*Thread*
𝗗𝗲𝘃𝗶 𝗠𝗮𝗵𝗮𝘁𝗺𝘆𝗮𝗺 𝗱𝘂𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗔𝗱𝗵𝗶𝗸𝗮 𝗠𝗮𝗮𝘀𝗮
0. This year we have one of those occasions where an extra month is introduced to the Hindu calendar, called Adhika Maasa, to align the Solar and Lunar calendars.

1. It is also known as the Purushottama Maasa. Occurring every 32.5 months, this year it has impacted the time of the Durgapuja - creating a month's rift between Mahalaya, and the range of the days of the Durgapuja (Maha Panchami - Vijaya Dashami).

2. I thought why not utilize this time and spread some awareness of those gems and jewels from the grandest of Puranic texts : Devi Mahatmyam, which is part of the Markandeya Purana! This is the text that tells the world about Maa Durga, Maa Kaali, and other forms of the Mother.

3. So how many days we I have in my kitty here? Let's look at the calendar for a general reference:

4. And for today, here goes the 1st piece (of 30):

17 Sep / 01 Ashwin

Devi Mahatmyam starts with Kraushtuki hearing it from Vishnu-avatar Chiranjeevi Rishi Markandeya, son of Mrikandu, son of Mrigshring or Vatsa, son of Kutsa, son of Prajapati Brahma in the Rathantar Kalpa.

5. Rishi Markandeya starts telling a story from the Swarochisha Manvantara, when 2 people - the great king Suradha and a tradesman named Samadhi, utterly lost to the crafts of their fates, went for counsel to a sage. The sage tells them about the arcane secret of the Devi.

6. Coming up next...

The story of Madhu & Kaitabha!

7. 18 Sep / 02 Ashwin

It was end of a Kalpa. The great deluge has washed it all. The only things visible were the waves of the KsheerSagar, the mohana-rupa of Sriman-Narayana, deep in the slumber... in His YogaNidra, reclining on the serpent bed of AadiShesha,

8. ...and the creator Prajapati Brahma in deep meditation, the upcoming Kalpa slowly taking form of a Wish, that will be known as the Cosmos soon.

But this time it was different. MahaMaya had different whims, and creation started ahead of schedule.

9. Two wax drops fell from the two ears of Narayana, and took forms of two terrible asuras - Madhu & Kaitabha. And they were born relentless.

As Devi's YogaNidra rupa kept Hari's eyes tight shut, the asuras started tormenting Brahma to no end.

10. Seeing no help imminent from Narayana's end, Brahma started praying to Devi Aadi Parashakti at earnest. What followed was a set of eternally beautiful shlokas that you may still get to hear during the Chandi-Paath in the Durgapuja mandaps.

11. Devi was pleased, and She released the eyes of Vishnu. He woke, and held the gazes of the two of demonic intentions, seeping through from their red eyes.

What followed was the battle supreme - in the entire literature available from ancient Bhaarat.

12. Narayana vs. Madhu & Kaitabha : a battle that raged for 5000 divine years (1.8 million earth years). And, no, Vishnu DID NOT WIN!

But Brahma had to be saved.

And, thus, for the first time in the history of the multiverse, Vishnu introduced to the world: Reverse Psychology.

13. Even though winning looked like a remote possibility, Vishnu, in all His divine grandeur and beaming smile, said to the asuras, "I am pleased with you both for your battle skills. Ask what boon you want from me?"

14. Vanity was at play, as they laughed and said, "The victorius is supposed to offer boons. Why don't you ask of us what you want, and we will grant thee thy wish!"

Narayana smiled, and said, "My only wish is that you both shall die by my hand."

15. The fools realized it now, but accepted their fates humbly. Then the world witnessed the practice of granting the dying man his last wish. As the cosmos was nothing but the expanse of the KsheerSagar, they said that they would like to die somewhere that's not wet.

16. Vishnu obliged. He placed them on his thigh, and decapitated them with his Sudarshana. The bodies (fatty bone marrows, specifically) of Madhu-Kaitabha was used to form the land (earth) hence, and thus, earth is also called Medini.

Next up... Mahishasura!

17. 19 Sep / 03 Ashwin

The origin story of Mahishasura comes from Devi Bhagavatam - and could be a version with a Kalpa-bheda. But let's see it anyway!

Sons of asura Danu, Rambha & Karambha, did tapasya for Agni-dev & Varun-dev for centuries... much to the ire of Devendra.

18. Seeing their austerities nearing fulfilment, he decided to put an end to their stories, and started with attacking Karambha, in deep meditation under the water, in the form of a crocodile.

19. Karambha died. But this whole thing does not escape the vision of Agni-dev, and he decides to save his devotee's life, and prevents Indra-dev from attacking him.

20. Rambha was offered a boon, and he asked, "No god, demon or human alive should be able to kill me. If I must die, I can only be killed by a dead person."

21. With the power of this boon, Rambha's atrocities and powers grew multifold.

But wheels of time turned, and he fell in love with a beautiful female water buffalo. Compelled to leave his throne, he turned himself into a male buffalo, and started to live together with her.

22. Their union gave birth to Mahishasura - born with the shape-shifting power that let him change form between humanoid and buffalo at will.

23. Eventually, Rambha and Indra-dev had a fierce battle, and Rambha was killed by the weapon Vajra, built with the bones of Rishi Dadhichi, thus, technically, having been killed by a "dead man".

