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Mantra · Mahishasura turns lion, swordsman, elephant and buffalo before she beheads him

Durga Saptashati Chapter 3

निहन्यमानं तत्सैन्यमवलोक्य महासुरः । सेनानीश्चिक्षुरः कोपाद्ययौ योद्धुमथाम्बिकाम् ॥

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 3 is

Durga Saptashati Chapter 3 takes its title, Mahishasura Vadha or the slaying of Mahishasura, from its final colophon line, and it sits second among the three Mahalakshmi chapters that form the Devi Mahatmya's central part. It takes up the battle where chapter 2 leaves it, with the demon army being cut down, and ends with the demon king dead. The standard printed edition sets a dhyana, a verse for meditation, at the head of this chapter: the Goddess seated on a lotus, glowing like a thousand rising suns. The sage Medhas tells the whole chapter, quoting the Goddess once. Verses 2 to 10 are the duel with Chikshura, Mahishasura's commander; verses 11 to 16 the fight with Chamara, whom her lion kills; verses 17 to 20 dispose of twelve more generals by name. In verses 21 to 27 Mahishasura himself, as a buffalo, scatters her attendants and tears at earth, ocean and sky. Verses 28 to 42 are their duel, and verses 43 and 44 bring the gods' joy and the praise that chapter 4 gives in full. There are no half-verses here: the 44 numbered lines are 41 full verses and three lines naming the speaker (1, 37 and 39), which is why the numbers skip at 37 and 39.

The generals fall, then a buffalo that keeps changing shape

The chapter opens on a field where the demon army is already being cut down. Chikshura, the commander, rains arrows on Ambika as a cloud pours rain on the peak of Meru. She cuts his volleys down as if at play (verse 4), kills his horses and driver, and splits his bow and his tall banner. On foot with sword and shield, he strikes the lion on the head and the Goddess on her left arm, and the sword shatters against her. The spear he hurls next, blazing like the sun's disc, meets her own spear and breaks into a hundred pieces, and he breaks with it. Chamara comes on an elephant; his javelin drops lifeless at her cry of 'hum', and the lion leaps onto the elephant's head, wrestles him to the ground and takes off his head with a paw. Then Mahishasura comes himself as a buffalo, felling her attendants with muzzle, hooves, tail, horns and the gust of his breath. When he charges her lion, she is roused to anger. His hooves split the earth, his tail sends the ocean over the land, his horns shred the clouds, and mountains fall from the sky on his breath. She throws a noose and binds him. He leaves the buffalo and becomes a lion, then, as she beheads the lion, a man with a sword, then an elephant that drags at her lion with its trunk until she cuts the trunk away. A buffalo once more, he shakes the three worlds. She drinks, laughs, speaks once, leaps onto him and pins his neck under her foot. Half out of his own mouth in another form, still fighting, he loses his head to her sword.

The mantra, in six scripts

DevanagariSanskrit & Hindiनिहन्यमानं तत्सैन्यमवलोक्य महासुरः । सेनानीश्चिक्षुरः कोपाद्ययौ योद्धुमथाम्बिकाम् ॥

Tamilநிஹந்யமாநம் தத்ஸைந்யமவலோக்ய மஹாஸுரஃ । ஸேநாநீஶ்சிக்ஷுரஃ கோபாத்யயௌ யோத்துமதாம்பிகாம் ॥

Teluguనిహన్యమానం తత్సైన్యమవలోక్య మహాసురః । సేనానీశ్చిక్షురః కోపాద్యయౌ యోద్ధుమథామ్బికామ్ ॥

Kannadaನಿಹನ್ಯಮಾನಂ ತತ್ಸೈನ್ಯಮವಲೋಕ್ಯ ಮಹಾಸುರಃ । ಸೇನಾನೀಶ್ಚಿಕ್ಷುರಃ ಕೋಪಾದ್ಯಯೌ ಯೋದ್ಧುಮಥಾಮ್ಬಿಕಾಮ್ ॥

Malayalamനിഹന്യമാനം തത്സൈന്യമവലോക്യ മഹാസുരഃ । സേനാനീശ്ചിക്ഷുരഃ കോപാദ്യയൌ യോദ്ധുമഥാമ്ബികാമ് ॥

EnglishRoman transliterationnihanyamānaṃ tatsainyamavalokya mahāsuraḥ | senānīścikṣuraḥ kopādyayau yoddhumathāmbikām ||

“The sage said: Seeing that army being slaughtered, the great demon Chikshura, the commander, went in anger to fight Ambika.”

