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Mantra · Nishumbha falls to her trident; she beheads the man who springs from his heart

Durga Saptashati Chapter 9

विचित्रमिदमाख्यातं भगवन् भवता मम । देव्याश्चरितमाहात्म्यं रक्तबीजवधाश्रितम् ॥

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 9 is

Durga Saptashati Chapter 9 ends with a colophon naming it Nishumbha Vadha, the slaying of Nishumbha, and is the fifth chapter of the last episode, the one given to Mahasaraswati. The meditation verse set before it in the standard printed edition is not addressed to a single goddess but to Ardhanarishvara, the form that is half Ambika and half Shiva: red as the bandhuka flower and gold, three-eyed, wearing the crescent moon, and holding a rosary, a noose and a goad with the fourth hand open in the gesture of giving. Verses 2 and 3 are the king's only lines in the chapter: having heard of Raktabija's death, he asks what Shumbha and the wrathful Nishumbha did next. Everything from verse 5 onward is the sage's answer. Verses 5 to 16 are Nishumbha's first assault and fall; verses 17 to 28 bring Shumbha in his chariot, the war of sounds and his collapse under the trident; verses 29 to 36 are Nishumbha's second attack and death; verses 37 to 41 show the lion, Kali, Shivaduti and six of the Mothers clearing the field. The Goddess is called Chandika, Ambika and Bhagavati through the fight, and only once by the name Durga, in verse 31, where she is 'Durga, who destroys the pain of hardship' as she cuts down Nishumbha's discuses. The chapter closes with Shumbha alive but unconscious, which leaves his fall to chapter 10.

Two brothers against the Goddess and her Mothers

With Raktabija dead, both brothers lose their temper at once (verse 5). Nishumbha charges first with the pick of the demon army, great demons pressing in front, behind and at either side of him, biting their lips (verses 6 and 7), and Shumbha follows with his own troops. Nishumbha goes for the lion, striking it on the head with his sword (verse 11), and the Goddess answers weapon by weapon: a razor-headed arrow cuts his sword and his shield of eight moons, her discus splits his spear, her fist grinds his trident to powder and her trident burns his mace to ash, until a flood of arrows lays him on the ground (verses 12 to 16). Shumbha now rises in his chariot with eight arms (verse 18), and the fight turns into a contest of noise: her conch, her bowstring and her bell, the lion's roar that robs elephants of their rut, Kali striking the earth with both palms, Shivaduti's ominous laughter, the gods in the sky shouting 'Victory' as she calls 'Stay, stay' (verses 19 to 24). Shumbha's blazing spear is turned aside by a great meteor-like flame (verse 25), and the two cut down each other's arrows by the hundred and the thousand (verse 27) before her trident fells him in a swoon (verse 28). Nishumbha comes to, grows ten thousand arms and buries her under discuses (verses 29 and 30), then charges with a mace at the head of what is left of the army; she cuts the mace apart with her sword, and he takes up a trident (verses 32 and 33). She pierces his heart (verse 34); a second warrior steps out of the wound shouting 'Stop', and she laughs and takes off his head (verses 35 and 36).

The mantra, in six scripts

DevanagariSanskrit & Hindiविचित्रमिदमाख्यातं भगवन् भवता मम । देव्याश्चरितमाहात्म्यं रक्तबीजवधाश्रितम् ॥

Tamilவிசித்ரமிதமாக்யாதம் பகவந் பவதா மம । தேவ்யாஶ்சரிதமாஹாத்ம்யம் ரக்தபீஜவதாஶ்ரிதம் ॥

Teluguవిచిత్రమిదమాఖ్యాతం భగవన్ భవతా మమ । దేవ్యాశ్చరితమాహాత్మ్యం రక్తబీజవధాశ్రితమ్ ॥

Kannadaವಿಚಿತ್ರಮಿದಮಾಖ್ಯಾತಂ ಭಗವನ್ ಭವತಾ ಮಮ । ದೇವ್ಯಾಶ್ಚರಿತಮಾಹಾತ್ಮ್ಯಂ ರಕ್ತಬೀಜವಧಾಶ್ರಿತಮ್ ॥

Malayalamവിചിത്രമിദമാഖ്യാതം ഭഗവന് ഭവതാ മമ । ദേവ്യാശ്ചരിതമാഹാത്മ്യം രക്തബീജവധാശ്രിതമ് ॥

EnglishRoman transliterationvicitramidamākhyātaṃ bhagavan bhavatā mama | devyāścaritamāhātmyaṃ raktabījavadhāśritam ||

“The king said: Lord, you have told me a wonderful account of the Goddess's deeds and greatness, concerning the slaying of Raktabija.”