24. But no story really ends, right? Rambha was born again as Raktabeeja. And we'll see about that later in this thread!

25. In time, Mahishasura did his own penance, and secured boon of invincibility from Prajapati Brahma. He had asked for immortality, but as he didn't secure it, he settled for something very close to it - no Man, Deva or even the Trinity should be able to kill him.

26. In his pride, he allowed himself to be killed by the hands of a woman, thinking women were indeed powerless against him!

27. Coming back to Devi Mahatmyam...

With powers unlimited at disposal, Mahishasura waged wars against the Devas, which raged for one hundred divine years! He vanquished the Deva-sena and threw the Devas out of the Swargaloka.

28. Devas had nowhere else to go, but to the Trinities, begging for a resolution of their problem.

Brahma, Vishnu and Mahadev were enraged, and emanated an effulgent lustre - beams of energy - from their bodies. The beams merged and created a flaming mountain of light.

29. Similar energy issued from the bodies of all other Devas present and merged into it.

Slowly this mountain of light coalesced and transfigured into a body of a Woman - Whose form extended through the three worlds!

30. Shiva created Her face.

Yama, Her hair.

Vishnu, Her arms.

Moon, Her breasts.

Indra, Her cleavage.

Varuna, Her thighs and calves.

Bhuvi, Her loins.

Brahma, Her feet.

Surya, Her toes.

Vasus, Her fingers.

Kubera, Her nose.

Prajapati, Her teeth.

31. Pavaka, Her three eyes.

Sundhia, Her forehead.

Anila, Her ears.

All other deities, Her body.

Then came Mahadev again, and gave His Trishul to Devi.

Vishnu gave Chakra.

Varuna gave Shankha.

Hutashana gave Shakti.

Marut gave Bow & quiver-full of Arrows.

32. Indra gave Vajra.

Yama gave Paash.

Prajapati gave Akshamala & Kamundala.

Surya gave his energy at the roots of Her hair.

33. Kaal gave transparent Sword & Shield, Necklace, Chudamani, Kundala, Kataka, a Crescent, Keyura over Her arms, shoulder ornaments, jewels, & Rings with precious stones.

Vishwakarma gave Parashu, invulnerable Coat of Arms, never-fading Garland of Lotus for Her head and neck.

34. Jaladhi gave chaplet of Lotus.

Himavat gave Her the vaahana - Lion, & other gems.

Dhanadhipa gave an imperishable vase of wine to drink from.

AadiShesha gave Nechlace of ornaments & various jewels.

Prithvi gave a Necklace of snakes.

35. Equipped fully, Devi let out a roar with a terrible voice that filled the sky. The three worlds trembled, oceans lurched, earth quaked, mountains moved. The asura army saw the Goddess pervaded the three worlds. She indented the earth that She occupied with her foot.

36. Her crown struck the sky. The sounds of Her bowstring terrified the adhah-lokas, the subterranean worlds. Her one thousand arms held the entire space of the cosmos.

Next up... The Battle!

37. 20 Sep / 04 Ashwin

Mahishasura was furious! Under his command, a fierce war started between the army of the Asuras and Devi. Various commanders of the Asura army charged at Devi from multiple directions.

Chikshura attacked Her with ten thousand warriors under his command.

38. Asiloma attacked with fifty billion.

Bhaskala was commanding an army of sixteen billion, along with hundred elephants and numerous on horseback.

Bidala attacked with ten million chaioteers and five billion foot soldiers.

39. Even after these, there were many more Asura commanders, each commanding armies of ten thousand elephants, chaioteers, and horsemen.

And somehow surpassing all of these warriors in valour, Mahishasura himself was attacking with a similar total strength of army with him.

40. Not only the army, but he himself was fully equipped with various weapons like Tomara, Bindivala, Shakti, Mushala, Sickle, Axe, and Puttisha.

41. Braving the onslaught of millions and millions of arrows, and numerous divine weapons like Shakti and Paasha, Maa Chandika kept cutting through all of these effortlessly. The demonstration of AadiShakti's extreme valour brought cheers to the Devas and the Sages.

42. The bodies of Asuras were falling like autumn leaves. Devi's Lion charged through the enemy formations like fire through the forest. Devi's exhale produced hundreds and thousands of Ganas, who teared through the Asura clan as She advanced further.

43. The very sound of Her roars were scaring the souls away from the bodies of the Asuras. Not only Her sword, arrows, trident and mace, but the sound of her bell rattling was killing the Asuras by the hordes.

44. Many of the Asura commanders were mayabi warriors, and even when Her sword cut their heads from their bodies, the bodies kept fighting Her with powerful divine weapons like Shakti, Sickle, and Vrishti, continued to release battle cries.

45. But none could escape their annihilation for long, for Her mace and trident, coupled with the attacks of Kesari, Her vaahana, was relentless.

46. Seeing the rampant destruction of his armies, Chikshura advanced at Devi. Devi discharged a volley of arrows towards him that clouded the heavens. They cut through his weapons, his horses, his sarathi, the flag of his chariot, and wounded him badly.

47. He attacked Her again with a sword and a shield, and delivered a huge blow at the head of the Lion, and swung his sword at Devi's right arm. The sword shattered into pieces as it touched Maa Bhadra-Kaali.

