r̥ṣiruvāca . 1 .
The Rishi said:
niśumbhaṁ nihataṁ dr̥ṣṭvā bhrātaraṁ prāṇasammitam . hanyamānaṁ balaṁ caiva śumbhaḥ kruddho'bravīdvacaḥ . 2 .
Seeing Nishumbha, the brother dear to him as life, slain, and his army being cut down, Shumbha spoke in anger:
balāvalepādduṣṭe tvaṁ mā durge garvamāvaha . anyāsāṁ balamāśritya yuddhyase yātimāninī . 3 .
‘O Durga, wicked in the pride of Your strength, do not boast. You who are so proud fight by leaning on the strength of others.’
devyuvāca . 4 .
The Devi said:
ekaivāhaṁ jagatyatra dvitīyā kā mamāparā . paśyaitā duṣṭa mayyeva viśantyo madvibhūtayaḥ . 5 .
‘I am One alone in this world; who else is there besides Me? See, O wicked one: these are My own powers, entering back into Me.’
tataḥ samastāstā devyo brahmāṇīpramukhā layam . tasyā devyāstanau jagmurekaivāsīttadāmbikā . 6 .
Then all those Devis, Brahmani and the rest, were absorbed into the body of that Devi, and Ambika alone remained.
devyuvāca . 7 .
The Devi said:
ahaṁ vibhūtyā bahubhiriha rūpairyadāsthitā . tatsaṁhr̥taṁ mayaikaiva tiṣṭhāmyājau sthiro bhava . 8 .
‘The many forms in which I stood here by My power, I have now drawn back into Myself. I stand alone in the battle: now stand firm.’
r̥ṣiruvāca . 9 .
The Rishi said:
tataḥ pravavr̥te yuddhaṁ devyāḥ śumbhasya cobhayoḥ . paśyatāṁ sarvadevānāmasurāṇāṁ ca dāruṇam . 10 .
Then, as all the gods and the asuras looked on, a terrible battle began between the two, the Devi and Shumbha.
śaravarṣaiḥ śitaiḥ śastraistathā cāstraiḥ sudāruṇaiḥ . tayoryuddhamabhūdbhūyaḥ sarvalokabhayaṅkaram . 11 .
With showers of arrows, with sharp weapons and most dreadful missiles, their battle grew again, terrifying to all the worlds.
divyānyastrāṇi śataśo mumuce yānyathāmbikā . babhañja tāni daityendrastatpratīghātakartr̥bhiḥ . 12 .
The celestial weapons Ambika loosed in their hundreds, the lord of the daityas broke with weapons that countered them.
muktāni tena cāstrāṇi divyāni parameśvarī . babhañja līlayaivograhuṅkāroccāraṇādibhiḥ . 13 .
And the celestial weapons he loosed, Parameshwari broke as if at play, with a fierce cry of ‘hum’ and the like.
tataḥ śaraśatairdevīmācchādayata so'suraḥ . sāpi tatkupitā devī dhanuściccheda ceṣubhiḥ . 14 .
Then the asura covered the Devi with hundreds of arrows; and the Devi, angered, cut through his bow with Her arrows.
chinne dhanuṣi daityendrastathā śaktimathādade . ciccheda devī cakreṇa tāmapyasya kare sthitām . 15 .
His bow cut, the lord of the daityas took up a spear; the Devi cut that too with Her discus, even as it lay in his hand.
tataḥ khaḍgamupādāya śatacandraṁ ca bhānumat . abhyadhāvattadā devīṁ daityānāmadhipeśvaraḥ . 16 .
Then the overlord of the daityas took up a sword and a shining shield marked with a hundred moons, and rushed at the Devi.
tasyāpatata evāśu khaḍgaṁ ciccheda caṇḍikā . dhanurmuktaiḥ śitairbāṇaiścarma cārkakarāmalam . 17 .
Even as he fell upon Her, Chandika swiftly cut through his sword, and his shield bright as the sun's rays, with sharp arrows from Her bow.
hatāśvaḥ sa tadā daityaśchinnadhanvā visārathiḥ . jagrāha mudgaraṁ ghoramambikānidhanodyataḥ . 18 .
