rishiruvaach . 1 .
The Rishi said:
nishumbhan nihatan drishtvaa bhraataran praanasammitam . hanyamaanan balan chaiv shumbhah kruddho'braveedvachah . 2 .
Seeing Nishumbha, the brother dear to him as life, slain, and his army being cut down, Shumbha spoke in anger:
balaavalepaaddushte tvan maa durge garvamaavah . anyaasaan balamaashrity yuddhyase yaatimaaninee . 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.’
devyuvaach . 4 .
The Devi said:
ekaivaahan jagatyatr dviteeyaa kaa mamaaparaa . pashyaitaa dusht mayyev vishantyo madvibhootayah . 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.’
tatah samastaastaa devyo brahmaaneepramukhaa layam . tasyaa devyaastanau jagmurekaivaaseettadaambikaa . 6 .
Then all those Devis, Brahmani and the rest, were absorbed into the body of that Devi, and Ambika alone remained.
devyuvaach . 7 .
The Devi said:
ahan vibhootyaa bahubhirih roopairyadaasthitaa . tatsanhritan mayaikaiv tishthaamyaajau sthiro bhav . 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.’
rishiruvaach . 9 .
The Rishi said:
tatah pravavrite yuddhan devyaah shumbhasy chobhayoh . pashyataan sarvadevaanaamasuraanaan ch daarunam . 10 .
Then, as all the gods and the asuras looked on, a terrible battle began between the two, the Devi and Shumbha.
sharavarshaih shitaih shastraistathaa chaastraih sudaarunaih . tayoryuddhamabhoodbhooyah sarvalokabhayankaram . 11 .
With showers of arrows, with sharp weapons and most dreadful missiles, their battle grew again, terrifying to all the worlds.
divyaanyastraani shatasho mumuche yaanyathaambikaa . babhanj taani daityendrastatprateeghaatakartribhih . 12 .
The celestial weapons Ambika loosed in their hundreds, the lord of the daityas broke with weapons that countered them.
muktaani ten chaastraani divyaani parameshvaree . babhanj leelayaivograhunkaarochchaaranaadibhih . 13 .
And the celestial weapons he loosed, Parameshwari broke as if at play, with a fierce cry of ‘hum’ and the like.
tatah sharashatairdeveemaachchhaadayat so'surah . saapi tatkupitaa devee dhanushchichchhed cheshubhih . 14 .
Then the asura covered the Devi with hundreds of arrows; and the Devi, angered, cut through his bow with Her arrows.
chhinne dhanushi daityendrastathaa shaktimathaadade . chichchhed devee chakren taamapyasy kare sthitaam . 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.
tatah khadgamupaadaay shatachandran ch bhaanumat . abhyadhaavattadaa deveen daityaanaamadhipeshvarah . 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.
tasyaapatat evaashu khadgan chichchhed chandikaa . dhanurmuktaih shitairbaanaishcharm chaarkakaraamalam . 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.
hataashvah s tadaa daityashchhinnadhanvaa visaarathih . jagraah mudgaran ghoramambikaanidhanodyatah . 18 .
His horses slain, his bow cut and his charioteer gone, the daitya then seized a dreadful club, bent on killing Ambika.
chichchhedaapatatastasy mudgaran nishitaih sharaih . tathaapi so'bhyadhaavattaan mushtimudyamy vegavaan . 19 .
As he came on, She cut through his club with sharp arrows; still he rushed at Her, swift, with his fist raised.
s mushtin paatayaamaas hridaye daityapungavah . devyaastan chaapi saa devee talenorasyataadayat . 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.
talaprahaaraabhihato nipapaat maheetale . s daityaraajah sahasaa punarev tathotthitah . 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.
utpaty ch pragrihyochchairdeveen gaganamaasthitah . tatraapi saa niraadhaaraa yuyudhe ten chandikaa . 22 .
Leaping up, he seized the Devi and rose high into the sky; there too Chandika, with nothing to stand on, fought him.
niyuddhan khe tadaa daityashchandikaa ch parasparam . chakratuh prathaman siddhamunivismayakaarakam . 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 niyuddhan suchiran kritvaa tenaambikaa sah . utpaaty bhraamayaamaas chikshep dharaneetale . 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.
s kshipto dharaneen praapy mushtimudyamy vegitah . abhyadhaavat dushtaatmaa chandikaanidhanechchhayaa . 25 .
Flung down, that wicked one reached the ground and, fist raised, rushed swiftly at Chandika, wanting to kill Her.
tamaayaantan tato devee sarvadaityajaneshvaram . jagatyaan paatayaamaas bhittvaa shoolen vakshasi . 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.
s gataasuh papaatorvyaan deveeshoolaagravikshatah . chaalayan sakalaan prithveen saabdhidveepaan saparvataam . 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.
tatah prasannamakhilan hate tasmin duraatmani . jagat svaasthyamateevaap nirmalan chaabhavannabhah . 28 .
When that wicked one was slain, the whole world grew serene and came fully to health again, and the sky turned clear.
utpaatameghaah solkaa ye praagaasanste shaman yayuh . sarito maargavaahinyastathaasanstatr paatite . 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 devaganaah sarve harshanirbharamaanasaah . babhoovurnihate tasmin gandharvaa lalitan jaguh . 30 .
When he was slain, the hearts of all the hosts of gods overflowed with joy, and the gandharvas sang sweetly.
avaadayanstathaivaanye nanritushchaapsaroganaah . vavuh punyaastathaa vaataah suprabho'bhooddivaakarah . 31 .
Others played their instruments, and the apsaras danced; pure breezes blew, and the sun shone bright.
jajvalushchaagnayah shaantaah shaantaa digjanitasvanaah . 32 .
The altar fires that had gone out blazed up again, and the dreadful sounds from every quarter fell silent.