निहन्यमानं: nihanyamānaṃ — being slaughtered
तत्सैन्यमवलोक्य: tatsainyamavalokya — seeing that army
महासुरः: mahāsuraḥ — the great demon
सेनानीश्चिक्षुरः: senānīścikṣuraḥ — the commander Chikshura
कोपाद्ययौ: kopādyayau — went in anger
योद्धुमथाम्बिकाम्: yoddhumathāmbikām — then, to fight Ambika

Durga Saptashati Chapter 3 lyrics in full

The meditation verse on the lotus-seated Goddess and all 44 numbered lines of the chapter in the standard numbering; the speaker of each passage is named above it.

All 44 numbered lines, in Sanskrit, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam and English, each with its meaning. Choose a script:

Download the Durga Saptashati Chapter 3 PDFAll 44 numbered lines with their meanings, in Sanskrit. Free to print and keep.

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Dhyanam 1

ॐ उद्यद्भानुसहस्रकान्तिमरुणक्षौमां शिरोमालिकां रक्तालिप्तपयोधरां जपवटीं विद्यामभीतिं वरम् ।
हस्ताब्जैर्दधतीं त्रिनेत्रविलसद्वक्त्रारविन्दश्रियं देवीं बद्धहिमांशुरत्नमुकुटां वन्देऽरविन्दस्थिताम् ॥

Om. I bow to the Goddess seated on a lotus, radiant as a thousand rising suns, clad in red silk, wearing a garland of heads, her breasts smeared with red sandal paste. In her lotus hands she holds a rosary, learning (the book), and shows the gestures of fearlessness and boon-giving; her lotus face shines with three eyes, and she wears a jewelled crown bound with the crescent moon.

Verse 2

ऋषिरुवाच
निहन्यमानं तत्सैन्यमवलोक्य महासुरः । सेनानीश्चिक्षुरः कोपाद्ययौ योद्धुमथाम्बिकाम् ॥

The sage said: Seeing that army being slaughtered, the great demon Chikshura, the commander, went in anger to fight Ambika.

Verse 3

स देवीं शरवर्षेण ववर्ष समरेऽसुरः ।
यथा मेरुगिरेः शृङ्गं तोयवर्षेण तोयदः ॥

In the battle the demon rained arrows on the Goddess, as a cloud pours rain on the peak of Mount Meru.

Verse 4

तस्यच्छित्त्वा ततो देवी लीलयैव शरोत्करान् ।
जघान तुरगान् बाणैर्यन्तारं चैव वाजिनाम् ॥

Then the Goddess, as if at play, cut down his volleys of arrows, and with her arrows killed his horses and their driver.

Verse 5

चिच्छेद च धनुः सद्यो ध्वजं चातिसमुच्छ्रितम् ।
विव्याध चैव गात्रेषु छिन्नधन्वानमाशुगैः ॥

At once she split his bow and his very tall banner, and with swift arrows pierced the limbs of the demon whose bow was broken.

Verse 6

सच्छिन्नधन्वा विरथो हताश्वो हतसारथिः ।
अभ्यधावत तां देवीं खड्गचर्मधरोऽसुरः ॥

His bow broken, his chariot gone, his horses and charioteer killed, the demon rushed at the Goddess holding sword and shield.

Verse 7

सिंहमाहत्य खड्गेन तीक्ष्णधारेण मूर्धनि ।
आजघान भुजे सव्ये देवीमप्यतिवेगवान् ॥

With great speed he struck the lion on the head with his sharp-edged sword, and struck the Goddess too on her left arm.

Verse 8

तस्याः खड्गो भुजं प्राप्य पफाल नृपनन्दन ।
ततो जग्राह शूलं स कोपादरुणलोचनः ॥

O prince, the sword shattered on touching her arm. Then, his eyes red with anger, he seized a spear.

Verse 9

चिक्षेप च ततस्तत्तु भद्रकाल्यां महासुरः ।
जाज्वल्यमानं तेजोभी रविबिम्बमिवाम्बरात् ॥

The great demon hurled it at Bhadrakali, blazing with light like the disc of the sun falling from the sky.

Verse 10

दृष्ट्वा तदापतच्छूलं देवी शूलममुञ्चत ।
तच्छूलं शतधा तेन नीतं स च महासुरः ॥

Seeing the spear coming, the Goddess loosed her own spear. By it that spear was broken into a hundred pieces, and so was the great demon.

