॥Durga Saptashati
|| Chapter Eight ||
Chapter 8:
The Slaying of Raktabīja
॥ Meditation (Dhyana) ॥
I meditate upon Bhagawani (Goddess) who is surrounded by rays embodying the Siddhis like Anima (minuteness). Her body is red, her eyes are full of compassion, and her hands are adorned with a noose, an elephant-goad, arrows, and a bow.
The Sage said: When the demons named Chanda and Munda were slain, and a large part of the army was destroyed, great anger rose in the mind of the powerful king of the demons, Shumbha, and he commanded the entire demon army to march for battle.
He said, “Today, eighty-six demon generals named Udayudha, along with their armies, should set out for war. Eighty-four commanders of the demons named Kambu, surrounded by their forces, should proceed.
Fifty Koti (ten million) Vīrya-kula and one hundred Dhaumra-kula Asura generals, by my command, should march with their armies.
The Asuras Kalaka, Dauhrida, Maurya, and Kalakeya should also prepare for war and immediately set out by my command.”
Thus commanding, the demon king Shumbha, who ruled terribly, set out for battle with thousands of vast armies.
Seeing his extremely terrifying army approach, Chandika made the space between the earth and the sky resonate with the twang of her bow.
O King! Thereafter, the Goddess’s lion also began to roar loudly, and then Ambika further amplified that sound with the chime of her bell.
The twang of the bow, the roar of the lion, and the sound of the bell made all directions echo. With that terrifying sound, Kali enlarged her dreadful mouth and thus they became victorious.
Hearing that tremendous noise, the demon armies approached from all sides and angrily surrounded Goddess Chandika, the lion, and Goddess Kali.
O King! In the meantime, for the destruction of the Asuras and the rise of the Gods, the Shaktis (powers) of Brahma, Shiva, Kartikeya, Vishnu, and Indra, which were endowed with extreme valor and strength, emerged from their bodies in their respective forms and went to Goddess Chandika.
The Shakti of each God, possessing the exact form, attire, and vehicle as the God, arrived equipped with the same means to fight the Asuras.
First came the Shakti of Brahma, known as ‘Brahmani,’ seated on a swan-yoked chariot, adorned with a rosary and a water-pot.
The Shakti of Mahadeva (Shiva) arrived, mounted on a bull, holding a supreme trident in her hands, wearing a bracelet of a great serpent, and embellished with the crescent moon on her forehead.
Jagadambika, in the form of Kartikeya’s Shakti, arrived mounted on a supreme peacock, holding a spear (Shakti), to fight the demons.
Similarly, the Shakti of Lord Vishnu arrived, seated on Garuda, holding a conch, discus, mace, Sharanga bow, and sword in her hands.
The Shakti of Shri Hari, who takes the form of the incomparable Sacrificial Boar, also arrived, having assumed the body of a boar.
The Narasimhi Shakti also arrived, having assumed a body like Narasimha (Man-lion). The stars in the sky were scattered by the shaking of the hair on her neck.
Similarly, the Shakti of Indra arrived, holding a thunderbolt (Vajra) in her hand, seated upon the great elephant Airavata. She also had a thousand eyes. Her form was exactly like that of Indra.
Thereafter, Mahadeva, surrounded by those divine Shaktis, said to Chandika, “For my satisfaction, quickly destroy these Asuras.”
Then, from the body of the Goddess, an extremely frightening and supremely fierce Shakti of Chandika appeared, making sounds like hundreds of jackals.
That unconquered Goddess said to Mahadeva, whose hair was smoky-colored, “Bhagavan (Lord)! You go as a messenger to Shumbha and Nishumbha.
And tell those two extremely arrogant Danavas, Shumbha and Nishumbha. Also give this message to any other Danavas present there for battle. O Daityas! If you wish to live, return to the netherworld (Patala). Let Indra have the kingdom of the three worlds, and let the Gods enjoy their share of the sacrifices.
If, due to the pride of strength, you desire battle, then come; let my Shivas (Yoginis) be satisfied with your raw flesh.”
Since that Goddess appointed Lord Shiva to the task of a messenger, she became famous in the world by the name ‘Shivdooti’ (Messenger of Shiva).
Hearing the words of the Goddess from the mouth of Lord Shiva, those great demons were filled with rage and advanced towards where Katyayani was seated.
