Chapter 10: I am alone here: Shumbha slain

निशुम्भं निहतं दृष्ट्वा भ्रातरं प्राणसंमितम् ।
हन्यमानं बलं चैव शुम्भः क्रुद्धोऽब्रवीद्वचः

niśumbhaṃ nihataṃ dṛṣṭvā bhrātaraṃ prāṇasaṃmitam |
hanyamānaṃ balaṃ caiva śumbhaḥ kruddho'bravīdvacaḥ

The Rishi said: Seeing his brother Nishumbha, dear to him as life, slain, and his army being destroyed, Shumbha spoke in anger.

बलावलेपाद् दुष्टे त्वं मा दुर्गे गर्वमावह ।
अन्यासां बलमाश्रित्य युध्यसे यातिमानिनी

balāvalepād duṣṭe tvaṃ mā durge garvamāvaha |
anyāsāṃ balamāśritya yudhyase yātimāninī

Wicked Durga, do not be puffed up with pride in your strength. Arrogant as you are, you fight by leaning on the strength of others.

एकैवाहं जगत्यत्र द्वितीया का ममापरा ।
पश्यैता दुष्ट मय्येव विशन्त्यो मद्विभूतयः

ekaivāhaṃ jagatyatra dvitīyā kā mamāparā |
paśyaitā duṣṭa mayyeva viśantyo madvibhūtayaḥ

The Devi said: I alone exist in this world. What second is there besides me? Look, wicked one, these powers of mine are entering back into me.

ततः समस्तास्ता देव्यो ब्रह्माणीप्रमुखा लयम् ।
तस्या देव्यास्तनौ जग्मुरेकावासीत्तदाम्बिका

tataḥ samastāstā devyo brahmāṇīpramukhā layam |
tasyā devyāstanau jagmurekāvāsīttadāmbikā

The Rishi said: Then all those Devis, Brahmani and the rest, merged into the body of that Devi, and Ambika alone remained.

अहं विभूत्या बहुभिरिह रूपैर्यदास्थिता ।
सत्संहृतं मयैकैव तिष्ठाम्याजौ स्थिरो भव

ahaṃ vibhūtyā bahubhiriha rūpairyadāsthitā |
satsaṃhṛtaṃ mayaikaiva tiṣṭhāmyājau sthiro bhava

The Devi said: The many forms in which I stood here by my own power I have now drawn back. I stand alone in battle. Be steady.

ततः प्रववृते युद्धं देव्याः शुम्भस्य चोभयोः ।
पश्यतां सर्वदेवानामसुराणां च दारुणम्

tataḥ pravavṛte yuddhaṃ devyāḥ śumbhasya cobhayoḥ |
paśyatāṃ sarvadevānāmasurāṇāṃ ca dāruṇam

The Rishi said: Then a dreadful battle began between the two, the Devi and Shumbha, as all the devas and asuras looked on.

शरवर्षैः शितैः शस्त्रैस्तथा चास्त्रैः सुदारुणैः ।
तयोर्युद्धमभूद् भूयः सर्वलोकभयङ्करम्

śaravarṣaiḥ śitaiḥ śastraistathā cāstraiḥ sudāruṇaiḥ |
tayoryuddhamabhūd bhūyaḥ sarvalokabhayaṅkaram

With showers of arrows, sharp weapons and most dreadful missiles, their battle grew again, striking fear into all the worlds.

दिव्यान्यस्त्राणि शतशो मुमुचे यान्यथाम्बिका ।
बभञ्ज तानि दैत्येन्द्रस्तत्प्रतीघातकर्तृभिः

divyānyastrāṇi śataśo mumuce yānyathāmbikā |
babhañja tāni daityendrastatpratīghātakartṛbhiḥ

The divine missiles Ambika loosed by the hundred, the lord of the daityas broke with weapons that counter them.

मुक्तानि तेन चास्त्राणि दिव्यानि परमेश्वरी ।
बभञ्ज लीलयैवोग्रहुङ्कारोच्चारणादिभिः

muktāni tena cāstrāṇi divyāni parameśvarī |
babhañja līlayaivograhuṅkāroccāraṇādibhiḥ

And the divine missiles he loosed, the Supreme Goddess broke as if at play, with fierce cries of "hum" and the like.

