88 - The Devi-mahatmya. 

The slaying of Rakta-vija.

Shumbha sent forth all his armies against Ch’andika—To help her the Energies (Saktis) of the gods took bodily shape—Ch’andika despatched Siva to offer terms of peace to Shumbha, but the Asura hosts attached her and the battle began—Ch’andika’s fight with the great Asura Rakta-vija is described—He was killed. 

The rishi spoke:

1 After both the Daitya Ch’anda was slain and Munda was laid low, and many soldiers were destroyed, the lord of the Asuras,

2 majestic Sh’umbha, with mind overcome by wrath, gave command

 3 then to array all the Daitya hosts, — “Now let the eighty-six Daityas, upraising their weapons, march forth with all their forces; let the eighty-four Kambus* march forth

* Kambu means a thief or plunderer. The commentary says Kambus are a class of Daityas. 

4 surrounded by their own forces; let the fifty Asura families who excel in valour go forth; let the hundred families of

5 Dhaumras† go forth at my command. Let the Kalakas,†† the  Daurhritas,§ the Mauryas,||and the Kalakeyas, ¶—let these Asuras, hastening at my command, march forth ready for battle.” 

†”The descendants of Dhumra.”  Dhumras is the reading in the Bombay edition. They are a class of Daityas. 

†† A group of Danavas. 

§ The Bombay edition reads Daurhridas, “the descendants of Durhrid.” 

||“The descendants of Mura.” Mura or Muru is referred to generally in in connexion with Pragjyotisha; e.g., Maha-Bharata, Sabha-P., xii. 5Y8; Vana-P., xi. 488; and Udyoga-P., xlvi. 1887-92: Hari-V., cxxi. 6791-6801.

¶ A group of Danavas. They are mentioned in the Maha-Bharata, Sabha-P., clvi, 118; Udyoga-P., clvi. 5379 : and Vana-P., c. 8691.

6 After issuing these commands Sh’umbha, the lord of the Asuras, who ruled with fear, went forth, attended by many 

7 thousands of ofreat soldiers. Ch’andika, seeing that most terrible army at hand, filled tlie space between the earth and

8 the firmament with the twanging of her bow-string. Thereon her lion roared exceedingly loud, king; and Ambika 

9 augmented* those roars with the clanging of her bell. Kali, filling the regions of the sky with the noise from her bowstring, from her lion and from her bell, and expanding her mouth wide with her terrific roars, had the predominance.† 

* For ch’opavrimhayat read ch’apy avrimhayat as in the Bombay edition.

† Jigye; ji is here used by itself in the Atmane-pada. The commentary gives “vanquished the enemies” as an alternative translation. It mentions jajne as aa alternative reading, which means then “expanded her mouth wide with her terrific roars.” 

10 On hearing that roar which filled the four regions of the sky, the Daitya armies enraged†† surrounded the goddess’ lion and Kali. 

†† For sa-roshair the Bombay edition reads sharaughair “with multitudes of arrows.” 

11 At this moment, king, in order to destroy the gods’ foes, and for the well-being of the lion-like Immortals, there issued

12 forth endowed with excessive vigour and strength the Energies § from the bodies of Brahma, Sh’iva, Guha and Vishnu and of Indra also, and went in the forms of those gods to

§ Shaktayah.

13 Ch’andika. Whatever was the form of each god, and whatever his ornaments and vehicle, in that very appearance his

14 Energy advanced to fight with the Asnras. In the front of a heavenly car drawn by swans advanced Brahma’s Energy, bearing a rosary of seeds and an earthen water-pot; she is called

15 Brahmani. Maheshvara’s Energy, seated on a bull, grasping a fine trident, and wearing a girdle of large snakes, arrived,

16 adorned with a digit of the moon. And Kumara’s Energy, Ambika, with spear in hand and riding on a choice peacock,

17 advanced in Guha’s shape to attack the Daityas. Likewise Vishnu’s Energy, seated upon Garuda, advanced with conch,

18 discus, club, bow and scymitar in hand. The Energy of Hari, who assumcs the peerless form of a sacrificial boar, she also 

19 advanced assuming a hog-like form. Nri-simha’s Energy assuming a body like Nri-simha’s arrived there, adorned with a cluster of constellations hurled down hy the tossing of his 

20 mane.Likewise Indra’s Energy, with thunder-bolt in hand, seated upon the lord of elephants and having a thousand eyes,

21 arrived; as is Sh’akra, such indeed was she. Then those Energies of the gods surrounded Sh’iva. He said to Ch’andika, 

“Let the Asuras be slain forthwith through my good-will.”

 22 Thereupon from the goddess’ body there came forth Chandika’s Energy, most terrific, exceedingly fierce, howling

23 like a hundred jackals. And she the unconquered said to Sh’iva, who was smoke-coloured and had matted locks, “Be thou, my lord, a messenger to the presence of Sh’umbha and

24 NiShumbha. Say unto the two overweening Danavas, Sh’umbha and Nishumbha, and to whatever other Danavas are assembled

25 there to do battle— ‘Let Indra obtain the three worlds, let the gods be the enjoyers of the oblations; go ye to Patala

 26 if ye wish to live. Yet if through pride in your strength ye are longing for battle, come ye on then! let my jackals be

27 glutted with your flesh.’ “Because the goddess appointed Sh’iva himself to be ambassador,* she has hence attained fame as Sh’iva-duti in this world. 