48. With eyes burning red with rage, Chikshura threw a shoola at the Devi in one powerful lurch. Against this, She threw her trident that broke asunder the shoola and impaled the commander, releasing his soul from his body.

49. Another commander Chamara charged at the Devi on his elephant. Shakti thrown by him towards the Devi fell on the ground like a broken toy by the mere sound of Her battle cry. His shoola was cut by the arrows from Her divine bow.

50. Devi leapt from Her Lion and landed on the head of the elephant, and began wrestling Chamara at earnest. When they dismounted the elephant and came down to the ground, Chamara's fate was sealed by the Lion's swift paw that beheaded him effortlessly.

51. One after another, the greatest of the Asura commanders fell to Her sword, arrows, mace, sometimes even under the stones or trees thrown by Her, and sometimes She simply tore their bodies apart with bare hands and teeth.

52. Udgara, Karaala, Bhaskala, Andhaka, Ugramasa, Ugravirya, Maha-Hanu, Trinatra, Bidala, Durdhara and Durmukha - all fell, where only She stood victorius.

Next up... the fall of Mahishasura!

53. 21 Sep / 05 Ashwin

The very scene of this destruction of his world-conquering army was making Mahishasur enraged to no end. He took the form of an enormous male buffalo - his "mahisha" form - and charged at the Ganas who were created by Devi.

54. He started annihilating the Gana army - some by biting, some by kicking of his hoofs, some by lashing of his tail, some by impaling on his sharp horns, some by the loudness of his bellow, and some by burning of his fiery breath!

55. Finishing the Gana army, he charged directly towards Devi. With his level view, he focused on Her Lion. The thunderous crack of his hoofs on the ground created a tremor across the battle field. Mountains shook and fell.

56. His enormous tail splashed on the ocean, and brought forth a deluge to drown everything around. His stature was such that his horns tore through the clouds, and with every breath of his it felt like the earth and sky were breaking into hundreds of pieces.

57. Devi Chandika trembled with anger. She threw the Paash and bound him down. Immediately, He discarded his mahisha form and changed into a lion. Devi's sword decapitated the lion, and then he turned into his humanoid form, and vanished.

58. Devi's divine arrows shred through his illusion, and his shield shattered. He then turned into an elephant and charged back. The muscular trunk of the elephant grabbed hold of the Lion and squeezed hard, trying to expel the life breath out of him.

59. Devi swung Her sword again, and cut his proboscis. (Yes, long before Surpanakha, some other nose was cut in our Puranic literature!) Injured severely, he again changed form into that of an immense buffalo, who very looks terrified the three worlds!

60. Maa looked enraged & ecstatic at the same time. She stood in the middle of the battle field, and drank sura from Her inexhaustible goblet that was a gift from Kubera, with a stern gaze thrown at Mahishasura. He was furious, and lifted mountains up and threw them at the Devi.

61. Her arrows broke those mountains in seconds, and she shouted back, "Every effort of yours in this battle is in vain. The last moments of your life that you can cherish are those that are spent by me in drinking this sura. Then, your end will come by my hands."

62. Relentless, Mahishasura charged again at Devi. She struck him down with Her Trishul, and held him down with one feet. With Her divine touch, his face started to change back... from the buffalo to the humanoid. Devi was aglow with a blinding effulgence.

63. But nothing deterred the asura king, and he kept fighting with his half-transformed humanoid upper torso. The final blow from Devi's sword finished the story of Mahishashura - his head fell off his shoulders in one sharp swing of the iron.

64. Devas applauded, Rishis praised Her glory, Gandharvas sang, and Apsaras danced. The annihilation of evil was complete. Dharma was restored back across the three worlds.

Next up... one of the most difficult bits for me to thread! :)

65. 02 Oct / 16 Ashwin

Suffering a gap of 10 days, I can only hope that I would be able to catch up and finish the intended narration by the end of the Adhika Maasa.

Let's pray:

Ya Devi Sarvabhuteshu Brittirupena Samsthita |
Namastasyai Namastasyai Namastasyai Namo Namaha ||

66. The slaying of Mahishasura brought such a relief to the Devas that all started praising Devi profusely. Indra, the king of gods, goosebumped, praised Her by recounting that the Devi was indeed the source of consciousness and forms.

67. That the greatness of Her even Brahma, Vishnu and Mahadev were unable to describe fully. That when the world sees the perils beyond imagination, it is only Her Who can bring balance back to life. May She protect the entire creation.

68. She is the cause of the creation. She is the source of the threefold traits: Satva, Rajah, and Tamoh Gunas. She is incomprehensible even to Hari and Hara. She is verily the sublime original Nature untransformed!

69. She is Swaha of the sacrifices, the fire that satisfies, and blesses the self.
She is Swadha of the oblations, the teeth that eat, and satisfies the Pitras.
She is the Knowledge Absolute. She is the host of the Tri-Vedas: the Rik, the Saama, and the Yajur.

70. She is Durga - the means to cross the world of illusions.
She is Shree - the fragrance of the heart of Narayana.
She is Gauri - the one who dwells with the moon-crested Mahadeva.

71. What a fool that asura was who was smitten by your face - golden, spotless, slightly-smiling, like the orb of a full moon! And when brought about your frowns, he indeed saw the face of Death itself.

72. I pray to thee, Mother, now that the evil reign of Mahishasura has ended, please show your kindness to the rest of the beings that are alive still. They will indeed travel the path of rightousness, and seek your blessings for their prosperities.

