will slay just now your enemies. It is My incumbent duty to carry out your purposes; I will therefore slay in battle Nis’umbha and others for the sake of your happiness.”
8-30. Thus saying, the Devî Bhagavatî, elated with pride, mounted on lion and, taking Kâlikâ with Her, entered into the city of S’umbha, the enemy of the gods. Ambikâ went to a garden adjoining the city accompanied by Kâlikâ, and began to sing in such a sweet melodious tune that enchants even the God of Love, who fascinates the whole world. What more can be said than the fact that, hearing that sweet melodious song, the birds and beasts became enchanted; the Devas then began to feel much pleasure from the Sky. In the meanwhile Chanda, Munda the two dreadful Asuras, and attendants of S’umbha, came out accidentally there on their sportive excursions and saw the beautiful Ambikâ Devî singing and Kâlikâ Devî sitting before Her. O best of Kings! No sooner Chanda, Munda saw the extraordinary beauty of the Goddess Bhagavatî, than they went at once to S’umbha. On approaching towards the lord of the Daityas sitting in his room, they bowed down and told thus in a sweet voice :— "O King! Here has come from the [ p. 434 ] Himâlayâs a woman accidentally, mounted on a lion; Her limbs are shining with all good signs so much so that even the God of love would be enchanted by Her sight. Nowhere, in the Devalokas, the Gandarbha Lokas or in this earth can be found such a beautiful lady; we never saw nor heard about such a lady before. O King! That lady is singing so beautifully and pleasingly to all that even the deer are standing motionless by Her side enchanted, as it were, by Her melodious voice. O King! That Lady is fit for you; therefore determine first whose daughter is this lady, what for she has come there and then marry Her. Know this as certain that such a beautiful lady is not to be found anywhere in this world. Therefore do you bring Her to your house and marry Her. O Lord of men! You have acquired all the gems and jewels of the Devas; why not, then, accept this Gem in the form of a lady? O King! You have taken by force the exquisitely beautiful Airâvata elephant of Indra, the Pârijâta Tree, the seven faced horse Uchchais’ravâ, and many other jewels. You have acquired by your might the Prince of Jewels, the celestial car of the Creator Brahmâ, ensigned by the emblematic Swan. You have dispossessed Kuvera of his treasure of the value of a Padma (one thousand billion) and Varuna, the God of oceans, of his white umbrella. O King! When Varuna was defeated, your brother Nis’umbha took perforce his Pâs’a weapon. O King! The Great Ocean gave you, out of terror, various jewels and honoured you by presenting a garland of lotuses which never fade away. What more can be said than the fact that you have conquered the Death and took away His force and that you have easily conquered Yama, the God of Death and have taken from Him His horrible staff. O King! You have brought that Heavenly cow which came out when the ocean was churned; that cow is still with you; what more to say than that Menakâ and other Apsarâs are under your control. Thus you have got by your strength all the jewels. Why, then, are you not taking this exquisitely beautiful lady, the Prince of Jewels, amongst women. O King! All the jewels in your house, will serve their real purpose, no doubt, then and then only when they will shine with this queen of jewels, this Lady. O Lord of the Daityas! There cannot be seen in all the Trilokas such a Beautiful Lady as this that I have now described before you. Therefore bring this Beautiful Lady quickly and accept Her as your wife.
31-35. Vyâsa said :— O King! Hearing thus the sweet words of Chanda and Munda, S’umbha spoke gladly to Sugrîva who was close by :— “Go, Sugrîva, do my messenger’s work; you are well skilled in these things. Speak so that the Beautiful Lady of thin waist may come over to me. Those who are well versed in the science of amorous love declare [ p. 435 ] that only two methods are to be adopted by the clever persons towards the female sex :— (1) conciliation and gentle words and (2) gifts and presents. For if the policy of division or sowing dissensions be applied, then hypocrisy is shewn and that means the improper manifestation of love sentiment; whereas if chastisement be applied then the love sentiment becomes interrupted. Therefore, the wise have condemned these as corrupt means. O Messenger! Where is that woman who does not come round excited with passion when good and sweet words are spoken to her in accordance with the S’ama and Dâna methods?”
36-37. Vyâsa said :— Sugrîva, hearing the nice skilled words of S’umbha went hurriedly to the spot where existed the Mother of the Universe. He saw the Fair Lady mounted on a lion, saluted Her and spoke gently and sweetly as follows :—
38-49. The messenger said :— “O Beautiful One! S’umbha, the enemy of the Gods and the King of all, is beautiful in all respects, the ruler of the three Lokas, a great hero and conqueror of all. Hearing your beauty and loveliness, that high-souled monarch is so much attached to you and has become so very passionate that he has sent me to you to express his views. O One of delicate limbs! Please hear what that Lord of the Daityas has spoken to Thee, after duly saluting Thee, words full of love and affection towards Thee :— O Beloved! I have defeated all the Devas and have thus become the Lord of the three worlds; specially I partake of all the offerings made in sacrificial acts and ceremonies, without moving away from my house. I have taken away all the gems, jewels and wealth that belonged to the Devas; consequently the abode of the Gods has become now worthless, on account of all its jewels being carried sway. O Fair One! I am now enjoying all the jewels that exist in the Trilokas; so much so that all the Devas, Asuras, and human beings are passing away their times, subservient to Me. But no sooner Thy qualifications reached my ears Thou hast penetrated into my heart and has made me completely subservient to Thee; O Fair One! What am I to do now? Whatever Thou commandest, I am ready to do that; verily I am now Thy servant; so Thou oughtest to save me from the darts of passion. O One having swan-like eyes! I am verily made your captive. Specially I am extremely agitated by the arrows of Cupid; therefore dost Thou serve me when Thou wilt be made the Lord of the three worlds and thus enjoy the incomparably excellent things. O Beloved! I will remain ever Thy obedient servant up to the last moment of death. O Excellent One! I cannot ever be killed by the Devas, Asuras and human beings. O Fair faced One! Thou wilt be always prosperous and fortunate. Thou [ p. 436 ] wilt be able to sport anywhere Thou likest. O Devî! Please ponder over the above words of the Lord of the Daityas in Thy heart and speak out Thy views gladly and with the same sweetness in reply; O Brisk One! I will go immediately to S’umbha and inform him about Thy mind.”
50. Vyâsa said :— O King! The Devî, ready to serve the cause of the Gods, heard the messenger’s gentle words and replied smiling and sweetly.
51-66. S’rî Devî spoke :— I know fully well S’umbha and Nis’umbha; the King S’umbha is very powerful, the conqueror of all the Devas, and the destroyer of enemies. He is the repository of all good qualities, the enjoyer of all pleasures, very valorous, charitable and is beautiful, in fact a second Cupid. He is adorned with thirty-two auspicious signs; particularly he is a hero and cannot be killed by the Devas or human beings. O Messenger! Knowing this I have come here to have a look of that great warrior S’umbha. The jewel comes in contact with gold to increase its lustre; so I have come here from afar to see my husband. On seeing all the Devas, Gandharbhas, Râksasas and the eminent beautiful persons on the earth I have come to know that they are all terror stricken and almost unconscious and shudder at the name of S’umbha. So, on hearing about his abilities, I have now come here to see him. O Messenger! O Fortunate One! Better now go back to the great hero S’umbha and speak to him in private the following sweet words of Mine :— “That you are foremost amongst the powerful; beautiful of the beautifuls, skilled in all the branches of learning, well qualified, charitable, clever, born of a high noble family, energetic, and conqueror of the Devas; especially, by the sheer force of your arms, you are so much exalted and you now enjoy all the gems and jewels. Therefore, O King! Knowing your qualifications, I have come truly of my own accord to your city with the desire of getting for Me a husband. O High-souled One! I am fit for your consort. O Lord of the Daityas! There is a slight hitch in My marriage. It is this: In my early days while I was playing with My comrades, I promised before them privately partly out of childishness and partly out of vanity for bodily strength that I will certainly marry that hero who is powerful like Me and who will defeat Me in battle, thus testing his powers and weaknesses. My comrades laughed at my words and spoke with wonder, ‘Why has this girl made such an extraordinarily difficult promise?’ Therefore, O Monarch! Better marry Me and fulfil My desires after knowing My strength and defeating Me in a battle. O Beautiful One in all respects! Better come yourself or your younger Nis’umbha and perform the marriage ceremony after defeating Me in the battlefield.”
[ p. 437 ]
Here ends the Twenty-third Chapter in the Fifth Book on the prowess of Kaus’ikî in S’rî Mad Devî Bhâgavatam, the Mahâpurânam of 18,000 verses by Maharsi Veda Vyâsa.
