Chapter 7 - Mahiṣāsura Killed

[Sanskrit text for this chapter is available]

Śrī Sūta said:

1. On seeing that his army had been destroyed by Devī, Mahiṣa, the lord of Dānavas, spoke with great anger to Caṇḍakopa:

Mahiṣa said:

2-6. O Caṇḍakopa of great vigour, fight with this vicious woman.

After saying “So be it”, the valorous Caṇḍakopa showered a volley of arrows on Devī at the front of the battle. Aṃbikā sportingly split quickly the arrows of Caṇḍakopa; killed the charioteer and the horses of the Daitya. Then she cut down his flagstaff and bow. Then she crushed the chariot and hit the demon in his chest.

(Finding) the horses and the charioteer killed, the bow broken and the chariot shattered, Caṇḍakopa rushed at Devī wielding a sword and a shield. With his sword, the great Asura struck the lion, the vehicle of Devī.

7. He hit the left arm of Devī with his sword but it was broken into a thousand pieces on (the impact of) her hand.

8. Then Aṃbikā hit Caṇḍakopa in his chest with a great spear. He fell down dead.

9. When Caṇḍakopa of great vigour and excessive strength was killed, Citrabhānu mounted an elephant and rushed at Devī.

10. The demon hurled a divine Śakti tinkling with big bells. Without being agitated, Devī warded off that Śakti with her Huṃkāra (‘hum’ sound).

11. Then the Goddess tore Citrabhānu with her spear. When he died in the battle, Karāla rushed in.

12. Hitting him with her fist, Devī made him fall down. Then with her iron club Devī deprived the haughty fellow of his life.

13. Goddess Durgā despatched to the world of Yama Bāṣkala with her sharp spear and Antika with her discus, O excellent Brāhmaṇas.

14. Similarly she pierced with her spear the other huge-bodied ministers of Mahiṣa and sent them to the abode of Yama.

15-19. When his army was thus slain by Durgā, Mahiṣāsura assumed the form of a buffalo and devoured the Gaṇas of Devī. He killed a few with his snout and others by kicking with the hoofs. The infuriated demon toppled down others with the impact of his exhalation. After killing Devī’s army of goblins, Mahiṣāsura (rushed) to kill her lion. He became infuriated and roared. Then the lion of great strength became furious. With his paws he dug the ground and broke the mountains. As Mahiṣāsura came near, he tore him up with his claws. The wrathful Caṇḍikā intended to kill him then.

20-24. In her excessive anger, Caṇḍikā bound Mahiṣa by means of ropes and nooses. The demon got himself released from the nooses and abandoned the guise of buffalo. The Daitya then adopted the form of a lion. By the time Devī was ready to cut off his head, the Daitya of great strength became a man with a sword in his hand. With multitudes of arrows of sharp points capable of tearing vulnerable spots, Devī struck that man with the sword in his hand. Then that man became an elephant with a trunk and two tusks. With its trunk it pulled the lion, the vehicle of Devī. Thereupon, the lion split its trunk by means of its claws.

25-27. Again he became a great Asura in the guise of a buffalo. Then the infuriated Bhadrakālī began to drink the great liquor. On account of the drink she became inebriated. Her eyes became red and she (contemptuously) laughed. With his horns Mahiṣāsura proudly hurled boulders of rocks on Caṇḍikā. With her arrows she cut them off. Then Devī, the mother of the universe, spoke to Mahiṣāsura:

Devī said:

28-29. O stupid fellow, you can well be proud for a short while as long as I drink this liquor. After I finish drinking this liquor, I shall send you to Yama’s abode.

After you have been killed, you who have been unassailable (so far), and have been a thorn to Devas, let Siddhas, Sādhyas and groups of Maruts resort to their respective posts.

30-34. After saying this, Devī dealt Mahiṣāsura a blow with her fist. On being struck by Devī, Mahiṣa became frightened and agitated. He immediately fled to the shore of the Southern Sea. Riding on her vehicle, the lion, Devī chased him. Thereupon, pursued by Devī, Mahiṣa, the lord of Dānavas, entered the waters of Dharmapuṣkariṇī, ten Yojanas in width.^[1] Agitated by the blow of Durgā, he remained hidden therein. Then Durgā came to the banks of Dharmapuṣkariṇī. But Caṇḍikā did not see Mahiṣāsura there. Then an unembodied voice spoke to Goddess Durgā:

35-36. “O Bhadrakālī, O great Goddess, Mahiṣa, the Dānava who has been hit by you with the fist, has become extremely frightened. O gentle lady, he lies concealed in the waters of Dharmapuṣkarṇī. Slay him. Deprive him of his life by some means.”

37. On being told thus by the incorporeal voice, Caṇḍikā who was ready to slay the demon, told the lion, her vehicle:

38. “O king of beasts of leonine valour and excessive strength, let the water of Dharmapuṣkariṇī be drunk up completely by you.”

39. On being told thus by Devī, O Brāhmaṇas, the lion drank the entire quantity of water in Dharmapuṣkariṇī so that there was only dust (silt) left behind.

40-42. Thereupon the dejected Mahiṣa came out of the water reservoir. As the Asura approached her, the infuriated Devī placed her foot on the head of the Asura and hit his neck with her spear. Then Devī seized (her) sword and cut off his huge head.

Thus, O Brāhmaṇas, the demon Mahiṣa was slain by Durgā along with his servants, army and vehicles. He fell down on the ground and died.^[2]

43. Thereupon, Devas, Siddhas, Gandharvas, and the great sages eulogized Devī with prayers. They were satisfied and delighted.

