Aum Raudrayai Namaha!

12

Mahishasuramardini

Ya Devi sarvabhuteshu, shanti rupena samsthita,

Namasthasyai, namasthasyai, namasthasyai namo namaha!

O Goddess who resides in all creatures in the form of peace,

Hail to thee, hail to thee, all hail to thee!

The Devi Mahatmyam contains three myths describing the glorious doings of Durga (sometimes called Chandika) The first myth is the one connected with the two demons, Madhu and Kaitabha, the second is the killing of Mahishasura, and the third the killing of Shumbha and Nishumbha. The second, third, and fourth chapters exalt her as Mahishasuramardini, or the killer of the buffalo demon Mahisha. While the Madhu-Kaitabha episode stresses her cosmic and transcendental stature, this incident describes the reason for her incarnation on Earth and her universal purpose, which is the saving of all creatures.

Once upon a time two asuras, known as Rambha and Karambha, practiced great austerities in order to be granted the boon of begetting sons. Asuras are noted for undertaking impossibly severe austerities in order to force one of the gods to grant them boons meant for their own selfish purposes. Karambha did tapas under the waters of a river. This infuriated Indra, the king of the gods, who knew well what all this austerity was leading up to. Indra killed Karambha before he could conclude his tapas. Rambha heard about this and decided to make the supreme sacrifice of immolating himself in fire in order to force one of the gods to come to him. Agni, the god of fire, did materialize before him and advised him to desist from this stupid act, since it would serve no purpose. Instead, Agni told Rambha to ask for a boon and it would be granted.

Rambha concluded that this was a sensible suggestion and asked for a son who would be able to assume different personalities at will, conquer the three worlds, and destroy all his enemies. Agni granted him this boon, and Rambha roamed the forest to find a suitable mate. His eyes fell on a beautiful she-buffalo who was in full heat. He fell for her charms and had intercourse with her. When she conceived, he took her off to the netherworld to keep her under his protection, but unfortunately another buffalo became enamored of her, and in the battle that ensued Rambha was killed. His carcass was cremated, and the disconsolate she-buffalo decided to immolate herself in the fire. When she jumped in, an astonishing thing happened: the fetus in her womb rose up from the fire and achieved enormous proportions; he became the asura Mahisha. Rambha also rose up from the fire in a new form and became known as Raktabija, close friend and ally of Mahisha.

Mahisha proceeded to the mountain known as Sumeru and performed severe tapas there for many years. Pleased with his austerities, Brahma appeared and asked him to choose a boon. The asura immediately asked for immortality.

Brahma replied, “O Mahisha! Birth has to be followed by death and death by birth. This is the inevitable law of nature. The highest mountains and the deepest oceans and all created things will come to an end when the time comes. So I cannot grant immortality, but you can choose some other boon.”

Mahisha immediately said, “O Grandfather! Grant me the boon that I can never be killed by any god, demon, human being, or animal of the male sex.”

Brahma acceded to this request, and Mahisha exulted, for he didn’t dream that any woman could stand up to his might.

Puffed up with pride after his success, Mahisha first proceeded to conquer the earth. Then he looked toward the heavens and routed the gods, forcing them to take to their heels. The dejected gods went to Brahma and asked for his help. As usual, he was unable to help them, so they went to Kailasa, the abode of Shiva.

Shiva cast a meaningful look at Brahma and said, “O worshipful one! You are the one who has given this demon these boons that have made him invincible. None of us will be able to defeat him. How can we ask our wives to go and fight with this fiend? That is not possible, so let’s go and ask Vishnu to find a solution.”

The gods repaired to Vaikunta, the abode of Vishnu.

Smilingly, Lord Vishnu said, “O devas! Since this demon cannot be killed by a male, the only remedy is to create out of our combined energies a female who will surely be able to defeat him.”

Hardly had he finished speaking when a fiery red energy rose out of the face of Brahma. It was soon joined by a silvery white fire from Shiva, a dazzling blue light emanating from Vishnu, and a multicolored glow from Indra. Masses of fiery sparks soon came from the other gods and united to form a huge, mountainous mass of energy, blazing like a thousand suns. These energies eventually took on the form of a ravishingly beautiful young woman adorned with divine clothes and ornaments and having eighteen arms, each wielding a different weapon.