73. Remembering your very name in one's mind, fear disappears, the mind comes alit, troubles go away and pain vanishes... just like in the battlefield your mere gaze reduced the evil asura army into ashes, and ushered their souls to the netherlands.

74. Let your spear protect us.
Let your sword protect us.
Let the sound of your bell protect us.
Let the twanging of your bow protect us.
Let you be the guardian of the east, the west, the south and the north.

75. Let your gentles and terrible forms protect the three worlds.
Let your hand protect us from every evil from every direction.

With these words, the Devas expressed their devotions to the Goddess, offering Parijaat flowers from the Nandan garden of Swarga-Loka at Her feet.

76. Pleased, the Devi expressed Her desire to offer boon to the Devas, as per their hearts' content.

The Devas said, "O Ambika, grant us that whenever the world would be in dire need of protection, and would call you dearly, you'd give us your blessings at such trying times!"

77. Devi Bhadrakaali agreed. And vanished.

The universe waited for Her return... that happened once more with the Devi emerging from the being of Maa Gauri, when Daityas again troubled the balance of life.

Next up: Shumbha and Nishumbha

78. 03 Oct / 17 Ashwin

Prajapati Daksha and his queen Panchajani gave birth to many daughters, and many of them were married off to Rishi Kashyapa. One of these daughters were Danu, mother of the danavas.

79. Some of the famous danavas were Maya-danav, Namuchi, Shumbha, & Nishumbha. The story of Namuchi is in Rigveda and in Mahabharata (Shalya parva).

The power tussle between Namuchi & Devendra was not ending, & somehow Namuchi managed to gain the protection of Surya as well.

80. To manoeuvre through this predicament, Indra offered friendship to Namuchi, who accepted it & came to meet Indra during dusk, when Surya was not around to offer full protection. Indra seized the opportunity, and created a sharp foam of water off the sea, and decapitated him.

81. This treacherous killing of their brother irked Shambhu & Nishambhu to no end. They had secured boons from Brahma-dev (similar to Mahishasur's) that no man should be able to kill them - human, deva, animal or anything else - but they had agreed to die in the hands of a woman.

82. The danav brothers attacked Swarga-lok, and drove the devas out after a major conflict. Sitting victorious over the three worlds, the danavas usurped the powers of Indra, Surya, Kubera, Yama, Varuna, Sakra, Vaayu, Agni, and other deities.

83. Finding nowhere else to go, the devas ran to the mountains, to the great Himavat, and started to pray to the MahaMaya, referring to the boon She afforded them earlier.

84. ~Notes~
Their praying to the Mother Goddess here was one of the most powerful set of words that adorns our Puranic texts and oozes divine beauty verily from the sounds of those. Apart from Sanskrit, no other language, naturally, can deliver the blessings of the Shabda-Brahma.

85. I will skim through this quickly, but if you have ever listened to "Chandi-paath" during a Durga-Puja festival, you'd probably recall the ethereal sounds of:

Ya Devi Sarvabhuteshu, Maatri-rupena Samsthita |
Namastasyai, Namastasyai, Namastasyai Namo Namaha ||

86. Yes, we are talking about that very section of Devi Mahatmayam here!
~End Note~

O Goddess, O Moola-Prakriti,
We prostrate before you!
You are terrible, yet the constant of the world
O Gauri, you are the Dhatri - who holds the world

87. You are resplendent with the light that makes the moon glow
You are prosperity, you are perfection
You are the prolonger, you are the maturer
You are the one who gives good fortune to the kings
You are the queen of it all

88. You are Durga, remover of difficulties
You are the one of dark and dusky complexion
Yet you are ample, mild and austere
You are the foundation of the world

89. Five times we bow before you - the MahaMaya among of all of Vishnu's illusions
Five times we bow before you - the Consciousness in all lives
Five times we bow before you - the Intellect in all thoughts
Five times we bow before you - the Repose in all creatures

90. Five times we bow before you - the Hunger in all jeevas
Five times we bow before you - the Shadow in all forms
Five times we bow before you - the Energy in all praanas
Five times we bow before you - the Thirst in all minds and bodies

91. Five times we bow before you - the Patience in all beings
Five times we bow before you - the Speciality in all creatures
Five times we bow before you - the Modesty in all exposures
Five times we bow before you - the Tranquility in all vibrations

92. Five times we bow before you - the Faith in all expectations
Five times we bow before you - the Splendour in all expressions
Five times we bow before you - the Prosperity in all endeavours
Five times we bow before you - the Integrity in all creations

93. Five times we bow before you - the Activity in all intentions
Five times we bow before you - the Memory in all knowledge
Five times we bow before you - the Morality in all decisions
Five times we bow before you - the Contentment in all desires

94. Five times we bow before you - the Fulfilment in all nourishments
Five times we bow before you - the Mercy in all decisions
Five times we bow before you - the Mother in all feelings
Five times we bow before you - the Delusion in all experiences

95. O Goddess, you are the pervasiveness, you give sense to the organs, you rule among all created beings perpetually. You adron the entire creation in the form of the thinking mind, we salute to you five times!

96. O Queen of the Gods, we offer our prayers to you to come and rescue us from the torment of the danavas and destroy our calamities.

Hearing the prayers of the gods thus, Maata Parvati came to their aid, and took a bath in the water of the Ganga.

