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Mantra · Shumbha mocks her borrowed strength; she absorbs the Mothers and kills him alone

Durga Saptashati Chapter 10

निशुम्भं निहतं दृष्ट्वा भ्रातरं प्राणसम्मितम् । हन्यमानं बलं चैव शुम्भः क्रुद्धोऽब्रवीद्वचः ॥

In Devanagari, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam and English — with the meaning of every word, and the one syllable most people pronounce wrongly.

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What the Durga Saptashati Chapter 10 is

Durga Saptashati Chapter 10 (Shumbha Vadha, the slaying of Shumbha, as its concluding colophon has it) is the shortest battle chapter of the last episode and ends the war that began in chapter 5. Kameshvari is the subject of the dhyana the standard printed edition sets at its start: golden as refined metal, with the sun, moon and fire for her three eyes, holding bow, arrows, goad, noose and trident, wearing the crescent moon and described as the form of Shiva and Shakti together. The chapter opens directly after Nishumbha's death in chapter 9. In verses 2 and 3 Shumbha, grieving his brother, taunts the Goddess for fighting with other women's strength. Her answer in verses 5 and 8 is the doctrinal centre of the chapter, and verse 6 shows it happen: the goddesses led by Brahmani dissolve into her body. Verses 10 to 27 are a single duel, watched by gods and demons alike, that runs weapon by weapon from divine missiles and bows down to fists and wrestling, until her trident pierces his chest. Unlike the earlier battle chapters, no army fights here and no new form springs from her: the Goddess fights alone, as she says she will. Verses 28 to 32 describe the world recovering. Of the 32 numbered lines, four only name a speaker (the sage at lines 1 and 9, the Goddess at 4 and 7) and line 32 is a half-verse.

Shumbha's taunt and the duel in the sky

With Nishumbha dead and his army being cut down, Shumbha turns his anger on the Goddess, calling her Durga and accusing her of pride while she leans on the strength of others. The others are the Mothers, the gods' own energies, who had entered the fight against Raktabija. She replies that she alone exists in the world and there is no second beside her; the goddesses he sees are her own powers, now returning into her. Verse 6 says that Brahmani and all the rest merge into her body and Ambika alone remains. She tells him to stand firm. What follows is told almost blow by blow. He breaks the hundreds of divine missiles she looses; she breaks his, as if in play, with fierce cries of 'hum'. She cuts his bow, his spear, his sword and his shield marked with a hundred moons, then his club. Unarmed, he punches her over the heart and she strikes his chest with her open palm, felling him. He rises, seizes her and carries her up into the sky, where, verse 22 says, she fights with nothing beneath her, a contest that verse 23 calls the first of its kind and that leaves the siddhas and sages amazed. She whirls him round and throws him to the earth; he charges again with his fist raised, and her trident pierces his chest. His fall shakes the earth with its oceans, islands and mountains, then the omens stop: the sky clears, rivers return to their courses, gandharvas sing and apsaras dance, and the sacrificial fires that had gone out blaze again.

The mantra, in six scripts

DevanagariSanskrit & Hindiनिशुम्भं निहतं दृष्ट्वा भ्रातरं प्राणसम्मितम् । हन्यमानं बलं चैव शुम्भः क्रुद्धोऽब्रवीद्वचः ॥

Tamilநிஶும்பம் நிஹதம் த்ருஷ்ட்வா ப்ராதரம் ப்ராணஸம்மிதம் । ஹந்யமாநம் பலம் சைவ ஶும்பஃ க்ருத்தோப்ரவீத்வசஃ ॥

Teluguనిశుమ్భం నిహతం దృష్ట్వా భ్రాతరం ప్రాణసమ్మితమ్ । హన్యమానం బలం చైవ శుమ్భః క్రుద్ధోఽబ్రవీద్వచః ॥

Kannadaನಿಶುಮ್ಭಂ ನಿಹತಂ ದೃಷ್ಟ್ವಾ ಭ್ರಾತರಂ ಪ್ರಾಣಸಮ್ಮಿತಮ್ । ಹನ್ಯಮಾನಂ ಬಲಂ ಚೈವ ಶುಮ್ಭಃ ಕ್ರುದ್ಧೋಽಬ್ರವೀದ್ವಚಃ ॥

Malayalamനിശുമ്ഭം നിഹതം ദൃഷ്ട്വാ ഭ്രാതരം പ്രാണസമ്മിതമ് । ഹന്യമാനം ബലം ചൈവ ശുമ്ഭഃ ക്രുദ്ധോഽബ്രവീദ്വചഃ ॥

EnglishRoman transliterationniśumbhaṃ nihataṃ dṛṣṭvā bhrātaraṃ prāṇasammitam | hanyamānaṃ balaṃ caiva śumbhaḥ kruddho'bravīdvacaḥ ||

“The sage said: Seeing his brother Nishumbha, dear to him as his own life, slain, and his army being cut down, Shumbha spoke in anger.”

