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Devi Bhagavatam (Devi
Puranam)
Chapter XXI
On the conquest of the Heavens by Sumbha and Nisumbha
1-6. Vyāsa said :-- O King! I am describing to you that excellent pure life
and doings of the Devī that destroy all the sins of all the beings and make
them happy. In days of yore, there were two very powerful demons Sumbha and
Nisumbha; they were two brothers, strong heroes and invulnerable by the
male persons. Those two wicked Asuras were surrounded with numerable Dānavas;
they tormented always the Devas. Then the Goddess Ambikā, for the good of
the Devas, killed Sumbha and Nisumbha with all their attendants in a very
dreadful battle. In the battlefield the Devī killed their main assistants
Chanda Munda and the exceedingly terrible Rakta Vīja and Dhumralochana. When
the Devī destroyed those Dānavas, the Devas became fearless; the Devas then
went to the beautiful Sumeru mountain and praised Her and chanted hymns to
Her.
7-8. Hearing about the names of Sumbha and Nisumbha, Janamejaya asked :--
O best of Munis! Who were those two Asuras? How came they to be most
powerful? Who put them here? Why were they vulnerable to women only? Under
whose tapasyā and under whose boon did they become so strong? And why did
that great Devī kill them? Describe all these to me in detail.
9-20. Vyāsa said :-- O King, I am describing to you that beautiful anecdote
where the Devīs holy deeds are involved. Hear. This incident full of all
that is good, destroys the hearers all sins and grants them all their
desired ends. In days of yore, Sumbha and Nisumbha, the two fair and good
looking brothers came out of Pātāla to this earth. These two Asuras, when
they grew to their manhood, performed severe asceticism in Puskara, the holy
place of pilgrimage, the most purifying place in this world and they refused
to eat rice and water. They became so very skilled in their Yoga practices
that they passed away in their one posture and seat one Ajuta (10,000)
years. Thus they performed very difficult Tapasyā. Then the God Brahmā, the
Grandsire of all, became pleased with their asceticism and appeared before
them, riding on His vehicle, the Swan. The Creator, seeing them thus deeply
merged in meditation, asked them to get up from that state and told them
thus :-- I have become pleased with your asceticism. I fulfil the desires
of all the Lokas; I have now come to you, pleased to see you so very strong
in your ascetic practices; better ask your desired boons from me; I will
grant them to you. Vyāsa said :-- O King! Hearing thus the Grandsires
wards, Sumbha and Nisumbha got up from their meditation; concentrating
their attention towards Him, circumambulated Him and bowed down to Him with
their hearts full of reverence. The two Asuras were very weak, lean and thin
by their hard tapasyā and they looked very humble. They fell down before Him
like a piece of wood and began to speak in a sweet voice, choked by intense
feelings. O Brāhman! O Deva of the Devas! O Thou, the Ocean of Mercy! O
Destroyer of fear of the devotees! O Lord! If Thou art pleased then dost
Thou grant us immortality. There is nothing in this world more fearful than
death; we two have taken refuge unto Thee, being afraid of this death. O
Thou, Ocean of mercy! O Creator of the world! O Lord of the Devas! O
Universal Soul! Protect us from this fear due to the terrible Death.
21-23. Brahmā said :-- Is this the boon that you ask? This is in every way,
against the Law of Nature; for no one, in these three Lokas, can grant this
boon to anybody. When one becomes born, one must die; and when one dies, one
must be born again. This Law is ordained in this world by the Supreme
Creator of this Universe, from time immemorial. Therefore all the beings
must die; there is no doubt in this. Better ask any other boon that you
desire; I will grant that to you.
24-27. Vyāsa said :-- O King! Hearing thus the words of Brahmā, the two
Dānavas pondered over the matter and bowed down to the Prajāpati, the Lord
of the Creation and said :-- O Merciful One! Grant us then so that we shall
be invulnerable to any of the male of the Immortal Devas down to human
beings and birds and deers; this is the boon that we ask. Where exists the
woman so powerful as to kill us? We never fear any woman in all the three
Lokas. O Lotus-born! We, the two brothers, want not to be killed by any
male; the females are naturally weak therefore we need not fear them.
28-58. Vyāsa said :-- O King! Hearing their words, the Grandsire Brahmā
gladly granted them their desired boon and returned to His own abode. On
Brahmā going away, the two Dānavas, too, returned to their own places. They
then appointed the Muni Bhrigu as their priest and began to worship him.
Bhrigu, the best of the Munis, then, on an auspicious day and when the star
was benign, got a beautiful golden throne built and gave it to the king.
Sumbha, being the eldest, was then installed on the auspicious throne as
the king; the other brave and excellent demons began to assemble there
quickly for serving him. The two great warriors Chanda and Munda, proud on
account of their great strength came there with their large armies,
chariots, horses, and elephants. Similarly the valiant warriors
Dhumralochana, hearing that Sumbha had become their King, came there with
his own army. There came up also at that time the great warrior Rakta Vīja,
more powerful on account of his getting a boon, attended by his army of two
Aksauhinī soldiers. O King! Hear why this Rakta Vīja became so very
unconquerable; whenever this Asura was wounded by any weapon, if one drop of
blood fell on the ground, at once would be created so many innumerable
Asuras, resembling his wicked nature and with similar weapons in their
hands. The Asuras born of this blood would have similar appearances and
would be similar in strength and ready to fight at once when they were born.
