Durga Saptashati

Durga Saptashati
Durga Saptashati
The Devisukta of the Rig Veda

Explanations based upon the writings of
Shree Devadatta Kali
Devisukta is a hymn of eight verses found in the most ancient

Hindu sacred text, the Rig Veda (in the 10th mandala).
The Devisukta (RV 10.125) declares that the Goddess is the power expressed through all the
gods, that they are united in her who shines with consciousness, that her presence is all-
pervading, that she supports all of creation, that she is the source of righteousness and the
revealer of truth, that she is the source of all worlds, yet that she shines transcendent
beyond them. Among Shaktas this Vedic hymn is held in high esteem and is considered to be
the source from which the entire Chandi sprang. Later, the Chandi itself was elaborated
upon in the Puranas and Tantras.
The Chandi goes by two other names. The most common and widely recognized is
Devimahatmya [The Glory of the Goddess]. The other is Sri Durga Saptashati [Seven Hundred
Verses to Sri Durga].
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Durga Saptashati Katha

Explanations from other sources
Abridged and paraphrased in a few places
This Katha can be divided into three sections:
1. The demons Madhu and Kaitabha destroyed by Lord Vishnu

2. Demon Mahishasur destroyed by Mahamaya (Mother Durga– the united light or combined
power of the gods.)
3. The destructions of demons Shumbha and Nishumbha.
The demons Madhu and Kaitabha destroyed by Lord Vishnu
Section one
Chapter 1 The Slaying of Madhu and Kaitabha
Markandeya said (to his disciple Krasustuki Bhaguri):
www.thakurbhimsingh.com 1
Durga Saptashati
There was a king by the name of Suratha who ruled the kingdom of Kola. He was a good king
who protected his people and treated them as his sons. Some ministers of Kola plotted
against king Suratha and deposed him. Deprived of his kingdom, king Suratha rode alone on
horseback into a dense forest. There he came to the hermitage of sage Medhas, where the
sage's disciples enhanced the atmosphere of the place and the wild animals looked mild as if
influenced by the tranquil vibrations that emanated from the hermitage.
The sage received king Suratha with due hospitality. While on a walkabout near the
hermitage, king Suratha reflected in his own mind. Overcome with attachment, he thought:
'I do not know whether the capital (which was) well-guarded by my ancestors and recently
deserted by me is being guarded righteously or not by my servants of evil conduct. I do not
know what enjoyments (care) my chief elephant, heroic and always elated, and now fallen
into the hands of my foes, will get. Those who were my constant followers and received
favour, riches and food from me, now certainly pay homage to other kings. The treasures
which I gathered with great care will be squandered by those constant spendthrifts, who are
addicted to improper expenditures.'
The king was continually thinking of these and other things.
Near the hermitage of the sage the king saw a merchant, and asked him:
‘Who are you? What is the reason for your coming here? Wherefore do you appear as if
afflicted with grief and depressed in mind?'
Hearing this speech of the king, uttered in a friendly spirit, the merchant bowed respectfully
and replied to the king.
The merchant said: 'I am a merchant named Samadhi, born in a wealthy family. I have been
cast out by my sons and wife, who are wicked through greed of wealth. My wife and sons
have misappropriated my riches and made me devoid of wealth. Cast out by my trusted
kinsmen, I have come to the forest grief-stricken. Dwelling here, I do not know anything
about the welfare of my sons, kinsmen and wife. How are they? Are my sons living good or
evil lives?'
The king said: 'Why is your mind affectionately attached to those covetous folks, your sons,
wife and others, who have deprived you of your wealth?'
The merchant said: 'This very thought has occurred to me, just as you have uttered it. What
can I do? My mind does not leave attachment; it bears deep affection to those very persons
who have driven me out in their greed for wealth, abandoning love for a father and
attachment to one's master and kinsmen. I do not comprehend although, I know it. O noble
hearted king, how is it that the mind is prone to love even towards worthless kinsmen? On
Durga Saptashati
account of them I heave heavy sighs and feel dejected. What can I do since my mind does
not become hard towards those unloving ones?’
Markandeya said: Then the merchant Samadhi and the noble king Suratha together
approached the sage (Medhas); and after observing the etiquette worthy of him and as was
proper, they sat down and conversed (with him).
The king said: 'Sir, I wish to ask you one thing. Be pleased to reply to it. Without the control
of my intellect, my mind is afflicted with sorrow. Though I have lost the kingdom, like an
ignorant man- though I know it- I have an attachment to all the paraphernalia of my
kingdom. How is this, O best of sages? And this merchant has been disowned by his children,
wife and servants, and forsaken by his own people; still he is inordinately affectionate
towards them. Thus, both he and I, drawn by attachment towards objects whose defects we
do know, are exceedingly unhappy. How does this happen, then, sir, that though we are
aware of it, this delusion persists? This delusion besets me as well as him, blinded as we are
in respect of discrimination?'
The Rishi said: ‘Sir, every being has the knowledge of objects perceivable by the senses. And
object of sense reaches it in various ways. Some beings are blind by day, and others are blind
by night; some beings have equal sight both by day and night. Human beings are certainly
endowed with knowledge, but they are not the only beings (to be so endowed), for cattle,
birds, animals and other creatures also cognise (objects of senses).
The knowledge that men have, birds and beasts too have; and what they have men also
possess; and the rest (like eating and sleeping) is common to both of them. Look at these
birds, which though they possess knowledge, and are themselves distressed by hunger are
yet, because of the delusion, engaged in feeding grains into the beaks of their young ones.
See with what devotion they put the food grains into the beaks of their young ones? Men, O
king, are full of desires. Human beings are, O tiger among men, attached to their children
because of greed, expecting rewards in return.
Do you not see this? Even so men are hurled into the whirlpool of attachment, the pit of
delusion, through the power of Mahamaya (the Great deusion), who makes the existence of
the world possible. Marvel not at this. This Mahamaya is the Yoganidra, of Vishnu, the Lord
of the world. It is by her the world is deluded. Verily she, the Bhagavati, the Mahamaya
forcibly drawing the minds of even the wise, entangles them into delusion. She creates this
entire universe, both moving and unmoving. It is she who, when propitious, becomes a
boon-giver to human beings for their final liberation. She is the supreme knowledge, the
cause of final liberation, and eternal; she is the cause of the bondage of transmigration and
the sovereign over all lords.’
The king said: 'Venerable sir, who is that Devi whom you call Mahamaya? How did she come
into being, and what is her sphere of action, O sage? What constitutes her nature? What is
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her form? Wherefrom did she originate? All that I wish to hear from you, O you supreme
among the knowers of Brahman.'
The Rishi said:
She is eternal, embodied as the universe. By her all this is pervaded. Nevertheless, she
incarnates in manifold ways; hear it from me. When she manifests herself in order to
accomplish the purposes of the devas, she is said to be born in the world, though she is
eternal. At the end of a kalpa when the universe was one ocean (with the waters of the
deluge) and the adorable Lord Vishnu stretched out on Sesa and took the mystic slumber,
the terrible asuras (demons) the well-known Madhu and Kaitabha, sprung into being from
the dirt of Vishnu's ears, and sought to slay Brahma.
Brahma, the father of beings, was sitting in the lotus (that came out) from Vishnu's navel.
Seeing these two fierce asuras and Janardhana (Vishnu) asleep, and with a view to
awakening Hari (Vishnu), Brahma with concentrated mind extolled Yoganidra, dwelling in
Hari's eyes (appeared as Sleep in the eyes of Vishnu). The resplendent Lord Brahma extolled
the incomparable Goddess of Vishnu, Yoganidra, the queen of cosmos, the supporter of the
worlds, the cause of the sustenance and dissolution alike (of the universe).
Brahma said: ‘O great Mother! 'You are Svaha (the energy of Devas). You are Svadha (the
energy of Pitris). You are verily the Vasat (the emblem of sacrifice). You are the embodiment
of Svara (Vedic accent). You are Sudha (the nectar). O eternal and imperishable One, you are
the embodiment of the threefold mantra. You are Savitri and the supreme Mother of the
devas. You are the goddess of good fortune, the ruler, modesty, intelligence characterized by
knowledge, bashfulness, nourishment, contentment, tranquillity and forbearance. Armed
with sword, spear, club, discus, conch, bow, arrows, slings and iron mace, you are terrible
(and at the same time) you are pleasing, yea more pleasing than all the pleasing things and
exceedingly beautiful. You are indeed the supreme Isvari, beyond the high and low. O Devi,
bewitch these two unassailable asuras Madhu and Kaitabha with your superior powers. Let
Vishnu, the Master of the world, be quickly awakened from sleep and rouse up his nature to
slay these two great asuras.'
The Rishi said: There, the Devi of delusion extolled thus by Brahma, the creator, in order to
awaken Vishnu for the destruction of Madhu and Kaitabha, drew herself out from every part
of Vishnu’s body, and appeared before Brahma. Janardana (Vishnu), Lord of the universe,
rose up from His couch on the universal ocean, and saw those two evil (asuras), Madhu and
Kaitabha, of exceeding heroism and power, with eyes red in anger, endeavouring to devour
Brahma. Thereupon the all-pervading Lord Vishnu got up and fought with the asuras for five
thousand years, using his own arms as weapons. And they, frenzied with their exceeding
power, and deluded by Mahamaya, exclaimed to Vishnu, ' Ask a boon from us.'
Lord Vishnu said: 'If you are satisfied with me, you must both be slain by me now. What
need is there of any other boon here? My choice is this much indeed.'
Durga Saptashati
The Rishi said: Those two (asuras), thus bewitched (by Mahamaya), gazing then at the entire
world turned into water, told Lord Vishnu the lotus eyed One, 'Slay us at the spot where the
earth is not flooded with water.' The Rishi said: Saying 'Be it so', Lord Vishnu, the great
wielder of conch, discus and mace, took them on His loins and there severed their heads
with His discus. Thus she (Mahamaya) herself appeared when praised by Brahma. Now listen
again the glory of this Devi that I will tell you. Here ends the first chapter called 'The slaying
of Madhu and Kaitabha' of Devi Mahatmya Sri Durga Saptashati in Markandeya Purana,
during the period of Savarni, the Manu.
Section Two
Demon Mahishasur destroyed by Mahamaya
(Mother Durga– the united light or combined power of the gods.)
Chapter 2
Slaughter of the Armies of Mahishasura
Of yore when Mahishasura was the lord of asuras and Indra the lord of devas, there was a
war between the devas and asuras for a full hundred years. In that the army of the devas
was vanquished by the valorous asuras. After conquering all the devas, Mahisasura became
the lord of heaven (Indra).
Then the vanquished devas headed by Brahma, the lord of beings, went to the place where
Siva and Vishnu were. The devas described to them in detail, as it had happened, the story of
their defeat wrought by Mahishasura.
‘He (Mahishasura) himself has assumed the jurisdictions of Surya, Indra, Agni, Vayu,
Chandra, Yama and Varuna and other (devas). Thrown out from heaven by that evil-natured
Mahisha, the hosts of devas wander on the earth like mortals. All that has been done by the
enemy of the devas, has been related to you both, and we have sought shelter under you
both. May both of you be pleased to think out the means of his destruction.'
Having thus heard the words of the devas, Vishnu was angry and also Siva, and their faces
became fierce with frowns. There issued forth a great light from the face of Vishnu who was
full of intense anger, and from that of Brahma and Siva too. From the bodies of Indra and
other devas also sprang forth a very great light. And (all) this light united together. The devas
saw there a concentration of light like a mountain blazing excessively, pervading all the
quarters with its flames. Then that unique light, produced from the bodies of all the devas,
pervading the three worlds with its lustre, combined into one and became a female form;
the manifestation of the lights of other devas too (contributed to the being of the)
auspicious Devi. Then looking at her, who had come into being from the assembled lights of
all the devas, the immortals who were oppressed by Mahishasura experienced joy.
Durga Saptashati
The bearer of Pinaka (Siva) drawing forth a trident from his own trident presented it to her;
and Vishnu bringing forth a discus out of his own discus gave her. Varuna gave her a conch,
Agni a spear; and Maruta gave a bow as well as two quivers full of arrows.
Indra, lord of devas, bringing forth a thunderbolt out of (his own) thunderbolt and a bell
from that of his elephant Airavata, gave her. Yama gave a staff from his own staff of Death
and Varuna, the lord of waters, a noose; and Brahma, the lord of beings, gave a string of
beads and a water-pot.
The earth quaked and all the mountains rocked. 'Victory to you,' exclaimed the devas in joy