97. As She enquired of the devas about who they were praying to, Ambika emerged from Her being, and answered to Her, "They recite my praises, because they were defeated by the giants Shumbha and Nishumbha in the war."

98. Issued from Pravati's body, Devi took the name Kaushiki. And Pravati Herself turned black in complexion, and assumed the form of Kaali.

Next up: Chanda and Munda report to Shumbha!

99. 04 Oct / 18 Ashwin

Vamana Purana tells a little backstory of Chanda and Munda.

Among the many danava sons of Rishi Kashyapa & Danu, Chanda and Munda came to fame when they became ministers of Mahishasura.

100. After the annihilation of the great asura king, they took to hiding underwater for a long time. As Shumbha & Nishumbha came to power, a friend of Chanda & Munda's, Raktabeeja, suggested to Shumbha & Nishumbha to call them back to join the danava forces.

101. They were thus appointed as generals in the vast danava army.

In the slopes of the Himalayas, when they saw the sublime and captivating form of Ambika, they immediately reported back to their lord, Shumbha, about Her.

102. "A woman with the most mesmerizing beauty is residing in the Himalayas, O King! Such a beauty has never been seen by anyone in the world. Maybe she is a goddess. And in that case, my lord, you should be the master of her."

103. "She is making the sky alight with her radiance. You must go and look at her. We know that here, in your own palace today, you have the most valuable and illustrious of all treasures - the greatest gems and stones...

104. "Airavata, Uchchaishrava, and Patijata tree from Indra, Brahma's swan-driven flying chariot, Kubera's Nidhi and Maha-Padma, Varuna's garland of undying lotuses and his umbrella, and Yama's power Utkrantida...

105. "Your brother has the noose of Varuna, and his gems, and Agni's purified garments. The only thing that is left to be acquired is this auspicious gem of a woman!"

106. Shumbha was convinced. He asked his messenger, asura Sugreeva, to go and tell the Goddess, "Go and tell her that I want her. Make sure you convince her and make her understand that she should come to me for her own good."

107. Sugreeva went, and addressed Ambika, "O goddess! Shumbha, the king of the danavas, the supreme lord of the three worlds, have sent me to you to convey his command. My lords commands are such that even the gods are afraid to resist those.

108. "He said, 'I am the lord of all the devas, I eat every portions of all the sacrifices made across the world, I posses the most valuable of gems in the creation, the treasures of the former king of the gods, even!'

109. 'For a gem like you, it will be best to come and accept either me, or my brother Nishumbha, as your master. You shall gain riches without bounds. Make a wise decision.'"

110. Devi smiled and said, "Every word of your king is true. But I have a condition. Whoever can defeat me in battle, I can be his only. Ask either Shumbha or Nishumbha to come here and battle me, and once defeated, I will readily surrender myself to them."

111. Sugreeva was astonished. He had seen the hosts of the devas getting defeated by the hands of his masters, and here a lone woman is making such atrocisous comments!

112. Probably it will be best suited for her to be dragged by her hair to the court of demon-lord Shumbha, once she gets defeated in the battle.

He traced his steps back, and returned to Shumbha's palace.

Next up... Dhumralochana.

113. 11 Oct / 25 Ashwin

Shumbha heard it all. Enraged, he commanded his general Dhumralochana to go with an army, drag the woman from the mountains by hair & bring her to his court. And should anyone be trying to resist, be it a Deva, Yaksha or Gandharva, kill them on the spot.

114. With 60,000 soldiers, Dhumralochana went to the icy peaks where Devi was standing. He commanded once again, "Come down and present yourself to Shumbha and Nishumbha, or let yourself be dragged by hair all the way."

115. Devi gave a one line response, "If you so wish - to take me by force - what can I do?" In vainglory, Dhumralochana charged towards Her. And it was one road - one huhumkara from Her - that reduced the great asura to ashes.

116. The army of 60,000 attacked Her nevertheless, showering arrows, javelins and axes towards Her. The Lion, uttering a terrible roar, crashed down on the asuras, and started to tear them down with his forepaws, teeth, and hind foot.

117. Heads rolled, entrails came out dangling, limbs fell here and there - the asura army was brutally decimated by the Lion of the Devi, as he drank the blood that flowed out. Devi's anger was finally subsided, as none of the 60,000 remains upright on the battleground.

118. Shumbha heard, and Shubha roared, "O Chanda, O Munda! Take your army and bring that woman here in front of me. Fight if you must, kill that lion of hers, bind her and bring her to me! Go now!"

Next up... emergence of Kaali, and the naming of Chamunda.

119. 13 Oct / 27 Ashwin

The mountainpeak was glowing golden, reflecting the slanted sunlight, and there was the Devi, seated atop Her Lion, looking magnificent.

120. The army of Chanda and Munda was arranged in four segments. Finding Ambika there, they prepared to attack with all the weapons drawn - some with bows and arrows, and some with swords.

121. Slowly Ambika's divine smile transformed into terrible wrath. Her face started to change, and slowly it changed completely into a complexion so dark that even light could not escape by way of reflection from Her skin.

122. MahaKaali entered Her playfield... the field being this cosmos, and the play being death.

123. With a sword in one hand, and a noose in another, She wore a garland of skulls and the hide of a tiger. Her lolling tongue was deepset red, and so was Her burning eyes. The skies trembled with Her roar. And the asura army saw death personified.

