rishiruvaach . 1 .
The Rishi said:
aajnaptaaste tato daityaashchandamundapurogamaah . chaturangabalopetaa yayurabhyudyataayudhaah . 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.
dadrishuste tato deveemeeshaddhaasaan vyavasthitaam . sinhasyopari shailendrashringe mahati kaanchane . 3 .
There they saw the Devi, gently smiling, seated upon Her lion on a great golden peak of the king of mountains.
te drishtvaa taan samaadaatumudyaman chakrurudyataah . aakrishtachaapaasidharaastathaanye tatsameepagaah . 4 .
Seeing Her, they made ready and strove to seize Her; others, with bows drawn and swords in hand, closed in around Her.
tatah kopan chakaarochchairambikaa taanareen prati . kopen chaasyaa vadanan masheevarnamabhoottadaa . 5 .
Then Ambika's anger rose high against those enemies, and in Her wrath Her face grew dark as ink.
bhrukuteekutilaattasyaa lalaataphalakaaddrutam . kaalee karaalavadanaa vinishkraantaasipaashinee . 6 .
From Her forehead, knit in a frown, there sprang at once Kali, fearsome of face, bearing a sword and a noose.
vichitrakhatvaangadharaa naramaalaavibhooshanaa . dveepicharmapareedhaanaa shushkamaansaatibhairavaa . 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.
ativistaaravadanaa jihvaalalanabheeshanaa . nimagnaaraktanayanaa naadaapooritadinmukhaa . 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.
saa vegenaabhipatitaa ghaatayantee mahaasuraan . sainye tatr suraareenaamabhakshayat 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.
paarshnigraahaankushagraahiyodhaghantaasamanvitaan . samaadaayaikahasten mukhe chikshep vaaranaan . 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.
tathaiv yodhan turagai rathan saarathinaa sah . nikshipy vaktre dashanaishcharvayantyatibhairavam . 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.
ekan jagraah kesheshu greevaayaamath chaaparam . paadenaakramy chaivaanyamurasaanyamapothayat . 12 .
One She seized by the hair and another by the neck; one She trampled underfoot, and another She crushed against Her breast.
tairmuktaani ch shastraani mahaastraani tathaasuraih . mukhen jagraah rushaa dashanairmathitaanyapi . 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.
balinaan tadbalan sarvamasuraanaan duraatmanaam . mamardaabhakshayachchaanyaananyaanshchaataadayattathaa . 14 .
All that army of mighty and wicked asuras She crushed; some She devoured, and others She struck down.
asinaa nihataah kechitkechitkhatvaangataaditaah . jagmurvinaashamasuraa dantaagraabhihataastathaa . 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.
kshanen tadbalan sarvamasuraanaan nipaatitam . drishtvaa chando'bhidudraav taan kaaleematibheeshanaam . 16 .
Seeing that whole army of asuras laid low in a moment, Chanda rushed at Kali, so dreadful to behold.
sharavarshairmahaabheemairbheemaaksheen taan mahaasurah . chhaadayaamaas chakraishch mundah kshiptaih sahasrashah . 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.
taani chakraanyanekaani vishamaanaani tanmukham . babhuryathaarkabimbaani subahooni ghanodaram . 18 .
Those many discs, vanishing into Her mouth, shone like a host of suns sinking into the heart of a cloud.
tato jahaasaatirushaa bheeman bhairavanaadinee . kaalee karaalavaktraantardurdarshadashanojjvalaa . 19 .
Then Kali, roaring terribly, laughed a dreadful laugh in Her great fury, blazing with the fearsome teeth within Her gaping mouth.
utthaay ch mahaasinhan devee chandamadhaavat . griheetvaa chaasy kesheshu shirastenaasinaachchhinat . 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.
ath mundo'bhyadhaavattaan drishtvaa chandan nipaatitam . tamapyapaatayadbhoomau saa khadgaabhihatan rushaa . 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.
hatasheshan tatah sainyan drishtvaa chandan nipaatitam . mundan ch sumahaaveeryan disho bheje bhayaaturam . 22 .
Seeing Chanda fallen, and Munda of great valour too, what was left of the army fled in every direction, stricken with fear.
shirashchandasy kaalee ch griheetvaa mundamev ch . praah prachandaattahaasamishramabhyety chandikaam . 23 .
Then Kali, taking the heads of Chanda and Munda, came to Chandika and spoke, Her words mingled with fierce, ringing laughter:
mayaa tavaatropahritau chandamundau mahaapashoo . yuddhayajne svayan shumbhan nishumbhan ch hanishyasi . 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.’
rishiruvaach . 25 .
The Rishi said:
taavaaneetau tato drishtvaa chandamundau mahaasurau . uvaach kaaleen kalyaanee lalitan chandikaa vachah . 26 .
Seeing the great asuras Chanda and Munda brought before Her, Chandika, who brings all good, spoke these gentle words to Kali:
yasmaachchandan ch mundan ch griheetvaa tvamupaagataa . chaamundeti tato loke khyaataa devi bhavishyasi . 27 .
‘Because You have come to Me bringing Chanda and Munda, O Devi, You shall be known in the world as Chamunda.’