Verse 11

हते तस्मिन्महावीर्ये महिषस्य चमूपतौ ।
आजगाम गजारूढश्चामरस्त्रिदशार्दनः ॥

When that mighty general of Mahisha was slain, Chamara, tormentor of the gods, came riding on an elephant.

Verse 12

सोऽपि शक्तिं मुमोचाथ देव्यास्तामम्बिका द्रुतम् ।
हुंकाराभिहतां भूमौ पातयामास निष्प्रभाम् ॥

He too hurled a javelin at the Goddess. Ambika quickly struck it down with the sound 'hum', and it fell to the ground, its lustre gone.

Verse 13

भग्नां शक्तिं निपतितां दृष्ट्वा क्रोधसमन्वितः ।
चिक्षेप चामरः शूलं बाणैस्तदपि साच्छिनत् ॥

Seeing his javelin broken and fallen, Chamara, full of rage, hurled a spear; that too she cut down with her arrows.

Verse 14

ततः सिंहः समुत्पत्य गजकुम्भान्तरे स्थितः ।
बाहुयुद्धेन युयुधे तेनोच्चैस्त्रिदशारिणा ॥

Then the lion leapt up, landed between the elephant's temples, and fought hand to hand, fiercely, with that enemy of the gods.

Verse 15

युद्ध्यमानौ ततस्तौ तु तस्मान्नागान्महीं गतौ ।
युयुधातेऽतिसंरब्धौ प्रहारैरतिदारुणैः ॥

Still fighting, the two came down from the elephant to the ground and fought on in great fury, with terrible blows.

Verse 16

ततो वेगात् खमुत्पत्य निपत्य च मृगारिणा ।
करप्रहारेण शिरश्चामरस्य पृथक्कृतम् ॥

Then the lion sprang swiftly into the sky and, coming down, struck off Chamara's head with a blow of its paw.

Verse 17

उदग्रश्च रणे देव्या शिलावृक्षादिभिर्हतः ।
दन्तमुष्टितलैश्चैव करालश्च निपातितः ॥

Udagra was killed in battle by the Goddess with stones, trees and the like, and Karala was felled with teeth, fists and slaps.

Verse 18

देवी क्रुद्धा गदापातैश्चूर्णयामास चोद्धतम् ।
वाष्कलं भिन्दिपालेन बाणैस्ताम्रं तथान्धकम् ॥

The angry Goddess crushed Uddhata with blows of her mace, Vashkala with a javelin, and Tamra and Andhaka with arrows.

Verse 19

उग्रास्यमुग्रवीर्यं च तथैव च महाहनुम् ।
त्रिनेत्रा च त्रिशूलेन जघान परमेश्वरी ॥

The three-eyed supreme Goddess slew Ugrasya, Ugravirya and Mahahanu with her trident.

Verse 20

विडालस्यासिना कायात्पातयामास वै शिरः ।
दुर्धरं दुर्मुखं चोभौ शरैर्निन्ये यमक्षयम् ॥

With her sword she struck Vidala's head from his body, and with arrows she sent both Durdhara and Durmukha to the abode of Yama, god of death.

Verse 21

एवं संक्षीयमाणे तु स्वसैन्ये महिषासुरः ।
माहिषेण स्वरूपेण त्रासयामास तान् गणान् ॥

As his army was being destroyed in this way, Mahishasura, in his own buffalo form, began to terrify the Goddess's attendants.

Verse 22

कांश्चित्तुण्डप्रहारेण खुरक्षेपैस्तथापरान् ।
लाङ्गूलताडितांश्चान्याञ्छृङ्गाभ्यां च विदारितान् ॥

Some he struck down with blows of his muzzle, others with kicks of his hooves, others lashed by his tail, and others torn by his two horns.

Verse 23

वेगेन कांश्चिदपरान्नादेन भ्रमणेन च ।
निःश्वासपवनेनान्यान् पातयामास भूतले ॥

Some he threw to the ground by his speed, others by his bellowing and his whirling about, and others by the blast of his breath.

Verse 24

निपात्य प्रमथानीकमभ्यधावत सोऽसुरः ।
सिंहं हन्तुं महादेव्याः कोपं चक्रे ततोऽम्बिका ॥

Having laid low the host of attendants, the demon rushed to kill the great Goddess's lion. At this Ambika grew angry.

Verse 25

सोऽपि कोपान्महावीर्यः खुरक्षुण्णमहीतलः ।
शृङ्गाभ्यां पर्वतानुच्चांश्चिक्षेप च ननाद च ॥

He too, mighty and enraged, pounding the earth with his hooves, tossed high mountains with his horns and bellowed.