124. Whether it was elephants with their riders on or horse-chariots with their warriors in - She picked them up and put them inside Her mouth to devour in a gulp. She cut, bit, crushed and thrashed. Even the discarded weapons of the asura army was crushed into dust by Her.

125. Chanda approached Her. Munda filled the sky with arrows and discuses, drowing Her out from visibility. But Kaali just stood there, laughing terribly. She opened Her mouth, and showed them Her teeth, indicating the final destination for both asura brothers.

126. One huge gallop by the Lion, and Devi was upon Chanda and Munda in a trice. Seizing them by the hairs, She crashed the asuras on the ground, and with one mighty swipe of the scimitar, their heads was freed from the burden of their bodies.

127. At the mountaintop, Kaali and Chandika were face to face. Kaali said, "Here are the heads of Chanda and Munda, the great beasts. Now you shall slay Shumbha and Nishumbha."

128. Chandika replied, "O Goddess, by this valiant deed of yours, you shall forever be known to the world as Chamunda."

Next up... The final attack, and the battle with Raktabeeja!

129. 14 Oct / 28 Ashwin

Shumbha finally had to issue his complete army against the Devi. Overcome with wrath, he thundered, "I command the eighty-six daitya generals to march with their armies and weapons. I command the eighty-four Kambu leaders to march forth with their forces.

130. I command the ten million strong army of the fifty giants' race chieftains to engage in the battle. Let the hundred Dhoumras, descendants of Dhumralochana, engage in the war. Engage in the battle, O Daurhrtas - the descendants of Durhrd, O Mauryas - the descendants of Mura!

131. Engage in the war, O Kalakas, O Kalakeyas!"

The most terrible of armies descended in the battlefield, challenging the Mother Goddess.

132. Seeing the unfolding of the asura army in front of Her, Chandika picked up Her bow, and issued a twang of the string, the sound of which filled in firmament and spaces in between heaven and earth.

133. Her Lion roared equally tremendously, and Chandika augmented that with the clanging of Her bell. Similar battle cry was issued by Kaali and Her Lion, and the Goddess opened Her mouth wide, mocking the asura host with a gruesome sneer.

134. Brahma, Vishnu and Maheshwar, and the host of the Devatas, emanated streams of energy from their beings, and offered their combined energy to Chandika. Each of those energy streams transformed into different forms of Devi.

135. On a chariot drawn by swans, with a rosary and water-pot, sat Brahmani.

Seated on a bull, sporting a trident, a garland of snakes, and a crescent moon on the head, was Maheshwari.

On a peacock, rode Koumari, with Shakti in hand.

136. Vaishnavi sat on Garuda, with conch, chakra, mace and sword in hands.

Marched out Yajna-Varahi and Narasimhi.

Indri came with Vajra in hand, mounted on mighty Airavata with a thousand eyes.

137. Shiva said to Chandika that it was time to complete the war, and annihilate the asura army. But Devi wanted to give one last chance to the brothers. She asked Shiva to be Her messenger, and approach the asura brothers to offer a final choice.

138. "Tell the brothers that if they wish to live, they can leave the world and move to Patala. But if they choose to fight this battle, it will be their last act alive. After this, Indra will again rule the three worlds and gods will again receive oblations from the sacrifices."

139. One who appoints Shiva Himself as the messenger becomes ShivaDuti, which, thus, became Chandika's another name.

140. But the message was in vain, as the rage-filled asuras advanced towards where Katyayani stood and commenced their attacks with arrows, javelines, discuses & axes. The volume of those filled the vision, but Devi issued matching number of arrows to cut those to smithereens.

141. Kaali attacked the asuras with her trident and staff. Brahmani poured divine water from Her kamandalu, and it melted the asuras away. Maheshwari with Her trident, Vaishnavi with her chakra, and Koumari with Her Shakti decimated the asuras in every direction.

142. With each strike of her thunderbolt, Indri destroyed hundreds of asuras whose body fell on various directions, their blood flooding the ground. Varahi pounced on the asuras, Narasimhi ate them in dozens. Her roaring was the last sound they heard, as Her claws tore them down.

143. As many of the asuras lost all courage to fight and trembled down on the ground, Chandika devoured them, and released their souls. The mere sights of the carnage around caused many to simply drop dead.

144. A great asura general was Raktabeeja. In the past life, he was the danava king Rambha, who was killed by Indra using the "dead man", which was "Vajra" [Ref. below tweet from earlier in this thread: https://twitter.com/_ichat/status/1307026269821833216?s=20 ]

145. In this life he had the boon that whenever his blood spilled in the battle with touch the ground, from each drop would rise another Raktabeeja, equal in strength and abilities.

146. Indri's Vajra injured him, and stood there more Raktabeejas.

Vaishnavi struck him with the chakra, only to create more of him, ready to fight.

Koumari struck him with Shakti, and created more.

147. Varahi cut him down to pieces with Her sword, and sprang back up dozens and dozens of Raktabeejas again.

Maheshwari threw the trident at him, and a hundred more took his place.

148. Within minutes, a million Raktabeejas were all around the Mothers. Each of them were struck down violently to the ground, and from their blood a million-fold more sprang up. The sheer number filled the world - all the beings across the three worlds panicked in utmost terror.

149. Ambika addressed Kaali, and said, "He Chamunda. Open your mouth wide and devour them. Devour each drop of blood that will come out from any of their bodies, lest it finds its way to the ground. Being devoured by you will be the apt destiny for these demons."