That great warrior, the great Demon Rakta Vīja was unconquerable in battle
for this very reason and no being could now kill him. The other Asuras, when
they heard that Sumbha had become their king, came up there with their
armies consisting of four divisions of elephants, chariots, cavalry and
infantry and began to serve him. The army of Sumbha and Nisumbha thus
became countless; and they forcibly conquered and got possession of all the
kingdoms that existed then on the surface of the earth. Then Nisumbha, the
destroyer of enemies, collected his army and marched up to the Heavens
without any delay to conquer Indra, the Lord of Sachī. He fought very hard
with all the Lokapālas on all sides when Indra struck him on his breast with
His thunderbolt. Nisumbha fell unconscious on the ground with that blow
when his soldiers, defeated in the battle, fled away on all sides. Sumbha,
the destroyer of the enemies forces, hearing the unconscious state of the
younger brother, came up at once on the field and shot at the Devas with
multitudes of arrows. The untiring Sumbha fought so violently that Indra
and the other Devas and Lokapalas were defeated. Sumbha then took away,
perforce, the position of Indra and he occupied the Celestial Tree and
Heavenly milching cow that yielded all desires and other excellent things
over which Indra used to reign. In fact, that high-souled Asura got the
dominion of the three Lokas and took away all those that were offered at the
sacrifices. He became highly glad on getting the Nandana Garden and was
extremely delighted when he drank the celestial nectar. He then defeated in
battle Kuvera, the god of wealth and occupied his kingdom. He defeated the
Moon, Sun, and Yama, the God of Death and occupied their positions.
Surrounded by his army, Nisumbha dispossessed Varuna, Fire, and Air of
their kingdoms and began to reign in their stead. Thus deprived of their
kingdoms, prosperity and wealth, the Devas left the Nandana Garden and fled,
out of terror, to the caves of hills and mountains. Thus deprived of all
their rights, the Devas without any weapons, without any lustre, without any
home, and without anywhere to go, began to wander in lonely forests. O King!
All the Immortals began to knock about in lonely gardens, mountain caves and
rivers; and nowhere they found happiness; for happiness depends entirely
unto the hands of Fate. O Lord of men! Even those fortunate souls, who are
powerful, and wealthy and wise, meet at times with distress and poverty. O
King! How marvellous are the ways and manners of Time! It makes kings and
donors beggars; it renders the powerful, weak; literates, illiterates; and
it makes great warriors into terrible cowards. O King! Vāsava performed one
hundred horse-sacrifices and got the excellent Indras position; but again
be fell into extreme difficulties; thus runs the wheel of Time.
59. It is Time that bestows the gem of knowledge to a person and it is Time
again that deprives that very same man of his wisdom and makes him a great
sinner.
60-61. The Bhagavān Visnu takes incarnations, under the control of Time, in
several lower wombs as boar, etc., and Mahā Deva carries on His body the
human skulls, that are not even fit to be touched. When Brahmā, Visnu,
Mahesa and others suffer such painful things, then one need not wonder at
the workings of the Great inscrutable Time.
Here ends the Twenty-first Chapter of the Fifth Book on the conquest of the
Heavens by Sumbha and Nisumbha in Srī Mad Devī Bhāgavatam, the Mahā
Purānam of 18,000 verses by Maharsi Veda Vyāsa.
Chapter XXII
On the eulogising of the Devī by the Devas
1-7. Vyāsa said :-- O King! When the Devas were all defeated, Sumbha began
to govern all their kingdoms; thus one thousand years passed away. The Devas,
on the other hand, deprived of their kingdoms, were all drowned in an ocean
of cares and anxieties; at last they began to feel very much and were
greatly afflicted. They asked with reverence their own Guru Brihaspati, O
Guru! What are we to do now? O All knowing! You are the Great Muni; kindly
say unto us if there be any means by which we can get rid of this our
present crisis. There are thousands of Vedic Mantrams which yield the
desired results, if they are worshipped with due rites and ceremonies and if
all the rules be observed thereof. O best of Munis! Many Yajńās are
mentioned in the Vedas that yield all the desired results; you know them
all; so kindly perform those Yajńās. Do all those ceremonies duly that are
ordained in the Vedas for the killing of enemies; O Descendant of Āngirasa!
You ought to perform as early as possible those sacrifices for magical
purposes to destroy the Dānavas so that all our miseries come to an end.
8-22. Brihaspati said :-- O Lord of the Suras! All the mantras mentioned in
the Vedas yield the desired results, but subservient to the Great Destiny
only; they do not give results of themselves but do so in obedience to to
the laws ordained by Nature. You all are the presiding Deities of the Vedic
Mantras; but, now, by the strange irony of Time, you are put to difficulties
and troubles; what can I do now in this case? See! Indra, Agni, Varuna, and
other gods are invoked in sacrifices; how, then, can sacrificial ceremonies
do good when you are put to so great difficulties. Therefore there is no
remedy to those which will take place unavoidably; but those who are wise
declare that in such cases means are to be adopted. Some sages say that Fate
is strong but those who advocate the cause of taking remedial means say that
Fate is powerless; remedies or manly exertions lead to all success. But, O
King of the Devas! The embodied souls ought to resort to both Fate and
Remedies; it is never advisable to depend solely on Fate. Therefore, it is
advisable to think out again and again as far as ones own Intellect goes,
the best remedies. O Devas! I have thought over again and again on this
subject and say to you my opinion. Hear. In days of yore, the Bhagavatī,
being appeased, killed Mahisāsura; and when you all praised and chanted
hymns to Her, She gave you this boon that She will remove all your sorrows
and troubles no sooner you remember Her, and She told that you all must
remember Her whenever any difficulty would arise to you out of this Great
Destiny. She would, then, free you all of your ocean of great difficulties.
Therefore do you all now go to the highly sacred and exquisitely beautiful
Himālayān mountains and worship the most worshipful Chandikā Devī with your
love and devotion. Know all the rules of the Seed mantra of Māyā and be
engaged in taking Her name accompanied with burnt offerings. I have come to
know, by Yogic power, that She will be pleased with You. I see that today
your difficulties will come to an end; there is not the least doubt in this.
I have heard that the Devī resides always in the Himāchal; if you worship
and praise and chant hymns to Her, She will certainly grant you your desired
boons. Therefore fully decide on this thing and go to the Himālayās. O Devas!