विचित्रमिदमाख्यातं: vicitramidamākhyātaṃ — this wonderful (account) has been told
भगवन्: bhagavan — O lord
भवता: bhavatā — by you
मम: mama — to me
देव्याश्चरितमाहात्म्यं: devyāścaritamāhātmyaṃ — the Goddess's deeds and greatness
रक्तबीजवधाश्रितम्: raktabījavadhāśritam — concerning the slaying of Raktabija

Durga Saptashati Chapter 9 lyrics in full

The Ardhanarishvara meditation verse and all 41 numbered lines of the chapter in the standard numbering; lines 1 and 4 name the speaker and are printed above the verses they introduce.

All 41 numbered lines, in Sanskrit, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam and English, each with its meaning. Choose a script:

Download the Durga Saptashati Chapter 9 PDFAll 41 numbered lines with their meanings, in Sanskrit. Free to print and keep.

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Dhyanam 1

ॐ बन्धूककाञ्चननिभं रुचिराक्षमालां पाशाङ्कुशौ च वरदां निजबाहुदण्डैः ।
बिभ्राणमिन्दुशकलाभरणं त्रिनेत्रमर्धाम्बिकेशमनिशं वपुराश्रयामि ॥

I take refuge always in the half-Ambika, half-Shiva form (Ardhanarishvara), glowing like the bandhuka flower and like gold, who holds in its own arms a fine rosary, a noose, a goad and the boon-giving gesture, wears the crescent moon as an ornament and has three eyes.

Verse 2

राजोवाच
विचित्रमिदमाख्यातं भगवन् भवता मम । देव्याश्चरितमाहात्म्यं रक्तबीजवधाश्रितम् ॥

The king said: Lord, you have told me a wonderful account of the Goddess's deeds and greatness, concerning the slaying of Raktabija.

Verse 3

भूयश्चेच्छाम्यहं श्रोतुं रक्तबीजे निपातिते ।
चकार शुम्भो यत्कर्म निशुम्भश्चातिकोपनः ॥

I wish to hear more: after Raktabija fell, what did Shumbha do, and the very wrathful Nishumbha?

Verse 5

ऋषिरुवाच
चकार कोपमतुलं रक्तबीजे निपातिते । शुम्भासुरो निशुम्भश्च हतेष्वन्येषु चाहवे ॥

The sage said: When Raktabija had fallen and the others were slain in battle, the demon Shumbha and Nishumbha were seized by boundless anger.

Verse 6

हन्यमानं महासैन्यं विलोक्यामर्षमुद्वहन् ।
अभ्यधावन्निशुम्भोऽथ मुख्ययासुरसेनया ॥

Seeing his great army being destroyed, Nishumbha, burning with rage, rushed forward with the chief forces of the demons.

Verse 7

तस्याग्रतस्तथा पृष्ठे पार्श्वयोश्च महासुराः ।
संदष्टौष्ठपुटाः क्रुद्धा हन्तुं देवीमुपाययुः ॥

In front of him, behind him and on both sides came great demons, biting their lips in fury, to kill the Goddess.

Verse 8

आजगाम महावीर्यः शुम्भोऽपि स्वबलैर्वृतः ।
निहन्तुं चण्डिकां कोपात्कृत्वा युद्धं तु मातृभिः ॥

Shumbha too, of great valour, came surrounded by his own forces, having fought with the Mothers, to slay Chandika in his anger.

Verse 9

ततो युद्धमतीवासीद् देव्या शुम्भनिशुम्भयोः ।
शरवर्षमतीवोग्रं मेघयोरिव वर्षतोः ॥

Then a fierce battle broke out between the Goddess and Shumbha and Nishumbha, who rained down a terrible shower of arrows like two clouds pouring rain.