निशुम्भं: niśumbhaṃ — Nishumbha
निहतं: nihataṃ — slain
दृष्ट्वा: dṛṣṭvā — having seen
भ्रातरं: bhrātaraṃ — brother
प्राणसम्मितम्: prāṇasammitam — dear as life
हन्यमानं: hanyamānaṃ — being slain
बलं: balaṃ — army
चैव: caiva — and also
शुम्भः: śumbhaḥ — Shumbha
क्रुद्धोऽब्रवीद्वचः: kruddho'bravīdvacaḥ — in anger spoke words

Durga Saptashati Chapter 10 lyrics in full

The Kameshvari meditation verse and all 32 numbered lines of the chapter in the standard numbering; the speaker of each passage is named above it.

All 32 numbered lines, in Sanskrit, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam and English, each with its meaning. Choose a script:

Download the Durga Saptashati Chapter 10 PDFAll 32 numbered lines with their meanings, in Sanskrit. Free to print and keep.

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Dhyanam 1

ॐ उत्तप्तहेमरुचिरां रविचन्द्रवह्निनेत्रां धनुश्शरयुताङ्कुशपाशशूलम् ।
रम्यैर्भुजैश्च दधतीं शिवशक्तिरूपां कामेश्वरीं हृदि भजामि धृतेन्दुलेखाम् ॥

Om. I meditate in my heart on Kameshvari, lovely as refined gold, whose three eyes are the sun, the moon and fire, who holds in her beautiful arms a bow with arrows, a goad, a noose and a trident. She is the form of Shiva and Shakti and wears the crescent moon.

Verse 2

ऋषिरुवाच
निशुम्भं निहतं दृष्ट्वा भ्रातरं प्राणसम्मितम् । हन्यमानं बलं चैव शुम्भः क्रुद्धोऽब्रवीद्वचः ॥

The sage said: Seeing his brother Nishumbha, dear to him as his own life, slain, and his army being cut down, Shumbha spoke in anger.

Verse 3

बलावलेपाद् दुष्टे त्वं मा दुर्गे गर्वमावह ।
अन्यासां बलमाश्रित्य युद्ध्यसे यातिमानिनी ॥

Wicked Durga, swollen with pride in your strength, do not be so arrogant. You think so highly of yourself, yet you fight by leaning on the strength of other women.

Verse 5

देव्युवाच
एकैवाहं जगत्यत्र द्वितीया का ममापरा । पश्यैता दुष्ट मय्येव विशन्त्यो मद्विभूतयः ॥

The Goddess said: I alone exist here in the world; who else is there besides me? Look, wicked one, these are my own powers, entering back into me.

Verse 6

ततः समस्तास्ता देव्यो ब्रह्माणीप्रमुखा लयम् ।
तस्या देव्यास्तनौ जग्मुरेकैवासीत्तदाम्बिका ॥

Then all those goddesses, led by Brahmani, merged into the body of that Goddess, and Ambika alone remained.

Verse 8

देव्युवाच
अहं विभूत्या बहुभिरिह रूपैर्यदास्थिता । तत्संहृतं मयैकैव तिष्ठाम्याजौ स्थिरो भव ॥

The Goddess said: The many forms I took here through my power I have now drawn back into myself. I stand alone in the battle; hold your ground.

Verse 10

ऋषिरुवाच
ततः प्रववृते युद्धं देव्याः शुम्भस्य चोभयोः । पश्यतां सर्वदेवानामसुराणां च दारुणम् ॥

The sage said: Then a terrible battle began between the two, the Goddess and Shumbha, while all the gods and demons looked on.

Verse 11

शरवर्षैः शितैः शस्त्रैस्तथास्त्रैश्चैव दारुणैः ।
तयोर्युद्धमभूद्भूयः सर्वलोकभयङ्करम् ॥

With showers of arrows, sharp weapons and dreadful missiles, their fight grew fierce once more, striking fear into all the worlds.

Verse 12

दिव्यान्यस्त्राणि शतशो मुमुचे यान्यथाम्बिका ।
बभञ्ज तानि दैत्येन्द्रस्तत्प्रतीघातकर्तृभिः ॥

The hundreds of divine missiles that Ambika then released, the lord of the demons broke with weapons that countered them.