She will fulfil all your desires and carry out all your intentions.
23-24. Vyāsa said :-- O King! Hearing thus his words, the Devas departed to
the Himālayās and they became all merged in the devotional worship of the
Supreme Goddess and began to meditate constantly in their hearts the Seed
mantra of Māyā (Hrīm). They bowed down to the Goddess Mahā Māyā, the
Discarder of all the fears of Her Bhaktas and began to chant hymns to Her
with perfect devotion.
25-42. O Goddess! Salutation to Thee! O Thou, the Lord of the Universe! the
Lord of our hearts! Thou art the Everlasting Bliss and the Giver of bliss to
the Devas! Salutation to Thee! Thou art the Destroyer of the Dānavas and
Thou art the Giver of all desires of human beings. Thou canst be approached
with devotion. Salutation to Thee! O Thou, the Incarnate of all the Devas!
Thy names are endless; Thy forms are endless; none can count them. Thou
residest always as the Force Incarnate in all the actions, in the Creation,
Preservation and Dissolution of Beings. O Goddess! Thou art the Memory,
Constancy, Intelligence, Old Age. Thou art the nourishment, contentment;
Thou upholdest all; Thou art the beauty, peace, good knowledge, prosperity
and happiness, Thou art the Goal, fame, and intellect and Thou art the
Eternal Seed unmanifested. We now bow down to those forms of Thine through
which Thou dost serve the purpose of the Devas in this world as we are now
in need of peace. Thou art forgiveness and mercy; Thou art the Yoga Nidrā (a
state between sleep and wakefulness); Thou art the kindness and Thou
residest in all the beings in so many forms, great and grand, and so very
celebrated; O Goddess! Thou hadst already served the cause of the gods in
killing our great enemy Mahisāsura, puffed up with vanity. Therefore Thy
mercy is well known amongst the gods; what more, Thy mercy is known, since
very ancient times and it is narrated in the Vedas. What wonder is there
that a mother nourishes gladly her own sons and preserves them carefully!
For Thou art the Mother of the Devas; Thou art the great source of help to
them; therefore dost Thou fulfill all their desires with Thine whole heart.
O Devī! We do not know the limit of Thy qualities nor of Thy forms; O
Goddess! Thou art worshipped by the whole Universe. Thou art fully competent
to save all from dangers; we are objects of Thy pity; dost Thou save us from
our present troubles! Thou art capable to kill enemies without shooting any
arrrows, without striking any blows, without hurling any trident, axes,
Saktis, clubs, or any other weapons; merely by Thy mere will Thou canst
kill; still for sports and for the good of all beings Thou incarnatest and
fightest for the sake of Līlā. The ignorant persons know such things as
birth, death, etc., that this world is not eternal; that no actions can be
without any cause; we, therefore, ascertain by reasoning and inference that
Thou art the Supreme Cause of this whole Universe. Brahmā is the Creator,
Visnu is the Preserver, and Mahesa is the Destroyer; so it is related in
the Purānas. Thou again hast given birth to these three Gods in the
respective cycles; therefore Thou art the Mother of all; there is no doubt
in this. O Devī! In days of yore, these three Devas worshipped Thee; Thou
Wert pleased and gavest them all the best powers. Being thus endowed with
Thy powers, they have been able to create, preserve and destroy this
Universe beautifully. Art they not foolish, though they be Yatis (persons of
self-controlled nature), who do not worship the Universal Mother, the
Consciousness Incarnate, the Giver of liberation, on Whose feet are
worshipped by the Devas, and worshipping Whom, one gets the fruits of all
ones desires? Certainly those Vaisnavas, Sauras (worshippers of the Sun)
and Pasupatas (worshippers of Siva) are foolish braggarts who do not
meditate Thee as the embodiment of Kamalā (prosperity), modesty, beauty,
continuancy, Fame, nourishment. O Mother! The Asuras, Hari, Hara and other
great Devas worship Thee in this world; therefore those mortals are
certainly deceived by their Creator that do not worship Thee on the surface
of this earth. O Devī! Hari himself serves the lotus feet of Laksmī by
colouring them (toes and other fingers of the feet) red with lac juice; Hara
is very anxious to serve the lotus feet and take the dust thereof of Parvatī;
Laksmī and Parvatī are but Thy part manifestations; therefore to serve them
is, in other words to serve Thee. What to speak of other persons, even those
who can discriminate between real and unreal and those who have left their
worldly homes and have become dispassionate towards worldly objects, even
those Munis worship forgiveness and mercy, that are but Thy parts; therefore
who is there in this world that does not serve Thy lotus-feet! O Devī! Those
human beings plunge into the dreadful wells of this Samsāra, the round of
birth and death, and are deprived of all pleasures, who do not serve Thy
lotus feet. What more can be said than the fact that those fallen beings
suffer terribly from poverty, humility, leprosy, headache, and the chronic
enlargement of spleen. O Mother! Those persons are void of any wealth and
wife; they are the carriers of loads of wood and collect grass and leaves
and show their skill in such acts; they are of little understanding and
never they served in their previous births Thy lotus-feet. This we have come
to know very well within our heart of hearts.
43-47. Vyāsa said :-- O King! When all the Devas thus eulogised, instantly
the Devī Ambikā, full of youth and beauty appeared there out of mercy. That
extraordinary beautiful Bhagavatī, endowed with all auspicious signs, and
adorned with the Divine clothings, ornaments, and garlands and sandal paste,
etc., appeared before the Devas. Before Whom, even the world enchanter Cupid
bows down; with such beautiful, Divine appearance, the Devī emerged from the
mountain cave in order to take Her ablutions in the Ganges. That Devī, sweet
voiced like a cuckoo, gladly smiling began to say to the Devas, singing
hymns to Her, in a voice deep like that of a rumbling cloud.