ततः शरशतैर्देवीमाच्छादयत सोऽसुरः ।
सा च तत्कुपिता देवी धनुश्चिच्छेद चेषुभिः

tataḥ śaraśatairdevīmācchādayata so'suraḥ |
sā ca tatkupitā devī dhanuściccheda ceṣubhiḥ

Then the asura covered the Devi with hundreds of arrows, and the Devi, angered, cut his bow with her arrows.

छिन्ने धनुषि दैत्येन्द्रस्तथा शक्तिमथाददे ।
चिच्छेद देवी चक्रेण तामप्यस्य करे स्थिताम्

chinne dhanuṣi daityendrastathā śaktimathādade |
ciccheda devī cakreṇa tāmapyasya kare sthitām

With his bow cut, the lord of the daityas took up a spear, and the Devi cut that too with her discus while it was still in his hand.

ततः खड्गमुपादाय शतचन्द्रं च भानुमत् ।
अभ्यधावत्तदा देवीं दैत्यानामधिपेश्वरः

tataḥ khaḍgamupādāya śatacandraṃ ca bhānumat |
abhyadhāvattadā devīṃ daityānāmadhipeśvaraḥ

Then the supreme lord of the daityas seized a sword and a shining shield marked with a hundred moons, and rushed at the Devi.

तस्यापतत एवाशु खड्गं चिच्छेद चण्डिका ।
धनुर्मुक्तैः शितैर्बाणैश्चर्म चार्ककरामलम्

tasyāpatata evāśu khaḍgaṃ ciccheda caṇḍikā |
dhanurmuktaiḥ śitairbāṇaiścarma cārkakarāmalam

As he rushed in, Chandika swiftly cut his sword with sharp arrows from her bow, and his shield, bright as the sun's rays.

अश्वांश्च पातयामास रथं सारथिना सह ।
हताश्वः स तदा दैत्यश्छिन्नधान्वा विसारथिः ।
जग्राह मुद्गरं घोरमम्बिकानिधनोद्यतः

aśvāṃśca pātayāmāsa rathaṃ sārathinā saha |
hatāśvaḥ sa tadā daityaśchinnadhānvā visārathiḥ |
jagrāha mudgaraṃ ghoramambikānidhanodyataḥ

She brought down his horses and his chariot with its charioteer. His horses slain, his bow cut, his charioteer gone, the daitya seized a dreadful club, bent on killing Ambika.

चिच्छेदापततस्तस्य मुद्गरं निशितैः शरैः ।
तथापि सोऽभ्यधावत्तां मुष्टिमुद्यम्य वेगवान्

cicchedāpatatastasya mudgaraṃ niśitaiḥ śaraiḥ |
tathāpi so'bhyadhāvattāṃ muṣṭimudyamya vegavān

As he rushed in she cut his club with sharp arrows. Even so he ran at her with speed, his fist raised.

स मुष्टिं पातयामास हृदये दैत्यपुङ्गवः ।
देव्यास्तं चापि सा देवी तलेनोरस्यताडयत्

sa muṣṭiṃ pātayāmāsa hṛdaye daityapuṅgavaḥ |
devyāstaṃ cāpi sā devī talenorasyatāḍayat

That chief of daityas brought his fist down on the Devi's heart, and the Devi struck him on the chest with the flat of her hand.

तलप्रहाराभिहतो निपपात महीतले ।
स दैत्यराजः सहसा पुनरेव तथोत्थितः

talaprahārābhihato nipapāta mahītale |
sa daityarājaḥ sahasā punareva tathotthitaḥ

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

उत्पत्य च प्रगृह्योच्चैर्देवीं गगनमास्थितः ।
तत्रापि सा निराधारा युयुधे तेन चण्डिका

utpatya ca pragṛhyoccairdevīṃ gaganamāsthitaḥ |
tatrāpi sā nirādhārā yuyudhe tena caṇḍikā

Leaping up, he seized the Devi and rose high into the sky. There too Chandika, without any support, fought with him.