Her enchanting face was created from the fiery energy of Shiva; her glossy black hair came from Yama, the god of death; her three eyes emitting sparks of anger came from Agni, the god of fire; and her arched eyebrows came from Sandhya, the spirit of twilight. Her ears were fashioned from the light of Vayu, the god of wind; her nose from that of Kubera, the god of wealth; and her pearly teeth from that of Daksha, who was one of the patriarchs. Her deep red lips came from the energy of Aruna, the charioteer of the sun, and her eighteen arms from the glory of Vishnu. Her breasts came from Soma, the moon god, and her navel from Indra. Her thighs and legs came from Varuna, the god of waters, and her loins from Prithvi, the earth deity. Her form was exquisitely beautiful, and the devas were in rapture when they saw her.

The milky ocean in which Vishnu reclined brought forth for her an exquisite crystal necklace and some heavenly clothes, bright red in color. Vishvakarma, the architect of the gods, bedecked her with intricately designed jewels intended to adorn each and every part of her body. Varuna, lord of waters, presented her with a crown of never-fading lotuses and a vanamala or garland of mixed wildflowers. The mountain Himalaya offered a tawny lion as her vehicle.

Now Vishnu asked the gods to present her with their separate weapons. Vishnu created another discus with a thousand spokes and offered it to her. Shiva gave his trident and Varuna, a conch. Agni offered her a splendid blazing weapon known as Shatagni, and Vayu, a bow and unlimited arrows. Indra gave his thunderbolt and Yama gave his staff, which he uses to take away the life of all beings at the time of death. Kubera gave her a golden goblet filled with intoxicating wine. Brahma gave his own kamandalu or water pot, filled with Ganga (Ganges) water. Vishvakarma made a mace for her, and the sun gave his sparkling rays to surround her head like an aureole.

It’s important to understand that the gods did not create this goddess out of their own imaginations. Instead they consciously constructed a body through which the unborn and deathless mother of the universe could manifest in this plane of reality. They willingly abdicated their various masculine attitudes so that the demon might be destroyed. Into the hands of the Divine Mother they delivered their various weapons, utensils, ornaments, and emblems containing their particular energies and traits. Into the all-comprehending source out of which they themselves had originally evolved, they now merged their separate natures and powers of action.

On beholding this most auspicious personification of the supreme energy of the universe, the gods rejoiced and paid homage to her. They called her Tripurasundari, “the fairest maid of all the three worlds.” She was the perennial, primeval female in which all the particular and limited forces of their various personalities had powerfully amalgamated. Such an overwhelming totalization signified omnipotence. By a gesture of perfect surrender they had returned their energies to the primeval Shakti, the fountainhead of power from which they had stemmed. The result was a great renewal of the original state of universal potency. When the cosmos first unfolded into a system of different spheres and forces, life energy was parceled out into a multitude of individual manifestations. But these had now lost their force. The Divine Mother, the life energy as the primeval maternal principle, had reabsorbed them into her universal womb. She was now ready to go forth in the fullness of her being as the goddess Durga (Chandika).

Seeing her thus resplendent and adorned, filled with startling beauty, the gods extolled her: “O Devi! Thou art ever constant and ever existent. Thou art nirguna (without qualities), yet for the sake of thy divine play, thou dost assume different forms, sattvic, rajasic, and tamasic, like an actor who takes on various roles for the entertainment of the people. Pray help us rout this wicked asura who has driven us out of our abode and is bent on destroying the entire universe.”

Durga now spoke in a melodious voice and assured the gods that she would accomplish their purpose and slay the demon.

Sitting astride the huge lion, she gave a mighty roar that reverberated through heaven and earth and made the earth and sky rock with its impact. The oceans churned and volcanoes belched lava. Heavens and hells trembled with fear. Her head grazed the sky while the ground sank beneath her feet. The devas were delighted to see this spine-chilling form of Devi, which was guaranteed to make the mightiest asura quake with fear. Along with the rishis, they extolled her with many hymns.

When Mahisha heard this hideous, fiendish laughter it is said that for a minute even his adamantine heart trembled with the unknown sentiment of fear. He ordered his ministers to go and find out the source of this dreadful sound. They returned with the message that the sound had emanated from the enormous figure of a woman, undoubtedly beautiful but, all the same, fearful to behold. She appeared to be quaffing wine from a golden goblet and was seated on a vicious lion. She twanged her gigantic bow with her eighteen arms and made the very air shiver with its vibrations.

When he heard that his enemy was a woman, Mahisha decided to use conciliatory methods and told his ministers to try to win her over with sweet words and bring her to him, and he would make her his consort. The ministers scurried to do his bidding and tried their best to beguile Durga with many sweet words in the hope of tempting her.