* For daityena read dutyena as in the Bombay edition, or perhaps daityena. - “with the rank of ambassador.” 

28 Those great Asuras however, on hearing the goddess’ speech fully announced, were filled with indignation and went where†

† Yatra as in the Bombay edition is better than yatah. 

29 Katyayani†† stood. Then, at the very first, the arrogant and indignant foes of the Immortals in front poured on the goddess

†† A name of Ch’andika. 

 30 showers of arrows, javelins and spears. And gracefully she clove those arrows, darts, discuses and axes, which were hurled,§ with large arrows shot from her resounding bow.||

§ For pratihan read prahitan. 

|| Dhmata-dhanur-muktair; the commentary explains dhmata as maurvitam-karena shabditam, “resonant with the twanging of the bow string.”

31 And in front of her stalked Kali then, tearing the foes asunder with the onset of her darts and crushing them with her skull

32 topped staff.* And Brahmani caused the foes to lose their courage by casting water on them from her earthen pot, and

* For khattanga read khatvanga. 

33 weakened their vigour, by whatever way she ran. Mashewara’s Energy slew Daityas with her trident, and Vishnu’s Energy with her discus, and Kumara’s Energy, very wrathful,

34 slew them with her javelin. Torn to pieces by the downrush of the thunder-bolt hurled by Indra’s Energy, Daityas and Danavas fell on the earth in hundreds, pouring out streams

35 of blood. Shattered by the hog-embodied Energy with blows from her snout, wounded in their breasts by the points of her

36 tushes, and torn by her discus, demons fell down. And Nrisimha’s Energy roamed about in the battle, devouring other great Asuras who were torn by her claws, as she filled the

37 intermediate region of the sky with her roaring.† Asuras, demoralized by Sh’iva-duti with her violent loud laughs, fell down on the earth; she then devoured those fallen ones.

† Nadapurna-dig-antara. The reading of the Calcutta edition nadapurina dig-amhara is hardly satisfactory. 

38 Seeing the enraged band of Mothers†† crushing the great Asuras thus by various means, the troops of the gods’ foes perished. 

†† Matri-gana; i.e., the Einergies.

39 Rakta-vija, a great Asura, seeing the Daityas, who were hard-pressed by the band of Mothers, intent on fleeing, strode

40 forward to fight in wrath. When from his body there falls to the ground a drop of blood, at that moment starts up from

41 the earth an Asura of his stature. He, a great Asura, with club in hand fought with Indra’s Energy, and Indra’s Energy

42 then struck Rakta-vija with her thunder-bolt; blood flowed quickly from him when wounded by the thunder-bolt. Thereupon stood up together fresh combatants, like him in body,

43 like him in valour; for as many blood-drops fell from his body, so many men came into being, like him in courage,

 44 strength and valour. And those men also who sprang from his blood fought there with the Mothers in a combat, dreadful

45 because of the sweep of their very sharp weapons. And again when his Lead was wounded by the fall of her thunder-bolt, his blood poured forth; therefrom were botn men by thousands

46 And Vishnu’s Energy struck at this foe with her discus in the battle. Indra’s Energy beat that lord of the Asuras

47 with her club. The world was filled by the thousands of great Asuras, who were his equals, and who sprang from the blood that flowed from him when cloven by the discus of 

48 Vishnu’s Energy. Kumara’s Energy struck the great Asura Rakta-vija with her spear, and Varaha’s Energy also struck him with her sword, and Maheshvara’s Energy with her trident. 

49 And the Daitya Rakta-vija, that great Asura, filled full of wrath, struck every one of the Mothers in turn with his club.

50 By the stream of blood, which fell on the earth from him when he received many wounds from the spears, darts and other weapons, Asuras came verily* into being in hundreds.

* For yodhai read yo vai as in the Bombay edition. 

51 And those Asuras who sprang from that Asura’s blood pervaded the whole world; thereat the gods fell into the utmost terror.

52 Seeing the gods dejected, Ch’andika spoke with haste; she said

53 to Kali, “O Ch’amunda! stretch out thy mouth wide; with this mouth do thou quickly take in the great Asuras, which are the drops of blood, that have come into being out of Rakta

54 vija† at the descent of my weapon on him. Roam about in the battle, devouring the great Asuras who sprang from him; so shall this Daitya with his blood ebbing away meet destruction. These fierce demons are being devoured by thee and at the same time no others will be produced.” 

†For Rakta-vindoh read Rakta-vijat, as in the Bombay edition.

Having enjoined her thus, the goddess next smote him with

56 her dart. Kali swallowed Rakta-vija’s blood with her mouth.

57 Then he struck Ch’andika with his club there; and the blow of his club caused her no pain, even the slightest, but from his

58 stricken body blood flowed copiously, and from whatever direction it came, Ch’amunda takes it then with her mouth. The great Asuras, who sprang up from the flow of blood in her

59 mouth, Ch’amunda both devoured them and quaffed his blood. The goddess smote Rakta-vija with her dart, her thunder-bolt, 

60 arrows, swords and spears, when Ch’amunda drank up his blood. Stricken with that multitude of weapons, he fell on the earth’s

61 surface, and the great Asura Rakta-vija became blood-less, O king. Thereat the thirty gods gained joy unparalleled, O king. The band of Mothers which sprang from them broke into a dance, being intoxicated with blood.