On the description and Dhûmralochana giving the news [ p. 437 ] 1-12. Vyâsa said :— O King! The messenger was thunderstruck with Devî’s words and said :— “O Beautiful Lady! What art Thou speaking? It seems that Thou dost not think on this matter, owing to Thy feminine nature. O Devî! Thou art boasting in vain; how canst Thou expect to conquer S’umbha in a battle when he has conquered Indra and other Devas and many other Dânavas? Lotus-eyed One! There is no hero in the three worlds that can conquer S’umbha in battle; Thou seemest to be a mere trifle before that King of Demons in a face-to-face fight. O Fair One! Nowhere ought to be said any words without being thought over; one must weigh one’s own and other’s might and then speak accordingly. The King S’umbha, the Lord of the three worlds, enchanted by Thy fascinating beauty, is desirous of Thee; therefore dost Thou fulfill his desires and become his beloved wife. Thou better now abandonest Thy illiterate nature and worhippest S’umbha or Nis’umbha; I am speaking for Thy good; so keep my words. The amorous love sentiment is the best of nine prevailing sentiments. Therefore every intelligent being ought to cherish with gladness this amorous feeling. And if Thou, O Weak girl! dost not go to S’umbha, then that Lord of the Earth will become very angry and will order his servants to take Thee perforce before him. O Fair One! Those proud Demons will carry Thee by holding Thy hair before S’umbha; there is no doubt in this. O thin bodied One! Better forego Thy boldness in every way and keep Thy self-respect. Thou art the object of respect and admiration and so should go before him. What difference is there between the fight which makes one’s body liable to cuts and wounds by sharp arrows and pleasures that arise out of sexual intercourse! These are like the two opposite poles; therefore judge what is useless and what is useful and keep my good advice. Thou shalt be exceedingly happy if Thou servest S’umbha or Nis’umbha.”
13-19. The Devî spoke :— “O Messenger! You are fortunate; you are well trained to speak out truth; I know full well that S’umbha and Nis’umbha are strong. Still out of My childish nature, the promise that I made before I cannot undo it. Therefore speak to the powerful S’umbha or Nis’umbha that none can be my husband simply from his beauty without defeating Me in battle no one can marry Me. So conquer Me soon and marry Me as you like. Though of a weaker sex, I have come here [ p. 438 ] to fight; know this as certain. Therefore if you be capable, fight and do the duty of a warrior. And if you be terrified by seeing my trident or if you want your life, quit the Heavens and this earth and go down to Pâtâla without any delay. O Messenger! Go just now to your master and tell him sweetly these words. Then that powerful Lord of the Dânavas will judge what ought to be done. O Knower of Dharma! To speak out truth before an enemy, before one’s own master is certainly the duty of a messenger in this world; therefore go quickly and tell him what are verily true.”
20-21. Vyâsa said :— O King! The messenger was quite surprised to hear the bold words, though full of reason and morals, of the Devî, puffed up by the vanity of Her strength and departed. Coming to the Lord of the Daityas, the messenger bowed down before his feet and told him sweet words, full of morals, in a very humble way after pondering over and over again what he would say.
22-29. The messenger said :— O King! Words, true and the same time sweet, ought to be spoken before one’s master; but these are very rare in this world. On the other hand, if unpleasant words be spoken, the King gets very angry. So I am very anxious now. O King! Whether that lady is weak or strong, whence has She come, whose wife is She, I have not been able to ascertain all these. How then can I say about Her conduct? But, on seeing that harsh speaking woman, I have come to understand this much that She is exceedingly haughty and has come to fight. O King! You are very intelligent; therefore judge what ought to be done after hearing only what that lady has told me to speak to you. That Lady said :— “In days of childhood, while I was playing, out of my childish nature, I promised before my comrades that I would marry that valiant warrior who would defeat me thoroughly in a battle and thus curb My pride. O best of kings! You are religious; so you ought to make My word turn out false. Bring Me under your control by defeating Me in a battle.” O King! Hearing these words I have returned; now do whatever you like. That Lady is determined to fight and is waiting there, firmly mounted on a lion, and with various weapons in Her hands. Now judge and do what is best.
30. Vyâsa said :— O King! Hearing thus the words of Sugrîva, the king S’umbha asked his hero brother Nis’umbha who was close by.
31-32. O Brother! You are intelligent; speak out truly what ought to be done now? The lovely woman is challenging us to fight. Shall I go to fight or you would go with forces? I will do whatever you say. [ p. 439 ] 33-34. Nis’umbha said :— O King! It is not proper that you or I would go to the battlefield. Better send Dhûmralochana to the field quickly. Let that hero go there and defeat that beautiful Lady and bring Her here. You can then marry Her.
35. Vyâsa said :— Hearing thus his younger brother’s words, S’umbha filled with anger, instantly sent Dhûmralochana who was close by to battle.
36-40. S’umbha said :— “O Dhûmralochana! Take a vast army and go at once to the battlefield and bring that stupid Lady, vainly boasting of Her strength. If any Deva, Dânava or any other powerful human being take Her side, kill him instantly. Slay Her companion the Goddess Kâlî and bring Her too. Do all these responsible duties and return quickly. That Chaste Lady is to be protected by all means. The body of that thin Lady is very delicate; so shoot arrows at Her very carefully and see that they are not sharp. But kill those that will help Her with weapons in their hands. Try your best to protect Her, never to kill Her.
41-60. Vyâsa said :— O King! No sooner ordered thus by the king, Dhûmralochana bowed down to the king, and, accompanied by sixty thousand Dânava forces, quickly went to the battlefield and saw there that the Lady was sitting in a beautiful garden. Seeing that deer-eyed Lady, Dhûmralochana began to address Her with great humility and in sweet words full of reason and goodness. O Devî! O highly Fortunate One! Hear! S’umbha is very much distressed owing to Thy absence. Lest there be any break in the love sentiments, that King, a wise statesman, sent a messenger with instructions to speak Thee in sweet and suitable terms; but, O fair One! That messenger, on arriving before the King had told all the contrary words. O Knower of love sentiments! Hearing thus the messenger’s words, my lord S’umbha, sick with love, has become immersed in cares and anxieties. That messenger had not been able to realise the true meaning of Thy words. O honourable Lady! The sentence uttered by Thee, “He who will conquer me in battle” is full of deep meanings; he was stupid; hence he could not realise the meaning of the word “battle” intended by Thee. O Beautiful One! “Battle” means two different things according to persons for whom it is intended; it is of two kinds :— One out of excitement and another out of sexual intercourse. With Thee, the sexual intercourse is intended; and with any other enemy, excitement in a real fight is meant. Out of these, the fight of sexual intercourse is full of sweetness and the fight with enemies is painful. O Beautiful One! I know Thy intentions fully. In Thy heart reigns [ p. 440 ] that fight of sexual intercourse. Knowing me as expert in these affairs, the king S’umbha has sent me today to Thee with a vast army. O highly Fortunate Lady! Thou art clever and shrewd; hear my gentle words; serve S’umbha, the lord of the three worlds, the destroyer of the Deva’s pride. Thou wilt be the dearest queen-consort and enjoy the best pleasures. The powerful S’umbha knows the real meaning of the fight of sexual intercourse; so he will easily conquer Thee. When Thou wilt shew various amorous gestures, he will also show his feelings. And the Kâlikâ Devî, your companion will remain with Thee as a helping mate in your vital pleasures. The lord of the Daityas, expert in the science of love, will certainly conquer Thee engaged in amorous fight and will lay Thee stretched on a soft bedding and will make Thee tired; he will make Thy body covered with blood by striking with nails and he will bite Thy lips to pieces; then Thou wilt perspire profusely and wilt cease fighting. Thus Thy mental desire for fight - sexual intercourse - will be satisfied. O Beloved! At Thy mere sight S’umbha will be completely subject to Thee. Therefore dost Thou keep my sweet and beneficial words. Thou art an honourable Lady; and Thou wilt be highly honoured by all if Thou marryest S’umbha. Those are certainly very unfortunate who like fighting with weapons. O Beloved! The sexual intercourse is always favourite to Thee; therefore it is not worthy of Thee to fight with weapons. Therefore dost Thou make the king free of sorrows by pouring on him Thy mouth nectar and by making his heart bud forth by Thy kicking, as Bakula and Kurubaka trees blossom forth when drenched with mouth nectar and Asoka tree gets blossomed by the kicking of women.
Here ends the Twenty-fourth Chapter of the Fifth Book on the description and Dhûmralochana giving the news in S’rî Mad Devî Bhâgavatam, the Mahâ Purânam of 18,000 verses by Maharsi Veda Vyâsa.