Durga smiled sweetly and said, “I am pleased with your words, but know me to be the mother of the universe. Understand that I have come here at the request of the gods with the express purpose of killing Mahisha and giving heaven back to them. I have come here alone, without an army. Tell him to restore heaven to the gods and return to the nether regions or else fight and be killed by me.”

One of the ministers replied, “My master is invincible. All the gods have fought with him and failed to kill him. How can you, a delicate female, alone and helpless, ever hope to subdue him? Far better for you to surrender to him and become queen of all the three worlds.”

Durga laughed at his words and said, “Your master received a boon from Brahma that he could be killed only by a woman, and that is why I have taken on a woman’s form. Inherently I am neither male nor female. I am the supreme Purusha itself. Tell your master that when death beckons even a grass can turn into a thunderbolt, so why not a woman? Your master’s end is approaching, and not all his warriors or his own valor can save him.”

When Mahishasura heard this, he decided on battle and sent his commanders one after the other to kill Durga. To his amazement, one by one each of his best generals was killed, even though they were supported by huge numbers of infantry, cavalry, and elephants. Seated on her lion and wielding her weapons to deadly effect, Durga made short work of the asuras. The lion also did his bit, gobbling up those who came near him. Those who remained ran back to their master and gave a report about this unnatural turn of events.

At last Mahishasura decided to face Durga himself. But first he exchanged his buffalo form for that of an elegant human shape so as to entice her. Puffed up with pride and armed with all his accoutrements, he advanced toward her, confident that she would succumb to his charms. When she saw him, Durga blew the conch that had been given by Varuna. The sound made all the worlds quail with fear. Mahisha advanced toward her and spoke flattering words, designed to beguile her.

“O lotus-eyed one!” he said. “I will make you queen of all the three worlds if you will give in to my request and become my wife. I have already defeated the gods, and there is no one in the universe that is capable of withstanding my prowess.”

Durga laughed and said, “O daitya (demon)! I do not desire anyone other than the supreme lord. I am his power of will—his Prakriti. Because of his proximity, I appear as the eternal consciousness, manifesting itself as this cosmos. As iron can be moved due to the power of the magnet, so I, who am inert, work consciously due to his proximity. Formless, birthless, and deathless am I, yet at times I take on forms to uphold dharma. If you are desirous of saving your life, make friends with the gods and go your way, and I will not harm you. But if you desire to die, then fight, for I will undoubtedly kill you!”

Rather reluctantly Mahishasura decided to fight, for he was quite enamored by her charms. He started to shoot arrows filled with virulent poison at Durga. In the meantime his warriors surrounded her and kept raining arrows from all sides, while he kept hurling missile after missile at her. She laughed as if in sport and reduced his weapons and his army to ashes in a second. Mahisha could not believe his eyes. He fell upon the lion with his club, but the lion rent his leg with his claws. The asura immediately took on a lion’s form and clawed the lion. Durga became very angry at his assault on her pet lion and rained inexhaustible arrows at him. He now turned into a maddened elephant and hurled huge boulders at the devi with his trunk. But she shattered them to pieces with her arrows. The lion sprang at the head of the elephant and rent it with his claws. The asura immediately assumed the form of a sarabha, an animal more powerful than any creature known to man. Durga, however, instantly tore the sarabha to shreds.

Once more the asura resumed his original form of a mountainous buffalo, and he started to harass the goddess, piercing her with his horns, kicking her with his hooves, and lashing her with his gigantic tail. Then he fell on the lion with a mighty sword, but the lion tore his legs into pieces. Undaunted, Mahisha lashed his huge tail and scattered the clouds, which scuttled across the sky. The oceans rose up as if they had been thrashed. His horns rent the sky and his hooves plowed the entire earth.

Then Durga opened her third eye in fury and roared, “O wicked one! Your end is nigh! Go on ranting a moment more while I sip my fill of this delicious brew.” She took a deep draft of wine from her golden goblet and then, tossing it aside, leapt into the air and came down on the back of the buffalo. Pinning Mahisha’s throat with her foot, she drove her trident into his heart. The demon tried to escape through the buffalo’s gaping mouth in the shape of a heroic warrior, but before he could drag himself out, she caught his hair and cut off his head with her discus. The severed head rolled to the ground like a colossal mountain. The headless buffalo body remained upright for a few minutes and appeared to be vibrating to the beat of the drums. Then it fell to the ground with a tremendous thud that shook the earth with its impact. Blood flowed like a river from the headless body. The lion was delighted with all the blood and lapped it up. He also chased and devoured those warriors who were fleeing for their lives. The gods and sages rejoiced. The earth and its denizens were free once again to worship the supreme, and the yakshas (celestial guardians of wealth) and gandharvas (celestial musicians) danced with joy.