to her, the lion-rider. The sages, who bowed their bodies in devotion, extolled her. Seeing
the three worlds agitated the foes of devas, mobilized all their armies and rose up together
with uplifted weapons. Mahishasura, exclaiming in wrath, 'Ha! What is this?' rushed towards
that roar, surrounded by innumerable asuras. Then he saw the Devi pervading the three
worlds with her lustre. Making the earth bend with her footstep, scraping the sky with her
diadem, shaking the nether worlds with the twang of the bowstring, and standing there
pervading all the quarters around with her thousand arms. Then began a battle between
that Devi and the enemies of the devas, in which the quarters of the sky were illumined by
the weapons and arms hurled diversely. The profuse blood from the asuras, elephants and
horses flowed immediately like large rivers amidst that army of the asuras. As fire consumes
a huge heap of straw and wood, so did Ambika destroy that vast army of asuras in no time.
Here ends the second chapter called 'Slaughter of the armies of Mahisasura' of Devi-
Mahatmya in Markandeya-Purana, during the period of Savarni, the Manu.
Chapter 3
The Slaying of Mahishasura
Seeing the great asura swollen with rage and advancing towards her, Chandika displayed her
wrath in order to slay him.
She flung her noose over him and bound the great asura. Thus, bound in the great battle, he
quitted his buffalo form. Then suddenly he became a lion. While Ambika cut off the head (of
his lion form), he took the appearance of a man with sword in hand. Immediately then the
Devi with her arrows chopped off the man together with his sword and shield. Then he
became a big elephant. (The elephant) tugged at her great lion with his trunk and roared
loudly, but as he was dragging, the Devi cut off his trunk with her sword. The great asura
then resumed his buffalo shape and shook the three worlds with their movable and
immovable objects.
And she with showers of arrows pulverized (those mountains) hurled at her, and spoke to
him in flurried words, the colour of her face accentuated with the intoxication of the divine
drink. The Devi said: 'Roar, roar, O fool, for a moment while I drink this wine. When you will
be slain by me, the devas will soon roar in this very place.'
Durga Saptashati
The Rishi said: Having exclaimed thus, she jumped and landed herself on that great asura,
pressed him on the neck with her foot and struck him with her spear and thereupon, caught
him under her foot. Mahishasura half issued forth (in his real form) from his own (buffalo)
mouth, being completely overcome by the valour of the Devi. Fighting thus with his half-
revealed form, the great asura was overpowered by the Devi who struck off his head with
her great sword. Then, crying in consternation, the whole asura army perished; and all the
hosts of deva were in exultation. With the great sages of heaven, the devas praised the Devi.
The Gandharva chiefs sang and the bevies of apsaras danced.
Here ends the third chapter called 'The Slaying of Mahishasura' of Devi-Mahatmya in
Markandeya Purana during the period of Savarni, the Manu.
Chapter 4
The Devi Stuti
The Rishi said: When that most valiant but evil-natured Mahishasura and the army of that
foe of the devas were destroyed by the Devi, Indra and the hosts of devas uttered their
words of praise, their necks and shoulders reverently bent, and bodies rendered beautiful
with horripilation and exultation.
‘To that Ambika who is worthy of worship by all devas and sages and pervades this world by
her power and who is the embodiment of the entire powers of all the hosts of devas, we
bow in devotion. May she grant us auspicious things!
'May Chandika, whose incomparable greatness and power Bhagavan Vishnu, Brahma and
Hara are unable to describe, bestow her mind on protecting the entire world and on
destroying the fear of evil.
'O Devi, we bow before you, who are yourself good fortune in the dwellings of the virtuous,
and ill-fortune in those of the vicious, intelligence in the hearts of the learned, faith in the
hearts of the good, and modesty in the hearts of the high-born. May you protect the
universe!
'You who are always bounteous, with whom you are well pleased, those (fortunate ones) are
indeed the object of esteem in the country, theirs are riches, theirs are glories, and their acts
of righteousness perish not; they are indeed blessed and possessed of devoted children,
servants and wives.
'By your grace, O Devi, the blessed individual does daily all righteous deeds with utmost care
and thereby attains to heaven. Are you not, therefore O Devi, the bestower of reward in all
the three worlds?
'When called to mind in a difficult pass, you remove fear from every person. When called to
mind by those in happiness, you bestow a mind still further pious. Which goddess but you, O
dispeller of poverty, pain and fear, has an ever-sympathetic heart for helping everyone?’
Durga Saptashati
Thus, the supporter of the worlds was praised by the devas, worshipped with celestial
flowers that blossomed in Nandana and with perfumes and unguents; and with devotion all
of them offered her - heavenly incense. Benignly serene in countenance she spoke to all
obeisant devas.
The Devi said: 'Choose all of you, O devas, whatever you desire of me. (Gratified immensely
with these hymns, I grant it with great pleasure)' The devas said: 'Since our enemy, this
Mahishasura, has been slain by Bhagavati (i.e you) everything has been accomplished, and
nothing remains to be done. And if a boon is to be granted to us by you, O Maheshvari,
whenever we think of you again, destroy our direct calamities. O Mother of spotless
countenance, and whatever mortal (human) shall praise you with these hymns, may you,
who have become gracious towards us, also be gracious for him and increase his wealth, and
other fortunes together with riches, prosperity and life, and good wife, O Ambika!'
The Rishi said: O King, being thus propitiated by the devas for the sake of the world and for
their own sake, Bhadrakali said, 'Be it so' and vanished from their sight. Thus, have I
narrated, O King, how the Devi who desires the good of all the three worlds made her
appearance of yore out of the bodies of the devas.
And again how, as a benefactress of the devas, she appeared in the form of Gauri for the
slaying of wicked asuras as well as Shumbha and Nishumbha, and for the protection of
worlds, listen as I relate it. I shall tell it to you as it happened. Here ends the fourth chapter
called ‘The Devi Stuti ‘ of the Devi-Mahatmya in Markandeya-Purana during the period of
Savarni, the Manu.
Section Three
The destruction of demons Shumbha and Nishumbha.
Chapter 5
Shumbha and Nishumbha
The Rishi said: Of yore Indra's (sovereignty) over the three worlds and his portions of the
sacrifices were taken away by the asuras, Shumbha and Nishumbha, by force of their pride
and strength. The two, themselves, took over likewise, the offices of the sun, the moon,
Kubera, Yama, and Varuna.
They themselves exercised Vayu's authority and Agni's duty. Deprived of their lordships and
sovereignties, the devas were defeated. Deprived of their functions and expelled by these
two great asuras, all the devas thought of the invincible Devi. She had granted us the boon,
"Whenever in calamities you think of me, that very moment I will put an end to all your
worst calamities."
Durga Saptashati
Resolving thus, the devas went to Himavat, lord of the mountains, and there extolled the
Devi, who is the illusive power of Vishnu. The devas said: ‘Salutations to the Devi, to the
Mahadevi. Salutations always to her who is ever auspicious. Salutation to her who is the
primordial cause and the sustaining power. With attention, we have made obeisance to her.
We bow to her who is welfare; we make salutations to her who is prosperity and success.
Salutation to the consort of Shiva who is herself the good fortune as well as misfortune of
kings. Salutations always to Durga who takes one across in difficulties, who is essence, who is
the authority of everything; who is the knowledge of discrimination.’
O Prince, while the devas were thus engaged in praises and (other acts of adoration), Parvati
came there to bathe in the waters of the Ganga. She, the lovely-browed, said to those devas,
'Who is praised by you here?' An auspicious goddess, sprung forth from her physical sheath,
gave the reply: ‘This hymn is addressed to me by the assembled devas set at naught by the
asura Shumbha and routed in battle by Nishumbha.’
Because that Ambika came out of Parvati's physical sheath (Kosa), she is glorified as Kaushiki
in all the worlds. After she had issued forth, Parvati became dark and was called Kalika and
stationed on mount Himalaya.
Then, Chanda, and Munda, two servants of Shumbha and Nishumbha, saw that Ambika
(Kausiki) bearing a surpassingly charming form. They both told Shumbha: 'O King, a certain
woman, most surpassingly beautiful, dwells there shedding lustre on mount Himalaya. Such
supreme beauty was never seen by any one anywhere. Ascertain who that Goddess is and
take possession of her, O Lord of the asuras! Nishumbha has every kind of gem produced in
the sea. Fire also gave you two garments, which are purified by fire. Thus, O Lord of asuras,
all gems have been brought by you. Why this beautiful lady-jewel is not seized by you?’
The Rishi said: On hearing these words of Chanda and Munda, Shumbha sent the great asura
Sugriva as messenger to the Devi.
He said: Go and tell her thus in my words and do the thing in such a manner that she may
quickly come to me in love. He went there where the Devi was staying in a very beautiful
spot on the mountain and spoke to her in fine and sweet words.
The messenger said: O Devi, Shumbha, lord of asuras, is the supreme sovereign of three
worlds. Sent by him as messenger, I have come here to your presence. Hearken to what has
been said by him whose command is never resisted among the devas and who has
vanquished all the foes of the asuras: (He says), "All the three worlds are mine and the devas
are obedient to me. We look upon you, O Devi, as the jewel of womankind in the world. You
who are such, come to me, since we are the enjoyers of the best objects. Take to me or to
my younger brother Nishumbha of great prowess, O unsteady-eyed lady, for you are in truth
a jewel. Wealth, great and beyond compare, you will get by marrying me. Think over this in
your mind and become my wife."'
Durga Saptashati
The Rishi said: Thus told, Durga the adorable and auspicious, by whom this universe is
supported, then became serene.
The Devi said: You have spoken truth; nothing false has been uttered by you in this matter.
Shumbha is indeed the sovereign of the three worlds and likewise is also Nishumbha. But in
this matter, how can that which has been promised be made false? Hear what promise I had
made already out of foolishness. "He who conquers me in battle, removes my pride and is
my match in strength in the world shall be my husband." So, let Shumbha come here then,
or Nishumbha the great asura. Vanquishing me here let him soon take my hand in marriage.
Why delay?
The messenger said: O Devi, you are haughty. Talk not so before me. Which man in the three
worlds will stand before Shumbha and Nishumbha? All the devas verily cannot stand face to
face with even the other asuras in battle. Why mention you, O Devi, a single woman?
Indra and all other devas could not stand in battle against Shumbha and other demons, how
will you, a woman, face them? On my word itself, you go to Shumbha and Nishumbha. Let it
not be that you go to them with your dignity lost by being dragged by your hair.
The Devi said: Yes, it is; Shumbha is strong and so is Nishumbha exceedingly heroic! What
can I do since there stands my ill-considered vow taken long ago? Go back and tell the lord
of asuras carefully all this that I have said; let him do whatever he considers proper.
Here ends the fifth chapter called 'Devi's conversation with the messenger' of the Devi-
Mahatmya in Markandeya-Purana during the period of Savarni, the Manu.
Chapter 6
The Slaying of Dhumralochana
The Rishi said: The messenger, filled with indignation on hearing the words of the Devi,
returned and related them in detail to the king of the daityas. Then the asura monarch,
enraged on hearing that report from his messenger, told Dhumralochana, a chieftain of the
daityas: 'O Dhumralochana, hasten together with your army and fetch here by force that
shrew, distressed when dragged by her hair. Or if anyone else stands up as her saviour, let
him be slain, be he a god, a yaksa or a gandharva.'
The Rishi said: Then the asura Dhumralochana, commanded thus by Shumbha, went forth
quickly, accompanied by sixty thousand asuras. On seeing the Devi stationed on the snowy
mountain, he asked her aloud, ‘Come to the presence of Shumbha and Nishumbha.’ When
Sheba, the lord of asuras, heard that asura Dhumralochana was slain by the Devi and all his
army was destroyed by the lion of the Devi, he was infuriated, his lip quivered, and he
commanded the two mighty asuras Chanda and Munda: 'O Chanda, O Munda, go there with
large forces, and bring her here speedily, dragging her by her hair or binding her. But if you
have any doubt about doing that, then let the asuras strike (her) in the fight with all their
Durga Saptashati
weapons. When that shrew is wounded, and her lion stricken down, seize that Ambika, bind
and bring her quickly.' Here ends the sixth chapter called 'The Slaying of Dhumralochana' of
Devi-Mahatmya in Markandeya Purana during the period of Savarni, the Manu.
Chapter 7
The Slaying of Chanda and Munda
The Rishi said:
Then at his command the asuras, fully armed, and with Chanda and Munda at their head,
marched in fourfold array. They saw the Devi, smiling gently, seated upon the lion on a huge
golden peak of the great mountain.