Verse 10

चिच्छेदास्ताञ्छरांस्ताभ्यां चण्डिका स्वशरोत्करैः ।
ताडयामास चाङ्गेषु शस्त्रौघैरसुरेश्वरौ ॥

Chandika cut down the arrows the two of them shot with swarms of her own arrows, and struck the two demon lords on their limbs with volleys of weapons.

Verse 11

निशुम्भो निशितं खड्गं चर्म चादाय सुप्रभम् ।
अताडयन्मूर्ध्नि सिंहं देव्या वाहनमुत्तमम् ॥

Nishumbha took up a sharp sword and a shining shield and struck the lion, the Goddess's noble mount, on the head.

Verse 12

ताडिते वाहने देवी क्षुरप्रेणासिमुत्तमम् ।
निशुम्भस्याशु चिच्छेद चर्म चाप्यष्टचन्द्रकम् ॥

When her mount was struck, the Goddess quickly cut through Nishumbha's fine sword with a razor-edged arrow, and his shield marked with eight moons as well.

Verse 13

छिन्ने चर्मणि खड्गे च शक्तिं चिक्षेप सोऽसुरः ।
तामप्यस्य द्विधा चक्रे चक्रेणाभिमुखागताम् ॥

With his shield and sword cut down, the demon hurled a spear; as it came at her, she split it in two with her discus.

Verse 14

कोपाध्मातो निशुम्भोऽथ शूलं जग्राह दानवः ।
आयातं मुष्टिपातेन देवी तच्चाप्यचूर्णयत् ॥

Swollen with rage, the demon Nishumbha seized a trident; as it came, the Goddess crushed it to powder with a blow of her fist.

Verse 15

आविध्याथ गदां सोऽपि चिक्षेप चण्डिकां प्रति ।
सापि देव्या त्रिशूलेन भिन्ना भस्मत्वमागता ॥

Then he whirled a mace and hurled it at Chandika; it too was shattered by the Goddess's trident and turned to ashes.

Verse 16

ततः परशुहस्तं तमायान्तं दैत्यपुङ्गवम् ।
आहत्य देवी बाणौघैरपातयत भूतले ॥

Then, as that bull among demons came on with an axe in his hand, the Goddess struck him with a flood of arrows and laid him on the ground.

Verse 17

तस्मिन्निपतिते भूमौ निशुम्भे भीमविक्रमे ।
भ्रातर्यतीव संक्रुद्धः प्रययौ हन्तुमम्बिकाम् ॥

When his brother Nishumbha, of terrible might, had fallen to the ground, Shumbha, in towering rage, set out to kill Ambika.

Verse 18

स रथस्थस्तथात्युच्चैर्गृहीतपरमायुधैः ।
भुजैरष्टाभिरतुलैर्व्याप्याशेषं बभौ नभः ॥

Standing high in his chariot, with eight matchless arms holding excellent weapons, he shone as if filling the whole sky.

Verse 19

तमायान्तं समालोक्य देवी शङ्खमवादयत् ।
ज्याशब्दं चापि धनुषश्चकारातीव दुःसहम् ॥

Seeing him come, the Goddess blew her conch and made the string of her bow twang with a sound very hard to bear.

Verse 20

पूरयामास ककुभो निजघण्टास्वनेन च ।
समस्तदैत्यसैन्यानां तेजोवधविधायिना ॥

She filled the quarters with the ringing of her own bell, a sound that destroyed the vigour of all the demon armies.

Verse 21

ततः सिंहो महानादैस्त्याजितेभमहामदैः ।
पूरयामास गगनं गां तथैव दिशो दश ॥

Then the lion filled the sky, the earth and all ten directions with great roars that robbed mighty elephants of their rut.

Verse 22

ततः काली समुत्पत्य गगनं क्ष्मामताडयत् ।
कराभ्यां तन्निनादेन प्राक्स्वनास्ते तिरोहिताः ॥

Then Kali leapt into the sky and struck the earth with both hands; at that sound all the earlier sounds were drowned out.

Verse 23

अट्टाट्टहासमशिवं शिवदूती चकार ह ।
तैः शब्दैरसुरास्त्रेसुः शुम्भः कोपं परं ययौ ॥

Shivaduti let out an ominous, loud peal of laughter. At those sounds the demons trembled, and Shumbha flew into a great rage.