44-46. Permitted by Devī, Devas went to different places in the manner they had come. Then Devī founded an excellent city named after her.^[3] The mother of the universe built the city on the northern shore of the Southern Sea. Thereafter, at the bidding of Devī, Devas headed by Śakra filled Dharmapuṣkariṇī with nectar. Therefore, that excellent Tīrtha got the name Amṛta Tīrtha.

47-48. Then Devī who was joyous, granted this boon to her city: “Let this city be conducive to the welfare of all animals and be free from sickness.” To the Tīrtha, she granted the boon: “The men who take their holy bath here shall attain Siddhi in accordance with their desires.”

After saying thus she went to heaven.

Śrī Sūta said:

49. The excellent city which Devī built and named after her, is called Devīpaṭṭaṇa. It is the most excellent among all cities.

50-56. At a very auspicious hour, Rāma started from Devīpaṭṭaṇa, O Brāhmaṇas. At the outset, he bowed down to Vighneśvara (Gaṇeśa) and the Lord of waters (i.e. Varuṇa). Permitted by Mahādeva, Rāmacandra, the highly virtuous one, joyously laid down with his own hand the (first) nine boulders.^[4] He inaugurated the construction of the Setu, O Brāhmaṇas. Till it was completed upto Laṅkā, he watched its progress alertly. While watching the progress of the work, Rāma occupied a splendid throne made by Nala. Through the monkeys including Nala, he caused the bridge to be built.

The monkeys brought mountains, trees with branches, rocks, grasses and collections of logs of wood from the forest. Nala gathered them together and built the Setu on the great sea in five days. The Setu extended as far as Laṅkā.

The Setu with a width of ten Yojanas and length of a hundred Yojanas was built on the sea by Nala. It is highly meritorious and destructive of sins.

57. In Setumūla (the root or beginning of the Setu) which is near Devīpura and which is of the form of nine big boulders, one should take holy bath for the purification of his sins.

58-62. Then he should take bath in Cakratīrtha and worship Hari, the overlord of the Setu. Since the bridge construction started at Devīpaṭṭaṇa, O great Brāhmaṇas, that is considered to be the real Setumūla.

The western extremity of the Setu is well known as Darbhaśayyā. Devīpurī is the eastern extremity. Both of them are Setumūlas. Both of them have the reputation of being meritorious, sacred and destructive of sins. The pilgrims can go to Setumūla by any route whatsoever. The respective pathways shall be the bestower of liberation. They should take the holy bath at the outset in Setumūla and Cakratīrtha. After performing the requisite rite of Saṃkalpa they should go to Setubanḍhana.

63. O Brāhmaṇas, the holy bath in Devīpura, Darbhaśayyā and the auspicious Cakratīrtha is meritorious and destructive of sins.

64. In both the places, O Brāhmaṇas, if Cakratīrtha is remembered, all the sins committed in the course of a hundred thousand births are destroyed.

65. Birth shall become extinct. Salvation shall be within reach. There has never been a Tīrtha like Cakratīrtha nor shall there be one like it.

66. There are Gaṅgā and other many Tīrthas in the terrestrial world, O excellent Brāhmaṇas. But verily, they are not equal to even a sixteenth part of Cakratīrtha.

67-68. At the outset, the pilgrim should take his holy bath in the sea at the middle of the nine rocks. Then in Kṣetrapiṇḍa^[5] as well as Cakratīrtha. He should serve Hari, the lord of Setu, for the purification of his sins. Those who go by that route should perform the rite at Darbhaśayyā also.

69. If a man bows down to the throne made by Nala and occupied by Rāmacandra, he need not be afraid of Naraka at all.

70-73. At the outset, the pilgrim should bow down to the Setu mentally meditating on Rāma: “Obeisance to that Setu, the dust whereof has been sanctified by Rāma by placing his feet there, the Setu that is the cause of the severance of the head of Rāvaṇa, that is the very flag of Rāmcandra, that is the sole cause of the pathway to salvation; obeisance to that Setu which is like the Sun-god unto the lotus-like mind of Sītā.”

With this Mantra, O Brāhmaṇas, the pilgrim should prostrate flat on the ground. Thereafter, he should go to Vetālavaradatīrtha which has great power. By taking the holy bath there, one attains great Siddhi.

74. O great Brāhmaṇas, if a man reads this chapter or listens to it with great devotion, it will not be difficult for him to attain heaven, etc. Even salvation will be within his reach.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

In order to increase their importance, the Sthala-Purāṇas claim that many important purāṇic events took place at their Kṣetra. SkP has now brought the final phase of the fight between Mahiṣāsura and Durgā at Dharmapuṣkariṇī. It is not ten Yojanas in width as stated here.

[2]:

In Mbh, Vana 231.26, Śalya 46.74, Skanda is credited to have killed Mahiṣāsura.

[3]:

This explains why the place came to be called Devīpaṭṭaṇa, a reply to the query of the sages in Supra 6.1-4.

[4]:

The nine boulders represent the nine Planets. The place is known as ‘Navapāṣāṇam’ now, and also called Setumūla (the root, i.e. the beginning of Setu). But as explained in vv 58-62, the place where Rāma lay on the bed of Darbha-grass to propitiate the Sea-god is to the west of Setumūla and Devīpaṭṭaṇa to the east of Setumūla. Hence both the places are known as Setumūla.

[5]:

Kṣetrapiṇḍa instead of Kṣetrapiṇḍe is better, as there is no place called Kṣetrapiṇḍa but that the Piṇḍa is to be given at Cakratīrtha. So the line would mean “Then Kṣetra Piṇḍa be offered at Cakratīrtha”.