Cāmuṇḍā and Ruru

Cāmuṇḍā is the fierce form of the Devī born of the tamo-guṇa (the dark quality) of Rudra’s energy. She is black and terrible, and she is also called Raudrī and Kālarātrī. The Varāha Purāṇa tells how she killed the great daitya Ruru, and how this gave her the name Cāmuṇḍā. It also gives the stuti (hymn of praise) that Bhagavān Rudra himself made to her.

The black Devī goes to tapas

The three forms of the Tri-śakti were born together. The tamo-guṇa form, born of Rudra’s energy, was dark as the night sky. She carried a trident (triśūla) and had fearsome fangs (daṃshṭrās). She went to Nīla-giri, the Blue Mountain, to perform her tapas (austerity). She is the great Devī who brings all things to their end, who consumes everything at the close of time. She said in her resolve: “I shall perform tapas for a long time, and then I shall rule all the worlds.” She set up the five fires (pañcāgni), four fires in the four directions and the fire of the sun above, and sat in meditation (dhyāna). (Varāha Mahā Purāṇa, Chapter 94)

The rise of Ruru

While the Devī sat in tapas, the daitya Ruru, also called Ruru-daitya, held power over the kingdoms of the ocean. He had received varas (boons) from Brahmā and had become almost unbeatable. His city stood in the middle of the ocean, full of jewels and gardens. His army counted hundreds of crores. In power and wealth he was like a second Namuci. For a long time he had been steadily taking the homes of the lokapālas (guardians of the directions).

When he rose to march, the waters of the ocean swelled and surged. Out of the waters came fearsome armies of rākshasas, great elephants, swift horses and huge war-chariots (ratha-yantras), as if the sea itself were pouring out its forces. (Varāha Mahā Purāṇa, Chapter 94)

The devas are routed

Ruru’s forces attacked Indra’s city with great fury. The daityas and the devas fought. The Ādityas, Vasus, Rudras, Viśvedevas and Aśvins all took up weapons and fought. But the army of the rākshasa king, strengthened by Brahmā’s vara, could not be stopped. In the end the devas broke and fled. They left Svarga and ran towards Nīla-parvata, where the Devī sat in tapas. She was the Rudra-śakti, the one in fierce tapas, the tamo-guṇa śakti known as Kālarātrī. She was their last hope. (Varāha Mahā Purāṇa, Chapter 94)

The Devī hears the devas

The Devī saw the devas coming in great terror and called out: “O devas, what is this? You look very frightened. Tell me at once, what is the cause of your fear?”

They answered: “O Parameśvarī! The daitya king Ruru, of terrible strength, is coming against us. Please protect all the devas who have taken refuge in you!” (Varāha Mahā Purāṇa, Chapter 94)

The Devī, of fearful strength, was filled with great joy. She laughed loudly before the devas. As she laughed, countless forms of the Devī came out of her face, all of strange and wonderful shapes, and they filled the whole universe. All of them held nooses (pāśas) and goads (aṅkuśas), had full breasts, and carried tridents (śūlas) and bows. Crores upon crores of these forms of the Devī, with quivers and weapons, surrounded her and went out to fight the army of the dānavas. In a moment the whole dānava army was destroyed. (Varāha Mahā Purāṇa, Chapter 94)

The Ādityas, Vasus, Rudras, Viśvedevas and Aśvins also armed themselves and fought. The army of Kālarātrī and the army of the devas together sent all the dānava forces to Yama’s abode. Only Ruru himself was left on the battlefield. (Varāha Mahā Purāṇa, Chapter 94)

The slaying of Ruru

Ruru then let loose his Ruru-śakti, his highest weapon of māyā, against the forces of the Devī. The māyā spread terror and confusion (moha) among the armies of the devas. All of them fell in an instant into a deep stupor, the great sleep (mahā-nidrā). (Varāha Mahā Purāṇa, Chapter 94)

Then the Devī struck the daitya with her three-pointed śūla. At that blow Ruru’s skin and body fell apart. In the same moment the Devī took hold of Ruru’s carmāṇḍa, his skin and skull, and stripped them off completely. (Varāha Mahā Purāṇa, Chapter 94)

From this act, the stripping of Ruru’s carmāṇḍa, the Devī received her famous name, Cāmuṇḍā. The name holds this very event: Caṇḍa (her own fearsome side as Raudrī) joined with Muṇḍa (the skull of Ruru that she took) gives Cāmuṇḍā. This is the Varāha Purāṇa’s account of how the name arose. (Varāha Mahā Purāṇa, Chapter 94)

Rudra’s stuti to Cāmuṇḍā

Bhagavān Rudra himself appeared when he saw the daitya Ruru destroyed. He looked at the slain Ruru and made this stuti to the Devī:

“O Devī Cāmuṇḍā! O destroyer of bhūtas! O Devī who lives in all places! O Kālarātrī! Namaskāra to you!”

“The whole universe is your form. You are of auspicious nature, spotless, Virūpākshī. You are three-eyed, of fearful form. O Śivā! O Vidyā-svarūpiṇī! O Mahāmāyā! O Mahodayā! Namaskāra to you!”

“O you who move with the speed of thought! Victory is your nature. You yawn. Your eyes bring fear. O destroyer of unrest! O Mahāmārī! O Vicitrāṅgī! O you who love song and dance! O Śubhā! Namaskāra to you!”

“O Mahākālī! O Kālikā! O Bhīma-rūpiṇī! O destroyer of all pāpa! O bearer of the noose! O Daṇḍa-hastā! O terrible Devī! Praṇāma to you!”

“O Cāmuṇḍā! O you whose face breathes flames! O you with the sharpest fangs! O Mahābalā! O you who stand on a funeral bier! O Devī seated on the corpse! O Maṅgala-svarūpā! Namaskāra to you!”

“O Bhīmākshī! O Bhīshaṇā! O Devī who is fearful to all bhūtas! O Karālā! O Vikarālā! O Mahākālī! O Karālinī! O Kālī! O Karālī! O mother of valour! Namaskāra to you!”

(Varāha Mahā Purāṇa, Chapter 94)

The vara and the feeding of the Devī-gaṇas

Pleased by Rudra’s stuti, the Devī Cāmuṇḍā said: “O Deva-deva, ask the vara that is in your mind.” Rudra said: “Grant that those who praise you with this stotra may receive varas from you, who are present everywhere.” He added: “One who recites this three times a day with devotion (bhakti) will gain sons, grandsons and plenty of cattle (paśus), and will reach aiśvarya (lordship). One who hears this stotra of the three śaktis with devotion will destroy all pāpa and reach the place where there is no disease.” (Varāha Mahā Purāṇa, Chapter 94)

Then came another event. The countless Devī-gaṇas who had come out of Cāmuṇḍā’s laughter were hungry and pressed her for food. She had nothing to give them, so she meditated on Rudra. He appeared and gave guidance. He told these gaṇas to live in the bodies and surroundings of those who broke the rules of dharma in certain ways, and so to take their food through that closeness. (Varāha Mahā Purāṇa, Chapter 94)

Rudra then went away at once, and the devas returned to svarga. The Varāha Purāṇa says: “The Devī Cāmuṇḍā stands in nine crore different forms (bheda-svarūpas). She is the tāmasī śakti that belongs to Rudra.” (Varāha Mahā Purāṇa, Chapter 94)

Sources

• Varāha Mahā Purāṇa, Chapter 94