The gods now extolled her with many hymns: “O Devi! You are the prime cause of the preservation and destruction of this whole universe. You are the supreme origin of the whole world. The gods are helpless to do anything without your energy. You are Gauri, Lakshmi, and Saraswati. How beautiful you are, yet how dreadful! Salutations to you, O Mother! Having vanquished this asura, you have brought peace to the whole world. Pray protect us from all sides.”

Having blessed them, the Divine Mother repaired to her own abode, Mani Dwipa or the Island of Jewels. She was born again through the body of Parvati in order to kill the demons Shumbha and Nishumbha (see chapter 13).

The killing of Mahisha, as with all the other bloodcurdling stories told in the Devi Mahatmyam, has to be seen from an esoteric angle before we can understand the great impact it has had on the mind of the Indian subcontinent.

The bewildering series of transformations that Mahisha undergoes is an example of the mythological trait of externalization or projection often found in the Puranas. The buffalo demon, employing his illusory power, which again is a power of the goddess, projects his vital energy into new forms. His aggressiveness, his ambition, his will to win—he projects all into form after form and relinquishes one after the other in order to survive.

Similarly, the human vital energy of body and soul, when aroused, flows forth in either beneficent or destructive forms, demonic or divine, depending on the nature of the desire that prompts it to externalize. The battlefield of the world is filled with such demonic and godly characters—the Hitlers, the Mussolinis, the Ghandhis, and the Christs. In fact, the universe itself and our individual worlds are just such transformations of the absolute. Each one of us projects our individual shakti (vital energy) into our own little universe—our immediate environment. We color the neutral screen of the supreme consciousness with the dramas and dreams of our inner personalities and get caught in the web of our own make-believe world. The world that we perceive and react to is the product of our own maya or delusion. Thus we are captives of our own maya shakti and get caught up in its dramatic events, delights, and calamities. Whenever we are entangled and enmeshed in any vital or passionate issues, we are dealing with the projection of our own imaginations. This is the spell of maya, of creative, life-engendering, life-maintaining energy. It is also the spell of nescience or ignorance. Since the mind is the chief producer of our personal dramas, ancient Indian wisdom is based on mind-transcending experiences in yoga and meditation, and aims at a total transmutation of human nature, a new awareness of both the world and itself. It seeks to release human beings from the spellbinding projections of their own maya shakti and thus expose their hidden divinity.

It is an interesting fact that in all the statues depicting her slaying of the demon, Devi’s face shows no signs of wrath. She is steeped in the serenity of eternal calm. Though the deed in time and space has to be accomplished, the expression on the countenance of the goddess reduces its importance to the minimum. For her, the whole course of this cosmic performance, including her own appearance, is only a part of the celestial dream. It’s only another scene in the universal drama. She has assumed a form in order to play her part in the universal dream and enacts the leading role, fully aware that it is only a dream. She remains unconcerned with her own triumphant manifestation. Our Mahisha ego is constantly striving to elude this cleansing power of the divine within us. We have to have recourse to the sage Medhas, who is the loving intellect that is full of inspiration and joy, in order to show us the way to Durga.

Durga or Chandika represents the ever-victorious higher principle within us; her weapons include self-discipline, chanting of the mantra, selfless service, introspection, prayer, devotion, meditation, and cheerfulness. Mahisha represents the demonic ego continually seeking to elude the transformative powers of the divine force within. Mahisha is the personification of the selfish ego at its basest form, filled with pride and sensuality. His legions are spite, pettiness, greed, falsehood, and all the other negative emotions. His chief commanders are desire, anger, arrogance, attachment, greed, and self-centeredness. Fortified with these powers, he usurps the gods, who represent the divine powers of the mind. Once this mighty asuric ego is killed, the gods or the helpful forces within us resume their rightful roles in our lives.

O slayer of the demon Mahisha,

The gods themselves worship you for the protection of the

universe.

You are victory itself and therefore give victory in battle,

Goddess, blazing with light, be kind to me!

Show mercy in my hour of darkness,

Grant me conquering power.

—FROM THE DURGA STOTRAM

IN THE MAHABHARATA

Thus ends the twelfth chapter of Shakti, known as “Mahishasuramardini,” which describes the killing of the demon Mahisha.

Aum Aim Hreem Kleem