48. The Devī said :-- O Best of Suras! Whom are you praising constantly in
this place? What do you want! Why are you so anxious and seem to be so much
care-worn? Do please tell all this to Me in detail.
49. Vyāsa said :-- O King! The Devas were first enchanted by Her beauty and
softness; then, being encouraged by Her sweet words, began to speak with
great joy.
50-57. O Devī! We pray toThee, O Lord of his Universe! We bow down to Thee.
O Thou, the Ocean of mercy! Protect us from all the troubles; we are very
much care-worn and tormented by the Daityas. O Great Goddess! In ancient
times Thou didst kill Mahisāsura, the source of troubles to all and then
told us to remember Thee whenever any difficulty would arise. Then Thou
wouldst undoubtedly remove all the troubles arising from the Daityas no
sooner we remember Thee. O Devī! We have now remembered Thee for that very
reason. At present the two dreadful Asuras, Sumbha and Nisumbha have
sprang up and are creating great disturbances; and they cannot be killed by
any male beings. The powerful Raktavīja and Chanda Munda and other Asuras
united have dispossessed the Devas of their Heavens. Thou alone art our goal
and refuge; without Thee there is none other to save us. Therefore, O
Beautiful One! Thou dost do this work for the Devas who are extremely
troubled and distressed. O Powerful Devī! The Devas are always at the
services of Thy lotus feet; still the very powerful Dānavas are throwing
them into dangers; O Mother! Thou art the Preserver of the distressed;
therefore dost Thou preserve the Devas, devoted to Thee. O Mother! The
Dānavas, being very much emboldened by their powers, are creating many
havocs on the surface of the Earth; now remembering that, in the beginning
of the Yugas, Thou didst create all this Universe, Thou dost now ought to
protect all this Universe.
Here ends the Twenty-second Chapter of the Fifth Book on the eulogising of
the Devī by the Devas in Srī Mad Devī Bhāgavatam of 18,000 verses by
Maharsi Veda Vyāsa.
Chapter XXIII
On the prowess of Kausikī
1-7. Vyāsa said :-- O King! When the tormented Devas praised thus, the Devī
created from Her body another supremely beautiful form. This created form,
the Ambikā Devī, became known in all the worlds as Kausikī, as She came out
of the physical sheath of the Devī Parvatī. When Kausikī was created out of
the body of Parvatī, the Parvatīs body became transformed and turned out
into a black colour and became known as KāIikā. Her terrible black
appearance, when beheld, increases the terror even of the Daityas. O King!
This Devī is now become known in this world as Kālarātri, the night of
destruction, at the end of the world, identified with Durgā, the Fulfiller
of all the desires. The Ambikā Devī, then, began to look splendid, decked
with various ornaments; Her beautiful form began to look very lovely. The
Devī Ambikā then smiled a little and said, Better be fearless; I will slay
just now your enemies. It is My incumbent duty to carry out your purposes; I
will therefore slay in battle Nisumbha and others for the sake of your
happiness.
8-30. Thus saying, the Devī Bhagavatī, elated with pride, mounted on lion
and, taking Kālikā with Her, entered into the city of Sumbha, the enemy of
the gods. Ambikā went to a garden adjoining the city accompanied by Kālikā,
and began to sing in such a sweet melodious tune that enchants even the God
of Love, who fascinates the whole world. What more can be said than the fact
that, hearing that sweet melodious song, the birds and beasts became
enchanted; the Devas then began to feel much pleasure from the Sky. In the
meanwhile Chanda, Munda the two dreadful Asuras, and attendants of Sumbha,
came out accidentally there on their sportive excursions and saw the
beautiful Ambikā Devī singing and Kālikā Devī sitting before Her. O best of
Kings! No sooner Chanda, Munda saw the extraordinary beauty of the Goddess
Bhagavatī, than they went at once to Sumbha. On approaching towards the
lord of the Daityas sitting in his room, they bowed down and told thus in a
sweet voice :-- "O King! Here has come from the Himālayās a woman
accidentally, mounted on a lion; Her limbs are shining with all good signs
so much so that even the God of love would be enchanted by Her sight.
Nowhere, in the Devalokas, the Gandarbha Lokas or in this earth can be found
such a beautiful lady; we never saw nor heard about such a lady before. O
King! That lady is singing so beautifully and pleasingly to all that even
the deer are standing motionless by Her side enchanted, as it were, by Her
melodious voice. O King! That Lady is fit for you; therefore determine first
whose daughter is this lady, what for she has come there and then marry Her.
Know this as certain that such a beautiful lady is not to be found anywhere
in this world. Therefore do you bring Her to your house and marry Her. O
Lord of men! You have acquired all the gems and jewels of the Devas; why
not, then, accept this Gem in the form of a lady? O King! You have taken by
force the exquisitely beautiful Airāvata elephant of Indra, the Pārijāta
Tree, the seven faced horse Uchchaisravā, and many other jewels. You have
acquired by your might the Prince of Jewels, the celestial car of the
Creator Brahmā, ensigned by the emblematic Swan. You have dispossessed
Kuvera of his treasure of the value of a Padma (one thousand billion) and
Varuna, the God of oceans, of his white umbrella. O King! When Varuna was
defeated, your brother Nisumbha took perforce his Pāsa weapon. O King! The
Great Ocean gave you, out of terror, various jewels and honoured you by
presenting a garland of lotuses which never fade away. What more can be said
than the fact that you have conquered the Death and took away His force and
that you have easily conquered Yama, the God of Death and have taken from
Him His horrible staff. O King! You have brought that Heavenly cow which
came out when the ocean was churned; that cow is still with you; what more
to say than that Menakā and other Apsarās are under your control. Thus you
have got by your strength all the jewels. Why, then, are you not taking this
exquisitely beautiful lady, the Prince of Jewels, amongst women. O King! All
the jewels in your house, will serve their real purpose, no doubt, then and
then only when they will shine with this queen of jewels, this Lady. O Lord
of the Daityas! There cannot be seen in all the Trilokas such a Beautiful
Lady as this that I have now described before you. Therefore bring this
Beautiful Lady quickly and accept Her as your wife.
