95 - Death of Mahishãsura

Varäha said:

1. Then Vidyutprabha, who was sent as the messenger, reached the place of the goddess where there were hundreds of young women, and said:

Vidyutprabha said:

2. “O goddess, there was a sage named Supärshva who was one among the first of creations.

3. To him was born the valiant and resplendent Sindhudvipa.

4. He was performing severe penance without food in the city Mähishmati.

5. One day princess Mähishmati of incomparable beauty was moving about playing with her friends.

6. She chanced to reach the valley of the Mandara mountain.

7-8. There she saw the penance-grove of sage Asvara which was full of bowers and trees like Bakula, Lakucha, Chandana, Spandana, Sála and Sarala.

9. Seeing this beautiful hermitage, princess Mähishmati thought.

10. “I shall frighten out this sage from this penance grove and shall myself enjoy here with my friends”.

11. Thinking thus, she transformed herself into a buffalo with sharp horns, along with her friends.

12. She then went to the sage to frighten him.

13. When frightened by them, the sage was able to see by his internal eye that she was the Asura princess, and in anger he cursed her.

14. “Since you are frightening me by assuming the form of a buffalo, you be a buffalo itself for a hundred years for your misconduct”.

15. Cursed thus, she was shivering with fear, and she fell at his feet with her friends and sought his pardon.

16. He was very much moved and Said in mitigation of the curse: “When once you give birth to a son with this form, there will be the end of the curse. My words will never be in vain”.

17. Told thus, she went to the bank of river Narmadä where Sindhudvipa was performing penance.

18. There a young and beautiful Rakshasa girl by name Indumati, bathing naked, was seen by this sage.

19. Then he had an emission which he dropped in a stony crevice at the river (and it got mixed with the water).

20. Finding the water fragrant (with it), Mähishmati told her friends that she would drink it. She then drank the water containing the emission of the sage.

21. As a result she conceived and in due time brought forth, a son named Mahisha, intelligent and valiant.

22. O goddess, this Mahisha who has vanquished the army of gods, now desires to marry you.

23. This great Asura, having subjugated all the three worlds, will give you everything you desire,

24. O goddess, you will be doing a great thing if you offer yourself to him”.

25. Told thus by the messenger, the goddess simply laughed and did not utter a word.

26. When she was laughing, he saw in her belly all the three worlds and he became stupefied.

27. Then the doorkeeper of the goddess, by name Jayä, spoke what was in the mind of her mistress.

Jayä said:

28. “You have now spoken seeking the hand of this goddess (for your master). But the vrata she has undertaken is a ceaseless one.

29. There are so many damsels here attending on her. Even one among them is not available to you. Then why speak of the goddess. Therefore, O messenger, please go ‘before something untoward befalls you”.

30. The messenger departed. Immediately there appeared sage Närada from the sky.

31. He quickly prostrated before the virgin goddess, took the seat offered to him and said after bowing to all the others there.

32. “O goddess, I am sent to you by the gods.

33. The gods have been defeated in battle by the asura Mahisha, and now he is attempting to capture you.

34. And I have been asked by the gods to tell you that you should be firm in killing him”.

35. Soon Närada disappeared and the goddess ordered her retinue to get ready for battle.

36. Thus ordered, they all took ferocious forms holding sword, shield and arrows, and stood ready for battle to destroy Asuras.

37. Then the entire army of Asuras quickly came away from the army of gods to the place where this army of women was ranged.

38. The women fought with them and soon destroyed their force with all its four divisions.

39. The heads of many were smashed or cut down. The chests of many were broken and goblins were drinking the blood therein.

40. The trunkless heads of many of the Asuras were rolling on the ground.

41. Thus very soon the Asura army was vanquished and the attack now turned towards Mahishäsura.

42. Then the whole army raised a cry of fear, and Mahisha   asked the commander why it was so.

43. The Asura named Yajñahanus, who had assumed the form of an elephant, told him that this was because of the army of women striking ferociously at the Asura force.

44. Mahisha then darted forth towards these women to strike them with his mace.

45. He straightaway went to the spot where the goddess worshipped by Devas and Gandharvas was standing.

46-47. Seeing him advance towards her, she assumed a form with twenty hands, holding bow, sword, spear, arrows, trident, club, mace, disc, sling, rod, rope, flag and lotus.¹

1. Only thirteen items are mentioned here and not twenty.

48. The twenty-armed goddess appeared riding on a lion. She then meditated on the fierce Rudra who is the cause of destruction.

49-50. Rudra immediately arrived there. She bowed to him and said that she would gain victory over the Asuras by his mere presence there.

51. Then she defeated all the Asuras except Mahisha Afterwards she darted towards him.

52. When he saw her, Mahisha rushed towards her. He alternately fought and fled.

53. He sometimes fought and sometimes withdrew. The fight went on in this manner for ten thousand divine years.

54. The entire universe was realing with fear in the tumult of the battle.

55. Finally in the mountain Shatašhruñga, he was trodden upon and killed with the trident.

56. His head was cut off with the sword. As he was killed by the goddess, his soul went to heaven.

57. Then Devas led by Brahma, delighted at the annihilation of Mahisha, praised the goddess.

Devas said:

58. Bow to you, O goddess, the great, majestic and fierce, victorious, the cause of the existence of the world, three-eyed and omnipresent.

59. Knowledge and nescience, meditation, the object of meditation, the slayer of Mahishäsura, present in everything, the lord of all, of universal form, Vaishnavi.

60. Free from fear, permanent, with eyes like the lotus petal, engaged in holy vows, of frightening form.

61. The bestower of prosperity and success, learning and ignorance, immortal, auspicious, the energy of Shiva, Vishnu and Brahma, prostrated by all gods.

62. Holding the bell in hand, bearing the weapon trident, the destroyer of terrible Mahisha, fierce in form, uneven-eyed the great illusion, the exuder of ambrosia.

63. Well disposed towards all beings, the very essence of all beings, the supporter of all beings, the source of all Vidyäs, Puränas and Shilpas.

64. Bow to you, O mother, you are the repository of all powers and all the secrets of the Vedas.

65. Bow to you, O great goddess, pure, the embodiment of forbearance.

66. We all seek refuge in you, O supreme goddess, as a result of which we never meet with any reverse in battle.

67-68. He who recites this Stotra with devotion escapes from ferocious animals like the tiger, from robbers and from the displeasure of kings, gets release from fetters and lives happily.

Varäha said:

69. Thus extolled by gods, she asked them to seek of her a boon.

The gods said:

70. “The boon we seek is that you may be pleased to fulfil all the desires of those who recite this stotra of yours”.

71. Saying ‘Let it be so’, the goddess sent the gods off and herself remained there.

 72. O Earth, he who knows this the second birth of the goddess, becomes free from grief and attains the eternal abode free from all misery.