19 - The battle between Shiva and Shamkhachuda 

Narayana said—The glorious king of demons named Samkhaciida bowed in reverence to lord Shiva, left the place together with his courtiers and boarded the plane. 

The battle started between both the sides. The Danavas suffered Considerably with the prowess of Skanda. A commotion was created among them. On the other hand, the drums were beaten in the heaven. In that terrific war the gods started showering flowers over Skanda. The war of Skanda was quite astonishing and terrific; it was proving to be destructive for the demons like the natural dissolution. Thereafter Saihkhachuda started showering arrows. 

The showering of arrows by the demon king appeared like the fall of rain which created darkness everywhere. Thereafter the fire appeared. 

All the gods including Nandisvara fled away from the place in terror. Karttikeya alone continued to face the battle as before. 

In the battle field the mountains, the serpents, the rocks and the trees were continuously being showered in a horrible manner. 

Skanda appeared like the sun which is covered by the clouds and he became invisible with the showering of arrows by the demon king. 

The demon king then cut-off the horrible bow of Skanda held by him in his hand. He also shattered the divine chariot of Skanda, together with the horses of his chariot and charioteer. 

Thereafter Shamkhachuda with the use of a divine weapon, injured the peacock of Skanda. With the intention of tearing out the chest of Skanda he shot a Sakti which had the lustre of the sun. 

With the attack of the Shakti, Skanda fainted for a moment. Thereafter he regained consciousness and again held another divine bow in his hand, which was handed over to him by lord Vishnu in earlier times. 

Thereafter Skanda mounted on another chariot which was built with the gist of gem. Skanda then equipped himself with all the weapons and started a great war. 

Skanda the son of Shiva destroyed in anger all the snakes, the mountains, the trees and the rocks showered by the demons on him. 

The fire weapon of Sarhkhachuda was neutralised by Skanda with his Varuna-weapon and simultaneously he destroyed his bow quite easily besides his chariot and the horses. Thereafter his charioteer, the horses and the kirit a crown were destroyed. This attack of Skanda appeared like the fall of a planet over the demon king. 

The demon king fainted with that attack. After regaining consciousness, he boarded another chariot holding a bow in his hand. 

О Narada, Shamkhachuda who was well-versed in the best of illusion covered Skanda in the battle field with the shooting of innumerable arrows. Thereafter he took up his invisible shakti which having the lustre of crores of suns and appeared like the fire of dissolution was also covered with the glory of lord Vishnu. He took out the Shakti in his hand and in anger he shot at Karttikeya with great force. The Shakti struck the body of Skanda like a burning fire. Karttikeya the great warrior fainted at this. Thereafter the goddess Kali picked him up in her lap and took him to lord Shiva. Lord Shiva on his part brought him back to life with a mere glance at him, restoring the immense strength possessed by him. The glorious Skanda got up at once thereafter. 

Lord Shiva then deputed several of his soldiers and gods to fight with the demon king. The battle between the gods and the demon king again started with their armies. In the battle Vrusaparva fought with Mahendra, Viprachitti with Surya, Dambha with the moon, Kaleshvara with Kala, Gokarana with Agni, Kalakeya with Kubera, Maya with Visvakarma, the terrific demon called Bhayankara with Mrutyu and Yama with Samhara. 

Similarly, Kalavinka fought with Varuna, Chancala with Vayu, Ghrutapusta with Budha, Raktaksha with Saturn, Ratnasara with Jayanta, Varchasva with Vasus, Dlptiman with Asvini kumara, Dhumra with Nalakubara, Dhanurddhara with Dharma, Mandukaksha with Mars, Sobhakarana with Ishana, Pithara with the god of love and Ulkamukha, Dhumra, Khanga, Dhvaja, Kanchimukha, Pinda, Dhumra and Nandi with Visvedeva, Palasa with Aditya and the eleven Rudras fought with eleven terrific Danavas. 

Ugradanda and others fought with Mahamari (epidemic) and Nandi and others fought with other demon warriors. 

In that terrific battle which had commenced only lord Shiva was seated under the banyan tree accompanied by Kali and Skanda.

О sage, many of the warriors were engaged in the battle at that point of time, while Shamkhachuda adorned with all the ornaments was seated on a gem-studded lion throne accompanied by crores of demons. In the battle field all the ganas of Shiva were defeated. Getting injured, all of them fled from the battle field in terror. Thereafter, Skanda felt enraged and challenged the demons, boosting the morale of his soldiers. He himself then proceeded alone to fight the demon in the battle field. 