31-35. Vyāsa said :-- O King! Hearing thus the sweet words of Chanda and
Munda, Sumbha spoke gladly to Sugrīva who was close by :-- Go, Sugrīva, do
my messengers work; you are well skilled in these things. Speak so that the
Beautiful Lady of thin waist may come over to me. Those who are well versed
in the science of amorous love declare that only two methods are to be
adopted by the clever persons towards the female sex :-- (1) conciliation
and gentle words and (2) gifts and presents. For if the policy of division
or sowing dissensions be applied, then hypocrisy is shewn and that means the
improper manifestation of love sentiment; whereas if chastisement be applied
then the love sentiment becomes interrupted. Therefore, the wise have
condemned these as corrupt means. O Messenger! Where is that woman who does
not come round excited with passion when good and sweet words are spoken to
her in accordance with the Sama and Dāna methods?
36-37. Vyāsa said :-- Sugrīva, hearing the nice skilled words of Sumbha
went hurriedly to the spot where existed the Mother of the Universe. He saw
the Fair Lady mounted on a lion, saluted Her and spoke gently and sweetly as
follows :--
38-49. The messenger said :-- O Beautiful One! Sumbha, the enemy of the
Gods and the King of all, is beautiful in all respects, the ruler of the
three Lokas, a great hero and conqueror of all. Hearing your beauty and
loveliness, that high-souled monarch is so much attached to you and has
become so very passionate that he has sent me to you to express his views. O
One of delicate limbs! Please hear what that Lord of the Daityas has spoken
to Thee, after duly saluting Thee, words full of love and affection towards
Thee :-- O Beloved! I have defeated all the Devas and have thus become the
Lord of the three worlds; specially I partake of all the offerings made in
sacrificial acts and ceremonies, without moving away from my house. I have
taken away all the gems, jewels and wealth that belonged to the Devas;
consequently the abode of the Gods has become now worthless, on account of
all its jewels being carried sway. O Fair One! I am now enjoying all the
jewels that exist in the Trilokas; so much so that all the Devas, Asuras,
and human beings are passing away their times, subservient to Me. But no
sooner Thy qualifications reached my ears Thou hast penetrated into my heart
and has made me completely subservient to Thee; O Fair One! What am I to do
now? Whatever Thou commandest, I am ready to do that; verily I am now Thy
servant; so Thou oughtest to save me from the darts of passion. O One having
swan-like eyes! I am verily made your captive. Specially I am extremely
agitated by the arrows of Cupid; therefore dost Thou serve me when Thou wilt
be made the Lord of the three worlds and thus enjoy the incomparably
excellent things. O Beloved! I will remain ever Thy obedient servant up to
the last moment of death. O Excellent One! I cannot ever be killed by the
Devas, Asuras and human beings. O Fair faced One! Thou wilt be always
prosperous and fortunate. Thou wilt be able to sport anywhere Thou likest. O
Devī! Please ponder over the above words of the Lord of the Daityas in Thy
heart and speak out Thy views gladly and with the same sweetness in reply; O
Brisk One! I will go immediately to Sumbha and inform him about Thy mind.
50. Vyāsa said :-- O King! The Devī, ready to serve the cause of the Gods,
heard the messengers gentle words and replied smiling and sweetly.
51-66. Srī Devī spoke :-- I know fully well Sumbha and Nisumbha; the King
Sumbha is very powerful, the conqueror of all the Devas, and the destroyer
of enemies. He is the repository of all good qualities, the enjoyer of all
pleasures, very valorous, charitable and is beautiful, in fact a second
Cupid. He is adorned with thirty-two auspicious signs; particularly he is a
hero and cannot be killed by the Devas or human beings. O Messenger! Knowing
this I have come here to have a look of that great warrior Sumbha. The
jewel comes in contact with gold to increase its lustre; so I have come here
from afar to see my husband. On seeing all the Devas, Gandharbhas, Rāksasas
and the eminent beautiful persons on the earth I have come to know that they
are all terror stricken and almost unconscious and shudder at the name of
Sumbha. So, on hearing about his abilities, I have now come here to see
him. O Messenger! O Fortunate One! Better now go back to the great hero
Sumbha and speak to him in private the following sweet words of Mine :--
That you are foremost amongst the powerful; beautiful of the beautifuls,
skilled in all the branches of learning, well qualified, charitable, clever,
born of a high noble family, energetic, and conqueror of the Devas;
especially, by the sheer force of your arms, you are so much exalted and you
now enjoy all the gems and jewels. Therefore, O King! Knowing your
qualifications, I have come truly of my own accord to your city with the
desire of getting for Me a husband. O High-souled One! I am fit for your
consort. O Lord of the Daityas! There is a slight hitch in My marriage. It
is this: In my early days while I was playing with My comrades, I promised
before them privately partly out of childishness and partly out of vanity
for bodily strength that I will certainly marry that hero who is powerful
like Me and who will defeat Me in battle, thus testing his powers and
weaknesses. My comrades laughed at my words and spoke with wonder, Why has
this girl made such an extraordinarily difficult promise? Therefore, O
Monarch! Better marry Me and fulfil My desires after knowing My strength and
defeating Me in a battle. O Beautiful One in all respects! Better come
yourself or your younger Nisumbha and perform the marriage ceremony after
defeating Me in the battlefield.
Here ends the Twenty-third Chapter in the Fifth Book on the prowess of
Kausikī in Srī Mad Devī Bhāgavatam, the Mahāpurānam of 18,000 verses by
Maharsi Veda Vyāsa.