On seeing her, some of them excited themselves and made an effort to capture her, and
others approached her, with their bows bent and swords drawn.
Thereupon Ambika became terribly angry with those foes, and in her anger her countenance
then became dark as ink. Out from the surface of her forehead, fierce with frown, suddenly
issued Kali of terrible countenance, armed with a sword and noose. Bearing the strange
skull-topped staff, decorated with a garland of skulls, clad in a tiger's skin, very appalling
owing to her emaciated flesh, with gaping mouth, fearful with her tongue lolling out, having
deep-sunk reddish eyes and filling the regions of the sky with her roars, and falling upon
impetuously and slaughtering the great asuras in that army, she devoured those hosts of the
foes of the devas.
Then the Devi, mounting upon her great lion, rushed at Chanda, and seizing him by his hair,
severed his head with her sword. Seeing Chanda being slain, Munda also rushed at her. She
felled him also to the ground, striking him with her sword in her fury.
Seeing the most valiant Chanda and Munda laid low, the remaining army there became
panicky and fled in all directions. And Kali, holding the heads of Chanda and Munda in her
hands, approached Chandika and said, 'Here have I brought you the heads of Chanda and
Munda as two great animal offerings in this sacrifice of battle; Shumbha and Nishumbha,
you shall yourself slay.'
The Rishi said: Thereupon seeing those asuras, Chanda and Munda brought to her, the
auspicious Chandika said to Kali these playful words: 'Because you have brought me both
Chanda and Munda, you O Devi, shall be famed in the world by the name Chamunda. Here
ends the seventh chapter called 'The slaying of Chanda and Munda' of Devi-Mahatmya in
Markandeya Purana, during the period of Savarni, the Manu.
Durga Saptashati
Chapter 8
The Slaying of Raktabija
Seeing the asuras harassed by the band of Matrs and fleeing, the great asura Raktabija
strode forward to fight in wrath. Whenever from his body there fell to the ground a drop of
blood, at that moment rose up from the earth asura of his stature.
The great asura fought with Indra's shakti with club in his hand; then Aindri also struck
Ranktabija with her thunderbolt. Blood flowed quickly and profusely from him who was
wounded by the thunderbolt. From the blood rose up (fresh) combatants of his form and
valour. As many drops of blood fell from his body, so many persons came into being, with his
courage, strength and valour. And those persons also, sprung up from his blood, fought
there with the Matrs in a more dreadful manner hurling the very formidable weapons. And
again, when his head was wounded by the fall of her thunderbolt, his blood flowed and
therefrom were born persons in thousands. Vaisnavi struck him with her discus in the battle;
Aindri beat that lord of asuras with her club. The world was pervaded by thousands of great
asuras who were of his stature and who rose up from the blood that flowed from him when
cloven by the discus of Vaisnavi. Kaumari struck the great asura Raktabija with her spear,
Varahi with her sword, and Maheshvari with her trident. And Raktabija, that great asura
also, filled with wrath, struck everyone of the Matrs severally with his club.
From the stream of blood that fell on earth from him when he received multiple wounds by
the spears, darts and other weapons, hundreds of asuras came into being. And those asuras
that were born from the blood of Raktabija pervaded the whole world; the devas got
intensely alarmed at this. Seeing the devas dejected, Chandika laughed and said to Kali, 'O
Chamunda, open out your mouth wide; with this mouth quickly take in the drops of blood
generated by the blow of my weapon and (also) the great asuras born of the drops of blood
of Raktabija. Roam about in the battlefield, devouring the great asuras that spring from him.
So, shall this daitya, with his blood emptied, perish. As you go on devouring these, other
fierce (asuras) will not be born.'
Having enjoined her thus, the Devi next smote him (Raktabija) with her dart. Then Kali drank
Raktabija's blood with her mouth. Then and there he struck Chandika with his club. The blow
of his club caused her not even the slightest pain. And from his stricken body wherever
blood flowed copiously, there Chamunda swallowed it with her mouth. Then Chamunda
devoured those great asuras who sprang up from the flow of blood in her mouth and drank
his (Raktabija’s) blood. The Devi (Kausiki) smote Raktabija with her dart, thunderbolt,
arrows, swords, and spears, when Chamunda went on drinking his blood. Stricken with a
multitude of weapons and bloodless, the great asura (Raktabija) fell on the ground, O King.
Thereupon the devas attained great joy, O King. The band of Matrs who sprang from them
danced, being intoxicated with blood.
Here ends the eighth chapter called 'The Slaying of Raktabija' of Devi-Mahatmya in
Markandeya-Purana, during the period of Savarni, the Manu.
Durga Saptashati
Chapter 9
The Slaying of Nishumbha
The king (Suratha) said: 'Wonderful is this that you, adorable sir, have related to me about
the greatness of the Devi's act in slaying Raktabija. I wish to hear further what the very irate
Shumbha and Nishumbha did after Raktabija was killed.' The Rishi said: After Raktabija was
slain and other asuras were killed in the fight, the asura Shumbha and Nishumbha gave way
to unbounded wrath. Enraged on seeing his great army slaughtered, Nishumbha then rushed
forward with the chief forces of the asuras. In front of him behind him and on both sides of
him, great asuras, enraged and biting their lips, advanced to slay the Devi. Shumbha also,
mighty in valour, went forward, surrounded, with his own troops to slay Chandika in this
rage, after fighting with the Matrs. Then commenced severe combat between the Devi on
one side and on the other, Shumbha and Nishumbha who, like two thunderclouds, rained a
most tempestuous shower of arrows on her. Chandika with numerous arrows quickly split
the arrows shot by the two asuras and smote the two lords of asuras on their limbs with her
mass of weapons.
As Nishumbha, the afflicter of the devas, was advancing with the dart in hand, Chandika
pierced him in the heart with a swiftly hurled dart. From his (Nishumbha's) heart that was
pierced by the dart, issued forth another person of great strength and valour, exclaiming (at
the Devi) 'Stop.' Then the Devi, laughing aloud, severed the head of him, who issued forth,
with her sword. Thereupon he fell to the ground. The lion then devoured those asuras
whose necks he had crushed with his fierce teeth, and Kali and Sivaduti devoured others.
Here ends the ninth chapter called 'the Slaying of Nishumbha' of Devi Mahatmya in
Markandeya-Purana during the period of Savarni, the Manu.
Chapter 10
The Slaying of Shumba
The Rishi said: Seeing his brother Nishumbha slain, who was dear to him as his life, and his
army being slaughtered, Shumbha angrily said. 'O Durga who are puffed up with pride of
strength, don't show your pride (here). Though you are exceedingly haughty, you, resorting
to the strength of others, fight.' The Devi said: 'I am all alone in the world here. Who else is
there besides me? See, O vile one, these Goddesses, who are but my own powers, entering
into my own self!' Then all those, Brahmani and the rest, were absorbed in the body of the
Devi. Ambika alone then remained. The Devi said: 'The numerous forms, which I projected
by my power here - those have been withdrawn by me, and (now) I stand alone. Be steadfast
in combat.' The Rishi said: Then began a dreadful battle between them both, the Devi and
Shumbha, while all the devas and asuras looked on. With showers of arrows, with sharp
weapons and frightful missiles, both engaged again in a combat that frightened all the
worlds.
Durga Saptashati
The daitya-king, wounded by the blow of her palm fell on the earth, but immediately he rose
up again. Seizing the Devi, he sprang up and mounted on high into the sky. There also
Chandika, without any support, fought with him. Then the daitya (Shumbha) and Chandika
fought as never before, with each other in the sky in a close contact, which wrought surprise
to the Siddhas and sages. Ambika then, after carrying on a close fight for a very long time
with him, lifted him up, whirled him around and flung him down to earth. Flung thus, the
evil-natured (Shumbha) reaching the earth and raising his fist, hastily rushed forward
desiring to kill Chandika. Seeing that lord of all the daitya-folk approaching, the Devi, piercing
him on the chest with a dart, threw him down to earth. Pierced by the pointed dart of the
Devi, he fell lifeless on the ground, shaking the entire earth with its seas, islands and
mountains.
When that evil-natured (asura) was slain, the universe became happy and regained perfect
peace, and the sky grew clear. Flaming portent-clouds that were in evidence before became
tranquil, and the rivers kept within their courses when (Shumbha) was stricken down there.
When he had been slain, the minds of all the bands of devas became overjoyed, and the
Gandharvas sang sweetly. Others sounded (their instruments), and the bands of nymphs
danced; likewise, favourable winds blew; the sun became very brilliant; the sacred fires
blazed peacefully and tranquil became the strange sounds that had risen in different
quarters.
Here ends the tenth chapter called 'The Slaying of Shumbha' of Devi- Mahatmya in
Markandeya-Purana, during the period of Savarni, the Manu.
Chapter 11
Hymn to Narayani
The Rishi said: When the great lord of asuras was slain there by the Devi, Indra and other
devas led by Agni, with their object fulfilled and their cheerful faces illumining the quarters,
praised her, (Katyayani). The devas said: 'O Devi, you who remove the sufferings of your
suppliants, be gracious. Be propitious, O Mother of the whole world. Be gracious, O Mother
of the universe. Protect the universe. You are, O Devi, the ruler of all that is moving and
unmoving. You are the sole substratum of the world, because you subsist in the form of the
earth. By you, who exist in the shape of water, all this (universe) is gratified, O Devi of
inviolable valour! You are the power of Vishnu and have endless valour. You are the primeval
maya, which is the source of the universe; by you all this (universe) has been thrown into an
illusion. O Devi. If you become gracious, you become the cause of final emancipation in this
world.
Salutation be to you, O Devi Narayani, O you who abide as intelligence in the hearts of all
creatures and bestow enjoyment and liberation. Salutation be to you, O Narayani, O you
who, in the form of minutes, moments and other divisions of time, bring about change in
things, and have (thus) the power to destroy the universe. Salutation be to you O Narayani,
O you who are the good of all good, O auspicious Devi, who accomplish every object, the
Durga Saptashati
giver of refuge, O three eyed Gauri! Salutation be to you, O Narayani, you who have the
power of creation, sustenance and destruction and are eternal. You are the substratum and
embodiment of the three gunas. Salutation be to you, O Narayani, O you who are intent on
saving the dejected and distressed that take refuge under you O you, Devi, who removes the
sufferings of all!
Salutation be to you, O Narayani, O you who are good fortune, modesty, great wisdom, faith,
nourishment and Svadha, O you who are immovable O you, great Night and great Illusion.
Salutation be to you, O Narayani, O you who are intelligence and Sarasvati, O best one,
prosperity, consort of Vishnu, dark one, the great nature, be propitious. O Queen of all, you
who exist in the form of all, and possess every might, save us from error, O Devi. Salutation
be to you, Devi Durga! May this benign countenance of yours adorned with three eyes,
protect us from all fears.
When satisfied, you destroy all illness but when wrathful you (frustrate) all the longed-for
desires. No calamity befalls men who have sought you. Those who have sought you become
verily a refuge of others. Who is there except you in the sciences, in the scriptures, and in
the Vedic sayings to light the lamp of discrimination? (Still) you cause this universe to whirl
about again and again within the dense darkness of the depths of attachment. Where
raksasas and snakes of virulent poison (are), where foes and hosts of robbers (exist), where
forest conflagrations (occur), there and in the mid-sea, you stand and save the world. O
Queen of the universe, you protect the universe. As the self of the universe, you support the
universe. You are the (goddess) worthy to be adored by the Lord of the universe. Those who
bow in devotion to you themselves become the refuge of the universe. O Devi, be pleased
and protect us always from fear of foes, as you have done just now by the slaughter of
asuras. And destroy quickly the sins of all worlds and the great calamities, which have sprung
from the maturing of evil portents. O Devi you who remove the afflictions of the universe, be
gracious to us who have bowed to you. O you worthy of adoration by the dwellers of the
three worlds, be boon-giver to the worlds.
The Devi said: O Devas, I am prepared to bestow a boon. Choose whatever boon you desire
in your mind, for the welfare of the world. I shall grant it. The devas said: ' O Queen of all, in
this same manner, you must destroy all our enemies and all the afflictions of three worlds.’
The Devi said: 'When the twenty-eighth age has arrived during the period of Avaisvsvata
Manu, two other great asuras, Shumbha and Nishumbha will be born. Then born from the
womb of Yashoda, in the home of cowherd Nanda, and dwelling on the Vindhya mountains, I
will destroy them both. Thus, whenever trouble arises due to the advent of the danavas, I
shall incarnate and destroy the foes.'
Here ends the eleventh chapter called 'Hymn to Narayani' of Devi-Mahatmyam in