Thereafter, the demons, filled with indignation, first began to shower the Goddess with arrows, spears (Shakti), and javelins (Rishti).
Then the Goddess, as if in sport, twanged her bow and with the great arrows she shot, cut down the arrows, lances, spears, and axes hurled by the demons.
Then Kali, moving forward, began to tear the enemies with the strike of her lance and, pulverizing them with her skull-staff (Khatvanga), roamed the battlefield.
Brahmani, wherever she ran, sprinkled the water from her water-pot, destroying the vitality and prowess of the enemies.
Maheshwari began to destroy the demons with her trident, Vaishnavi with her discus, and the Shakti of Kumara Kartikeya, filled with extreme anger, with her spear.
Hundreds of demon-danavas, torn by the strike of Indra’s thunderbolt (Indra Shakti), lay on the earth, streaming with blood. Varahi Shakti destroyed many with the blow of her snout, pierced the chests of many with the tips of her tusks, and many demons fell, torn apart by the impact of her discus.
Narasimhi also tore and ate other great demons with her claws and roamed the battlefield, roaring like a lion and making the directions and the sky resonate.
Many Asuras, terrified by the fierce laughter of Shivdooti, fell to the earth, and as they fell, Shivdooti made them her prey.
Seeing the Matriganas (Mother Goddesses), filled with anger, thus crushing the great Asuras by various means, the demon soldiers took flight.
Seeing the demons, afflicted by the Matriganas, fleeing from the battle, the great demon named Raktabīja came forward to fight, filled with rage.
When a drop of blood fell to the earth from his body, another great demon of equal power was born on the earth.
The great Asura Raktabīja, holding a mace, began to fight with Indra Shakti. Then Aindri struck Raktabīja with her thunderbolt.
Wounded by the thunderbolt, a great deal of blood flowed from his body, and from it, warriors of the same form and prowess were born.
As many drops of blood as fell from his body, so many men were born. All of them were as vigorous, strong, and valiant as Raktabīja.
Those men born from the blood, also wielding extremely dreadful weapons, began a fierce battle with the Matriganas there. Again, when his head was wounded by the strike of the thunderbolt, blood began to flow, and from it, thousands of men were born.
Vaishnavi hurled her discus at Raktabīja in the battle, and Aindri struck that demon general with her mace.
Wounded by Vaishnavi’s discus, the blood that flowed from his body and the thousands of great demons of the same size that appeared from it, filled the entire universe.
Kaumari wounded the great demon Raktabīja with her spear, Varahi with her sword, and Maheshwari with her trident. That great demon Raktabīja, filled with anger, also struck all the Mother Shaktis separately with his mace. Even after being wounded many times by the spear (Shakti), trident, etc., the stream of blood that fell to the earth from his body certainly produced hundreds of Asuras. In this way, the entire universe became filled with the Asuras who appeared from the blood of that great demon. This caused great fear to the Gods. Seeing the Gods distressed, Chandika quickly said to Kali, “Chamunde! Spread your mouth even wider.
And consume with this swift mouth of yours the drops of blood that fall from my weapons and the great demons born from them.
In this way, roam the battlefield, devouring the great demons born from the blood. By doing this, when all the demon’s blood is depleted, he himself will also be destroyed. When you consume those terrifying demons, no new demons will be born.” Saying this to Kali, Goddess Chandika struck Raktabīja with a trident.
And Kali took his blood into her mouth. Then he struck Chandika there with a mace.
But that mace blow did not cause the Goddess any pain. A lot of blood flowed from Raktabīja’s wounded body.
But as soon as it fell, Chamunda took it into her mouth. She also swallowed the great demons born in Kali’s mouth from the falling blood and drank Raktabīja’s blood. Thereafter, the Goddess slew Raktabīja, whose blood Chamunda had drunk, with the thunderbolt, arrows, sword, javelin (Rishti), and so on. O King! Thus, the great demon Raktabīja, struck by a multitude of weapons and drained of blood, fell to the earth.
O Lord of Men! This brought incomparable joy to the Gods. And the Matriganas, in the intoxication of drinking the blood of those Asuras, began to dance with a sense of excitement.
Thus, in the Shrimarkandeya Purana, in the story of the Savarnika Manvantara, the eighth chapter named ‘The Slaying of Raktabīja’ in the Devi Mahatmya is completed.