ChapterXXV
On the killing of Dhûmralochana [ p. 440 ] 1-7. Vyâsa said :— O Janamejaya! When Dhûmralochana ceased speaking, the Devî Kâlikâ made a wild laughter and began to speak sweetly thus :— O Stupid! Skilled in flattery, you know only how to use jugglery of words like an actor; do you think that your ends will be served if you speak only sweet words; this can never be. O Stupid! Fight now; there is no need of useless words. You are strong and have been sent by that wicked Demon with a great army. This Devî, out of wrath, will kill you, S’umbha, and Nis’umbha and other commanders by Her arrows and will then return to Her abode. Where is that stupid S’umbha? And where is this Devî, the Great Enchantress of the Universe!
[ p. 441 ]
Their marriage in this world is entirely out of question and can never take place. O Stupid! What do you think that a lioness becoming very passionate, would make an ordinary jackal her husband? or would a she-elephant prefer an ass? or would a heavenly Cow like a bison? Go to S’umbha and Nis’umbha and tell truly to them :— “Fight or go instantly to Pâtâla.”
8-10. Vyâsa said :— O Fortunate One! The Demon Dhûmralochana, hearing thus the Kâlikâ’s words, became very angry and spoke with reddened eyes :— “O Ugly One! I will slay Thee and this lion infatuated with pride in battle and take this Fair One to the king. O Kâlî! I have not been able to do this, simply it would break our amorous love sentiments. O Quarrelsome One! Otherwise I would have undoubtedly slain Thee just now with my sharpened arrows tipped with irons.”
11. Hearing thus, Kâlikâ said :— O Fool! Why do you boast vainly? this is not the religion of a hero with bows and arrows in their hands. Shoot your arrows with all your might; I will send you to the realm of Death.
12-31. Vyâsa said :— O King! Hearing the Devî’s words, Dhûmralochana caught hold of his very strong bow and began to shoot arrows after arrows at Kâlikâ. Indra and the other Devas came out to see the fight on their best cars in the celestial space and shouted “Victory to the Devî” and thus eulogised Her. Then a deadly fight ensued between them with arrows, axes, clubs, S’aktis, and Musalas and various other weapons. Kâlikâ cut off at the very outset all the asses that carried the chariot by Her arrows and next broke his chariot and began to laugh repeatedly. O Bhârata! Then Dhûmralochana becoming angry mounted on another chariot and began to shoot deadly arrows at Kâlikâ. Kâlikâ Devî, too, out off those arrows into pieces before they reached Her and shot arrows after arrows on the Dânava in quick succession. Thousands of his soldiers near to him were killed; the asses and the charioteer were killed and the chariot was broken. She cut off his arrows by Her swift serpent-like arrows and blew Her conchshell. The Devas seeing this became very glad. Dhûmralochana, seeing himself displaced from his chariot, took up with anger his very strong Parigha weapon and came near to the chariot of the Devî. Then the Dânava, terrific like death, began to abuse the Devî and said :— “O Ugly tawny-eyed Kâlî! I will kill Thee just now.” Thus saying, he suddenly went near to Her and when he was about to throw his Parigha weapon on Her, the Ambikâ Devî burnt him to ashes simply by Her loud shout (of defiance). Seeing Dhûmralochana burnt to ashes, his soldiers became panic-stricken, and fled away immediately, crying aloud “O Father! O Father!” The Devas saw this and and gladly [ p. 442 ] showered from high heaps of flowers on the Devî. O King! The battle ground then assumed a dreadful appearance; at some places the slain Dânavas; at others, the horses; at other places elephants and at some other places the asses lay scattered on the field. The herons, crows, vultures, the Pis’âchas of the class Batabaraphas and jackals and other carnivorous animals, began to dance wildly and clamour hideously at the sight of the dead bodies, lying on the field. The Ambikâ Devî then quitting the field, went to a distant place and blew Her conchshell so furiously and terribly that S’umbha heard that terrific noise, while he was sitting in his own residence. At the next moment, he saw that the Dânava forces had retreated, and they were coming there crying. Some of them were besmeared with blood all over the bodies; some had got their feet, some their arms, cut asunder, some were devoid of eyes, some had got their backs broken; some had their waists broken; some got their necks broken and some were going on bedsteads. Seeing them thus, S’umbha and Nis’umbha asked them :— “Where is Dhûmralochana? Why have you all retreated? And why have you not brought that Lady? Where are the other forces? Who has blown this horrible conch-shell? O Fools! Inform me quickly and truly all these things.”
32-33. The soldiers said :— “O King! Dhûmralochana has been slain by Kâlikâ; She has destroyed all the soldiers and has done extraordinary deeds.” O King! Know the blowing of the conchshell that has caused terror in the hearts of the Dânavas and has enhanced the joy of the Devas and is being resounded in the celestial space, is that done by the Ambikâ Devî. (Note: In the Mârkandeya Purâna, Ambikâ killed Dhûmra.)
34-45. O Lord! When the Devî broke the chariot of Dhûmralochana by the multitude of Her arrows and killed the horses and at last slew Dhûmralochana himself, when all the forces were slain by Her who appeared like a lion and when the rest of the army retreated, the Devas seeing all these were very much gladdened and showered flowers from the celestial sky. O King! We have come to a perfect conclusion that we will not get the victory; now consult with your expert ministers and do what is needful. O King! The Supreme Goddess of the Universe is waiting there alone to fight with you without any help of any other forces; this is a great wonder to us. O King! Intoxicated with Her power, that Girl, fearless, is reigning there taking Her stand on the lion. All these seem wonderful to us. O King! Consult with your councillors and out of the four policies peace, fight, retreat or remaining neutral, accept what is best. O Tormentor of the foes! True! There are no forces with the Devî, but the whole host of the Devas will take up Her cause in crisis, there is no [ p. 443 ] doubt. In due time, Hari and Hara both will come and assist Her; now the guardians of the several quarters, the Lokapâlas are waiting by Her side in the celestial space. O Tormentor of the Gods! Know that the Gandarbhas, Kinnaras, and human beings all will come timely and help Her. O King! We guess all these. But that Lady does not want the assistance of anyone nor does She expect that any other body would do the work for Her. You must know this certainly, that She alone can destroy this whole Universe. What to speak of the Dânavas only! O Highly Fortunate One! Knowing all these, do as you like. It is the duty of the servants to speak beneficial and at the same time true words with moderation.
46-51. Vyâsa said :— O King! S’umbha, the tormentor of others, hearing their words asked his younger brother in private :— “O Brother! This Kâlikâ has slain today Dhûmralochana with his forces; the few retreated and came over to me. Now the Ambikâ Devî, puffed up with pride is blowing Her conchshell. Brother! The ways of Time are knowable even to the wise. The grass becomes a thunderbolt and the thunderbolt becomes like a grass and powerless. Know thus the course of Destiny. O Fortunate One! Now I ask you, what are we to do now? Are we to entertain yet the desire of enjoying Ambikâ, or are we to fly away from here or are we to fight on? Say quickly. Though younger, in times of difficulty, I consider you as my elder.”
52-54. Hearing thus the S’umbha’s words, Nis’umbha said :— “O Sinless One! Flight or taking refuge in a fort is not reasonable. To fight with this Lady is the best course. I will take the best generals and soldiers with me and will slay that Lady and quickly return. And if Fate be strong and prove it otherwise, then, after my death, think out again and again and do what is best.”
55-60. Hearing thus the younger brother’s words, S’umbha said, “You better wait; let Chanda and Munda go to the battle, surrounded with forces. To kill a hare it is not necessary to send an elephant. This is a very trifling matter; the two great warriors Chanda and Munda will be freely able to slay Her.” Thus saying his younger brother, the King S’umbha addressed Chanda Munda, who were waiting before him, thus :— O Chanda! O Munda! Take your forces and go quickly to kill that shameless Lady, puffed up with pride. O Pair of Warriors! Kill that tawny-eyed Kâlikâ in the battle and bring that Ambikâ Devî here quickly. Do this Great Service. And if that haughty Ambikâ be unwilling to come here, though taken as a captive, then kill that Durgâ, the ornament of the battle, too, by sharp arrows.
[ p. 444 ]
Here ends the Twenty-fifth Chapter of the Fifth Book on the killing of Dhûmralochana in S’rî Mad Devî Bhâgavatam, the Mahâ Purânam, of 18,000 verses by Maharsi Veda Vyâsa.