Markandeya Purana, during the period of Savarni, the Manu.
Chapter 12
Eulogy of the Merits
Durga Saptashati
The Devi said: ‘And whoever with a concentrated mind shall pray to me constantly with
these hymns, I shall without doubt put down every trouble of his. ‘And those who shall laud
(the story of) the destruction of Madhu and Kaitabha, the slaughter of Nishumbha likewise
and those also who shall listen with devotion to this sublime poem on my greatness on the
eighth, the fourteenth and on the ninth days of the fortnight with concentrated mind, to
them nothing wrong shall happen, nor calamities that arise from wrong doings nor poverty
and never separation from beloved ones. He shall not experience fear from enemies, or from
robbers and kings, or from weapons, fire and floods. Hence this poem of my greatness must
be chanted by men of concentrated minds and listened to always with devotion; for it is the
supreme course of well-being.
May this poem of my glories quell all epidemics, as also the threefold natural calamities. The
place of my sanctuary where this poem is duly chanted every day, I will never forsake and
there my presence is certain. When sacrifice is offered, during worship, in the fire-ceremony,
and at a great festival, this entire poem on my acts must be chanted and heard. I will accept
with love the sacrifice and worship that are made and the fire-offering that is offered
likewise, whether they are done with due knowledge (of sacrifice) or not. During autumnal
season, when the great annual worship is performed, the man hearing this glorification of
mine with devotion shall certainly through my grace, be delivered without doubt from all
troubles and be blessed with riches, grains and children. Hearing this glorification and
auspicious appearances of mine, and my feats of prowess in battles, a man becomes
fearless. Enemies perish, welfare accrues and the family rejoices for those who listen to this
glorification of mine. Let one listen to this glorification of mine everywhere, at a propitiatory
ceremony, on seeing a bad dream, and when there is the great evil influence of planets. (By
that means) evil portents subside, as also the unfavourable influence of planets, and the bad
dream seen by men turns into a good dream.
It creates peacefulness in children possessed by the seizes of children (i.e., evil spirits), and it
is the best promoter of friendship among men when split occurs in their union. It diminishes
most effectively the power of all men of evil ways. Verily demons, goblins, and ogres are
destroyed by its mere chanting. This entire glorification of mine draws (a devotee) very near
to me. And by means of finest flowers, arghya and incenses, and by perfumes and lamps, by
feeding Brahmanas, by oblations, by sprinkling (consecrated) water, and by various other
offerings and gifts (if one worships) day and night, in a year-the gratification, which is done
to me, is attained by listening but once to this holy story (katha) of mine.
The chanting and hearing of the story of my manifestations remove sins, and grant perfect
health and protects one from evil spirits; and when my martial exploit in the form of the
slaughter of the wicked daityas is listened to, men will have no fear from enemies. And the
hymns uttered by you, and those by the divine sages, and those by Brahmanas bestow a
pious mind. He who is (lost) on a lonesome spot in a forest, or is surrounded by forest fire, or
who is surrounded by robbers in a desolate spot, or who is captured by enemies, or who is
pursued by a lion, or tiger, or by wild elephants in a forest, or who, under the orders of a
wrathful king, is sentenced to death, or has been imprisoned, or who is tossed about in his
Durga Saptashati
boat by a tempest in the vast sea, or who is in the most terrible battle under shower of
weapons, or who is amidst all kinds of dreadful troubles, or who is afflicted with pain - such a
man on remembering this story of mine is saved from his predicament. Through my power,
lions etc., robbers and enemies, flee from a distance from him who remembers this story of
mine.
The Rishi said: Having spoken thus the adorable Chandika, fierce in prowess, vanished on
that very spot even as the Devas were gazing upon her. Thus, O King, the adorable Devi,
although eternal, incarnating again and again, protects the world. By her this universe is
deluded, and it is she who creates this universe. And when entreated, she bestows supreme
knowledge, and when propitiated, she bestows prosperity. By her, the Mahakali, who takes
the form of the great destroyer at the end of time, all this cosmic sphere is pervaded.
She indeed takes the form of the great destroyer at the (proper) time. She, the unborn,
indeed becomes this creation. She herself, the eternal Being, sustains the beings. In times of
prosperity, she indeed is Lakshmi, who bestows prosperity in the homes of men; and in
times of misfortune, she herself becomes the goddess of misfortune, and brings about ruin.
When praised and worshipped with flowers, incense, perfumes, etc., she bestows wealth
and sons, and a mind bent on righteousness and prosperous life.
Here ends the twelfth chapter called ‘Eulogy of the Merits’ of Devi-Mahatmya in the period
of Markandeya-Purana, during the period of Savarni, the Manu.
Chapter 13
The Bestowing of Boons to Suratha and Vaisya
The Rishi said: I have now narrated to you, O King, this sublime poem on the glory of the
Devi. The Devi is endowed with such majestic power. By her this world is upheld. Knowledge
is similarly conferred by her, the illusive power of Bhagavan Vishnu. By her, you, this
merchant and other men of discrimination, are being deluded; and others were deluded (in
the past) and will be deluded (in the future). O great King, take refuge in her, the supreme
Isvari. She indeed when worshipped bestows on men enjoyment, heaven and final release
(from transmigration).
Markandeya said (to his disciple Bhaguri): O great sage, King Suratha who had become
despondent consequent on his excessive attachment and the deprivation of his kingdom,
and the merchant, having heard this story prostrated before the illustrious Rishi of sever
penances and immediately repaired to perform austerities. Both the king and the merchant,
in order to obtain a vision of Amba, stationed themselves on the sand-bank of a river and
practised penances, chanting the supreme Devi-sukta (hymn to the Devi).
Having made an earthen image of the Devi on the sands of the river, they both worshipped
her with flowers, incense, sacred fire and libation of water. Now abstaining from food, and
Durga Saptashati
now restraining in their food, with their minds on her and with concentration, they both
offered sacrifices sprinkled with blood drawn from their own bodies. When they, with
controlled minds propitiated her thus for three years, Chandika, the upholder of the world,
was well pleased and spoke to them in visible form.
The Devi said: What you solicit, O King, and you, the delight of your family, receive all that
from me. Well-pleased I bestow those boons to you both. Markandeya said: Then the King
chose a kingdom, imperishable even in another life, and in this life itself, restoration of his
own kingdom wherein the power of his enemies is destroyed by force. Then the wise
merchant also, whose mind was full of dispassion for the world, chose the knowledge, which
removes the attachment (in the form of) ‘mine’ and ‘I’. The Devi said: O King, after slaying
your foes in a few days, you shall obtain your own kingdom and it shall last with you there.
‘And, when you are dead, you shall gain another birth from the Deva Vivasvat (Sun) and shall
be a Manu on earth by name Savarni. And, O the best of merchants, I grant you the boon,
which you have desired of me. (Supreme) knowledge shall be yours, for your self-realization.
Markandeya said: Having thus granted them both the boon that they desired, the Devi
disappeared forthwith, as they were extolling her with devotion. Having thus gained the
boon from the Devi, Suratha, the foremost of Kshatriyas, shall obtain a new birth through
Surya and shall be the eighth Manu named Savarni.
Here ends the thirteenth chapter called ‘The bestowing of boons to Suratha and Vaisya’ of
Devi-Mahatmya in Markandeya-Purana, during the period of Savarni, the Manu. Here ends
the Devi-Mahatmya of 700 Mantras.
Om Tat Sat
___________________________________
The Message Of The Chandi
By Devadatta Kali
Reproduced from the following web site
http://www.vedanta.org/reading/monthly/articles/2003/2.message_of_chandi.html
This month’s reading is from a lecture given at the Vedanta temple in Hollywood, on
November 10th, 2002. Devadatta Kali has been closely associated with the Vedanta Society
since 1966. A regular contributor to Vedanta journals throughout the world, the author’s
book Chandi, In Praise of the Goddess: The Devimahatmya and Its Meaning, is due to be
published by Nicholas-Hays in December 2003.
In The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna, [Mahendranath Gupta] records a Sunday afternoon with
some visitors to Dakshineswar in the winter of 1883. One of the visitors was well versed in
the shastras [the sacred Hindu scriptures], and the conversation caused M. to fall into a
Durga Saptashati
pensive mood. Having some knowledge of Vedanta, he later asked Sri Ramakrishna, “Is the
world unreal?”
Why should it be unreal?” Sri Ramakrishna responded. “What you are asking is a matter for
philosophical discussion.” Later that evening Ramakrishna returned to M.’s question and
asked him again, “Why should the universe be unreal?” He continued, “The Divine Mother
revealed to me in the Kali temple that it was She who had become everything. She showed
me that everything was full of Consciousness. The image …, the altar …, the water-vessels …,
the door-sill …, the marble floor …—all was Consciousness.
“I found everything inside the room soaked, as it were, in Bliss—the Bliss of Satchidananda. I
saw a wicked man in front of the Kali temple, but in him I also saw the Power of the Divine
Mother vibrating. “That is why I fed a cat with the food that was to be offered to the Divine
Mother. I clearly perceived that the Divine Mother Herself had become everything (M., 345-
346).”
On many other occasions, M. recorded similar teachings, and on one point Sri Ramakrishna
was particularly emphatic. “… Brahman and Shakti are identical. If you accept one, you must
accept the other. … You cannot conceive of the sun’s rays without the sun, nor can you
conceive of the sun without its rays. … One cannot think of the Absolute without the
Relative, or of the Relative without the Absolute (M., 134).”
Another time Sri Ramakrishna said: “That which is Brahman is also Kali, the Mother, the
Primal Energy. When inactive It is called Brahman. Again, when creating, preserving and
destroying, It is called Shakti. Still water is an illustration of Brahman. The same water,
moving in waves, may be compared to Shakti, Kali (M., 634-635).” “Water is water, whether
it moves or is still (M., 835).”
These are consistent teachings of Sri Ramakrishna, spoken from his own experience, but
they are not the teachings of Sankara’s Vedanta. Without question, Ramakrishna was well
versed in Vedantic teaching. We know that toward the end of 1865, he took initiation from
an austere monk named Tota Puri, practiced the disciplines of Sankara’s Advaita Vedanta
and in a short while attained nirvikalpa samadhi, the realization of nondual consciousness.
But four years earlier Ramakrishna had undergone an intensive course of Tantric sadhana,
taught to him by an itinerant holy woman known as the Bhairavi. She was a Shakta, a
worshiper of the Divine Mother.
Nor was this Sri Ramakrishna’s first exposure to Shakta teachings. Earlier still, at the age of
19, when the young Ramakrishna agreed to be employed as a priest at the Dakshineswar Kali
temple, he was trained by his older brother Ramkumar in the Mother’s worship and in the
recitation of the Chandi, the great scripture on the Divine Mother (Saradananda, 133-134).
The Chandi declares that the Mother is the supreme reality and that she herself has become
this universe. We do not know who composed the Chandi, only that its author or authors
Durga Saptashati
created the most widely known and most sacred of all Shakta texts about sixteen hundred
years ago. Some of the traditions preserved in the Chandi are inconceivably older. We know
from the evidence of archeology that some of the Chandi’s ideas on the Motherhood of God
go back six thousand years or more. Votive statues that survive from neolithic India and
Pakistan portray a goddess in two different aspects: either as a nurturing mother with hand
held to breast, or as a hooded, deathlike figure.
This dual distinction of the Divine Mother in auspicious and terrible forms is an enduring
feature throughout the history of Indian religion and survives to this very day. Throughout
the ages the tribal cultures and high civilizations that rose and fell on Indian soil left their
mark on the 13 chapters of the Chandi. Prominent among the many and diverse influences is
the Devisukta, a hymn of eight verses found in the most ancient Hindu sacred text, the Rig
Veda.
The Devisukta (RV 10.125) declares that the Goddess is the power expressed through all the
gods, that they are united in her who shines with consciousness, that her presence is all-
pervading, that she supports all of creation, that she is the source of righteousness and the
revealer of truth, that she is the source of all worlds, yet that she shines transcendent
beyond them. Among Shaktas this Vedic hymn is held in high esteem and is considered to be
the source from which the entire Chandi sprang. Later, the Chandi itself was elaborated
upon in the Puranas and Tantras. Still later its imagery inspired the Bengali mystics,
Ramprasad and Kamalakanta, whose devotional songs so often evoked ecstatic moods in Sri
Ramakrishna.
The Chandi goes by two other names. The most common and widely recognized is
Devimahatmya [The Glory of the Goddess]. The other is Sri Durga Saptashati [Seven Hundred
Verses to Sri Durga]. In reality the Chandi contains fewer than 700 verses, and the number
700 is arrived at only through creative means, such as counting a half verse as full or a full
verse as three. There must be a good reason for this, and indeed there is.
The author or authors of the Chandi were Shaktas, devotees of the Mother, and they wanted
their work to be recognized as comparable to the Vaishnavas’ great scripture, the Bhagavad
Gita, which consists of 700 verses. They wanted to show that their view of God as Mother
was as valid as the Vaishnava view of Krishna as the supreme God. Of course, both texts
represent ancient traditions, and even the oldest Hindu scripture, the Rig Veda, proclaims:
ekam sat vipra bahuda vadanti —“Truth is One, the wise call it by various names.” Many
centuries later, Sri Ramakrishna taught the same when he said: “Krishna is none other than
Satchidananda, the Indivisible Brahman. … That which is Brahman is also Kali. … He who is
Krishna is the same as Kali (M., 1012).”
In drawing comparison to the Bhagavad Gita, the authors of the Chandi wanted specifically
to emphasize the Divine Mother’s role, like Krishna’s, in upholding the moral order of the
universe and in leading humankind to liberation through the highest knowledge of the Self.
The Chandi and the Gita have much else in common. Each is an independent text embedded
Durga Saptashati
in a larger work. The Gita belongs to the Mahabharata; the Chandi is an interpolation in the
Markandeya Purana. Each is a synthesis of spiritual and philosophical knowledge drawn from
diverse sources. Each begins with the story of one or more human beings in crisis, who will
learn from a teacher in human form the way beyond all suffering. And each involves the