Chapter XXIV
On the description and Dhūmralochana giving the news
1-12. Vyāsa said :-- O King! The messenger was thunderstruck with Devīs
words and said :-- O Beautiful Lady! What art Thou speaking? It seems that
Thou dost not think on this matter, owing to Thy feminine nature. O Devī!
Thou art boasting in vain; how canst Thou expect to conquer Sumbha in a
battle when he has conquered Indra and other Devas and many other Dānavas?
Lotus-eyed One! There is no hero in the three worlds that can conquer
Sumbha in battle; Thou seemest to be a mere trifle before that King of
Demons in a face-to-face fight. O Fair One! Nowhere ought to be said any
words without being thought over; one must weigh ones own and others might
and then speak accordingly. The King Sumbha, the Lord of the three worlds,
enchanted by Thy fascinating beauty, is desirous of Thee; therefore dost
Thou fulfill his desires and become his beloved wife. Thou better now
abandonest Thy illiterate nature and worhippest Sumbha or Nisumbha; I am
speaking for Thy good; so keep my words. The amorous love sentiment is the
best of nine prevailing sentiments. Therefore every intelligent being ought
to cherish with gladness this amorous feeling. And if Thou, O Weak girl!
dost not go to Sumbha, then that Lord of the Earth will become very angry
and will order his servants to take Thee perforce before him. O Fair One!
Those proud Demons will carry Thee by holding Thy hair before Sumbha; there
is no doubt in this. O thin bodied One! Better forego Thy boldness in every
way and keep Thy self-respect. Thou art the object of respect and admiration
and so should go before him. What difference is there between the fight
which makes ones body liable to cuts and wounds by sharp arrows and
pleasures that arise out of sexual intercourse! These are like the two
opposite poles; therefore judge what is useless and what is useful and keep
my good advice. Thou shalt be exceedingly happy if Thou servest Sumbha or
Nisumbha.
13-19. The Devī spoke :-- O Messenger! You are fortunate; you are well
trained to speak out truth; I know full well that Sumbha and Nisumbha are
strong. Still out of My childish nature, the promise that I made before I
cannot undo it. Therefore speak to the powerful Sumbha or Nisumbha that
none can be my husband simply from his beauty without defeating Me in battle
no one can marry Me. So conquer Me soon and marry Me as you like. Though of
a weaker sex, I have come here to fight; know this as certain. Therefore if
you be capable, fight and do the duty of a warrior. And if you be terrified
by seeing my trident or if you want your life, quit the Heavens and this
earth and go down to Pātāla without any delay. O Messenger! Go just now to
your master and tell him sweetly these words. Then that powerful Lord of the
Dānavas will judge what ought to be done. O Knower of Dharma! To speak out
truth before an enemy, before ones own master is certainly the duty of a
messenger in this world; therefore go quickly and tell him what are verily
true.
20-21. Vyāsa said :-- O King! The messenger was quite surprised to hear the
bold words, though full of reason and morals, of the Devī, puffed up by the
vanity of Her strength and departed. Coming to the Lord of the Daityas, the
messenger bowed down before his feet and told him sweet words, full of
morals, in a very humble way after pondering over and over again what he
would say.
22-29. The messenger said :-- O King! Words, true and the same time sweet,
ought to be spoken before ones master; but these are very rare in this
world. On the other hand, if unpleasant words be spoken, the King gets very
angry. So I am very anxious now. O King! Whether that lady is weak or
strong, whence has She come, whose wife is She, I have not been able to
ascertain all these. How then can I say about Her conduct? But, on seeing
that harsh speaking woman, I have come to understand this much that She is
exceedingly haughty and has come to fight. O King! You are very intelligent;
therefore judge what ought to be done after hearing only what that lady has
told me to speak to you. That Lady said :-- In days of childhood, while I
was playing, out of my childish nature, I promised before my comrades that I
would marry that valiant warrior who would defeat me thoroughly in a battle
and thus curb My pride. O best of kings! You are religious; so you ought to
make My word turn out false. Bring Me under your control by defeating Me in
a battle. O King! Hearing these words I have returned; now do whatever you
like. That Lady is determined to fight and is waiting there, firmly mounted
on a lion, and with various weapons in Her hands. Now judge and do what is
best.
30. Vyāsa said :-- O King! Hearing thus the words of Sugrīva, the king
S'umbha asked his hero brother Nisumbha who was close by.
31-32. O Brother! You are intelligent; speak out truly what ought to be done
now? The lovely woman is challenging us to fight. Shall I go to fight or you
would go with forces? I will do whatever you say.
33-34. Nisumbha said :-- O King! It is not proper that you or I would go to
the battlefield. Better send Dhūmralochana to the field quickly. Let that
hero go there and defeat that beautiful Lady and bring Her here. You can
then marry Her.
35. Vyāsa said :-- Hearing thus his younger brothers words, Sumbha filled
with anger, instantly sent Dhūmralochana who was close by to battle.
36-40. Sumbha said :-- O Dhūmralochana! Take a vast army and go at once to
the battlefield and bring that stupid Lady, vainly boasting of Her strength.
If any Deva, Dānava or any other powerful human being take Her side, kill
him instantly. Slay Her companion the Goddess Kālī and bring Her too. Do all
these responsible duties and return quickly. That Chaste Lady is to be
protected by all means. The body of that thin Lady is very delicate; so
shoot arrows at Her very carefully and see that they are not sharp. But kill
those that will help Her with weapons in their hands. Try your best to
protect Her, never to kill Her.