On the killing of Chanda and Munda [ p. 444 ] 1-17. Vyâsa said :— O King! Thus ordered, the two strong warriors Chanda and Munda hurriedly went to the battle, accompanied by a vast army. There they saw the Devî, intent on doing good to the Gods. Then they began to address Her in conciliatory words. O Lady! Dost Thou not know that the extraordinarily strong S’umbha and Nis’umhha, the Lords of the Daityas have crushed down the Devas and vanquished Indra and have become intoxicated with their victory? O Fair One! Thou art alone! Only Kâlikâ and Thy Lion are with Thee! It is Thy foolishness that Thou art desirous to conquer S’umbha, who is endowed with all power. I think there is no adviser to Thee, man nor woman; the Devas have sent Thee here simply for Thy destruction. Think, O Delicate One! over the powers of Thine as well as those of Thy enemy. Vainly dost Thou boast of Thy having eighteen hands. Before the great warrior S’umbha, the conqueror of the Devas, many hands and many weapons will be useless; they will prove mere burdens. So dost Thou fulfil what reigns in the heart of S’umbha, the destroyer of the legs and the uprooter of the teeth of Airâvata elephant. Vain is Thy boast, O Beloved! Follow my sweet words; they will do good to Thee, O Large-eyed One! They will destroy Thy pains and give Thee bliss. Those actions that lead to pain are to be avoided by the wise; and those that bring in happiness are to be served by the Pundits, versed in the S’âstras. O Sweet speaking one! Thou art clever. Look at the great strength of S’umbha with Thy eyes. He has enhanced his glory by crushing down the Devas. And if Thou thinkest the gods superior, that is false, for the wise men do not rely on the mere guess, full of doubts; they believe what they actually see. S’umbha, hard to be conquered in battles, is the great enemy of the Gods; they have been crushed down by him, and have therefore sent Thee here. O Sweet smiling One! Thou hast been deceived by their sweet words; they, prompted by their selfish ends, have sent Thee here simply to give Thee trouble. The friends that come with certain business and selfish ends are to be rejected. Friends out of religious motives are only to be sought for refuge. Verily I tell Thee that the gods are terribly selfish. Therefore dost Thou serve S’umbha, the conqueror of Indra and the lord of the three worlds; he is a hero, beautiful, lovely, cunning and thoroughly expert in the [ p. 445 ] science of amorous love. Thou wilt get the prosperity of all the worlds by the mere command of S’umbha; therefore make a firm resolve and serve that splendid husband S’umbha.
18-30. Vyâsa said :— O King! The Universal Mother, hearing the words of Chanda spoke with a voice deep as thunder. O Boor! Why do you use false deceitful words? Fly away just now. Why shall I make S’umbha my husband, disregarding Hari, Hara and the other Devas? O You, a veritable Fool! I have no necessity for My lord; I have got nothing to do with my lord. I Myself am the Lord of all the beings; and I preserve this whole Universe with all the lords and beings therein. Note this. In ancient times I saw thousands and thousands of S’umbha and Nis’umbha and I slew them all. I sent hundreds and hundreds of Daityas and Demons to the realm of Death. Before Me the hosts of Devas were destroyed in yugas after yugas. Today the Daityas again will go unto destruction. The Time has come to destroy the Daityas; why, then, are you struggling in vain with your followers for your lives? Fight now and keep the Dharma of the warriors; death is inevitable; thinking thus, the high-souled ones should keep their name, fame, and respect. What business have you to do with S’umbha and Nis’umbha? Follow the warrior’s Dharma and go to Heavens, the abode of the gods. S’umbha, Nis’umbha and your other friends and followers, all will follow you and will come here no doubt. O Stupid One! I will put an end to all the Dânavas today. Therefore cast aside your weakness and go on, fight. I will slay you and your brother just now; next I will kill the proud Rakta Vîja, Nis’umbha and S’umbha and the other Dânavas in the battle field and will then go to My desired place. Now remain here if you like or fly away quickly. You have been fed in vain because you fear to fight. What use is there now in using sweet words like a weak and distressed man. Well! Take up your arms now and fight.
31-61. Vyâsa said :— O King! Chanda and Munda, elated with pride got excited at the Devî’s words, became angry and made a violent noise with their bow strings. The Devî, too, blew Her conchshell so loudly that the ten quarters of the sky reverberated; in the meanwhile, the powerful lion became very angry and roared loudly. Hearing that sound Indra and other Devas, the Munis, Yaksas, Siddhas, and Kinnaras became all very glad. A dreadful fight than ensued between Chandikâ and Chanda with arrows, axes and other weapons, causing terror to the weak. Then Chandikâ Devî became very wrathful and cut off to pieces all the arrows shot by Chanda and then hurled arrows serpent-like on him. Then the sky over the battle ground seemed to be overcast with arrows just as the [ p. 446 ] clouds get covered over with locusts, dreadful to the cultivators. In the meanwhile Munda, exceedingly terrible, came up to the field, taking with him his army and becoming impatient with anger began to shoot arrows. Seeing that multitude of arrows, Ambikâ got very angry; out of Her frowny look, Her eyebrows became crooked, Her face became black, and Her eyes turned red like Kadalî flowers; at this time suddenly came out of Her forehead Kâlî. Wearing the tiger’s skin, cruel, covering Her body with elephant’s skin, wearing a garland of skulls, terrible, with a belly like a well dried up, mouth wide open, with a wide waist, lip hanging loosely, with axe, noose, S’iva’s weapon, in Her hands, She looked very terrible like the Night of Dissolution. She began to lick frequently and forcibly dashed into the Dânava army and began to destroy it. She angrily began to take the powerful Dânavas by Her arms and pouring them into Her mouth crushed them with Her teeth. Taking the elephants with bells by Her own power in Her hands She put them all into Her mouth and swallowed them all with their riders and began to laugh hoarsely. Thus camels, horses and charioteers with chariots all She put into Her mouth and began to chew them all grimly. O King! Seeing that the forces were being thus destroyed, the two great warriors Chanda and Munda began to shoot arrows after arrows without intermission and covered the Devî with them. Chanda hurled the Sudarsan-like disc, lustrous like the Sun, with great force against the Devî, and frequently shouted thundering cries. Seeing him roaring and the lustrous disc coming towards Her like another sun, She shot at him arrows sharpened on stones so that the warrior Chanda became overpowered by them and lay down senseless on the ground. The powerful Munda seeing his brother unconscious became very much distressed with grief; but he got angry and began to shoot arrows immediately on the Devî. Chandikâ Devî hurled the weapon named Îsikâ and thus cut off to pieces all the dreadful arrows of Munda in a moment and shot Ardha Chandra (semi-circular) arrow at him. With this arrow the powerful Asura was deprived of his pride and made to lie down unconscious on the earth. Munda thus lying on the ground, a great uproar arose amidst the army of the Dânavas; and the Devas became delighted in the sky. In the meanwhile Chanda became conscious and taking a very heavy club hurled it violently on the right hand of Kâlikâ. Kâlikâ rendered that blow useless and instantly tied down that Asura by Her Pâsa weapon, purified by Mantras. Munda again rose up, and, seeing his brother in that fastened condition, came to the front well armoured and with an exceedingly strong weapon called S’akti. Seeing the Asura coming, She instantly fastened him down like his brother. Taking [ p. 447 ] the powerful Chanda and Munda like hares and laughing wildly, Kâlî went to Ambikâ, and said :— “I have brought the two beasts very auspicious as offerings in this sacrificial war. Kindly accept these.” Seeing the two Dânavas brought, as if they were the two wolves, Ambikâ told her sweetly :— O Thou, fond of war! Thou art very wise; so dost not commit the act of envy nor dost leave them; think over the purport of my words and know that it is Thy duty to bring the Devî’s work to a successful issue.
62-65. Vyâsa said :— O King! Hearing thus the words of Ambikâ, Kâlikâ spoke to Her again :— “In this war-sacrifice there is this axe which is like a sacrificial post; I will offer these two as victims to Thy sacrifice. Thus no act of envy will be committed (i.e., killing in a sacrifice is not considered as envy).” Thus saying, the Kâlikâ Devî cut off their heads with great force and gladly drank their blood. Thus seeing the two Asuras killed, Ambikâ said gladly :— Thou hast done the service to the gods; so I will give Thee an excellent boon. O Kâlikâ! As Thou hast killed Chanda and Munda, henceforth Thou wilt be renowned in this world as Châmundâ.
Here ends the Twenty-sixth Chapter of the Fifth Book on the killing of Chanda and Munda in S’rî Mad Devî Bhâgavatam, the Mahâ Purânam, of 18,000 verses by Maharsi Veda Vyâsa.