battlefield as a metaphor for the field of human consciousness.
The Bhagavad Gita begins on the battlefield, with Arjuna surveying the armies of his kinsmen
on both sides, arrayed for battle. Plunged into despair at the thought of killing his friends
and relatives, he turns to his charioteer, Krishna, who is none other than God in human
form. Krishna then delivers one of the world’s great spiritual messages. The Chandi begins
with King Suratha, likewise plunged into an existential crisis after losing his kingdom in
battle.
A wise and just ruler, Suratha discovers that even his trusted ministers have turned against
him, and on the pretext of going hunting, he mounts his horse and flees for his life. After
riding for some time into a dense forest, he comes to the ashram of a holy man named
Medhas. This forest retreat is a place of great calm and natural beauty, where even the
ordinarily ferocious tiger abides peacefully with the gentle deer. Yet Suratha knows no
peace. His mind churns in agony at the thought of everything he has lost: his kingdom with
its riches and privilege, the loyalty of his subjects, the glory of power. These thoughts
torment him ceaselessly.
One day another visitor arrives. His name is Samadhi, and he is every bit as despondent as
the king. Once a prosperous merchant, he has been cast out by his wife and sons, who seized
his wealth out of greed. He is deeply hurt by their betrayal and cannot understand it, being
himself a man of good character. Most of all, he cannot understand why he still feels love for
those who caused his deep humiliation and pain. And so, the king and the merchant
approach Medhas the seer and ask why they are so miserable. Surely, as men of knowledge
they ought to know better, but they are deeply perplexed.
“You say you are men of knowledge,” Medhas remarks. “Do you know what knowledge is?”
He explains that what the king means by knowledge is only the experience of the objective
world. Through the senses, men, birds and beasts alike share such a knowledge, each species
according to its own capacity. Such knowledge is relative. In every way, the knowledge
gained through the senses is conditioned by time and space, and we are constantly
deceived. Medhas explains further that animals act out of instinct; but humans have the
added capacity to reason and make choices, although such choices are most often driven by
self-interest and the expectation of results.
If even our simple sense perceptions are so misleading, how much more confounded are we
by the added factors of reason, will, memory, emotion and expectation? The operative
principle here is that nothing in this world is as it seems to be. Not only are the king and the
merchant perplexed, Medhas explains, everyone is, because even the wise are thrown into
Durga Saptashati
the whirlpool of delusion by the blessed goddess Mahamaya. “Who is this Mahamaya?” the
king asks. “Whatever there is to know about her, all that I wish to learn.”
And so, we arrive at the heart of the Chandi. The story of the king, the merchant and the
seer acts as a frame that encloses three additional stories which Medhas relates to instruct
his two disciples. Each story is a mythical account of the Divine Mother’s fierce, bloody
battles with demons. Now, we must not dismiss a myth as a piece of fiction merely because
it does not describe a historical event or the world as we know it. Instead, a myth takes us
beyond the realm of fact and into the realm of meaning. Through symbols, it plumbs our
deeper levels of understanding and brings to light elusive truths that are difficult to convey
by ordinary means.
The Platonic philosopher Synesius of Cyrene summed it up in a single sentence: “Myths are
things that never happened, but always are (Greer, 45).” The Chandi is an allegory. Its
battlegrounds represent our own human consciousness, and its events symbolize our own
experiences. The demons represent all the evils in the world and all that is wrong within our
minds and hearts. The Divine Mother is our own true being, and her clashes with the
demons symbolize the outward and inward struggles we face daily.
Because there are three myths, the Chandi naturally falls into three parts, and they can be
related to the three gunas, the basic universal energies or qualities of sattva, rajas and
tamas. The first part tells about the Divine Mother in her dark, deluding aspect that ensnares
humankind in the bonds of ignorance and attachment. It teaches us about the nature of
reality and asks us to question: what are divinity, the universe and humankind?
The second part presents the Mother as the fiery and active power that vanquishes evil and
upholds the moral order of the universe. It teaches us how to live in this world, where we
are torn between good and evil, right and wrong, enjoyment and suffering.
The third part reveals the luminous, benevolent form through which the Mother grants
enlightenment and liberation. It shows us how to transcend the world through the higher
knowledge of the spirit. Side by side with grisly narratives of bloodshed and slaughter, the
Chandi integrates four hymns that are rich in philosophical and theological content. Of
surpassing beauty, these hymns are sublime outpourings of devotion. The variety of material
in the Chandi is a convenient reminder that overall this text can be approached in more than
one way. Its stories can be taken as allegories relating to our own behavior and
circumstances. Its hymns inspire us to devotion for the personal forms of God as Mother;
and its deeper, philosophical and esoteric interpretation leads us to the realization of God as
the impersonal supreme reality.
Medhas’s first myth is short and to the point. During a period of cosmic dissolution, Vishnu
lies sleeping on the thousand-headed serpent Shesha, who drifts on the waters of the
undifferentiated ocean. Sitting on a lotus that grows from Vishnu’s navel, Brahma, the Lord
of Creation, surveys the four directions. Suddenly two demons, named Madhu and Kaitabha,
Durga Saptashati
spring forth from the wax in Vishnu’s ears and attempt to kill Brahma. Frantically he tries to
awaken Vishnu, but the god is held in the power of Mahamaya, who is settled over his eyes
as his blessed sleep.
And so, Brahma praises Mahamaya with a hymn. She allows Vishnu to awaken, and he
battles with the demons for 5000 years, but without victory. At this point Mahamaya
intervenes again. She confounds Madhu and Kaitabha with delusions of their own might and
grandeur. Look at us, the demons think. Not even Vishnu, the Supreme Lord, can conquer us.
Because he has fought so well, let us offer him a boon. These big, lumbering demons are
comical in their stupidity, and at this point we can almost hear them gasp, “Oops! Did we
make a mistake?”
Of course, they did, because Vishnu replies, “There is only one boon to ask: that I destroy the
two of you here and now.” In a last-ditch effort to save themselves, Madhu and Kaitabha
look around and see only the endless cosmic ocean. “Very well,” they say, “but on one
condition: slay us where water does not cover the earth.” The outcome of this story hinges
on a pun, because the Sanskrit words for “earth” and “thigh” are almost the same. And so,
Vishnu lifts the two demons to his thighs and cuts off their heads. It is said that a pun is the
lowest form of humour, and this is fitting, because Madhu and Kaitabha represent the
lowest form of human awareness, densely shrouded in ignorance. Their unprovoked attack
on Brahma reminds us of the senseless violence in our own world, where members of one
religious or political or ethnic group attack people of other groups only because they are
different.
Madhu and Kaitabha, in their near-bestial state, recognize no higher reality; they are violent,
ugly creatures intent on gratifying their base instincts, often expressed through the thrill of
intimidation or brute force. In their physical strength they grow exceedingly vainglorious. But
of course, pride goes before a fall, and their own arrogance becomes their undoing. Through
the hymn that Brahma addresses to Mahamaya, the universal deluder, we learn much about
the universe we inhabit. This hymn, the Brahmastuti, is composed in highly symbolic
language that is often difficult to interpret, but it reveals profound insight into the nature of
the cosmos. Although the ideas are expressed in devotional terms, the concepts are
scientific even by today’s standards.
The Brahmastuti tells us that creation is a process of manifestation that flows from the One
to the many. The Divine Mother is the infinite, nondual consciousness as well as its dynamic
creative power; and she is ever present throughout all of creation. Before manifestation, she
is the bindu, the dimensionless, nonlocalized point of concentrated shakti that contains
within itself all possibilities. This sounds very much like the Big Bang theory and especially
like a recent refinement of it, known as the Cosmic Inflation theory. This proposes that the
entire universe popped out of a dimensionless, contentless point and immediately expanded
to cosmic size in a miraculous way, suggesting the agency of a higher power.
Durga Saptashati
Let us not forget that the Sanskrit word for “power” is shakti. According to Brahma’s hymn,
the Divine Mother gives birth to the universe, supports it and draws it back into herself in an
ever-repeating cycle, because creation is without an absolute beginning or an absolute end.
In this process, she who is nondual consciousness veils her radiant boundlessness with the
limitations of time and space, name and form, cause and effect. Through these limitations
she projects the finite world of our experience—a world that is both dark and dazzling,
terrifying and enchanting.
The Divine Mother is the all-encompassing source of good and evil alike, who expresses
herself in every form. Yet beyond this apparent multiplicity, everything—be it spirit, mind or
matter—is ultimately one. Philosophically, the Chandi agrees with Sri Ramakrishna’s answer
to M.’s question, “Is the world unreal?” But when Ramakrishna first replied that it was a
matter for philosophical discussion, he recognized that among themselves Hindus hold more
than a single opinion. A follower of Sankara’s Advaita Vedanta would answer, “The world
seems real as long as we experience it, but once we attain knowledge of Brahman, the
phenomenal world vanishes. We think we see a snake in the semi-darkness, but when the
light reveals it to be a rope, the perception of the snake vanishes.”
According to the Vedantin, the world is no more real than the misperceived snake. This
position is called vivartavada, the doctrine of appearance, because the phenomenal world is
thought to be a mere appearance superimposed upon the transcendental unity of Brahman.
The Shakta philosophy takes a different position. When thread is woven into cloth, it
undergoes a change of form but not of substance. In becoming cloth, thread takes on the
additional qualities of cloth, but in substance it is still thread. In the same way, the Divine
Mother, who is pure energy and consciousness, assumes all the names and forms and
characteristics of the creation, even while remaining the pure energy and consciousness that
is her true nature. This view is called parinamavada, the doctrine of transformation.
We find it in the Chandi, where Medhas says of the Divine Mother: “She is eternal, having
the world as her form (DM 1.64).” And also, in Sri Ramakrishna’s reply to M.: “The Divine
Mother revealed to me in the Kali temple that it was She who had become everything (M.,
345).” There is one more point: whichever way we choose to view the world, we still have to
live in it. And that is what the second part of the Chandi is all about.
Medhas’s second story is intended especially for the king. Suratha, like Arjuna in the Gita,
belongs to the ruling and warrior caste, whose duty is to uphold the moral order of the
world. In the story that Medhas relates, an ill-tempered buffalo demon, named
Mahishasura, wages war against heaven, casts out the gods, and usurps Indra’s throne.
When the dispossessed gods seek Vishnu’s and Shiva’s help, the Divine Mother herself
comes to the rescue.
First from Vishnu’s brow, then from the bodies of all the other gods, a great radiance shines
forth and coalesces into the beautiful form of Durga. The gods bow to her, recognizing that
their own individual powers are only aspects of her supreme power. After Durga has slain
Durga Saptashati
Mahishasura’s forces, she stands on the blood-soaked battleground facing the buffalo
demon himself. Mahishasura, bellowing in confrontation, represents wilfulness and
monumental rage. Under his frenzied wheeling, the trampled earth breaks apart, his blasting
breath tosses mountains into the air, his lashing tail causes the oceans to overflow, and
overhead his mighty horns tear the gently floating clouds to shreds.
Consider the symbolism: the power of human anger and greed threatens to destroy
everything it touches: the goodness of the nurturing earth, the stability of the mountains,
the expansive beauty of the oceans, the innocence of the gentle clouds. Under Durga’s
attacks Mahisha changes form—from buffalo to lion to man to elephant, every time eluding
her deathblows. But she resolves to slay him, and when Mahisha returns to his mighty
buffalo form, she pins him beneath her foot and thrusts her spear into his side. Instantly
Mahisha reveals his true demon form, and Durga beheads him with her great sword.
Like Mahisha, we go through life dissatisfied, often agitated, sometimes full of rage; and the
causes of our misery change over time. One day it’s this, the next day it’s something else,
and so it goes. Until we can pin down the root cause, our discontent cannot be overcome,
and like Mahishasura that cause is loath to reveal itself. Mahisha represents more than
monumental rage. His anger is one of six passions that afflict our human awareness. The
others are lust, greed, pride, jealousy and delusion. Let’s analyse them. Lust, or desire in
general, is a longing for gratification. We want something. Why? Because we feel something
is lacking. We feel deficient, limited or separated in some way. When we fail to satisfy a
desire, a common response is anger. Or when a desire is satisfied, a common response is
greed: we want more. And so, we’re caught in an ongoing cycle. To make matters worse, we
can add pride and jealousy to the mix.
Let’s define pride as a false sense of superiority designed to convince us we’re not deficient
after all, but in fact better than anyone else. And so, we think—until someone else comes
along whom we see as richer, more powerful, more attractive or happier than we are. Then
we fall prey to jealousy—an apprehensive resentment of someone else’s better condition in
life. All this adds up to delusion: we are caught up in a misreading of who and what we really
are. The Sanskrit word for delusion, moha, comes from a root meaning “to lose
consciousness,” and herein lies the key to understanding.
The Divine Mother is infinite consciousness. When she projects herself as the universe of
name and form, that consciousness appears divided among all beings. This apparent
fragmentation creates the sense of individuality. Each individual self-experiences its
existence in terms of “I, me and mine,” as well as “not-I, not-me and not-mine.” And so, the
trouble begins. The root cause of our inner existential discontent and our outward conflicts
is the feeling deep down inside that we are limited, separated and incomplete. We
mistakenly identify with the limited ego, when in fact we are the limitless atman. That
atman, abiding in every person, is the true Self—the one, undivided reality whose essence is
pure being-consciousness-bliss.
Durga Saptashati
Just as Mahishasura is about to be beheaded by Durga’s sword of knowledge, his glance