41-60. Vyāsa said :-- O King! No sooner ordered thus by the king,
Dhūmralochana bowed down to the king, and, accompanied by sixty thousand
Dānava forces, quickly went to the battlefield and saw there that the Lady
was sitting in a beautiful garden. Seeing that deer-eyed Lady, Dhūmralochana
began to address Her with great humility and in sweet words full of reason
and goodness. O Devī! O highly Fortunate One! Hear! Sumbha is very much
distressed owing to Thy absence. Lest there be any break in the love
sentiments, that King, a wise statesman, sent a messenger with instructions
to speak Thee in sweet and suitable terms; but, O fair One! That messenger,
on arriving before the King had told all the contrary words. O Knower of
love sentiments! Hearing thus the messengers words, my lord Sumbha, sick
with love, has become immersed in cares and anxieties. That messenger had
not been able to realise the true meaning of Thy words. O honourable Lady!
The sentence uttered by Thee, He who will conquer me in battle is full of
deep meanings; he was stupid; hence he could not realise the meaning of the
word battle intended by Thee. O Beautiful One! Battle means two
different things according to persons for whom it is intended; it is of two
kinds :-- One out of excitement and another out of sexual intercourse. With
Thee, the sexual intercourse is intended; and with any other enemy,
excitement in a real fight is meant. Out of these, the fight of sexual
intercourse is full of sweetness and the fight with enemies is painful. O
Beautiful One! I know Thy intentions fully. In Thy heart reigns that fight
of sexual intercourse. Knowing me as expert in these affairs, the king
Sumbha has sent me today to Thee with a vast army. O highly Fortunate Lady!
Thou art clever and shrewd; hear my gentle words; serve Sumbha, the lord of
the three worlds, the destroyer of the Devas pride. Thou wilt be the
dearest queen-consort and enjoy the best pleasures. The powerful Sumbha
knows the real meaning of the fight of sexual intercourse; so he will easily
conquer Thee. When Thou wilt shew various amorous gestures, he will also
show his feelings. And the Kālikā Devī, your companion will remain with Thee
as a helping mate in your vital pleasures. The lord of the Daityas, expert
in the science of love, will certainly conquer Thee engaged in amorous fight
and will lay Thee stretched on a soft bedding and will make Thee tired; he
will make Thy body covered with blood by striking with nails and he will
bite Thy lips to pieces; then Thou wilt perspire profusely and wilt cease
fighting. Thus Thy mental desire for fight - sexual intercourse - will be
satisfied. O Beloved! At Thy mere sight Sumbha will be completely subject
to Thee. Therefore dost Thou keep my sweet and beneficial words. Thou art an
honourable Lady; and Thou wilt be highly honoured by all if Thou marryest
Sumbha. Those are certainly very unfortunate who like fighting with
weapons. O Beloved! The sexual intercourse is always favourite to Thee;
therefore it is not worthy of Thee to fight with weapons. Therefore dost
Thou make the king free of sorrows by pouring on him Thy mouth nectar and by
making his heart bud forth by Thy kicking, as Bakula and Kurubaka trees
blossom forth when drenched with mouth nectar and Asoka tree gets blossomed
by the kicking of women.
Here ends the Twenty-fourth Chapter of the Fifth Book on the description and
Dhūmralochana giving the news in Srī Mad Devī Bhāgavatam, the Mahā Purānam
of 18,000 verses by Maharsi Veda Vyāsa.
ChapterXXV
On the killing of Dhūmralochana
1-7. Vyāsa said :-- O Janamejaya! When Dhūmralochana ceased speaking, the
Devī Kālikā made a wild laughter and began to speak sweetly thus :-- O
Stupid! Skilled in flattery, you know only how to use jugglery of words like
an actor; do you think that your ends will be served if you speak only sweet
words; this can never be. O Stupid! Fight now; there is no need of useless
words. You are strong and have been sent by that wicked Demon with a great
army. This Devī, out of wrath, will kill you, Sumbha, and Nisumbha and
other commanders by Her arrows and will then return to Her abode. Where is
that stupid Sumbha? And where is this Devī, the Great Enchantress of the
Universe!
Their marriage in this world is entirely out of question and can never take
place. O Stupid! What do you think that a lioness becoming very passionate,
would make an ordinary jackal her husband? or would a she-elephant prefer an
ass? or would a heavenly Cow like a bison? Go to Sumbha and Nisumbha and
tell truly to them :-- Fight or go instantly to Pātāla.
8-10. Vyāsa said :-- O Fortunate One! The Demon Dhūmralochana, hearing thus
the Kālikās words, became very angry and spoke with reddened eyes :-- O
Ugly One! I will slay Thee and this lion infatuated with pride in battle and
take this Fair One to the king. O Kālī! I have not been able to do this,
simply it would break our amorous love sentiments. O Quarrelsome One!
Otherwise I would have undoubtedly slain Thee just now with my sharpened
arrows tipped with irons.
11. Hearing thus, Kālikā said :-- O Fool! Why do you boast vainly? this is
not the religion of a hero with bows and arrows in their hands. Shoot your
arrows with all your might; I will send you to the realm of Death.
12-31. Vyāsa said :-- O King! Hearing the Devīs words, Dhūmralochana caught
hold of his very strong bow and began to shoot arrows after arrows at Kālikā.
Indra and the other Devas came out to see the fight on their best cars in
the celestial space and shouted Victory to the Devī and thus eulogised
Her. Then a deadly fight ensued between them with arrows, axes, clubs,
Saktis, and Musalas and various other weapons. Kālikā cut off at the very
outset all the asses that carried the chariot by Her arrows and next broke
his chariot and began to laugh repeatedly. O Bhārata! Then Dhūmralochana
becoming angry mounted on another chariot and began to shoot deadly arrows
at Kālikā. Kālikā Devī, too, out off those arrows into pieces before they
reached Her and shot arrows after arrows on the Dānava in quick succession.