Verse 26

वेगभ्रमणविक्षुण्णा मही तस्य व्यशीर्यत ।
लाङ्गूलेनाहतश्चाब्धिः प्लावयामास सर्वतः ॥

Trampled by his rushing and whirling, the earth split apart; the ocean, lashed by his tail, flooded everything on all sides.

Verse 27

धुतशृङ्गविभिन्नाश्च खण्डं खण्डं ययुर्घनाः ।
श्वासानिलास्ताः शतशो निपेतुर्नभसोऽचलाः ॥

Pierced by his tossing horns, the clouds were torn to pieces; thrown by the wind of his breath, mountains fell from the sky by the hundred.

Verse 28

इति क्रोधसमाध्मातमापतन्तं महासुरम् ।
दृष्ट्वा सा चण्डिका कोपं तद्वधाय तदाकरोत् ॥

Seeing the great demon rushing at her, swollen with rage, Chandika then grew angry in order to slay him.

Verse 29

सा क्षिप्त्वा तस्य वै पाशं तं बबन्ध महासुरम् ।
तत्याज माहिषं रूपं सोऽपि बद्धो महामृधे ॥

She threw her noose over him and bound the great demon. Bound in that great battle, he gave up his buffalo form.

Verse 30

ततः सिंहोऽभवत्सद्यो यावत्तस्याम्बिका शिरः ।
छिनत्ति तावत्पुरुषः खड्गपाणिरदृश्यत ॥

At once he became a lion. As Ambika was cutting off its head, a man with a sword in his hand appeared.

Verse 31

तत एवाशु पुरुषं देवी चिच्छेद सायकैः ।
तं खड्गचर्मणा सार्धं ततः सोऽभून्महागजः ॥

At once the Goddess cut down that man, together with his sword and shield, with her arrows. Then he became a huge elephant.

Verse 32

करेण च महासिंहं तं चकर्ष जगर्ज च ।
कर्षतस्तु करं देवी खड्गेन निरकृन्तत ॥

With his trunk he dragged at the great lion and roared. As he dragged, the Goddess cut off his trunk with her sword.

Verse 33

ततो महासुरो भूयो माहिषं वपुरास्थितः ।
तथैव क्षोभयामास त्रैलोक्यं सचराचरम् ॥

Then the great demon took on his buffalo body once more and, as before, shook the three worlds with all that moves and does not move.

Verse 34

ततः क्रुद्धा जगन्माता चण्डिका पानमुत्तमम् ।
पपौ पुनः पुनश्चैव जहासारुणलोचना ॥

Then Chandika, mother of the world, enraged, drank a supreme drink again and again, and laughed, her eyes turning red.

Verse 35

ननर्द चासुरः सोऽपि बलवीर्यमदोद्धतः ।
विषाणाभ्यां च चिक्षेप चण्डिकां प्रति भूधरान् ॥

The demon too roared, drunk with pride in his strength and valour, and with his horns hurled mountains at Chandika.

Verse 36

सा च तान् प्रहितांस्तेन चूर्णयन्ती शरोत्करैः ।
उवाच तं मदोद्धूतमुखरागाकुलाक्षरम् ॥

Crushing with showers of arrows the mountains he threw, she spoke to him, her face flushed with the drink and her words unsteady.

Verse 38

देव्युवाच
गर्ज गर्ज क्षणं मूढ मधु यावत्पिबाम्यहम् । मया त्वयि हतेऽत्रैव गर्जिष्यन्त्याशु देवताः ॥

The Goddess said: Roar, roar for a moment, fool, while I drink this honey-drink. When you are slain by me right here, it is the gods who will soon be roaring.

Verse 40

ऋषिरुवाच
एवमुक्त्वा समुत्पत्य साऽऽरूढा तं महासुरम् । पादेनाक्रम्य कण्ठे च शूलेनैनमताडयत् ॥

The sage said: Having spoken thus, she leapt up and mounted the great demon, pressed him down with her foot on his neck, and struck him with her spear.

Verse 41

ततः सोऽपि पदाऽऽक्रान्तस्तया निजमुखात्ततः ।
अर्धनिष्क्रान्त एवासीद् देव्या वीर्येण संवृतः ॥

Pinned under her foot, he began to come out of his own mouth in another form, but had come only halfway out when he was held back by the Goddess's power.