meets hers, and he gets a fleeting glimpse of that truth—that his true identity lies
dispassionate and blissful beyond the raging whirlpool of his passions. After he is slain, the
gods celebrate Durga’s triumph over Mahishasura in the longest and most eloquent of the
Chandi’s four hymns. Known as the Shakradistuti [Praise by Indra and the host of gods], it
invites us to reflect on the themes of good and evil, fate and free will, karma and divine
grace.
The hymn praises Durga as “good fortune in the dwellings of the virtuous and misfortune in
the abodes of the wicked (DM 4.5).” On the surface, this verse implies reward and
punishment by a personal deity. The deeper, philosophical meaning points to an impersonal
balancing principle at work in the universe, the law of karma. Either way the message is the
same: our deeds have consequences. A central theme of the hymn is the question of good
and evil. A working definition might go like this: good is that which takes us toward the
Divine—toward harmony, love and unity; evil is that which distances us from the Divine and
creates hatred, injury and disunity in our lives.
Additionally, referring to the fierce battle that has just taken place, the hymn asks how
Mahisha, even though enraged, could be moved to strike the Mother’s gently smiling face.
From this we can add another dimension to our definition of evil: that it is intentionally
profaning. In the world around us we witness continual assaults on all we hold sacred. War,
terrorism, genocide, the corruption of the innocent, the logging of irreplaceable forests, and
the remorseless pollution of the air, water and earth that support our very existence—what
evil moves humans to commit such terrible acts?
Whether we are talking about destructive actions, hate-filled speech, malevolent thoughts
or even uncaring passivity, let these be a sobering reminder that our collective and individual
evil is the human face of Mahishasura’s rage. Yet the hymn proclaims that even toward
evildoers the Mother’s intentions are most gracious. Her nature is to subdue the misconduct
of the wicked. Through her inconceivable grace, even wrongdoers who have committed
enough evil to keep them long in torment are purified in battle by the touch of her weapons
and are brought to beatitude.
We are reminded once again of the Bhagavadgita. Sri Krishna declares that whenever
righteousness declines and evil spreads, he is born into the world to protect the good, to
destroy wickedness, and to re-establish virtue (BG 4.6-8). On the theme of unconditional
grace, he says: “I am alike to all beings; to me none are hateful or dear. … If even an evil-
doer worships me with utter devotion, he should be regarded as good, for he is rightly
resolved. Quickly he becomes righteous and attains eternal peace (BG 9.29-31).”
The story of Madhu and Kaitabha was concerned with the power of tamas: how in our
ordinary state of being, we all walk around dazed and confused. In the story of Durga and
Mahishasura, the power of rajas predominates. Mahishasura’s rajasic energy controls him
and impels him to destructive acts, but Durga controls her own fiery splendor. Her rajas is
Durga Saptashati
protective of her devotees and intent on destroying evil. Through this story Medhas teaches
that through active struggle, we can overcome enslavement to our passions and live
virtuously, in harmony with the world.
According to Hindu teaching, life has four legitimate aims. These are dharma, artha, kama
and moksha—virtuous conduct, material comfort, enjoyment and liberation. The first three
form a category called bhukti, concerned with life in the world. Bhukti is the king’s
immediate concern. Having fled to the forest after his defeat, he has failed to fulfill his moral
responsibility, and he still feels attraction for the privileges of kingship. In other words, he
has unfinished business in the world.
How different is the merchant Samadhi? World-weary and ready to renounce the pursuits of
dharma, artha and kama, he is ready for moksha, spiritual liberation. For his sake, Medhas
tells his third and final story, one that points toward realizing our inner perfection beyond
the world. The story has a familiar beginning. Two demons, named Shumbha and
Nishumbha, have dispossessed the gods, stripped them of their powers and appropriated
their wealth and privilege. This time the cast of characters is much larger, and the demons
seem more like us than the ones we’ve met previously.
The complex scenario passes through three phases as we move progressively inward. The
Mother’s successive victories over a colorful cast of demons symbolize our own efforts at
purifying our consciousness of every imperfection and misconceived notion. First the myth
turns the mirror on our behavior and motivations. Next, we are drawn in deeper to observe
the mind and its workings, and finally we face the fundamental question of who or what we
are.
We first meet Shumbha sitting in his palace amid his glittering hoard of stolen treasure. The
sickening excess of it all reminds us of our own materialism run amok. Soon the two fawning
servants, Chanda and Munda, enter with news that they’ve seen a young woman of
captivating beauty dwelling in the Himalayas. Playing upon Shumbha’s vanity, they suggest
that he who is all-wealthy and all-powerful surely must also possess this jewel among
women. Little do they know that she is the Devi, the Divine Mother herself, in her sattvic
aspect. In the same way, we are drawn to the world’s enchantments but forget that they are
expressions of the Divine. Shumbha, his lust aroused, wants to claim her as his own, just as
we want to possess all that we find attractive and desirable. And just like us, if one way fails,
Shumbha will try another, and another, with growing frustration.
When his smooth-talking messenger, Sugriva, delivers a marriage proposal, we recognize in