His horses slain, his bow cut and his charioteer gone, the daitya then seized a dreadful club, bent on killing Ambika.
cicchedāpatatastasya mudgaraṁ niśitaiḥ śaraiḥ . tathāpi so'bhyadhāvattāṁ muṣṭimudyamya vegavān . 19 .
As he came on, She cut through his club with sharp arrows; still he rushed at Her, swift, with his fist raised.
sa muṣṭiṁ pātayāmāsa hr̥daye daityapuṅgavaḥ . devyāstaṁ cāpi sā devī talenorasyatāḍayat . 20 .
That bull among daityas brought his fist down on the Devi's breast, and the Devi struck him on the chest with the palm of Her hand.
talaprahārābhihato nipapāta mahītale . sa daityarājaḥ sahasā punareva tathotthitaḥ . 21 .
Struck by the blow of Her palm, the king of the daityas fell to the ground, but at once he rose again as before.
utpatya ca pragr̥hyoccairdevīṁ gaganamāsthitaḥ . tatrāpi sā nirādhārā yuyudhe tena caṇḍikā . 22 .
Leaping up, he seized the Devi and rose high into the sky; there too Chandika, with nothing to stand on, fought him.
niyuddhaṁ khe tadā daityaścaṇḍikā ca parasparam . cakratuḥ prathamaṁ siddhamunivismayakārakam . 23 .
Then the daitya and Chandika fought hand to hand in the sky, a combat such as had never been, that filled the siddhas and sages with wonder.
tato niyuddhaṁ suciraṁ kr̥tvā tenāmbikā saha . utpātya bhrāmayāmāsa cikṣepa dharaṇītale . 24 .
Then, after fighting him hand to hand for a long while, Ambika lifted him up, whirled him round and flung him to the earth.
sa kṣipto dharaṇīṁ prāpya muṣṭimudyamya vegitaḥ . abhyadhāvata duṣṭātmā caṇḍikānidhanecchayā . 25 .
Flung down, that wicked one reached the ground and, fist raised, rushed swiftly at Chandika, wanting to kill Her.
tamāyāntaṁ tato devī sarvadaityajaneśvaram . jagatyāṁ pātayāmāsa bhittvā śūlena vakṣasi . 26 .
As that lord of all the daityas came on, the Devi pierced his chest with Her spear and threw him down upon the earth.
sa gatāsuḥ papātorvyāṁ devīśūlāgravikṣataḥ . cālayan sakalāṁ pr̥thvīṁ sābdhidvīpāṁ saparvatām . 27 .
Pierced by the point of the Devi's spear, he fell lifeless to the ground, shaking the whole earth with its seas, islands and mountains.
tataḥ prasannamakhilaṁ hate tasmin durātmani . jagat svāsthyamatīvāpa nirmalaṁ cābhavannabhaḥ . 28 .
When that wicked one was slain, the whole world grew serene and came fully to health again, and the sky turned clear.
utpātameghāḥ solkā ye prāgāsaṁste śamaṁ yayuḥ . sarito mārgavāhinyastathāsaṁstatra pātite . 29 .
The clouds of ill omen and the falling meteors that had been before were stilled, and when he had fallen the rivers flowed in their courses again.
tato devagaṇāḥ sarve harṣanirbharamānasāḥ . babhūvurnihate tasmin gandharvā lalitaṁ jaguḥ . 30 .
When he was slain, the hearts of all the hosts of gods overflowed with joy, and the gandharvas sang sweetly.
avādayaṁstathaivānye nanr̥tuścāpsarogaṇāḥ . vavuḥ puṇyāstathā vātāḥ suprabho'bhūddivākaraḥ . 31 .
Others played their instruments, and the apsaras danced; pure breezes blew, and the sun shone bright.
jajvaluścāgnayaḥ śāntāḥ śāntā digjanitasvanāḥ . 32 .
The altar fires that had gone out blazed up again, and the dreadful sounds from every quarter fell silent.