Verse 13

मुक्तानि तेन चास्त्राणि दिव्यानि परमेश्वरी ।
बभञ्ज लीलयैवोग्रहुङ्कारोच्चारणादिभिः ॥

And the divine missiles he released, the Supreme Goddess broke as if in play, by uttering fierce cries of hum and the like.

Verse 14

ततः शरशतैर्देवीमाच्छादयत सोऽसुरः ।
सापि तत्कुपिता देवी धनुश्चिच्छेद चेषुभिः ॥

Then the demon covered the Goddess with hundreds of arrows. Angered by this, the Goddess cut his bow apart with her arrows.

Verse 15

छिन्ने धनुषि दैत्येन्द्रस्तथा शक्तिमथाददे ।
चिच्छेद देवी चक्रेण तामप्यस्य करे स्थिताम् ॥

His bow broken, the demon king took up a spear; the Goddess cut that too with her discus while it was still in his hand.

Verse 16

ततः खड्गमुपादाय शतचन्द्रं च भानुमत् ।
अभ्यधावत्तदा देवीं दैत्यानामधिपेश्वरः ॥

Then the overlord of the demons took up a sword and a gleaming shield marked with a hundred moons, and rushed at the Goddess.

Verse 17

तस्यापतत एवाशु खड्गं चिच्छेद चण्डिका ।
धनुर्मुक्तैः सितैर्बाणैश्चर्म चार्ककरामलम् ॥

Even as he charged, Chandika swiftly cut his sword, and with bright arrows loosed from her bow she cut his shield, which shone like the rays of the sun.

Verse 18

हताश्वः स तदा दैत्यश्छिन्नधन्वा विसारथिः ।
जग्राह मुद्गरं घोरमम्बिकानिधनोद्यतः ॥

His horses killed, his bow broken and his charioteer gone, the demon then seized a terrible club, bent on killing Ambika.

Verse 19

चिच्छेदापततस्तस्य मुद्गरं निशितैः शरैः ।
तथापि सोऽभ्यधावत्तां मुष्टिमुद्यम्य वेगवान् ॥

As he came at her she cut his club with sharp arrows; even so he rushed at her swiftly with his fist raised.

Verse 20

स मुष्टिं पातयामास हृदये दैत्यपुङ्गवः ।
देव्यास्तं चापि सा देवी तलेनोरस्यताडयत् ॥

That bull among demons brought his fist down on the Goddess's heart, and the Goddess struck him on the chest with the flat of her hand.

Verse 21

तलप्रहाराभिहतो निपपात महीतले ।
स दैत्यराजः सहसा पुनरेव तथोत्थितः ॥

Struck by the blow of her palm, the demon king fell to the ground, but at once he rose up again.

Verse 22

उत्पत्य च प्रगृह्योच्चैर्देवीं गगनमास्थितः ।
तत्रापि सा निराधारा युयुधे तेन चण्डिका ॥

Leaping up, he seized the Goddess and rose high into the sky; there too Chandika, with nothing to stand on, fought with him.

Verse 23

नियुद्धं खे तदा दैत्यश्चण्डिका च परस्परम् ।
चक्रतुः प्रथमं सिद्धमुनिविस्मयकारकम् ॥

Then the demon and Chandika fought each other hand to hand in the sky, a contest such as had never been, which filled the siddhas and sages with wonder.

Verse 24

ततो नियुद्धं सुचिरं कृत्वा तेनाम्बिका सह ।
उत्पात्य भ्रामयामास चिक्षेप धरणीतले ॥

After wrestling with him for a long time, Ambika lifted him up, whirled him round and flung him to the ground.

Verse 25

स क्षिप्तो धरणीं प्राप्य मुष्टिमुद्यम्य वेगितः ।
अभ्यधावत दुष्टात्मा चण्डिकानिधनेच्छया ॥

Thrown down, the wicked one landed on the earth and, raising his fist, rushed swiftly at Chandika, wanting to kill her.

Verse 26

तमायान्तं ततो देवी सर्वदैत्यजनेश्वरम् ।
जगत्यां पातयामास भित्त्वा शूलेन वक्षसि ॥

As the lord of all the demon peoples came on, the Goddess pierced his chest with her trident and threw him down upon the earth.

Verse 27

स गतासुः पपातोर्व्यां देवीशूलाग्रविक्षतः ।
चालयन् सकलां पृथ्वीं साब्धिद्वीपां सपर्वताम् ॥

Torn by the point of the Goddess's trident, he fell lifeless to the ground, shaking the whole earth with its oceans, islands and mountains.