him our own lack of complete truthfulness. At first the Devi plays along with delicious irony,
but after she refuses the marriage proposal, Sugriva’s honeyed words turn threatening. If
cajoling and deceit don’t work, how about force? Next, Shumbha sends a dim- witted thug
named Dhumralochana to fetch the Devi, kicking and screaming if need be. In other words,
when we set our mind to something, how it affects others is not necessarily our concern.
Durga Saptashati
When Dhumralochana’s brute force fails, Shumbha loses all reason and sends Chanda and
Munda with a huge army to bring back “that vile woman” in any way or in any condition
whatever. Notice how in Shumbha’s agitated mind “the jewel among women” is now “that
vile woman.” What was once so desirable is now the cause of his misery, and his desire now
is only for the triumph of his own will. Don’t we also overreact irrationally when
circumstances frustrate our intentions? The struggle escalates, and the gently smiling Devi
Durga calls forth the terrifying, emaciated form of Kali and eight other fierce goddesses to
combat the demon hordes. Each one of these shaktis is an aspect of her own immense
power. Each represents a higher function of our own consciousness.
When Chanda and Munda lie dead, a demon named Raktabija strides onto the battlefield.
He possesses a unique power. Whenever a drop of his blood falls to earth, another demon of
identical size and strength springs up. In the fighting, demons proliferate from his spilled
blood, and utter terror seizes the gods, until Durga merely smiles and tells Kali to roam the
battlefield and lap up the drops of blood as they fall. The demons arising from it soon perish
between her gnashing teeth; and Raktabija, drained of blood, falls dead.
This scene bridges two levels of reality. On one level the glistening red drops of Raktabija’s
blood represent the overwhelming power of desire. Like a seed, every desire that falls on the
fertile soil of our mind grows to maturity and bursts with seeds for the next planting. Every
desire produces the seeds of many more, and we find we are never satisfied. The ghastly
image of Kali, in her red-eyed, emaciated form known as Chamunda, avidly licking up the
drops of blood, tells us that desires are best conquered when nipped in the bud.
Another interpretation of the Raktabija episode takes us deeper into the mind. Patanjali,
whose Yoga Sutra systematized the science of meditation more than two thousand years
ago, wrote, “Yoga is the control of the thought-waves in the mind.” Anyone who has ever sat
to meditate knows how difficult this is. No matter how hard we try to concentrate, the mind
wanders from here to there. One thought gives rise to another. Raktabija symbolizes this
normal, unruly state of human consciousness, where mental energy is scattered and
unfocused. Chamunda Kali is the power of concentrated awareness that subdues the
thought-waves and takes us to a calmer, purer state of consciousness.
Finally, only two demons remain, the brothers Shumbha and Nishumbha. They are almost
inseparable, and the Chandi calls Nishumbha the younger brother who is dearer to Shumbha
than life itself. Shumbha represents the ego, and Nishumbha is the sense of attachment, the
tag-along sibling that accompanies him everywhere. Earlier we spoke about the ego as a
sense of separate selfhood. What we call ego is a limiting function of consciousness that in
Sanskrit is called ahamkara, literally the “I- maker.” It is both a process of consciousness and
the product of that process. Along with the sense of its own individuality, this I-making
principle has the power of self- appropriation that claims things as its own.
Here is where Nishumbha comes in. The attachment he represents is called mamatva,
literally, “my-ness.” In a sense it is the glue that holds our identity together. We consciously
Durga Saptashati
attach our sense of self to things that are not the Self. We identify with our bodily
characteristics, such as sex, size, shape, color. We define ourselves by our likes and dislikes,
by the people in our lives and our relationships to them, by our professions, leisure activities,
religious or political affiliations and countless other factors that combine in ways to make
each one of us unique. We use our life’s experiences—what we do and what happens to
us—to shape and reshape our identity. And so, our sense of self is constantly shifting.
Sri Ramakrishna noted how a fine new garment, or a new pair of boots can change an
ordinary man into a swaggering fool, or how money can make a humble man arrogant (M.,
169). Is our sense of self so fragile that a slight change of circumstance can cause us to
reformulate ourselves? Every factor we identify with is known in Sanskrit as an upadhi, a
defining attribute. But upadhi also means a limiting adjunct. We go through life acquiring
upadhis, thinking they will make our identity bigger and better, but in reality, we are merely
adding to our limitations. Attachments to fame, influence, wealth and possessions only make
our burden of personal identity heavier. The more we are reined in by our defining
attributes, the more we lose sight of our larger sense of self.
When we allow our happiness and misery to be dictated by things outside of and foreign to
our true nature, we lose our autonomy. Let’s consider the third meaning of upadhi: a
substitute, anything that may be taken for something else, an appearance mistaken for
reality. Our defining upadhis are components of a false sense of our own identity. In the end,
they are no more than worthless tokens of our separation from the infinite Self. But how we
hold on to them! When the Divine Mother finally slays Nishumbha, we get a graphic image
of the ferocity of the struggle. Just when she has the demon cornered, he sprouts ten
thousand arms with ten thousand grasping hands. This picture of ugly desperation illustrates
just how desperate we are not to let go.
Even with Nishumbha out of the way, there remains the ego-sense itself, denuded of all
borrowed attributes. Now Shumbha, alone, stands face to face with the Mother. He points
to her companion goddesses and chides her for relying on the strength of others in the fight.
She answers, “I am alone here in the world. … These are but projections of my own power…
(DM 10.5). ” To prove her point, the Shaktis vanish into her, and she then slays Shumbha.
This final victory represents the realization of the true Self.
There is no way to describe this immediate, unmediated knowledge of the atman; but that
has not stopped mystics of every religious tradition throughout history from trying to
express the inexpressible experience of the Divine. In the Svetasvatara Upanishad, a text
certainly known to whoever composed the Chandi, the enlightened seer proclaims, “I have
known the unchanging, primeval One, the indwelling Self of all, everywhere present and all-
pervading, whom the wise declare to be free from birth and eternal (SU 3.21).”
Medhas then relates how the gods again praised the Divine Mother in a fourth and final
hymn. Three of its verses (DM 11.10-12) are well known in Vedanta circles. They are sung
every evening around the world in temples of the Ramakrishna Order as the arati hymn “Om
Durga Saptashati
Sarva Mangala Mangalye.” Then, Medhas sends his two disciples to the bank of a river,
where they meditate and worship the Mother devotedly. After three years she appears to
them and offers each a boon. Suratha, who we remember has unfinished business, asks for
the return of his earthly kingdom, followed by an imperishable kingdom in the next life. The
merchant Samadhi, on the other hand, has grown wise and dispassionate. He asks for the
knowledge that will dissolve the bondage of worldly existence.
Through the Mother’s grace, each boon is granted, in keeping with the Chandi’s teaching
that the Divine Mother is bhuktimuktipradayini, “the bestower of worldly enjoyment and
liberation (DM11.7).” How conversant Sri Ramakrishna was with the teachings of the Chandi
is made clear in a conversation he had with members of the Brahmo Samaj in the autumn of
1882. In a single paragraph that summarizes the essential message of the Chandi,
Ramakrishna said, “Bondage and liberation are both of Her making. By her maya worldly
people become entangled in ‘woman and gold,’ and again, through her grace they attain
liberation. She is called the Savior, and the Remover of the bondage that binds one to the
world (M., 136).”
A short while later he added, “I tell you the truth: there is nothing wrong in your being in the
world. But you must direct your mind toward God; otherwise you will not succeed. Do your
duty with one hand and with the other hold to God. After the duty is over, you will hold to
God with both hands (M., 137-138).” On another occasion Sri Ramakrishna said, “Sometimes
I find that the universe is saturated with the Consciousness of God, as the earth is soaked
with water in the rainy season (M., 260).” This calls to mind the Chandi’s third hymn, known
as the Aparajitastuti, [Hymn to the Invincible Goddess].
Unlike the three other hymns, which are intimately connected to the foregoing battle
narratives, this one is an ecstatic celebration of the Divine Mother’s presence in the world. It
reminds us simply to see divinity everywhere around us, because the Mother abides in all
beings as intelligence, order, forgiveness, modesty, peace, beauty, good fortune,
compassion, contentment, and in countless other ways. We need only to remember her
presence; and as a sign of her grace, it is she herself who abides in us even in the form of
memory.
We conclude with two verses from this hymn: “To her who presides over the elements and
the senses and is ever present in all beings, to the all-pervading Devi, salutations again and
again. To her who pervades this entire world and abides in the form of consciousness,
salutation to her, salutation to her, salutation to her, again and again (DM 5.77-80).”
NOTES
John Michael Greer, “Myth, History and Pagan Origins,” The Pomegranate 9 (1999): 44-50.
Mahendranath Gupta, The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna, translated by Swami Nikhilananda

