Durga Saptashati
|| ‘The Seventh Chapter’ ||
Chapter 7:
The Slaying of Chanda and Munda
॥ Dhyana (Meditation) ॥
I meditate upon Goddess Matangi. She is seated on a jeweled throne, listening to the sweet voice of a reading parrot. The color of her body is dark (Shyam). She has one foot placed on a lotus and wears a half-moon on her forehead. She is adorned with a garland of Kahlara flowers and plays a Veena. A tightly fitted bodice adorns her body. She wears a red sari and holds a conch-shell filled with wine in her hand. A slight effect of mead (wine) is visible on her face, and a Bindi (ornamental dot) beautifies her forehead.
The Rishi said -॥ Thereafter, having received the command of Shumbha, those demons, Chanda and Munda, along with the four-fold army, equipped with weapons, set out.
Then, reaching the high golden peak of the King of Mountains, the Himalayas, they saw the Goddess seated upon a lion. She was smiling gently.
Seeing her, the demons immediately began efforts to capture her. Some bent their bows, some readied their swords, and some approached and stood near the Goddess.
Then Ambika became greatly angered at those enemies. At that time, her face turned black due to anger.
Her eyebrows on the forehead became furrowed, and immediately, Kali, the fierce-faced one, appeared from there, holding a sword and a noose.
She wore a strange Khadwanga (a club with a skull at the top) and a sari made of a cheetah’s hide, and was adorned with a garland of human skulls. The flesh of her body was dried up, leaving only a skeletal frame, which made her appear extremely terrifying.
Her mouth was very vast, and with her tongue lolling out, she appeared even more dreadful. Her eyes were sunken and slightly red, and she was making all directions resound with her terrible roar.
Slaying the mighty demons, that Goddess Kalika quickly fell upon the army of the demons and began to devour them all.
She would grab and throw into her mouth many elephants, along with their bodyguards, mahouts holding an Ankusha (goad), warriors, and bells, all with one hand.
Similarly, she would put into her mouth and chew with a terrible noise, horses, chariots, and the charioteer-warriors along with their chariots.
She would grab some by the hair, throttle some by the neck, crush some under her feet, and kill some by striking them with her chest.
She caught the large weapons thrown by the Asuras with her mouth and, filled with rage, ground them with her teeth.
Kali trampled, ate, and chased away many of that entire army of strong and wicked demons.
Some were put to the sword, some were beaten with the Khadwanga, and many Asuras were crushed by the tips of her teeth and met their death.
In this manner, the Goddess destroyed that entire army of Asuras in an instant. Seeing this, Chanda rushed towards that extremely terrifying Goddess Kali.
And the great demon Munda also covered that Goddess of terrible eyes with a shower of extremely frightening arrows and thousands of hurled Chakras (discus).
Those many Chakras entering the mouth of the Goddess appeared as if many solar discs were entering the belly of the clouds.
Then, the terrifyingly roaring Kali, filled with intense anger, let out a fierce burst of laughter (Attahasa). At that time, her dreadful face appeared exceedingly bright due to the light of her teeth, which were difficult to see inside.
The Goddess took a very large sword in her hand, uttered “Hum,” and charged at Chanda, grabbing his hair and cutting off his head with the same sword.
Seeing Chanda killed, Munda also ran towards the Goddess. Then the Goddess, in rage, wounded him with a sword and laid him upon the earth.
Seeing the mighty Chanda and Munda slain, the remaining army, frightened, fled in all directions.
Thereafter, Kali took the heads of Chanda and Munda in her hands, approached Chandika, and said with a thunderous laugh:
‘Devi! I offer you these two great beasts named Chanda and Munda. Now, you yourself slay Shumbha and Nishumbha in this sacrifice of war.’
The Rishi said -॥ Seeing those great demons named Chanda and Munda brought before her, the benevolent Chandika spoke to Kali in sweet words:
‘Devi! Since you have come to me bringing Chanda and Munda, your fame in the world will be as Chamunda.’
Thus, in the Shri Markandeya Purana, in the story of the Savarnika Manvantara,
The seventh chapter, named ‘The Slaying of Chanda and Munda’ in Devi Mahatmya, is completed