Skanda then destroyed a hundred aksauhini demon army. The lotus-eyed Kali also got enraged and drank a hundred skulls full of the blood of demons and playfully held ten lakhs of elephants and a hundred lakhs of horses and playfully swallowed them all. Thus she consumed thousands of dead bodies and she then started dancing in the battle field. 

On the other hand, the demon warriors were badly injured with the showering of the arrows by Skanda. The demon army fled in terror. 

All the great demon warriors like Vrusaparva, Viprachitti, Dambha and Vikankana fought a terrific battle with Skanda. 

Shiva was protecting Karttikeya and Kali was engaged in the battle field. He was followed by Nandisvara and several other great warriors. The gods, Gandharvas, Yakshas, Rakshasas, Kinnaras besides many of the court jesters and crores of Balahakas were also there. The goddess uttered a lion's roar, reaching the battle field which made the demon army to lose their senses. 

The goddess then uttered a terrific laughter and delightfully started drinking the wine, dancing in the battle field at the same time. Thereafter Ugradanstra, Ugrachanda and Kauttari started consuming honey, besides the innumerable Yoginis, Dakinis. The ganas of Shiva and many other gods also participated in it. Finding Kali there Shamkhachuda at once rushed to the battle field and started reassuring the panicky demons. 

Kali then used the fire of dissolution. The demon king on his part neutralised this by shooting a Varunastra.

The goddess then started using extremely sharp and astonishing type of arrows which destroyed the Gandharvastra and other weapons shot by the demon king. 

The goddess Kali then used the Mahesvarastra which was like a fire flame. The king neutralised the same with the use of Vais navastra. The goddess then shot Narayanastra reciting the mantras. The king bowed in reverence before it and at once got down from the chariot. The weapon rushed like the fire of dissolution and reached before the demon king who in utter devotion prostrated before it on the ground. Thereafter the goddess with great efforts shot the Bralvnastra which was neutralised by the demon king by shooting another Brahmastra. The Goddess again used the divine weapon, which was neutralised by the demon king by shooting another divine weapon. The goddess then made use of Sakti which was a yojana in length. The king on the other hand broke it into a hundred pieces with the use his sharp weapons. 

The goddess getting enraged intended to use Pasupata weapon, but before she could do so, there was a divine voice from the sky warning her against its use saying, “The noble king cannot die with the use of Pasupata weapon. 

Till such time the kavacha of lord Vishnu was adorning his neck and his wife maintains her chastity, old age and death ban never influence the noble demon king. This is the boon granted to him by Brahma.” On hearing this the chaste Mahakali did not use the Pasupata weapon. 

But in anger she swallowed a hundred lakhs of demons. She then rushed towards Shamkhachuda in order to swallow him. 

The demon king obstructed her forward movement by shooting a sharp divine arrow. The goddess then made use of her sword, which was shining like the sun of the summer season. The demon king reduced it into a hundred pieces with the use of his divine weapon. Thereafter Mahadevi rushed towards the demon king to swallow him. 

Thereafter Shamkhachuda, the king of the demons who was bestowed with all success, started moving forward and because of the boon of Sarvasiddhesvara, defeated the goddess. The goddess Kali was again enraged and attacked him with her fist as a result of which the chariot and the charioteer of the demon king were shattered. The goddess then took up a trident in her hand which emitted flames like the fire of dissolution but the demon king Shamkhachuda playfully held it in his hand kept and it aside. At that point of time the goddess was immensely enraged and she attacked the demon king with her fist with great force. It struck heavily the demon king, who fell down on the ground unconscious. He regained consciousness in a moment and sat down in the battle field. 

Inspite of that, the demon king never fought with the goddess and on the other hand he bowed in reverence to her. He caught the weapons of the goddess and also caught them in his hands with his prowess. 

The great Vaishnava king of the demons bowed before her in reverence and never attacked her with any weapon. But the goddess caught hold of him in rage and moved him round and round throwing him in the sky with great force. The demon king, however, could save himself with the influence of his tapas and descending on earth he stood before the goddess Kali and bowed in reverence to her. 

He then mounted his chariot which was built of the best of the gems and he never felt fatigued. 

Thereafter Bhadrakali consuming the flesh of the killed demons went back to lord Shiva. Reaching there, she narrated the entire story of the battle field which had happened there. Shiva then smiled on hearing the news about the destruction of the demons. 

She again said to Shiva, “О lord presently only a lakh of demons are left in the battle field who are devoted to the demon king. I have consumed the remaining demons. I have consumed the rest of them. 

In the battle field I intended to kill the demon king with the Pasupata weapon but a divine voice from the sky was heard declaring that the death of the demon king is not destined at my hands. Thereafter the most intelligent, strong and valorous demon king never used any weapons against me. He only engaged himself in neutralising the weapons shot by me.