On the description of the war of Raktabîja [ p. 447 ] 1-14. Vyâsa said :— O King! Seeing the two Dânavas killed in the battle, the remnant soldiers all fled away back to S’umbha. Some of them were cut and wounded in many places by arrows, some had their arms severed, some were bleeding; thus they entered crying into the sky. On reaching the lord of the Daityas, they began to make frequently the noise indicative of danger and exclaimed, “O King! Save us, Save us; Kâlikâ is devouring everything today. The two great warriors Chanda and Munda, the tormentors of the Devas, were slain by Her; all the soldiers were devoured by Her; we have fled away panic-stricken. O Lord! Kâlikâ has rendered the battlefield horrible by the dead bodies of elephants, horses, camels, warriors, and foot soldiers. A river of blood is flowing there of which the flesh of the soldiers is sufficient mud, their hairs are like aquatic plants, the broken chariot wheels are like whirlpools, the severed arms and feet are like fishes and their heads look like Tumbi fruits (long gourds). O King! Save your line; go quickly to Pâtâla. The Devî has become angry and will, no doubt, destroy our [ p. 448 ] race. Even the lion is eating away the Dânavas; and the Kâlikâ Devî is killing innumerable Dânavas by Her arrows. Therefore, O King! What intentions are you cherishing in your mind? Is it that you have desired to be merely slain with your younger brother Nis’umbha! And what good purpose will this cruel woman, destroying your race, serve, for Whose sake, you have desired to kill all your friends? O King! Victory or defeat in this world are under the Daîva. The wise never risk to meet with great difficulties for the gratification of an ordinary whim. O Lord! Look at the wonderful deeds of that Great Creator! What more wonder can there be than this that a woman alone killed all the Dânavas. O King! You have conquered by the help of your army all the Lokapâlas (guardians of the quarters of the sky); but now that Lady, though alone and unsupported by anybody, is challenging you to fight.
15-24. O King! In ancient times, in the holy pilgrimage of Puskara, the sacred place of the Devas, you performed austerities when Brahmâ, the Grandsire of all the worlds, came to you to grant a boon. Then you asked the boon and wanted to become to be immortal. But when Brahmâ refused to grant it you wanted from him and were granted that you would not be killed by any male being, be he a Deva, Dânava, a man, Nâga, Kinnara, Yaksa, or any other person. O Lord! For that very reason we think now that this Lady has timely come to kill you. Think over it seriously and cease fighting. O King! This Devî is the great Mahâ-Mâyâ, the Highest Prakriti; It is She that devours everything at the end of a Kalpa . This auspicious Devî is the Creatrix of all the worlds and the Devas. She is the embodiment of the three qualities, endowed with all the powers. She is Tâmasi, i.e., is the Destructrix of the whole world. This Devî can never be conquered, Imperishable, Eternal, She is the Sandhyâ and the Refuge of the Devas. She is Gâyatrî, the Mother of the Vedas. She is All-knowing and always manifested. This Undecaying Lady is void of any Prakritic attributes, though She at times possesses attributes. She is Success Incarnate and bestows success to all; She is Bliss Herself and gives bliss to all. This Gaurî bids all the Devas discard all their fears. She is S’uddha Sattva. Thus knowing, O King! Quit thy inimical feelings to Her; seek refuge unto Her; the Devî would then certainly protect you. Be obedient to Her and save your race. Then the remnant Dânavas will be able to live for a very long time.”
25. Vyâsa said :— O King! Hearing thus, S’umbha, the conqueror of the Devas, told them truly in words becoming of a hero.
26-42. S’umbha said :— “O Fools! Hold your tongue.You have fled because your desire to live is very strong. So you better go to [ p. 449 ] Pâtâla without any delay. This world is under the control of Fate; so I need not think about Victory. I am under this Fate just as Brahmâ and other Devas are under it. Brahmâ, Visnu, Rudra, Yama, Agni, Varuna, Sûrya, Chandra, and Indra are all under the sway of this Destiny. O Fools! Whatever is inevitable will certainly come to pass. What need I think over it then? The effort also comes to be of such a nature as will lead to that ordained by Fate. Thus thinking, the wise never grieve; especially the wise ones never leave their own Dharma for fear of death. The happiness, pain, longevity, birth and death of all the embodied souls are all determined by Fate when their proper time arrives. See! When the time is over, Brahmâ, Visnu and Mahâdeva, the lord of Pârvatî die away; on the expiration of their terms of lives, Indra and other Devas go to destruction. Similarly I am also completely under the sway of time; so what doubt is there that I, too, will go to destruction when I have observed my own Dharma! This Lady is challenging me to fight of Her own will; how can I fly away and live hundreds of years. I will fight today. Let the result come whatever it may. I will gladly take the victory or defeat whatever the case may be. The learned approving of the cause of effort declare Fate as fictitious; those who realise their sayings know that they are full of reason. Without exertion no end can be achieved; weak persons depend on the destiny. Foolish persons say that Fate is strong; but the wise do not say so. There is no proof whether Fate exists or not; in fact what is called Fate is invisible; how can it then be seen? Has anybody seen Fate? It is simply a scare for the illiterate; remedy only to console one’s mind in times of distress. Simply proximity to a grindmill without any man’s effort cannot grind a material. Therefore if exertion be made in proportion to the gravity of the work, success is sure to ensue; if exertion be made less in proportion, the work does not come to a successful issue. If time, place and one’s enemies’ forces be correctly taken into account and then if the proper attempts be made, success follows; thus Brihaspatî has said.”
43-44. Vyâsa said :— O King! Thus making a firm resolve to send the powerful Raktabîja to the battle with a vast army; S’umbha said :— “O Raktabîja! You are a very powerful hero; therefore do you go to the battle. O Fortunate One! Fight as you are the strength of your forces.”
45-46. Raktabîja said :— “O King! You need not be a bit anxious for this work.Certainly I will either slay Her or I will bring Her under your control. Please see my skill in this warfare; that Lady, favourite [ p. 450 ] of the gods, is worth nothing; I will just now conquer Her and make Her your slave.”
47-50. Vyâsa said :— O Best of Kurus! Thus saying, the powerful Raktabîja mounted on his chariot and went to the battle accompanied by his forces. The battalion consisted of cavalry, infantry, chariots and elephants. Thus surrounded he departed from the city for that Devî, seated on a mountain top. Then the Devî, seeing him coming, blew Her conchshell; the Dânavas were terrified at that sound and the joy of the Devas increased. Hearing that sound Raktabîja came very hurriedly to Châmundâ and began to speak to Her sweetly.
51-62. O Girl! Do you think me weak and thus want to terrify me with the sound of a conchshell? O Lean One! Have you taken me to be a Dhûmralochana? O Sweet speaking one! My name is Raktabîja; I have come here for Thy sake. If Thou desirest to fight, be prepared; I am not a bit afraid of that. O Dear! You saw those who were weak; I do not belong to that class. Therefore dost Thou fight as Thou likest and then Thou wilt be able to ascertain my strength. O Beautiful! If Thou didst serve the old persons before, if Thou hadst heard the science of politics and morals, if Thou hadst studied the political economy, joined the assemblage of the Pundits or if Thou hast been well versed in literature and Tantras, then hear this my good counsel which will serve as a medicinal diet to Thee. Out of the nine sentiments, the S’ringâra (Amorous love sentiments) and S’ânti (Peace) are considered as the chief by the assemblage of the Pundits. Again out of these two, the love sentiment is the king. Drenched with this sentiment, Visnu lives with Kamalâ; Brahmâ, the four-faced, lives with Sâvitri; Indra with S’achî and S’ankara resides with his wife Umâ. The tree stands with creepers surrounding it, the deer lives with his female deer, the pigeon lives with the female pigeon; thus all the beings are very attached to this sentiment of remaining in couples. Those who cannot enjoy owing to certain disease or illness, they are deprived by Fate of such enjoyments. Those who are ignorant of this love sentiment in couples, they are deprived of it by the sweet jugglery of words of the cheat and yet attached to the Peace sentiment. When delusion, the destroyer of Buddhi, the common sense, occurs, when the violent indomitable anger, greed, and lust arise, where, then, is the place for knowledge and dispassion? Therefore, O Auspicious One! Dost Thou marry the beautiful S’umbha or the powerful Nis’umbha.
63. Vyâsa said :— O King! When Raktabîja spoke all these words, standing before the Devî Kâlikâ, Ambikâ and Châmundâ began to laugh.
[ p. 451 ]
Here ends the Twenty-seventh Chapter of the Fifth Book on the description of the war of Raktabîja in S’rî Mad Devî Bhâgavatam, the Mahâ Purânam, of 18,000 verses by Maharsi Veda Vyâsa.
