In our 3rd annual devI mAhAtmyam post we present the most enduring and celebrated episode of shAkta tradition and perhaps all of sanAtana dharma. The 3rd adhyAya is mahiShAsura vadha adhyAya (the killing of mahiShAsura). In the previous post, we had described how mahishAsura captured power from the devas and devi destroyed his armies.
In this adhyAya, she directly fights mahishAsura in a terrible battle and slays him. Before going into the chapter, we show the pan-Indian nature of this story, how it has inspired the visual and performing arts, and as a consequence the lives and thoughts of the entire nation.
This 1000 year old depiction from kashmIra was stolen from a shrine in pulwAma during the height of jihadi terror of the 90s, and was brought back to India last year.
In tamil country, the mahAbalipuram (7th century pallavas) cave temples are the finest examples of indian sculptures.
There are several famous depictions in karnAtaka pradesha at the height of chAlukyan power in the 7th century.
The famous mashishamardini (ayi giri nandini) stotram is sung to this day in households. Though it is not clear when and by whom this was composed, the lyrical and metrical quality makes the song enduring.
In samskrita poetry, each syllable can be laghu (short) or guru (long). Throughout the stotram, each line has 23 syllables in the following chandas or pattern:
LLL-LGL-LGL-LGL-LGL-LGL-LGL-LG
The great jaina mathematician and poet hemachandra from gujarat calls this chandas as hamsagati (movement of the swan) in his 11th century text chandonushAsana. The hamsagati chandas lends itself beautifully to dance performances.
Returning to the primary text, the first twenty shlokas of this chapter still detail devi winning over other asura commanders such as chikshurA, chAmara, bAShkala, bhindipAla, mahAhanu, durdhara and durmukha.
एवम् सम्क्षीयमाणे तु स्वसैन्ये महिषासुरः ।
माहिषेण स्वरूपेन त्रासयामास तान् गणन् ।।(21)
काञ्चस्चित् तुण्डप्रहारेण खुरक्षेपैः तथा अपरान् ।
लाङ्गूलताडितान् च अन्यान् शृङ्गाभ्याम् च विदारितान् ॥ (22)
वेगेन काञ्चस्चित् अपरान् नादेन भ्रमणेन च।
निःश्वासपवनेन अन्यान् पातयामास भूतले॥(23)
As his army was getting decimated, mahishAsura entered the field in the form of a buffalo. He made the enemy armies quiver with fear. Some he hit with his nose, some he attacked by flinging his hoof, some by whipping his tail and others he split open with his two horns. He had tremendous speed and terrible sound. He felled some by the power of his exhalations.
निपात्य प्रमथानिकम् अभ्यधावत सः असुरः।
सिंहं हन्तुं महादेव्याः कोपम् चक्रे ततः अम्बिका॥ (24)
सः अपि कोपात् महावीर्यः खुरक्षुण्णमहीतलः।
शृङ्गाभ्याम् पर्वतान् उच्चान् चिक्षेप च ननाद च॥ (25)
He then made a dash towards ambikA with the aim of killing her lion. ambikA was angered due to him killing her armies. The powerful asura, who had powdered the ground underneath his hoof, lifted up mountains with his horns and threw them at ambikA with terrible roars.
वेगभ्रमणविक्षुण्णा मही तस्य व्यशीर्यत।
लाङ्गूलेन आहतः च अब्धिः प्लावयामास सर्वतः॥ (26)
Due to his fast rotations, the earth disintegrated, the oceans rose up after getting beaten by his tail and drowned everything in its path.
धुतशृङ्गविभिन्नाः च खण्डं खण्डं ययुः घनाः ।
श्वासानिलाः ताः शतशः निपेतुः नभसः अचलाः॥
The clouds got broken up by his horns. Mountains broke through the force of his breath and started falling from the sky.
इति क्रोधसमाध्मातम् आपतन्तम् महासुरम्।
दृष्ट्वा सा चण्डिका कोपं तद्वधाय तदा अकरोत्॥
On seeing mahAsurA wreak such destruction, chanDikA grew very angry and decided to slay him.
सा क्षिप्त्वा तस्या वै पाशं तं बबन्ध महासुरम्।
तत्याज माहिषं रूपं सः अपि बद्धः महामृधे ॥
she threw the pAsha (lasso) and tied the mahAsura. In the great battle, he shed the buffalo form.
ततः सिंहः अभवत् सद्यः यावत् तस्य अम्बिका शिरः।
छिनत्ति तावत् पुरुषः खड्गपाणिः अद्र्श्यत ॥
and immediately took the form of a lion. As the devi was cutting his head, he took the form of a man holding a sword.
ततः एवाशु पुरुषं देवी चिच्छेद सायकैः।
तं खड्गचर्मणा सार्धं ततः सः अभूत् महागजः॥
Devi cut him with arrows, sword and shield. Then he turned into a great elephant.
करेण च महासिंहं तं चकर्ष जगर्ज च।
कर्षतः तु करं देवी खड्गेन निरकृन्तत॥
With his trunk, the asurA held devi's lion and roared (trumpeted). devI cut off his trunk with her sword.
ततः महासुरः भूयः माहिषं वपुरास्थितः।
तथैव क्षोभयामास त्रैलोक्यम् सः चराचरम्॥
The mahAsurA took the form of a buffalo once again. With that he made the 3 worlds and all animate and inanimate objects tremble.
ततः क्रुद्धा जगन्माता चण्डिका पानमुत्तमम्।
पपौ पुनः पुनः चैव जहास अरुणलोचना॥
The mother, angered by this drank soma repeatedly and laughed with her bloodshot eyes
ननर्द च असुरः सः अपि बलवीर्यमदिद्धतः।
विषाणभ्यां च चिक्षेप चण्डिकां प्रति भूधरान्॥
Drunk with the arrogance of his strength, the asura also grunted and roared in return. With his horns he once again threw mountains at chanDikA.
सा च तान् प्रहितान् तेन चूर्णयन्ती शरोत्करैः।
उवाच तं मदोद्धूतमुखरागकुलाक्षरम्।
With a rain of arrows she powdered the mountains and spoke harsh words at the asura.
देवी उवाच ।
गर्ज गर्ज क्षणं मूढ मधुयावत् पिबामि अहम्।
मया त्वयि हते अत्र एव गर्जिश्यन्ति आशु देवताः॥
devi bellowed at the asura, “O fool! grunt and roar as you please. Roar until I drink this soma. Once I vanquish you, the devAs will roar to their hearts content.”
ऋषिः उवाच् ।
एवमुक्त्वा समुत्पत्य सा आरूढा तं महासुरम्।
पादेन आक्रम्य कण्ठे च शूलेन एनम् अताडयत्॥
Thus she stepped on top of the mahAsura. She attacked him, stepped on his neck and sunk a shUla into him.
ततः सः अपि पदाक्रान्तः तया निजमुकात् तदा।
अर्ध निष्क्रान्त एव् आसीत् देव्या वीर्येण संवृतः।
After being stepped on, he was still only half subdued and was able to move his head. But the devi kept him in check.
अर्ध निष्क्रान्तः एव असौ युध्यमानः महासुरः।
तया महासिना देव्या शिरः छित्वा निपातितः।।
The asura continued to struggle with half his body, but devI cut off his head with her mighty sword.
ततः हाहाकृतं सर्वं दैत्यसैन्यम् ननाश तत्।
Chaos spreads in the daitya ranks and the daityasainya got routed.