Verse 24

दुरात्मंस्तिष्ठ तिष्ठेति व्याजहाराम्बिका यदा ।
तदा जयेत्यभिहितं देवैराकाशसंस्थितैः ॥

When Ambika cried, Evil one, stay, stay!, the gods standing in the sky called out, Victory!

Verse 25

शुम्भेनागत्य या शक्तिर्मुक्ता ज्वालातिभीषणा ।
आयान्ती वह्निकूटाभा सा निरस्ता महोल्कया ॥

The spear that Shumbha came forward and hurled, blazing and terrible, flashing like a mountain of fire as it came, was turned aside by a great meteor-like flame.

Verse 26

सिंहनादेन शुम्भस्य व्याप्तं लोकत्रयान्तरम् ।
निर्घातनिःस्वनो घोरो जितवानवनीपते ॥

King, Shumbha's lion-like roar filled the space of the three worlds, and a dreadful sound like a thunderclap overpowered every other sound.

Verse 27

शुम्भमुक्ताञ्छरान्देवी शुम्भस्तत्प्रहिताञ्छरान् ।
चिच्छेद स्वशरैरुग्रैः शतशोऽथ सहस्रशः ॥

The Goddess cut down the arrows Shumbha shot, and Shumbha the arrows she sent, each with fierce arrows of their own, by the hundred and the thousand.

Verse 28

ततः सा चण्डिका क्रुद्धा शूलेनाभिजघान तम् ।
स तदाभिहतो भूमौ मूर्च्छितो निपपात ह ॥

Then Chandika, enraged, struck him with her trident; struck by it, he fell to the ground in a swoon.

Verse 29

ततो निशुम्भः सम्प्राप्य चेतनामात्तकार्मुकः ।
आजघान शरैर्देवीं कालीं केसरिणं तथा ॥

Then Nishumbha regained consciousness, took up his bow, and struck the Goddess, Kali and the lion with arrows.

Verse 30

पुनश्च कृत्वा बाहूनामयुतं दनुजेश्वरः ।
चक्रायुधेन दितिजश्छादयामास चण्डिकाम् ॥

Again, the demon lord, son of Diti, made himself ten thousand arms and covered Chandika with discuses.

Verse 31

ततो भगवती क्रुद्धा दुर्गा दुर्गार्तिनाशिनी ।
चिच्छेद तानि चक्राणि स्वशरैः सायकांश्च तान् ॥

Then the blessed Durga, who destroys hardship and pain, grew angry and with her own arrows cut down those discuses and those arrows.

Verse 32

ततो निशुम्भो वेगेन गदामादाय चण्डिकाम् ।
अभ्यधावत वै हन्तुं दैत्यसेनासमावृतः ॥

Then Nishumbha, surrounded by the demon army, seized a mace and rushed swiftly at Chandika to kill her.

Verse 33

तस्यापतत एवाशु गदां चिच्छेद चण्डिका ।
खड्गेन शितधारेण स च शूलं समाददे ॥

As he rushed in, Chandika quickly cut his mace apart with her sharp-edged sword, and he took up a trident.

Verse 34

शूलहस्तं समायान्तं निशुम्भममरार्दनम् ।
हृदि विव्याध शूलेन वेगाविद्धेन चण्डिका ॥

As Nishumbha, the tormentor of the gods, came on with trident in hand, Chandika pierced him in the heart with her swiftly hurled trident.

Verse 35

भिन्नस्य तस्य शूलेन हृदयान्निःसृतोऽपरः ।
महाबलो महावीर्यस्तिष्ठेति पुरुषो वदन् ॥

From the heart of the pierced demon came out another man, of great strength and valour, crying Stop!

Verse 36

तस्य निष्क्रामतो देवी प्रहस्य स्वनवत्ततः ।
शिरश्चिच्छेद खड्गेन ततोऽसावपतद्भुवि ॥

As he was coming out, the Goddess laughed aloud and cut off his head with her sword; then he fell to the ground.

Verse 37

ततः सिंहश्चखादोग्रं दंष्ट्राक्षुण्णशिरोधरान् ।
असुरांस्तांस्तथा काली शिवदूती तथापरान् ॥

Then the lion fiercely devoured demons whose necks it had crushed with its teeth, and Kali and Shivaduti devoured others.