Verse 42

अर्धनिष्क्रान्त एवासौ युध्यमानो महासुरः ।
तया महासिना देव्या शिरश्छित्त्वा निपातितः ॥

Still fighting though only half emerged, the great demon was struck down by the Goddess, who cut off his head with her great sword.

Verse 43

ततो हाहाकृतं सर्वं दैत्यसैन्यं ननाश तत् ।
प्रहर्षं च परं जग्मुः सकला देवतागणाः ॥

Then the whole demon army, crying out in dismay, perished, and all the hosts of the gods were filled with the greatest joy.

Verse 44

तुष्टुवुस्तां सुरा देवीं सह दिव्यैर्महर्षिभिः ।
जगुर्गन्धर्वपतयो ननृतुश्चाप्सरोगणाः ॥

The gods, with the heavenly great sages, praised the Goddess; the lords of the Gandharvas sang and the troops of Apsaras danced.

The syllable people get wrong

The commander's name cikṣuraḥ (चिक्षुरः) in verse 2 fuses k with retroflex ṣ, whose hiss comes from a tongue bent back behind the ridge of the gums: say chik-shu-rah, with short i and u, not 'chik-sur'.

When the Durga Saptashati Chapter 3 is chanted

Weekday. Friday

Festival. Navaratri, read with chapter 2 as the second day's portion

Questions

The verse names no deity; it calls her simply devi, the Goddess, and the gloss in the standard printed edition calls her Jagadamba, mother of the world. It sees her glowing like a thousand rising suns, dressed in red silk, wearing a garland of heads, her breasts smeared with red sandal paste. Her lotus hands hold a rosary and learning, in the form of a book, and her hands also make the signs that grant fearlessness and boons; she has three eyes, a jewelled crown bound with the crescent moon, and sits on a lotus. A nearly identical verse, ending 'with a gentle smile' in place of 'seated on a lotus', is used in Tantric worship as the meditation on Tripura Bhairavi. Within the chapter she is called Ambika, Bhadrakali in verse 9, Parameshvari in verse 19 and Chandika, mother of the world, in verse 34.

They are Mahishasura's commanders, first named in chapter 2 (verses 40 to 44) as they lead their armies onto the field. Chikshura, called the senani or army commander in verse 2, has the longest duel: he loses arrows, horses, driver, bow, banner and sword before her spear shatters his spear and him together in verse 10. Chamara, called the tormentor of the gods, rides an elephant and is the one general her lion kills, in verse 16. Verses 17 to 20 then name twelve more in quick succession: Udagra, Karala, Uddhata, Vashkala, Tamra, Andhaka, Ugrasya, Ugravirya, Mahahanu, Vidala (Bidala in some editions), Durdhara and Durmukha. Some copies of the Markandeya Purana add two verses after verse 20 in which Kalaratri strikes down a demon named Kala; the standard printed edition gives them only in a footnote.

He changes four times, and dies in the middle of a fifth. Bound by her noose in verse 29, he gives up the buffalo form and becomes a lion (verse 30). As Ambika is cutting off the lion's head, a man appears with a sword in his hand; she cuts him down, sword and shield together, with arrows (verse 31). He then becomes a huge elephant that drags at her lion with its trunk and roars, until she slices the trunk off (verse 32). In verse 33 he is a buffalo again, shaking the three worlds. The last change never finishes: pinned under her foot, he starts to come out of his own mouth, her power holds him halfway (verse 41), and her sword takes his head (verse 42). Many paintings of the Goddess as Mahishasuramardini show that half-emerged figure.

It opens verse 38, the only words the Goddess speaks in the chapter: 'Roar, roar for a moment, fool, while I drink this madhu. When you are slain by me right here, it is the gods who will soon be roaring.' The standard numbering prints 'devy uvaca', the Goddess said, as line 37 and returns to the sage at line 39. In verses 34 to 36 Mahishasura, a buffalo again, bellows and hurls mountains with his horns, while Chandika drinks again and again, laughs with reddened eyes and grinds the mountains to dust with arrows, her face flushed and her words unsteady. The text names the drink only as panam uttamam, the best of drinks, and in her own words as madhu, which means honey and also a sweet fermented drink. Her line turns his roar against him: the next roaring will be the gods'.

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Durga Saptashati Chapter 3

What the Durga Saptashati Chapter 3 is

The generals fall, then a buffalo that keeps changing shape

The mantra, in six scripts

Durga Saptashati Chapter 3 lyrics in full

The syllable people get wrong

When the Durga Saptashati Chapter 3 is chanted

Questions

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