Verse 28

ततः प्रसन्नमखिलं हते तस्मिन् दुरात्मनि ।
जगत्स्वास्थ्यमतीवाप निर्मलं चाभवन्नभः ॥

When that evil one was slain, the whole universe grew calm; the world was fully restored to health, and the sky became clear.

Verse 29

उत्पातमेघाः सोल्का ये प्रागासंस्ते शमं ययुः ।
सरितो मार्गवाहिन्यस्तथासंस्तत्र पातिते ॥

The ominous clouds and meteors seen before all died away, and once he was struck down the rivers flowed again in their proper courses.

Verse 30

ततो देवगणाः सर्वे हर्षनिर्भरमानसाः ।
बभूवुर्निहते तस्मिन् गन्धर्वा ललितं जगुः ॥

With him slain, all the hosts of gods were filled with joy, and the gandharvas sang sweetly.

Verse 31

अवादयंस्तथैवान्ये ननृतुश्चाप्सरोगणाः ।
ववुः पुण्यास्तथा वाताः सुप्रभोऽभूद्दिवाकरः ॥

Others played instruments, and the troupes of apsaras danced; pure winds blew, and the sun shone brightly.

Verse 32

जज्वलुश्चाग्नयः शान्ताः शान्ता दिग्जनितस्वनाः ॥

The sacred fires that had gone out blazed up again, and the fearful sounds that had risen in every direction fell silent.

The syllable people get wrong

In verse 2, kruddho'bravīdvacaḥ (क्रुद्धोऽब्रवीद्वचः) hides a word behind the avagraha (ऽ): it stands for the a of abravīt, dropped after kruddhaḥ becomes kruddho, and is not sounded. Say krud-dho-bra-veed-va-chah, with a doubled dd, not 'krud-dho-a-bra-vit'.

When the Durga Saptashati Chapter 10 is chanted

Weekday. Friday

Festival. Navaratri, read with chapter 9 on the fifth day of the seven-day division

Questions

It is verse 5, the Goddess's reply to Shumbha: 'I alone exist here in the world; who else is there besides me? Look, wicked one, these are my own powers, entering back into me.' The word ekaiva, 'one only', answers his charge in verse 3 that she relies on other women. The second line names those women her vibhutis, her own powers or manifestations, so the charge falls apart. Verse 8 restates it from the other side: the many forms she took through her power she has now drawn back, and she stands alone. Read together, the verses are the chapter's statement that the Mothers were never separate allies.

Verse 6 says only that all the goddesses 'led by Brahmani' went into her body, leaving Ambika alone. It does not list them again, because they were named when they entered the battle against Raktabija in chapter 8: the powers of Brahma, Shiva, Guha, Vishnu and Indra, appearing as Brahmani on her swan chariot, Maheshvari on a bull, Kaumari on a peacock, Vaishnavi on Garuda, Varahi with a sow's body, Narasimhi tossing her mane and Aindri on an elephant. The text calls them the Mothers, and in chapter 9 they are still fighting Shumbha's troops. Brahmani heads the list in chapter 8 as well. Chapter 10 is where these figures, who fought beside her through two chapters, are shown to have been her own powers all along, the very thing Shumbha had denied.

Kameshvari, 'the sovereign of desire', is the form the standard printed edition gives for meditation before this chapter. The verse describes her as lovely as refined gold, with three eyes that are the sun, the moon and fire, holding in her arms a bow with arrows, a goad, a noose and a trident, and wearing the crescent moon on her head. It calls her the form of Shiva and Shakti together. Kameshvari is also one of the sixteen Nitya goddesses of Tantric worship, where the goad and noose are standard emblems. The chapter's own text never uses the name, calling her Ambika, Chandika, Durga and Parameshvari, but the trident in the meditation's hands is the weapon that ends the chapter, piercing Shumbha's chest in verse 26.

Not in any verse of the standard printed text. Verse 17 has Chandika cut his sword and his sun-bright shield, and verse 18 opens with Shumbha already 'horses slain, bow cut, charioteer gone'. The bow was cut in verse 14, but the horses and charioteer are not mentioned before. The standard printed edition notes that some copies add a line after verse 17, 'she felled his horses and his chariot together with the charioteer', and other printings carry it. The standard printed edition leaves it out of the main text because it lies outside the 32 counted lines, so its readers meet the loss of the horses only in its result.

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Durga Saptashati Chapter 10

What the Durga Saptashati Chapter 10 is

Shumbha's taunt and the duel in the sky

The mantra, in six scripts

Durga Saptashati Chapter 10 lyrics in full

The syllable people get wrong

When the Durga Saptashati Chapter 10 is chanted

Questions

Have your chart read before you decide

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