Verse 38

कौमारीशक्तिनिर्भिन्नाः केचिन्नेशुर्महासुराः ।
ब्रह्माणीमन्त्रपूतेन तोयेनान्ये निराकृताः ॥

Some great demons perished, pierced by Kaumari's spear; others were driven off by water purified with Brahmani's mantras.

Verse 39

माहेश्वरीत्रिशूलेन भिन्नाः पेतुस्तथापरे ।
वाराहीतुण्डघातेन केचिच्चूर्णीकृता भुवि ॥

Others fell, pierced by Maheshvari's trident; some were ground to dust on the earth by the blows of Varahi's snout.

Verse 40

खण्डं खण्डं च चक्रेण वैष्णव्या दानवाः कृताः ।
वज्रेण चैन्द्रीहस्ताग्रविमुक्तेन तथापरे ॥

Some demons were hacked to pieces by Vaishnavi's discus, and others by the thunderbolt released from the hand of Aindri.

Verse 41

केचिद्विनेशुरसुराः केचिन्नष्टा महाहवात् ।
भक्षिताश्चापरे कालीशिवदूतीमृगाधिपैः ॥

Some demons perished, some fled from the great battle, and others were devoured by Kali, Shivaduti and the lion.

The syllable people get wrong

In verse 23, aṭṭāṭṭahāsam (अट्टाट्टहासम्), Shivaduti's peal of laughter, has a doubled retroflex ṭṭ twice: hold each one, tongue curled back, and keep the long ā. Say aṭ-ṭaaṭ-ṭa-haa-sam, not 'atta-hasam'.

When the Durga Saptashati Chapter 9 is chanted

Weekday. Friday

Festival. Navaratri, read together with chapter 10

Questions

Verse 34 has Chandika drive her trident into Nishumbha's heart as he runs at her. Verse 35 says that from the heart of the pierced demon another man came out, of great strength and valour, crying 'Stop'. Verse 36 is all the text gives him: as he is still emerging, the Goddess laughs aloud and cuts off his head with her sword, and he falls to the ground. He is not named, and nothing more is said of Nishumbha's body. The chapter's own title, the slaying of Nishumbha, and the opening of chapter 10, where Shumbha sees his brother dead, treat this as the moment Nishumbha's life ends.

After Nishumbha strikes the lion on the head with his sword (verse 11), the Goddess cuts through the sword with a kshurapra, an arrow with a razor-shaped head, and then through his carma ashtachandrakam, a shield marked with eight moons. The phrase describes a war shield decorated with eight moon-shaped ornaments, the kind of fine detail the text gives to weapons it is about to destroy. Verse 11 had already called it suprabha, shining. It is the first of five weapons he loses in a row: sword and shield, then a spear split by her discus, a trident crushed by her fist and a mace burnt to ash by her trident.

Shivaduti, 'she whose messenger is Shiva', is the power that rose from the Goddess's own body in chapter 8. There, in verse 24, she sends Shiva to Shumbha and Nishumbha with her terms, and verse 28 says that is why she became known as Shivaduti. In chapter 9 she keeps the role she had there. In verse 23 her loud, ominous laughter sets the demons trembling and drives Shumbha to fury; and in verses 37 and 41 she and Kali devour the demons left on the field. Her laughter is not new either: in chapter 8 it was already striking demons to the ground.

Six are named in verses 38 to 40, each with her own weapon. Kaumari's spear pierces some of the great demons; Brahmani drives others off with water made holy by her mantras, the same water pot chapter 8 gave her; Maheshvari's trident fells more; Varahi grinds some to dust with blows of her snout; Vaishnavi's discus cuts demons to pieces; and Aindri hurls the thunderbolt from her hand. Narasimhi, who fights in chapter 8, is not named here. Kali, Shivaduti and the lion do the rest, and verse 41 ends the chapter with the survivors in flight. In chapter 10 Shumbha taunts the Goddess for leaning on these other women, and she draws them all back into herself.

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Durga Saptashati Chapter 9

What the Durga Saptashati Chapter 9 is

Two brothers against the Goddess and her Mothers

The mantra, in six scripts

Durga Saptashati Chapter 9 lyrics in full

The syllable people get wrong

When the Durga Saptashati Chapter 9 is chanted

Questions

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