On the description of the fighting of the goddesses [ p. 451 ] 1-5. Vyâsa said :— O King! The Devî, hearing thus, laughed and spoke the following reasonable words, in a voice deep as a rumbling cloud :— O Dull brained one! Already I told to that messenger before in reply to you; why then do you boast in vain? If there be any such in the three worlds who can stand equal to Me in appearance, strength, and prosperity, I will marry him. Go to S’umbha and Nis’umbha and inform them that thus I promised before; therefore let any of them conquer Me in battle and then marry Me according to the prescribed rules. You have come here to execute the order of S’umbha; so either stand up and fight or fly to Pâtâla with your King.
6-11. Vyâsa said :— O King! Hearing the Devî’s words, the Dânava was filled with anger and began to shoot dreadful arrows at once on the Lion. Ambikâ, then, ready-handed, seeing the multitude of arrows coming in the sky like serpents, cut them off in a moment to pieces by Her sharp arrows. The Devî, then, drawing Her bow, shot arrows sharpened on stone at the great Asura Raktabîja. Then that wicked Demon, thus shot at by the arrows, fell unconscious on the chariot. When he lay thus senseless, a great uproar arose amidst his army and the soldiers began to cry aloud saying, “Alas! We all are killed.” Then S’umbha, the king of the Asuras, hearing the sound of Boombâ (a danger cry by hands and mouth) ordered all the Dânavas to be ready for the battle.
12. Then S’umbha said :— Let all Kâmbojas go to the battle with all their forces; let other powerful heroes, especially the Kâlakeyâs, too, who are very strong heroes, go up for the battle. (Note: Kâmboja, name of a people and their country. They inhabited the Hindoo Koosh mountain which separates the Giljit valley from Balkh and probably extended up to little Tibet and Lâdak. The Kâlakeyâs may be the Afridis.)
13-33. Vyâsa said :— O King! Thus ordered, all the fourfold army of S’umbha, viz., cavalry, infantry, elephants and chariots went out, intoxicated for war, to the battle ground where the Devî existed. The Devî Chandikâ, seeing the Dânava forces coming near, made at once terrible sounds frequently. The Ambikâ Devî also made the sound with Her bowstring and blew Her conchshell. Kâlî, then, shouted aloud opening Her mouth widely. The powerful Lion, the Devî’s Vâhana, hearing the terrible sounds, roared so loudly that the Dânavas were struck with strange terror. The powerful Dânavas, then, hearing that sound became [ p. 452 ] impatient with anger and shot arrows after arrows on the Devî. The wonderful horrible battle, then, ensued, causing horripilation and the S’aktis of Brahmâ and the other Devas began to come to Chandikâ Devî. The Devîs, the wives of the several Devas, then went, to the battlefield in their respective forms with ornaments and Vâhanas as generally on such occasions. The S’akti (wife) of Brahmâ named Brahmâni, mounting on the back of Her Swan came there with a string of beads and Kamandalu (an wooden waterpot used by ascetics). The Vaisnavî with Her yellow robes came there mounted on Garuda (the sacred bird of Visnu, the carrier of Him) with conch, discus, club, and lotus in Her hands. The Devî S’ankarî, the wife of S’iva, the Auspicious One, arrived on the back of Her Bull. The emblem of half-moon was on Her forehead while in Her hands She held snake, bracelet, and trident (Trisûla) and the sign of fearlessness for Her devotees. The beautiful wife of Kârtika, Kaumâri Devî, looking like Kartika, came to fight there mounted on a peacock. The fairfaced Indrânî, decked with ornaments on Her several limbs, came there to fight, with thunder-bolt in Her hand, mounted on the elephant Airâvata. The Vârâhî Devî looking like a female boar, came also, seated on an elevated seat of departed souls (Preta). The Nârasimhî, resembling Nrisimha (the Man Lion Incarnation) came there. The wife of Yama, looking fearful like Yama arrived there on the battlefield smiling and with staff in Her hand and mounted on the back of a buffalo. Thus the wives of Kuvera, Varuna, and other Devas came there with proper forms, Vâhanas, ornaments, accompanied by their forces and all excited. Seeing them all, the Devî Ambikâ became glad; the Devas, too, became peaceful and expressed their great joy; the Dânavas were afraid at the sight of them. S’ankara, auspicious to all the beings, came there to the battlefield, surrounded by these goddesses and thus said to Chandikâ :— Slay quickly all these Asuras, S’umbha, Nis’umbha and all other Dânavas to serve the cause of the Devas. Let all the goddesses destroy the Dânava race and thus free the world from dangers; they may, then, return to their own abodes. Let the Devas get their shares of sacrifices, let the Brâhmanas perform the sacrificial acts, and let all the creatures, moving or not moving, be happy. Let all calamities such as proceed from drought, excessive rain, rats, foreign invasion, locusts and birds, bats, etc., come to an end. Let the clouds bestow rains regularly and let the cultivation yield ample harvests. Note here that rats bring in plague.
34-40. Vyâsa said :— O King! When S’ankara, the Lord of the gods and Auspicious to all, said thus, a wonderful female ensued out of the body of Chandikâ, very furious, horrible, with hundreds of jackals surrounding and yelling; then that S’akti, of dreadful appearance, said [ p. 453 ] to the five-faced S’iva, smiling :— O Deva of the Devas! Go quickly to the lord of the Daityas; do the duty of a messenger for us, O Destroyer of lust! O S’ankara! Tell that haughty lustful S’umbha and Nis’umbha leave the Heavens and go to Pâtâla. Let the Devas reign in the Heavens; Indra go to his own beautiful throne; let all the Devas go to their appropriate places in Heaven and receive their sacrificial offerings duly. And if the Demons desire to live, let them go quickly to the city of Pâtâla where other Dânavas are dwelling. Else, if they like to die, let them go quickly to the battlefield and let their flesh be eaten up by Her jackals.
41. Vyâsa said :— O King! Hearing Her words, S’ûlapâni went quickly to S’umbha, the lord of the Dânavas, seated in the assembly, and said thus :—
42-44. O King! I am Hara, the Destroyer of the Asura Tripurâ; now I have come to you for your good as a messenger of Ambikâ Devî. Quit the Heavens and Earth and go quickly to Pâtâla where reside the powerful Bali and Prahlâda, or if you like to court Death, come to fight; I will slay you all in a moment. O King! The Great Queen Ambikâ Devî has sent me with these instructions for your welfare and information.
45-63. Vyâsa said :— O King! Thus conveying the nectarlike, beneficial words of the Devî to the chief Daityas, S’iva, the Holder of the trident, returned to his own place. The S’akti that sent S’ambhu as a messenger to the Dânavas is known in three worlds as S’iva Dûtî. The Daityas, thus hearing the rigorous words of the Devî, put on their coats of armour and taking their bows and arrows quickly went out to fight. They came with great force to the battlefield, stretched their bows to their ears and shot piercing arrows, sharpened on stone and tipped with iron, at the Chandikâ Devî. The Kâlikâ Devî, too began to strike some with the trident, some with S’akti weapon, and some with clubs and rent them asunder and devoured them all, and began to roam in the field. Brahmâni began to pour water from Her Kamandalu on the powerful Dânavas in the battlefield and thus destroyed them. Mahes’varî, mounting on Her Bull gave violent blows by Her trident and thus lay them dead on the ground. Vaisnavî, with the blow of Her club, took away the lives of many Daityas and striking them with Her Discus out off the heads of several others. Indrânî hurled Her thunderbolt on the chief Dânavas, already struck by the feet of the elephant and lay them dead on the field. Nârasimhî tore the strongest Dânavas with the sharp nails and, devouring them, walked to and fro and made dreadful sounds. S’iva Dûtî began to laugh hoarsely and laid the Dânavas flat on the field, when they were at once devoured by Kâlikâ and Chandikâ. Kaumâri, seated on a peacock, by drawing the bowstring to [ p. 454 ] Her ears hurled arrows sharpened on stone on the enemies and killed them to serve the cause of the gods. Vâruni tied down the Dânavas by Her Pâsa weapons in a face to face fighting; thus they lay down senseless on the ground. O King! Thus the Mâtrikâs, the goddesses, crushed the forces. Then the other powerful soldiers fled away terrified. The “Boombâ” danger cry rose then loudly; on the other hand, the Devas began to shower flowers on the Devîs. Hearing the distressful agonies of the Asuras and the shouts of victory of the Devas, Raktabîja, the chief of the Dânavas became very angry. Seeing specially the Dânavas flying away and the Devas shouting, that powerful Demon came hurriedly to the battlefield with anger. Then with eyes reddened with anger, and with various weapons came before the Devî, Raktabîja mounting on a chariot, and making sounds unusual with his bowstring.