Thousands of his soldiers near to him were killed; the asses and the
charioteer were killed and the chariot was broken. She cut off his arrows by
Her swift serpent-like arrows and blew Her conchshell. The Devas seeing this
became very glad. Dhūmralochana, seeing himself displaced from his chariot,
took up with anger his very strong Parigha weapon and came near to the
chariot of the Devī. Then the Dānava, terrific like death, began to abuse
the Devī and said :-- O Ugly tawny-eyed Kālī! I will kill Thee just now.
Thus saying, he suddenly went near to Her and when he was about to throw his
Parigha weapon on Her, the Ambikā Devī burnt him to ashes simply by Her loud
shout (of defiance). Seeing Dhūmralochana burnt to ashes, his soldiers
became panic-stricken, and fled away immediately, crying aloud O Father! O
Father! The Devas saw this and and gladly showered from high heaps of
flowers on the Devī. O King! The battle ground then assumed a dreadful
appearance; at some places the slain Dānavas; at others, the horses; at
other places elephants and at some other places the asses lay scattered on
the field. The herons, crows, vultures, the Pisāchas of the class
Batabaraphas and jackals and other carnivorous animals, began to dance
wildly and clamour hideously at the sight of the dead bodies, lying on the
field. The Ambikā Devī then quitting the field, went to a distant place and
blew Her conchshell so furiously and terribly that Sumbha heard that
terrific noise, while he was sitting in his own residence. At the next
moment, he saw that the Dānava forces had retreated, and they were coming
there crying. Some of them were besmeared with blood all over the bodies;
some had got their feet, some their arms, cut asunder, some were devoid of
eyes, some had got their backs broken; some had their waists broken; some
got their necks broken and some were going on bedsteads. Seeing them thus,
Sumbha and Nisumbha asked them :-- Where is Dhūmralochana? Why have you
all retreated? And why have you not brought that Lady? Where are the other
forces? Who has blown this horrible conch-shell? O Fools! Inform me quickly
and truly all these things.
32-33. The soldiers said :-- O King! Dhūmralochana has been slain by Kālikā;
She has destroyed all the soldiers and has done extraordinary deeds. O
King! Know the blowing of the conchshell that has caused terror in the
hearts of the Dānavas and has enhanced the joy of the Devas and is being
resounded in the celestial space, is that done by the Ambikā Devī. (Note: In
the Mārkandeya Purāna, Ambikā killed Dhūmra.)
34-45. O Lord! When the Devī broke the chariot of Dhūmralochana by the
multitude of Her arrows and killed the horses and at last slew Dhūmralochana
himself, when all the forces were slain by Her who appeared like a lion and
when the rest of the army retreated, the Devas seeing all these were very
much gladdened and showered flowers from the celestial sky. O King! We have
come to a perfect conclusion that we will not get the victory; now consult
with your expert ministers and do what is needful. O King! The Supreme
Goddess of the Universe is waiting there alone to fight with you without any
help of any other forces; this is a great wonder to us. O King! Intoxicated
with Her power, that Girl, fearless, is reigning there taking Her stand on
the lion. All these seem wonderful to us. O King! Consult with your
councillors and out of the four policies peace, fight, retreat or remaining
neutral, accept what is best. O Tormentor of the foes! True! There are no
forces with the Devī, but the whole host of the Devas will take up Her cause
in crisis, there is no doubt. In due time, Hari and Hara both will come and
assist Her; now the guardians of the several quarters, the Lokapālas are
waiting by Her side in the celestial space. O Tormentor of the Gods! Know
that the Gandarbhas, Kinnaras, and human beings all will come timely and
help Her. O King! We guess all these. But that Lady does not want the
assistance of anyone nor does She expect that any other body would do the
work for Her. You must know this certainly, that She alone can destroy this
whole Universe. What to speak of the Dānavas only! O Highly Fortunate One!
Knowing all these, do as you like. It is the duty of the servants to speak
beneficial and at the same time true words with moderation.
46-51. Vyāsa said :-- O King! Sumbha, the tormentor of others, hearing
their words asked his younger brother in private :-- O Brother! This Kālikā
has slain today Dhūmralochana with his forces; the few retreated and came
over to me. Now the Ambikā Devī, puffed up with pride is blowing Her
conchshell. Brother! The ways of Time are knowable even to the wise. The
grass becomes a thunderbolt and the thunderbolt becomes like a grass and
powerless. Know thus the course of Destiny. O Fortunate One! Now I ask you,
what are we to do now? Are we to entertain yet the desire of enjoying Ambikā,
or are we to fly away from here or are we to fight on? Say quickly. Though
younger, in times of difficulty, I consider you as my elder.
52-54. Hearing thus the Sumbhas words, Nisumbha said :-- O Sinless One!
Flight or taking refuge in a fort is not reasonable. To fight with this Lady
is the best course. I will take the best generals and soldiers with me and
will slay that Lady and quickly return. And if Fate be strong and prove it
otherwise, then, after my death, think out again and again and do what is
best.
55-60. Hearing thus the younger brothers words, Sumbha said, You better
wait; let Chanda and Munda go to the battle, surrounded with forces. To kill
a hare it is not necessary to send an elephant. This is a very trifling
matter; the two great warriors Chanda and Munda will be freely able to slay
Her. Thus saying his younger brother, the King Sumbha addressed Chanda
Munda, who were waiting before him, thus :-- O Chanda! O Munda! Take your
forces and go quickly to kill that shameless Lady, puffed up with pride. O
Pair of Warriors! Kill that tawny-eyed Kālikā in the battle and bring that
Ambikā Devī here quickly. Do this Great Service. And if that haughty Ambikā
be unwilling to come here, though taken as a captive, then kill that Durgā,
the ornament of the battle, too, by sharp arrows.
Here ends the Twenty-fifth Chapter of the Fifth Book on the killing of
Dhūmralochana in Srī Mad Devī Bhāgavatam, the Mahā Purānam, of 18,000
verses by Maharsi Veda Vyāsa.
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