(New York: Ramakrishna-Vivekananda Center, 1942).
Durga Saptashati
Swami Saradananda, Sri Ramakrishna, The Great Master, translated by Swami Jagadananda
(Mylapore, Madras: Sri Ramakrishna Math, 1952).
Cited passages from the Bhagavad Gita (BG), Chandi (DM), and Svetasvatara Upanishad (SU)
translated by the author.
__________________
Madhu and Kaitabh
From the Mahabharata

Vana Parva, Section CCII
Translated by Sri Kisari Mohan Ganguli
Addressing Markandeya
Yudhishthira said: O holy one, O thou possessed of the wealth of asceticism, who was this
Daitya (Dhundhu) of great energy? Whose son and whose grandson, was he? I desire to
know all this.
Markandeya said: O monarch, know everything as it happened, O ruler of men, as I narrate

the particulars truly, O thou of great wisdom!
When the world became one broad expanse of water and creatures mobile and immobile
were destroyed, when, O bull of the Bharata race, the entire creation came to its end. He
who is the Source and creator of the Universe, viz., the Eternal and unfading Vishnu, He who
is called by Munis crowned with ascetic success as the Supreme Lord of the Universe, that
Being of great holiness, then lay in Yoga sleep on the wide hood of the snake Sesha of
immeasurable energy, and the Creator of the Universe, that highly blessed and holy Hari,
knowing no deterioration, lay on the hood of that snake encircling the whole Earth and as
the Deity lay asleep on that bed, a lotus endued with great beauty and effulgence equal unto
that of the Sun, sprang from His navel.
And from that lotus possessed of effulgence like unto the Sun’s sprang the Grandsire
Brahma, that lord of the worlds who is the four Vedas, who has four arms and four faces,
who is invincible in consequence of his own energy and who is endued with mighty strength
and great prowess and as the Lord Hari of wondrous frame, possessed of great lustre and
decked with a crown and the Kautubha gem and attired in purple silk, lay stretched for many
a yojana on that excellent bed furnished by the hood of the snake itself extending far and
wide, blazing, O king, in his beauty and the lustre of his own body like a thousand Suns
concentrated in one mass.
He was beheld some time after by two Danavas of great prowess named Madhu and
Kaitabha and beholding Hari (in that posture) and the Grandsire (Brahma) with eyes like
Durga Saptashati
lotus leaves seated on that lotus, both Madhu and Kaitabha wandered much and they began
to terrify and alarm Brahma of immeasurable prowess, and the illustrious Brahma alarmed
by their continuous exertions trembled on his seat, and at his trembling the stalk of the lotus
on which he was seated began to tremble and when the lotus stalk trembled, Kesava
(Vishnu) awoke.
And awakened from His slumber, Govinda (Vishnu) beheld those Danavas of mighty energy
and beholding them the Deity said unto them: Welcome, ye mighty ones! I am gratified with
you! Therefore, I will grant you excellent boons!
And thereupon both those proud and mighty Danavas, O king, laughingly replied unto
Hrishikesa (Vishnu), saying: Ask boons of us, O divine one! O thou that art the Supreme
Deity, we are disposed to grant thee a boon. Indeed, we will grant thee a boon! Therefore,
ask thou of us anything that comes to thy mind.
Thus, addressed by them the holy one spoke: Ye brave ones, I will accept a boon from you.
There is a boon that I desire. Both of you are possessed of mighty energy. There is no male
person like unto any of you, O you of unbaffled prowess, submit ye to be slain by me. Even
that is what I desire to accomplish for the good of the world.
Hearing these words of the Deity, both Madhu and Kaitabha said: We have never before
spoken an untruth. No, not even in jest. What shall we say of other occasions! O thou
foremost of male Beings, know that we have never been firm in truth and morality. In
strength, in forms, in beauty, in virtue, in asceticism, in charity, in behaviour, in goodness, in
self-control, there is no one equal unto either of us. A great danger, O Kesava, has
approached us. Accomplish thou, therefore, what thou hast said. No one can prevail over
Time. But, O Lord, there is one thing that we desire to be done by thee. O thou best and
foremost of all Deities, thou must slay us at a spot that is absolutely uncovered. And, O thou
of excellent eyes, we also desire to become thy sons. This is the boon that we desire, know
then, O chief of the gods! Let not that O Deity, be false which thou had at first promised to
us.
The Holy One then replied unto them saying: Yes, I will do as you desire. Everything will be as
ye wish.
Markandeya continued: Then Govinda began to reflect but uncovered space found He none
and when He could not discover any spot that was uncovered on earth or in the sky, that
foremost Deity then beheld His thighs to be absolutely uncovered. And there, O king, the
illustrious Deity cut off the heads of Madhu and Kaitabha with His keen-edged discus!
Markandeya said: The illustrious Dhundhu, O king, was the son of Madhu and Kaitabha, and
possessed of great energy and prowess, he underwent ascetic penances of great austerity
and he stood erect on one leg and reduced his body to a mass of only veins and arteries, and
Brahma, gratified with him, gave him a boon. And the boon he had asked of the lord
Durga Saptashati
Prajapati (Grandsire Brahma) was in these words: Let no one among the gods, the Danvas,
the Rakshasas, the Snakes, the Gandharvas and the Rakshasas be capable of slaying me.
Even this is the boon that I ask of thee.
And the Grandsire replied unto him saying: Let it be as thy wishest. Go thy way.

Durga Saptashati

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Durga Saptashati

The Devisukta of the Rig Veda

Devisukta is a hymn of eight verses found in the most ancient

Durga Saptashati Katha

This Katha can be divided into three sections:

1. The demons Madhu and Kaitabha destroyed by Lord Vishnu

The demons Madhu and Kaitabha destroyed by Lord Vishnu

Chapter 1 The Slaying of Madhu and Kaitabha

Markandeya said (to his disciple Krasustuki Bhaguri):

The king was continually thinking of these and other things.

The Rishi said:

The Rishi said:

Here ends the eleventh chapter called 'Hymn to Narayani' of Devi-Mahatmyam in

The Bestowing of Boons to Suratha and Vaisya

The Message Of The Chandi

Just as Mahishasura is about to be beheaded by Durga’s sword of knowledge, his glance

When his smooth-talking messenger, Sugriva, delivers a marriage proposal, we recognize in

Mahendranath Gupta, The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna, translated by Swami Nikhilananda

Madhu and Kaitabh

From the Mahabharata

Markandeya said: O monarch, know everything as it happened, O ruler of men, as I narrate

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