नियुद्धं खे तदा दैत्यश्चण्डिका च परस्परम् ।
चक्रतुः प्रथमं सिद्धमुनिविस्मयकारकम्

niyuddhaṃ khe tadā daityaścaṇḍikā ca parasparam |
cakratuḥ prathamaṃ siddhamunivismayakārakam

Then the daitya and Chandika fought hand to hand in the sky, a combat never seen before, which filled the siddhas and munis with wonder.

ततो नियुद्धं सुचिरं कृत्वा तेनाम्बिका सह ।
उत्पात्य भ्रामयामास चिक्षेप धरणीतले

tato niyuddhaṃ suciraṃ kṛtvā tenāmbikā saha |
utpātya bhrāmayāmāsa cikṣepa dharaṇītale

After wrestling with him for a long while, Ambika lifted him up, whirled him round and hurled him down to earth.

स क्षिप्तो धरणीं प्राप्य मुष्टिमुद्यम्य वेगितः ।
अभ्यधावत दुष्टात्मा चण्डिकानिधनेच्छया

sa kṣipto dharaṇīṃ prāpya muṣṭimudyamya vegitaḥ |
abhyadhāvata duṣṭātmā caṇḍikānidhanecchayā

Hurled down, the evil-hearted one reached the ground, raised his fist and rushed at her swiftly, wanting to kill Chandika.

तमायान्तं ततो देवी सर्वदैत्यजनेश्वरम् ।
जगत्यां पातयामास भित्त्वा शूलेन वक्षसि

tamāyāntaṃ tato devī sarvadaityajaneśvaram |
jagatyāṃ pātayāmāsa bhittvā śūlena vakṣasi

As that lord of all the daityas came on, the Devi pierced his chest with her trident and threw him down upon the earth.

स गतासुः पपातोर्व्यां देवीशूलाग्रविक्षतः ।
चालयन् सकलां पृथ्वीं साब्धिद्वीपां सपर्वताम्

sa gatāsuḥ papātorvyāṃ devīśūlāgravikṣataḥ |
cālayan sakalāṃ pṛthvīṃ sābdhidvīpāṃ saparvatām

Wounded by the point of the Devi's trident, he fell lifeless to the ground, shaking the whole earth with its seas, islands and mountains.

ततः प्रसन्नमखिलं हते तस्मिन् दुरात्मनि ।
जगत्स्वास्थ्यमतीवाप निर्मलं चाभवन्नभः

tataḥ prasannamakhilaṃ hate tasmin durātmani |
jagatsvāsthyamatīvāpa nirmalaṃ cābhavannabhaḥ

When that evil one was slain, the whole universe grew calm and serene, the world regained its health, and the sky became clear.

उत्पातमेघाः सोल्का ये प्रागासंस्ते शमं ययुः ।
सरितो मार्गवाहिन्यस्तथासंस्तत्र पातिते

utpātameghāḥ solkā ye prāgāsaṃste śamaṃ yayuḥ |
sarito mārgavāhinyastathāsaṃstatra pātite

The ill-omened clouds and falling meteors that had appeared before were stilled, and when he fell, the rivers flowed again in their proper courses.

ततो देवगणाः सर्वे हर्षनिर्भमानसाः ।
बभूवुर्निहते तस्मिन् गन्धर्वा ललितं जगुः

tato devagaṇāḥ sarve harṣanirbhamānasāḥ |
babhūvurnihate tasmin gandharvā lalitaṃ jaguḥ

When he was slain, all the hosts of devas were filled with joy, and the gandharvas sang sweetly.

अवादयंस्तथैवान्ये ननृतुश्चाप्सरोगणाः ।
ववुः पुण्यास्तथा वाताः सुप्रभोऽभूद्दिवाकरः
जज्वलुश्चाग्नयः शान्ताः शान्ता दिग्जनितस्वनाः ।

avādayaṃstathaivānye nanṛtuścāpsarogaṇāḥ |
vavuḥ puṇyāstathā vātāḥ suprabho'bhūddivākaraḥ
jajvaluścāgnayaḥ śāntāḥ śāntā digjanitasvanāḥ |

Others played instruments and the apsaras danced. Holy breezes blew, the sun shone brightly, the sacred fires burned peacefully, and the frightful sounds in the quarters fell silent.