150. Devi turned around and clubbed the very first Raktabeeja that She saw. Kaali devoured all the blood that poured out of his body. Another one struck Devi three times with his club, which was not even felt by Her, but the recoil made his body bleed, which was again sucked dry.

151. One by one, all the millions fell. Each drop of blood was devoured by Chamunda.

At the end fell the first Raktabeeja, devoid of any blood in his body.

152. The devas cheered with joy. The Devis danced, intoxicated with the blood of the asura. Thus was recorded the story of Raktabeeja-Vinashini.

Next up... it's time for Nishumbha.

153. 15 Oct / 29 Ashwin

Before the very last segment of the battle, let's check a bit of the backstory of Shumbha and Nishmbha. And for that we have to jump to the most auspicious book in the Puranic corpus - Shiva-MahaPurana.

154. In RudraSamhita's YuddhaKanda, there is told the tale of Jalandhara, one of the fiercest of the asuras to have ever walked on the ground. After all, he was born from Shiva Himself.

155. While the final battle between Jalandhara and Mahadev was going on, there was a brief time when Jalandhara had left the battlefield, disguised himself as Shiva, and went to meet Maa Parvati.

156. During this time, the battle with Mahadev was waged by none other than Shumbha and Nishumbha - Jalandhara's generals. They even went to that extent that using an illusion created by Jalandhara, they mocked Mahadev with a vision...

157. ...showing Devi Parvati had been captured by them and being tormented to a great extent. This illusion caused Mahadev to break down completely and capitalizing on this opportunity, He was hit by 3 of Jalandhara's arrows that went inside His body up to the feathered-ends.

158. Finally when Mahadev again assumed His terrible form, Shumbha and Nishumbha, along with the entire asura army fled in all ten directions, unable to even withstand the looks of Him.

159. Mahadev cursed, "Since you are leaving the battleground, I will not slay you. But as you had the audacity to create the illusion of tormenting Parvati, you will lose your lives in Her hands only."

160. Since then, eons had passed, and they finally found themselves facing their destiny, albeit with no remorse whatsoever.

Seeing Raktabeeja and the rest of the army slain mercilessly, Shumbha and Nishumbha engaged with the Devis, and started showering arrows relentlessly.

161. Chandika rendered that volley of arrows powerless by cutting them off with arrows from Her own bow. Her arrows pierced the limbs of the asura brothers and injured them greatly.

Nishumbha charged with his mighty scimitar, and struck the Lion on the head violently.

162. Devi released one arrow that broke the scimitar in two pieces, and another that split the armor of eight moons that was worn by Nishumbha. Losing his sword and shied, Nishumbha picked up a spear and launched it at the Devi, which She split into half by Her chakra.

163. Nishumbha tried all his weapons one after another - his shool, his mace, his axe - and all of them were destroyed into pieces and ashes by Devi's fist, trident and arrows. Finally he was struck down by Devi and fell on the ground, and was unconscious.

164. To save his brother, Shumbha charged towards the Devi. Riding on his chariot, he appeared terrible and with his eight hands sporting different weapons, his very looks appeared to have filled the field of vision.

165. The Goddess sounded Her conch, and also made a terrible twang of Her bowstring. The sound of Her bell filled all the regions... and the courage of the mighty asura army departed from the battleground.

166. The roars of Devi's Lion filled the heaven and earth in all ten directions, and caused all the beasts of war used by the asura army to tremble in fear. Kaali extended Her hands and struck the heaven and the earth.

167. Chandika laughed terribly at Shumbha, and called him out, "Stand, O evil-souled, stand!" The devatas cheered Her on from their vantage points, "Be victorious!"

168. Spears were hurled at each other, and arrows by the hundreds and thousands. Shumbha and Devi - both were engaged in a battle that would seldom again be observed in the history of the cosmos.

169. But even being the greatest of the asura chief's, Shumbha still was no match for Her. Finally Devi's shool found its mark, and Shumbha fell down from his chariot, wounded heavily.

170. Meanwhile Nishumbha regained consciousness, and saw what was unfolding. Immediately he engaged both Chandika and Kaali, showering them with myriads of arrows and discuses.

Chandika was enraged. She cut down all of Nishumbha's weapons with Her own arrows.

171. Meanwhile, Nishumbha attacked Her again with a club in hand. Devi, with one fell swoop of the sword, cut the club into two pieces, and with Her another hand, She drove a dart straight into his heart.

172. Still some power of illusion left in him, from Nishumbha's punctured heart, rose Nishumbha again. A new body oozing immense strength and valor, he stepped forward towards the Devi. She laughed out loudly, and Her sword decapitated the demon in one swift motion.

173. The remainder of the asura army was finished off by the Lion, and the Devis. Koumari's spear, Brahmani's purified water, Maheshwari's trident, Varahi's blows, Vaishnavi's chakra and Indri's Vajra reduced the asura army to complete nothingness.

Next up... end of Shumbha.

174. 16 Oct / 30 Ashwin

Shumbha saw his dearest brother fall in battle, and was grief-stricken and devastated. Brother gone, the asura army decimated in front of his very eyes, he addressed Ambika in an angry tone, "Durga, you are tainted with arrogance of strength...

175. ... when you actually are nothing if not for the help provided by all these other goddesses!"

Devi replied, "Foolish demon, it is I who is the world. Who else is there besides me? It is my essence alone that has created all these forms. Behold!"

