Devi Mahatmya - 5

Devi Mahatmya - Markandeya Purana, tr. by Bibek Debroy

Ch 4 << Chapter 5 (Ch 82 in the book) >> Ch 6

R
ishi Sumedha continued his account of the goddess. Devi Ambika had acceded to the gods' request to help them when needed. Eventually, the asura brothers Shumbh and Nishumbha rose to power, usurped Indra's throne, and appropriated the rights of Surya, Chandra, Kubera, Yama, Varuna, Pavana and Agni. The gods remembered the goddess' boon to them to manifest herself when the gods beseeched her.

Devi Mahatmya - 4

Devi Mahatmya - Markandeya Purana, tr. by Bibek Debroy

Ch 3 << Chapter 4 (Ch 81 in the book) >> Ch 5

W
ith Mahishasura dead, the gods now praised the goddess. Everything in the world had been created through her powers, the gods, including Brahma, Hari, and Hara, lacked the powers to describe her powers. She was Shri for those who did good and Alakshmi to those who were evil. Such was her form and her powers that they, the gods, could not describe them. She was the hymns of the Rig Veda and Sama Veda, and the reservoir of beautiful songs of the Sama Veda.She was Durga, she was Shri, she was Gouri. Her vanquishing Mahishasura was proof that those who angered her were destroyed. Those who pleased her were blessed with prosperity. Her form, which created fear in the enemy, couldn't be compared with anything. All the gods said they bowed before her. Addressing her as Ambika, Chandi, Ishvari, the gods entreated her to save them with her weapons, to save them in all directions, in all the three worlds.

Pleased with the gods' praise and worship, the goddess said that she had accomplished what they had asked her to, and that no other difficult task remained for her to accomplish. The gods agreed with Maheshvari, but prayed that if there were trouble again and the gods prayed to her, she would manifest herself again. Bhadrakali agreed, and vanished.

It thus came to pass that the goddess had to manifest herself again, from Gouri's body, for slaying the asuras Shumbha and Nishumbha.


Reference: Markandeya Purana, translated by Bibek Debroy. Published by Penguin, 2019. The Devi Mahatmya is covered in chapters 78-90 of the Markandeya Purana.



© 2020, Abhinav Agarwal (अभिनव अग्रवाल). All rights reserved.

Devi Mahatmya - 3

Devi Mahatmya - Markandeya Purana, tr. by Bibek Debroy

Ch 2 << Chapter 3 (Ch 80 in the book) >> Ch 4

D
evi Ambika severed Chikshura's standard, bow, destroyed his chariot, killed his horses and charioteer. Finally, Bhadrakali hurled her trident at him, shattering the asura into a hundred pieces.

Devi Mahatmya - 2

Devi Mahatmya - Markandeya Purana, tr. by Bibek Debroy

Ch 1 << Chapter 2 (Ch 79 in the book) >> Ch 3

H
aving told both Suratha and Samadhi how Mahamaya was praised by Brahma, how Vishnu was awakenied, who then proceeded to kill the asuras, Madhu and Kaitabha, Sumedha now proceeds to tell the two the powers of the goddess.

Devi Mahatmya - 1

Devi Mahatmya - Markandeya Purana, tr. by Bibek Debroy

Ch 1  (Ch 78 in the book) >> Ch 2

O
f the five sections in the Markandeya Purana, the Devi Mahatmya is the fourth. While ascribing a date to one of the oldest Puranas is difficult, one estimate is that the Markandeya Purana was composed no later than the 4th century CE, and the Devi Mahatmya most likely by the 6th century CE. Bibek Debroy uses the Sanskrit text brought out by Nag Publishers in 1983 for this translation, which gives us 6,449 shlokas.

Of which the Devi Mahatmya comprises a little under six-hundred shlokas, contained between chapters 78 and 90. Introductory verses added to the Devi Mahatmya result in 700 shlokas, and that is known as the "Chandi or Durga Saptashati (seven hundred)".