87 - The Devi-mahatmya. 

The slaying of Chanda and Munda.

The goddess Kali destroyed the second Asura army and also the generals Ch’anda and Munda—Ch’andika gave Kali as a reward the name Ch’amunda.

The rishi spoke:

1 Then at his command the Daityas, led by Ch’anda and Munda, and arrayed in the four-fold order of an army, marched

2 with weapons uplifted. Soon they saw the goddess, slightly smiling, seated upon the lion, on a huge golden peak of the

3 majestic mountain. On seeing her some of them made a strenuous effort to capture her, and others approached her holding their bows bent and their swords drawn. 

4 Thereat Ambika uttered her wrath aloud against those foes, 5 and her countenance then grew dark as ink in her wrath. Out from the surface of her forehead, which was rugged with frowns, issued suddenly Kali of the terrible countenance,

6 armed with a sword and noose, bearing a many-coloured skull-topped staff,* decorated with a garland of skulls, clad in a tiger’s skin, very appalling because of her emaciated flesh,

* For khattanga read khatvanga here and again in verse 14.

7 exceedingly wide of mouth, lolling out her tongue terribly, having deep-sunk reddish eyes, and filling the regions of the

8 sky with her roars. She fell upon the great Asuras impetuously, dealing slaughter among the host, and devoured that army

9 of the gods’ foes there. Taking up the elephants with one band she flung them into her mouth, together with their rear

10 men and drivers and their warrior-riders and bells. Flinging likewise warrior with his horses, and chariot with its driver into her mouth, she ground them most frightfully with her

11 teeth. She seized one by the hair, and another by the neck; and she kicked another with her foot, and crushed another

12 against her breast. And she seized with her mouth the weapons and the great arms which those Asuras abandoned,

13 and crunched them up with her teeth in her fury. She crushed all that host of mighty and high-spirited Asuras;

14 and devoured some and battered others; some were slain with her sword, some were struck with her skull-topped staff, and other Asuras met their death being wounded with the edge of her teeth. 

15 Seeing all that host of Asuras laid low in a moment, Chanda rushed against her, Kali, who was exceedingly appaling

16 Munda the great Asura covered her, the terrible-eyed goddess, with very terrible showers of arrows and with discuses

17 hurled in thousands. Those discuses seemed to be penetrating her countenance in multitudes, like as very many solar orbs might penetrate the body of a thunder-cloud.

18 Thereat Kali, who was roaring frightfully, laughed terribly with excessive fury, showing the gleam of her unsightly teeth

19 within her dreadful mouth. And the goddess, mounting upon her great lion, rushed at Ch’anda, and seizing him by his hair

20 struck off his head with her sword. And Munda also rushed at her when he saw Ch’anda laid low; him also she felled to the

21 ground, stricken with her scymitar in her fury. Then the army, so much as escaped unslain, seeing Ch’anda laid low and most valiant Munda also, seized with panic fled in all directions.

22 And Kali, holding Ch’anda’s head and Munda also, approached Chandika and said, her voice mingled with passionate loud

23 laughter— “Here I have brought thee Ch’anda and Munda, two great beasts; thou thyself shalt slay Sh’umbha and Nishumbha in the battle-sacrifice.”

The rishi spoke:

24 Thereon, seeing those two great Asuras Ch’anda and Munda brought to her, auspicious Ch’andika spoke to Kali this witty

 25 speech,* “Because thou hast seized both Ch’anda and Munda and brought them, thou, O goddess, shalt therefore be famed in the world by the name Ch’amunda!” 

* Lalitam vach’ah; a bon mot.