Here ends the Twenty-eighth Chapter of the Fifth Book on the description of the fighting of the goddesses in S’rî Mad Devî Bhâgavatam the Mahâ Purânam, of 18,000 verses by Maharsi Veda Vyâsa.
On the killing of Raktabîja [ p. 454 ] 1-21. Vyâsa said :— O King! Please hear attentively about the extraordinary boon that was given by Mahâdeva, the God of gods, to the great warrior, Raktabîja. Whenever a drop of blood from the body of that great warrior will drop on the surface of the earth, immediately will arise innumerable Dânavas, equal in form and power to him; thus the Deva Rudra granted the Demon the wonderful boon. Thus elated with the boon, he entered into the battlefield with great force in order to kill Kâlikâ with Ambikâ Devî. Seeing the Vaisnavî S’akti, lotus-eyed, seated on the bird Garuda, the Demon struck Her with a violent weapon (named S’akti). She then baffled the weapon by Her club and hurled Sudars’ana disc on the great Asura Raktabîja. Thus struck by the disc, blood began to ooze out from his body as the red stream of soft red sandstone comes out of a mountain-top. Wherever on the surface of the earth drops of blood fell from his body, then and there sprang out thousands and thousands of demons like him. Indrâni, the wife of Indra, became very angry and struck the terrible Raktabîja with his thunderbolt. Streams of blood then began to ooze out from his body. No sooner the drops of blood fell from the Demon’s body, than were instantaneously born from the blood many powerful Asuras, of similar forms, having similar weapons and hard to be conquered in battle. Brahmânî then becoming enraged [ p. 455 ] struck at him with the staff of Brahmâ with greater force. Mâhes’varî rent the Dânava asunder by striking him with Her trident. Nâra Simhî pierced the Asura with Her nails; Vârâhî struck at him with Her teeth. Then the Dânava becoming angry shot at them all with sharpened arrows and pierced them all. Thus when the Mâtrikâ Devîs were pierced by the club and other various weapons of that great Asura, they got very angry and pierced the Dânavas in return with shots of arrows. Kaumârî, too, struck at his breast with Her weapon, named S’akti. The Dânavas then got angry and hurled on them multitude of arrows and began to pierce them. O King! The Chandikâ Devî, getting angry, cut off his weapons into pieces and shot violently at him other arrows. O King! Thus struck by severe blows, when blood began to flow in profuse quantities from his body, thousands and thousands of Dânavas resembling Raktabîja sprang out instantly from it. So much so, that the heavens were all covered over with Raktabîjas that sprang up from the blood. They all covered all over their bodies with coats of armour, began to fight terribly with weapons in their hands. Then the Devas, seeing that the innumerable Raktavîjas were striking the Devî, became very much frightened and were distressed with sorrow. They began to talk with each other with sorrowful countenances that thousands and thousands of huge bodied warriors were springing from the blood. These were all very powerful; so how could they be destroyed! In this battlefield there were now left only the Mâtrikâs, Kâlikâ, and Chandikâ. It would be certainly extremely difficult for them to conquer all these Dânavas. And if at that moment, S’umbha and Nis’umbha were to join them with his army, certainly a great catastrophe would occur.
22-28. Vyâsa said :— O King! When the Devas were thus extremely anxious, out of terror, Ambikâ Devî said to the lotus-eyed Kâlî :— “O Châmundâ! Open out your mouth quickly, and no sooner I strike Raktabîja with weapons, you would drink off the blood as fast as it runs out of his body. Instantly I will kill those Dânavas sprung from the blood with sharpened arrows, clubs, swords and Musalas; and you would then be able to devour them all at your will, and, then, roam in this field as you like. O Large-eyed One! You would drink off all the jets of blood in such a way that not a drop of it escapes and falls on the ground. And then when they will all be devoured, no more Dânavas would be able to spring. Thus they will surely be extirpated; otherwise they will never be destroyed. Let me begin to strike blows after blows on Raktabîja and you better drink off quickly all the blood, being intent on destroying the forces. O Chamunde! Thus, the Dânavas being all exterminated, we will hand over to the Indra, the lord of the Devas, his Heavens without [ p. 456 ] any enemy; and, thus, we can go peacefully and happily to our own places.”
29-47. Vyâsa said :— O King! The Châmundâ Devî, of furious strength, hearing thus the Devî’s words began to drink the jets of blood coming out of the body of Raktabîja. The Devî Ambikâ began to cut the Demon’s body into pieces and Châmundâ, of thin belly, went on devouring them. Then Raktabîja, becoming angry, struck Châmundâ with his club. But though She was thus hurt severely, She drank off the blood and then devoured all the limbs thereof. O King! Thus Kâlikâ Devî drank off the blood of all other powerful wicked Dânava Raktabîjas that sprang out of the blood. Ambikâ thus destroyed them. Thus, all the Dânavas, created out of the blood were devoured; then, there was left, lastly, the real Raktabîja. Ambikâ Devî then cut him asunder into pieces by Her axe and thus killed him. Thus, when the dreadful Raktabîja was slain in the battle, the Dânavas fled away trembling with fear. Without any weapons, covered all over their bodies with blood, and void of consciousness they uttered, dumb confounded “Alas! Alas! What has happened, what has happened.” Thus crying, they told their King S’umbha thus :— “O King of Kings! Ambikâ Devî has killed Raktabîja and Châmundâ has drunk off all their blood. The carrier (Vâhana) of Devî, the powerful ferocious Lion killed other powerful warriors and Kali devoured the remaining soldiers. O Lord of the Dânavas! We have fled and come to you to give the news of the battle and to describe the wonderful doings of that Chandikâ Devî in the battlefield. O King! In our opinion, no one will be able to conquer that Lady, be he a Daitya, Dânava, Gandarbha, Asura, Yaksa, Pannaga, Chârana, Râksasa, or an Uraga. O King of Kings! The other Goddesses, Indrâni and others, have come to the battle, on their own carriers respectively and are fighting with various weapons. O Lord of the Dânavas! The Dânava forces are all slain by them with the excellent weapons in their hands. Even Raktabîja has been slain in no time. That Lion, of indomitable prowess, killed the Râksasas in the battle; The Devî alone is hard to conquer; how much more would it be impossible to conquer Her, when She has been joined with other goddesses. So consult with the ministers and do what is reasonable. In our opinion it is better to make treaty with Her and quit your enmity. O King! Think over the fact that that Lady destroyed all the Dânavas and at last drank off the blood of Raktabîja and at last killed him. What on earth can be more wonderful than this? O King! The Devî Ambikâ killed all the other Daityas and Châmundâ devoured their blood, flesh, and all. Considering all this, it is now better for us to serve the Devî Ambikâ or fly away to Pâtâla. No more fighting is desirable. She is [ p. 457 ] not an ordinary woman; She is Mahâ Mâyâ, there is not the least doubt in this. Only to serve the cause of the Gods, She has manifested Herself and is now destroying the Râksasas’ race.”
48. Vyâsa said :— Hearing thus, S’umbha got confounded by Kâla (Death), as his end was coming nigh, and said the following words, his lips quivering with anger.
49-54. You are struck with fear; so you all take the refuge of Chandikâ or fly down to Pâtâla; but I will kill Her with all my exertion and effort. I conquered all the hosts of Devas and I have enjoyed their kingdom; shall I now, out of the fear of one Lady, fly and enter into the Pâtâla. All my attendants, Raktabîja and other heroes, are now slain in the battle and is it possible that I will now fly away out of the sake of preserving my life only. See! The death of all the beings is ordained by Kâla and it is unavoidable. No sooner a being is born, he is liable to the fear of death. How can a man, then, out of fear of death, quit all his name and fame? O Nis’umbha! I will now go immediately to the battle, mounting on my chariot and will return after slaying Her in battle. And if I cannot kill Her, I will not then return any more. O Best of warriors! Better stand on my side with all your forces and kill that Lady in no time, with sharp arrows.
55-58. Nis’umbha said :— Today I will go to the battle and slaying that Kâlikâ, will shortly return here with Ambikâ. O King! Do not think at all for that Lady; see my world-conquering strength and look at that weak woman; there is a vast difference. Cast aside your this great mental anxiety and trouble. Enjoy, O Brother, excellent things. I will bring that dignified Lady with all honours before you. O King! You ought not to go to the battle when I am alive. I will presently go to the fight and bring for you that Lady as a sign of our victory.