176. With Her words, all the Goddesses from the battlefield transformed into the divine effulgence that They were, and verily merged back into the Ambika. Finally in the battlefield, She stood alone.

177. "I were the forms, the forms were me. They emanated from me, and now they are absorbed back into me. Now I stand in the battlefield alone, in front of you. I can assume any form, but I will retain this form only - to fight you."

178. The final battle commenced between Shumbha and Ambika. Suras and asuras watched in awe, as both sides left no divine weapons unused, the luster of which put fear in the hearts of all beings across the three worlds.

179. The lord of the daityas broke Ambika's missiles that she discharged in hundreds. The favour was returned by the Devi in the very next instance. Shumbha's volley of arrows came towards the Devi only to be split into pieces, and further, Her arrows broke Shumbha's bow in half.

180. Arrows were followed by the spear, but before he got a chance to launch it, Devi's chakra cut it into pieces. Shumbha picked up his enormous scimitar and the blazing shield of hundred-moons.

181. He ran towards the Devi, but just before reaching Her, Her arrows cut down his scimitar and his shield.

Shumbha picked up his mace and attached Devi again, only to repeat the same experience. Desperate, he resorted to hand-to-hand combat with Her.

182. His fist landed on Her breasts, and Her fist returned the blow in an unequal measure - a blow that was perhaps a hundred times more fierce. Shumbha fell down on the ground as the blow was impossible for him to bear.

183. But only for a trice... as he again got up, and regaining his composure, he grabbed Devi and dragged Her up in the air for an aerial combat. The close combat continued for long, and the Rishis and Siddhas watched in dismay.

184. Finally Devi threw him back towards the earth with enormous force, and he crashed heavily. As he was again getting up to charge back towards Her, Devi sent Her shool pointed straight towards his heart, which pinned him back to the ground.

185. The crash shook the earth, the seas, the islands and the mountains. The soul of the daitya-lord departed his mortal body at long last. The universe became placid. Earth and sky were back to their normal state of purity.

186. Fiery clouds became tranquil. Frothing rivers became decent. Gods became joyfull, and Gandharvas sang out sweetly. Apsaras danced, and fragrant breezes filled the air. The Devatas, led by Agni, praised Katyayani copiously, as their hopes were finally realized.

187. O Goddess, O Remover of sufferings, O Mother of the cosmos, O Queen of the universe, You are our only Protector.

They sang praises of Devi's core essence, of Her graces and Her blessings.

188. They sang praises for each of Her forms that She manifested during the battle : Brahmani, Vaishnavi, Maheshwari, Koumari, Varahi, Narasimhi, Indri, as Shiva-duti, and as Kaali - Chamunda!

189. They sang for Her expression that nourishes - as Lakshmi.
They sang for Her expression that convinces - as MahaMaya.
They sang for Her expression that kindles - as Saraswati.
They sang for Her expression that protects - as Durga.

190. They pleaded for Bhadra-Kaali to keep protecting them as always, by the very presence of Her trident, by the very sounds of Her bell, by the sharpness of Her scimitar.

191. As their heartfelt praises and songs ended, the Devi spoke to them, "I am pleased and ready to offer you the boon of your hearts desire. Ask, what be your wishes, and I will grant that what would benefit the universe."

192. The gods only wanted the pacification of every trouble in the three world for the ages to come.

The Goddesses let them into the secrets from the womb of the future to assure them of their fear and desire...

193. "In the Vaivasvata manvantara, I shall come again when Shumbha and Nishumbha will take a rebirth. I will reside in the Vindya mountains and will be born of Yosoda's womb.

I will come again to destory the great asura Viprachitta.

194. "As my teeth will be deepset red, I will be called Rakta-Dantika. I shall I born again, not from any womb, to end the hundred years' famine. I will look at the sages with a hundred eyes, and will be known as Shatakshi.

195. "I will feed the whole world with divine vegetables that will grow from my body, and thus I will be known as Shakambhari. I will come again to rid the world of the troubles of Durgamashura, and thus will be known as Durga.

196. "I will assume by terrible form again on the Himavat to destroy the rakshasas, and will be known as Bhima-Devi. I will take form again as a colony of bumblebess to end Arunaksha, and the world will revere me as Bhramari.

197. "Thus whenever trouble shall rise for the world, I shall rise again to bring back balance. Whoever will meditate upon me, will sing these hymns, I shall remove all troubles for him.

198. "Whoever shall sing of the stories of the slaying of Madhu-Kaitabha, of Mahishasura, of Shumbha and Nishumbha, on the lunar ashtami, nabami and chaturdashi - with a pure heart and good intent - will be free from all sins, all calamities, all poverty and all distresses.

199. "Wherever these hymns will be sung regularly, I shall never abandon those places. I will accept sacrifices and oblations by fire, by the devotees. Whoever will do my puja during the autumn, he will assuredly be delivered from every trouble, be blessed with riches & bounty.

200. "Anyone who is surrounded by raging fire, by robbers, by enemies, by wild beasts... who is in troubled by king's punishment, death sentence, bondage, whirlwind in the middle of sea, pains of the battleground - remembering my songs will give him the relief so desired."

201. Finally the Devi disappeared and gods returned to their abodes, satisfied. The essences of Shumbha and Nishumbha also returned to Paatala.

Next up - the last part of this thread!