r̥ṣiruvāca . 1 .
The Rishi said:
ājñaptāste tato daityāścaṇḍamuṇḍapurogamāḥ . caturaṅgabalopetā yayurabhyudyatāyudhāḥ . 2 .
Then, at Shumbha's command, the daityas set out with Chanda and Munda at their head, their fourfold army behind them and their weapons raised.
dadr̥śuste tato devīmīṣaddhāsāṁ vyavasthitām . siṁhasyopari śailendraśr̥ṅge mahati kāñcane . 3 .
There they saw the Devi, gently smiling, seated upon Her lion on a great golden peak of the king of mountains.
te dr̥ṣṭvā tāṁ samādātumudyamaṁ cakrurudyatāḥ . ākr̥ṣṭacāpāsidharāstathānye tatsamīpagāḥ . 4 .
Seeing Her, they made ready and strove to seize Her; others, with bows drawn and swords in hand, closed in around Her.
tataḥ kopaṁ cakāroccairambikā tānarīn prati . kopena cāsyā vadanaṁ maṣīvarṇamabhūttadā . 5 .
Then Ambika's anger rose high against those enemies, and in Her wrath Her face grew dark as ink.
bhrukuṭīkuṭilāttasyā lalāṭaphalakāddrutam . kālī karālavadanā viniṣkrāntāsipāśinī . 6 .
From Her forehead, knit in a frown, there sprang at once Kali, fearsome of face, bearing a sword and a noose.
vicitrakhaṭvāṅgadharā naramālāvibhūṣaṇā . dvīpicarmaparīdhānā śuṣkamāṁsātibhairavā . 7 .
She carried a strange skull-topped staff and wore a garland of human heads; She was clad in a leopard's skin, and with Her flesh wasted away She was most terrible to see.
ativistāravadanā jihvālalanabhīṣaṇā . nimagnāraktanayanā nādāpūritadiṅmukhā . 8 .
Her mouth gaped wide, Her lolling tongue struck terror, Her eyes were sunken and reddish, and Her roar filled every quarter of the sky.
sā vegenābhipatitā ghātayantī mahāsurān . sainye tatra surārīṇāmabhakṣayata tadbalam . 9 .
Swiftly She fell upon them, striking down the great asuras, and there, among the hosts of the enemies of the gods, She devoured that army.
pārṣṇigrāhāṅkuśagrāhiyodhaghaṇṭāsamanvitān . samādāyaikahastena mukhe cikṣepa vāraṇān . 10 .
Seizing elephants in one hand, with their rear-guards, their drivers bearing goads, their warriors and their bells, She flung them into Her mouth.
tathaiva yodhaṁ turagai rathaṁ sārathinā saha . nikṣipya vaktre daśanaiścarvayantyatibhairavam . 11 .
In the same way She put warriors with their horses, and chariots with their charioteers, into Her mouth, and ground them most terribly with Her teeth.
ekaṁ jagrāha keśeṣu grīvāyāmatha cāparam . pādenākramya caivānyamurasānyamapothayat . 12 .
One She seized by the hair and another by the neck; one She trampled underfoot, and another She crushed against Her breast.
tairmuktāni ca śastrāṇi mahāstrāṇi tathāsuraiḥ . mukhena jagrāha ruṣā daśanairmathitānyapi . 13 .
The weapons and the great missiles the asuras loosed at Her, She caught in Her mouth in fury and ground to pieces with Her teeth.
balināṁ tadbalaṁ sarvamasurāṇāṁ durātmanām . mamardābhakṣayaccānyānanyāṁścātāḍayattathā . 14 .
All that army of mighty and wicked asuras She crushed; some She devoured, and others She struck down.
asinā nihatāḥ kecitkecitkhaṭvāṅgatāḍitāḥ . jagmurvināśamasurā dantāgrābhihatāstathā . 15 .
Some asuras were slain by Her sword, some beaten down with Her skull-topped staff, and others met their end torn by the points of Her teeth.
kṣaṇena tadbalaṁ sarvamasurāṇāṁ nipātitam . dr̥ṣṭvā caṇḍo'bhidudrāva tāṁ kālīmatibhīṣaṇām . 16 .
Seeing that whole army of asuras laid low in a moment, Chanda rushed at Kali, so dreadful to behold.
śaravarṣairmahābhīmairbhīmākṣīṁ tāṁ mahāsuraḥ . chādayāmāsa cakraiśca muṇḍaḥ kṣiptaiḥ sahasraśaḥ . 17 .
Chanda, that great asura, covered Her of the fearsome eyes with a most dreadful rain of arrows, and Munda covered Her with discs hurled in their thousands.
tāni cakrāṇyanekāni viśamānāni tanmukham . babhuryathārkabimbāni subahūni ghanodaram . 18 .
Those many discs, vanishing into Her mouth, shone like a host of suns sinking into the heart of a cloud.
tato jahāsātiruṣā bhīmaṁ bhairavanādinī . kālī karālavaktrāntardurdarśadaśanojjvalā . 19 .
Then Kali, roaring terribly, laughed a dreadful laugh in Her great fury, blazing with the fearsome teeth within Her gaping mouth.
utthāya ca mahāsiṁhaṁ devī caṇḍamadhāvata . gr̥hītvā cāsya keśeṣu śirastenāsinācchinat . 20 .
Then the Devi rose upon the great lion and rushed at Chanda; seizing him by the hair, She cut off his head with that sword.
atha muṇḍo'bhyadhāvattāṁ dr̥ṣṭvā caṇḍaṁ nipātitam . tamapyapātayadbhūmau sā khaḍgābhihataṁ ruṣā . 21 .
Seeing Chanda fallen, Munda ran at Her; and in Her fury She struck him too with Her sword and laid him on the ground.
hataśeṣaṁ tataḥ sainyaṁ dr̥ṣṭvā caṇḍaṁ nipātitam . muṇḍaṁ ca sumahāvīryaṁ diśo bheje bhayāturam . 22 .
Seeing Chanda fallen, and Munda of great valour too, what was left of the army fled in every direction, stricken with fear.
śiraścaṇḍasya kālī ca gr̥hītvā muṇḍameva ca . prāha pracaṇḍāṭṭahāsamiśramabhyetya caṇḍikām . 23 .
Then Kali, taking the heads of Chanda and Munda, came to Chandika and spoke, Her words mingled with fierce, ringing laughter:
mayā tavātropahr̥tau caṇḍamuṇḍau mahāpaśū . yuddhayajñe svayaṁ śumbhaṁ niśumbhaṁ ca haniṣyasi . 24 .
‘Here I have brought You Chanda and Munda, two great beasts for the offering. In the sacrifice of battle You Yourself shall slay Shumbha and Nishumbha.’
r̥ṣiruvāca . 25 .
The Rishi said:
tāvānītau tato dr̥ṣṭvā caṇḍamuṇḍau mahāsurau . uvāca kālīṁ kalyāṇī lalitaṁ caṇḍikā vacaḥ . 26 .
Seeing the great asuras Chanda and Munda brought before Her, Chandika, who brings all good, spoke these gentle words to Kali:
yasmāccaṇḍaṁ ca muṇḍaṁ ca gr̥hītvā tvamupāgatā . cāmuṇḍeti tato loke khyātā devi bhaviṣyasi . 27 .
‘Because You have come to Me bringing Chanda and Munda, O Devi, You shall be known in the world as Chamunda.’