59-60. Vyâsa said :— O King! Thus saying, the younger brother, proud of his own strength, went hurriedly to the battlefield, mounting on his big chariot. He was protected all over his body by his coat of armour and he was well provided with various weapons and all other accoutrements of war. The bards began to sing hymns to him and various other propitious ceremonies were being performed.
Here ends the Twenty-ninth Chapter of the Fifth Book on the killing of Raktabîja in S’rî Mad Devî Bhâgavatam, the Mahâ Purânam, of 18,000 verses by Maharsi Veda Vyâsa.
On the killing of Nis’umbha [ p. 458 ] 1-10. Vyâsa said :— O King! Thus making a firm resolve that there would be either victory or death, the great warrior Nis’umbha went to fight with the Devî, with great excitement and with all his forces. S’umbha, too the Lord of the Daityas, accompanied by his forces, went after Nis’umbha; S’umbha knew full well the rules of warfare; therefore he remained a witness there. Indra and the other Devas and Yaksas, all stationed themselves in the celestial space, eager to see that fight, covered with clouds. Nis’umbha came to the field, and, taking the strong bow made of horns, began to shoot arrows after arrows at the Divine Mother with the object of frightening Her. Seeing Nis’umbha with his excellent bow, shooting arrows, Chandikâ began to laugh frequently. With a soft slow voice She spoke to Kâlikâ :— “O Kâlî! See their foolishness! They have come before me, courting death. They are so much deluded by My Mâyâ, that they yet expect victory when they have already witnessed the death of Raktabîja and many Dânavas. Hope is so very strong that it never quits a man. How wonderful is this that some of their armies are destroyed, some are wounded, some are rendered senseless, some made powerless, some have fled; seeing all these, yet, they have come to fight, as it were, fastened by the cord of hope of victory. O Kâlî! Today I will certainly slay Nis’umbha and S’umbha. Their death is nigh; deluded by the Daivî Mâyâ, they have come to Me. Therefore, in the face of all the Devas, I will kill them today.”
11-24. Vyâsa said :— O King! Thus saying, and suddenly drawing Her bow, Chandî covered Nis’umbha, in front, all over with a multitude of arrows. Nis’umbha, too, cut off those arrows into pieces by his sharp arrows; thus the fight became more and more dreadful between them. At this time, the lion of Bhagavatî, came down upon the forces, quivering his manes, like a powerful elephant going down into a lake. By his nails and teeth, he tore asunder the bodies of the Dânavas that fell before him and devoured them, as if they were infatuated elephants. That lion thus crushing down the soldiers, Nis’umbha came forward hurriedly, drawing his excellent bow. Hundreds of other generals of the Dânavas came up there to kill the Devî, biting their lips and with their eyes reddened with anger. In the meantime S’umbha killed Kâlikâ and came very hurriedly there with his forces to capture the Divine Mother. Coming to the battlefield S’umbha saw that the Divine Mother was [ p. 459 ] standing before him; though She was looking very beautiful, fit for love sentiment, yet She was filled also with the sentiment of fiery wrath. At that time the large eyes of Bhagavatî, the Beautiful in the three worlds, though naturally red, looked more red due to wrath. When S’umbha saw Her lovely features, the desire to marry Her and the hope of victory all vanished away from his mind; and he stood there with bow in his hand, firmly holding in his mind that he would die. Seeing the Dânava in that state, She smiled and began to say, so that all the Dânavas could hear. O Wretched Fools! If you all want to live, quit all your weapons here, go to the Pâtâla or to the middle of the ocean. Or be slain in the battle by My arrows and go to heavens and enjoy there without any fear all the enjoyments and sports there. Weakness and heroism, both cannot be expected at one and the same time and at the same individual; therefore I am ordering you to dispel your fears. Now go wherever you find your ease and happiness.
25-35. Vyâsa said :— O King! Hearing these words of the Devî, that haughty Nis’umbha ran forward, holding in his hand the sharpened axe and shield adorned with eight Chandras (embossed) and firstly struck with sword violently on the proud lion; then, whirling with great force that sword, hurled it upon the Divine Mother. The Devî, then, thwarted off the blow of the sword by Her club and struck at his arm by Paras’u. The warrior Nis’umbha, thus struck at his arm, patiently bore that hurt and struck at Chandikâ by his axe. The Devî then made such a terrible noise of bells that all the Daityas were struck with terror. Then She, desiring to kill Nis’umbha, began to drink nectar frequently. O King! Thus the terrible fight went on between the Devas and Dânavas both trying to defeat the other party. Then began to dance in the battlefield, the cruel voracious dogs, jackals, vultures, herons, crows and other birds, very much gladdened. The battlefield was drenched with blood and the dead carcasses of innumerable Dânavas, elephants, and horses. Nis’umbha, then, seeing the Dânavas dead on the field, became very angry and ran forward with his terrible club before the Devî. That proud Asura struck first at the head of the lion with that club and laughed again and again and struck the Devî with that same club. The Devî, too, got very angry seeing Nis’umbha before Her and striking
at Her. She then spoke thus :—
36. O You Stupid! Wait till I sever your head from your body by this axe. Soon you will be sent unto death with your head severed off your body.
37-64. Vyâsa said :— O King! Thus saying the Chandikâ Devî instantly cut off the head of Nis’umbha by Her axe with great caution.
[ p. 460 ]
The head thus severed from the body by the blow of the Devî, the headless Demon began to roam there with great force with club in his hand. The Devas then got very much frightened; The Devî, then, cut off the hands and feet of that headless Demon with sharpened arrows. That vicious wretch fell down lifeless, on the ground like a mountain. The powerful Daitya Nis’umbha being thus killed, a great uproar arose amidst his panic stricken forces. The soldiers, covered all over their bodies with blood, left all their weapons in the field, began to make Boombâ sound (a piteous cry with mouth and hands as sign of danger) and fled away to the King S’umbha. He, the tormentor of the foes, then asked them coming :— “Where is Nis’umbha now? Why have you fled away from the field?” Thus hearing the King’s words, they bowed down and said :— O King! Your brother Nis’umbha is lying dead on the battlefield. O King! The Devî killed all the Dânava warriors that attended your brother; only we are left and have come here to give you the information. O King! Nis’umbha has been killed by the weapons of the Devî. So we think you ought not to go to the battle. Know this as certain that the Lady, the Highest Cause of this Universe has come here to destroy the Dânavas, the object being to serve the cause of the Gods. This Lady is not an ordinary woman; She is the Supreme Force; Her doings are inconceivable; what more can be said than the fact that the Devas never can know Her! This Devî can assume various forms; She is the origin of Mâyâ; She is very clever; She is adorned with various ornaments and is holding various weapons in Her hands. Her doings are incomprehensible; She is like a Second Night of Dissolution (at the end of the world); She is Perfect, endowed with all auspicious signs, capable to go beyond the insurmountable. This wonderful Devî is serving the cause of the gods and the Devas from the sky are singing hymns to Her. O King! It is now your paramount duty to fly away and save your life; if you live, you may have the chance for gaining the victory when time will turn out favourable; there is no doubt in this. It is Time that makes a strong man weak; and it is that very Time that makes that weak man strong again and stimulates him for victory. Time makes a generous donor a beggar and it is Time that makes the same beggar again a generous donor. Brahmâ, Visnu, Mahes’a, Indra and other Devas are all under the sway of this Time; so Time is the Sovereign of all. Therefore, O King! Wait for this Time. Now Time is favourable to the Gods and inimical to you. Therefore Time is destroying now the Daityas. But the course of Time is not the same throughout. O King! The actions of Time are various no doubt. Time creates men and Time destroys them. The time of [ p. 461 ] creation is different from the time of destruction, this is evident to you before your eyes. See! When Time was favourable to you, you subject Indra and all other Devas and made them pay taxes to you; and now Time is unfavourable to you; so an ordinary weak woman is killing the powerful Dânavas; Time, therefore, is doing favourable things and also unfavourable things. The host of Devas or the woman Kâlî is not the cause thereof. O King! The present Time is not favourable to you and the Daityas; knowing this, do as you like. See! Indra, Visnu, Varuna, Yama and other prominent Devas all fled before in battle, quitting the weapons. So, knowing this world as subject to the control of Time, you can now fly away and go quickly to the Pâtâla. For if you live, you will get in future all the pleasures; and if you be killed, your enemies will all be very glad and roam everywhere fearlessly, singing propitious songs.
Here ends the Thirtieth Chapter of the Fifth Book on the killing of Nis’umbha in S’rî Mad Devî Bhâgavatam, the Mahâ Purânam, of 18,000 verses by Maharsi Veda Vyâsa.