The sage is narrating the story of the slaying of the army of Mahishasura. Goddess Durga, shining in all splendour, endowed with all weapons of destruction specially bestowed by each God is laughing her way through the army. So is the lion mount of hers scurrying for any bit of life left to consume in the battlefield.
There was an asura called Chikshura who challenged Ambika to battle. He rained arrows at her. But they were no match for the Devi’s prowess. She split the shower into two with her own weapons. The asura’s bow and flag mast of the chariot was gone in a trice. She charged on him. His chariot was smashed, horses were destroyed, charioteer killed. He tried to injure her with a sharp sword on her left arm.
Alas, no sooner than the sword touched her left shoulder, it smashed into brilliant pieces of metal. Enraged, he held the spear and charged towards her. He threw the spear at Bhadrakali, the auspicious goddess of time. Seeing the spear charging towards her, the Goddess aimed a spear at him. Chikshura, who was the commander of the army, was soon killed.
Another powerful asura called Chamara came charging. He threw a weapon called Shakti at the Devi. This time she did not send any weapon to counter it. She just smiled and uttered a quiet ‘Hmm’. The weapon was no more. The Goddesse’s lion alone was enough to finish off Chamarasura.
Then came Udagra who was finished by the Goddess with just stones and trees serving as weapons. Karala was another asura whom she killed with her teeth, fists and palm. When one by one all the asuras of the army were easily falling prey at the hands of the Goddess, Mahishasura came disguised as a buffalo. He managed to destroy the Chandi Ganas or the Devi’s army by just flicking his tail, kicking his hoof and hitting with his chin.
He created a cloud of dust with his hoofs and lifted two mountains with his horns and threw it on the Goddess. The earth and the heavens shook under his sway. The Goddess simply threw a noose at him. When caught in the tight grip of the noose, his acquired form of a buffalo disappeared and he was bound and dragged in the true form of an asura.
The goddess drank her glass of elixir. She laughed and told him, “I give you time to do what you want till I finish this drink. The gods are going to soon celebrate your death.”
She charged on him and finished off Mahishasura amid cries by other asuras, and cheers and dancing of the gods. The description of the death of Mahishasura in Markandeya Purana ends here. Mahisha symbolises our own indolence, sloth and inertia while the powerful Devi represents the dynamic power guided by the purity of divinity and truth that can quell this inner asura.
The author is Acharya, Chinmaya Mission, Tiruchi; brni.sharanyachaitanya@gmail.com
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