Fifth Skandha · Chapter 21
Sourceव्यास उवाच शृणु राजन् प्रवक्ष्यामि देव्याश्चरितमुत्तमम् । सुखदं सर्वजन्तूनां सर्वपापप्रणाशनम् ॥ १ ॥ यथा शुम्भो निशुम्भश्च भ्रातरौ बलवत्तरौ । बभूवतुर्महावीरौ अवध्यौ पुरुषैः किल ॥ २ ॥ बहुसेनावृतौ शूरौ देवानां दुःखदौ सदा दुराचारौ मदोत्सिक्तौ बहुदानवसंयुतौ ॥ ३ ॥ हतावम्बिकया तौ तु संग्रामेऽतीव दारुणे । देवानाञ्ज हितार्थाय सर्वैः परिचरैः सह ॥ ४ ॥ चण्डमुण्डौ महाबाहू रक्तबीजोऽतिदारुणः । धूम्रलोचननामा च निहतास्ते रणाङ्गणे ॥ ५ ॥ तान्निहत्य सुराणां सा जहार भयमुत्तमम् । स्तुता सम्पूजिता देवैर्गिरौ हेमाचले शुभे ॥ ६ ॥ राजोवाच कावेतावसुरावादौ कथं तौ बलिनां वरौ । केन संस्थापितौ चेह स्त्रीवध्यत्वं कुतो गतौ ॥ ७ ॥ तपसा वरदानेन कस्य जातौ महाबलौ । कथञ्च निहतौ सर्वं कथयस्व सविस्तरम् ॥ ८ ॥ व्यास उवाच शृणु राजन्कथां दिव्यां सर्वपापप्रणाशिनीम् । देव्याश्चरितसंयुक्तां सर्वार्थफलदां शुभाम् ॥ ९ ॥ पुरा शुम्भनिशुम्भौ द्वावसुरौ भूमिमण्डले । पातालतश्च सम्प्राप्तौ भ्रातरौ शुभदर्शनौ ॥ १० ॥ तौ प्राप्तयौवनौ चैव चेरतुस्तप उत्तमम् । अन्नोदकं परित्यज्य पुष्करे लोकपावने ॥ ११ ॥ वर्षाणामयुतं यावद्योगविद्यापरायणौ । एकत्रैवासनं कृत्वा तेपाते परमं तपः ॥ १२ ॥ तयोस्तुष्टोऽभवद् ब्रह्मा सर्वलोकपितामहः । तत्रागतश्च भगवानारुह्य वरटापतिम् ॥ १३ ॥ तावुभौ च जगत्स्रष्टा दृष्ट्वा ध्यानपरौ स्थितौ । उत्तिष्ठत महाभागौ तुष्टोऽहं तपसा किल ॥ १४ ॥ वाञ्छितं वां वरं कामं ददामि ब्रुवतामिह । कामदोऽहं समायातो दृष्ट्वा वां तपसो बलम् ॥ १५ ॥ व्यास उवाच इति श्रुत्वा वचस्तस्य प्रबुद्धौ तौ समाहितौ । प्रदक्षिणक्रियां कृत्वा प्रणामं चक्रतुस्तदा ॥ १६ ॥ दण्डवत्प्रणिपातञ्च कृत्वा तौ दुर्बलाकृती । ऊचतुर्मधुरां वाचं दीनौ गद्गदया गिरा ॥ १७ ॥ देवदेव दयासिन्धो भक्तानामभयप्रद । अमरत्वञ्च नौ ब्रह्मन्देहि तुष्टोऽसि चेद्विभो ॥ १८ ॥ मरणादपरं किञ्चिद्भयं नास्ति धरातले । तस्माद्भयाच्च सन्त्रस्तौ युष्माकं शरणं गतौ ॥ १९ ॥ त्राहि त्वं देवदेवेश जगत्कर्तः क्षमानिधे । परिस्फोटय विश्वात्मन् सद्यो मरणजं भयम् ॥ २० ॥ ब्रह्मोवाच किमिदं प्रार्थनीयं वो विपरीतं तु सर्वथा । अदेयं सर्वथा सर्वैः सर्वेभ्यो भुवनत्रये ॥ २१ ॥ जातस्य हि ध्रुवो मृत्युर्ध्रुवं जन्म मृतस्य च । मर्यादा विहिता लोके पूर्वं विश्वकृता किल ॥ २२ ॥ मर्तव्यं सर्वथा सर्वैः प्राणिभिर्नात्र संशयः । अन्यं प्रार्थयतं कामं ददामि यच्च वाञ्छितम् ॥ २३ ॥ व्यास उवाच तदाकर्ण्य वचस्तस्य सुविमृश्य च दानवौ । ऊचतुः प्रणिपत्याथ ब्रह्माणं पुरतः स्थितम् ॥ २४ ॥ पुरुषैरमराद्यैश्च मानवैर्मृगपक्षिभिः । अवध्यत्वं कृपासिन्धो देहि नौ वाञ्छितं वरम् ॥ २५ ॥ नारी बलवती कास्ति या नौ नाशं करिष्यति । न बिभीवः स्त्रियः कामं त्रैलोक्ये सचराचरे ॥ २६ ॥ अवध्यौ भ्रातरौ स्यातां नरेभ्यः पङ्कजोद्भव । भयं न स्त्रीजनेभ्यश्च स्वभावादबला हि सा ॥ २७ ॥ व्यास उवाच इति श्रुत्वा तयोर्वाक्यं प्रददौ वाञ्छितं वरम् । ब्रह्मा प्रसन्नमनसा जगामाथ स्वमालयम् ॥ २८ ॥ गतेऽथ भवने तस्मिन्दानवौ स्वगृहं गतौ । भृगुं पुरोहितं कृत्वा चक्रतुः पूजनं तदा ॥ २९ ॥ शुभे दिने सुनक्षत्रे जातरूपमयं शुभम् । कृत्वा सिंहासनं दिव्यं राज्यार्थं प्रददौ मुनिः ॥ ३० ॥ शुम्भाय ज्येष्ठभूताय ददौ राज्यासनं शुभम् । सेवनार्थं तदैवाशु सम्प्राप्ता दानवोत्तमाः ॥ ३१ ॥ चण्डमुण्डौ महावीरौ भ्रातरौ बलदर्पितौ । सम्प्राप्तौ सैन्यसंयुक्तौ रथवाजिगजान्वितौ ॥ ३२ ॥ धूम्रलोचननामा च तद्रूपश्चण्डविक्रमः । शुम्भञ्च भूपतिं श्रुत्वा तदागाद्बलसंयुतः ॥ ३३ ॥ रक्तबीजस्तथा शूरो वरदानबलाधिकः । अक्षौहिणीभ्यां संयुक्तस्तत्रैवागत्य सङ्गतः ॥ ३४ ॥ तस्यैकं कारणं राजन् संग्रामे युध्यतः सदा । देहाद्रुधिरसम्पातस्तस्य शस्त्राहतस्य च ॥ ३५ ॥ जायते च यदा भूमावुत्पद्यन्ते ह्यनेकशः । तादृशाः पुरुषाः क्रूरा बहवः शस्त्रपाणयः ॥ ३६ ॥ सम्भवन्ति तदाकारास्तद्रूपास्तत्पराक्रमाः । युद्धं पुनस्ते कुर्वन्ति पुरुषा रक्तसम्भवाः ॥ ३७ ॥ अतः सोऽपि महावीर्यः संग्रामेऽतीव दुर्जयः । अवध्यः सर्वभूतानां रक्तबीजो महासुरः ॥ ३८ ॥ अन्ये च बहवः शूराश्चतुरङ्गसमन्विताः । शुम्भञ्च नृपतिं मत्वा बभूवुस्तस्य सेवकाः ॥ ३९ ॥ असंख्याता तदा जाता सेना शुम्भनिशुम्भयोः । पृथिव्याः सकलं राज्यं गृहीतं बलवत्तया ॥ ४० ॥ सेनायोगं तदा कृत्वा निशुम्भः परवीरहा । जगाम तरसा स्वर्गे शचीपतिजयाय च ॥ ४१ ॥ चकारासौ महायुद्धं लोकपालैः समन्ततः । वृत्रहा वज्रपातेन ताडयामास वक्षसि ॥ ४२ ॥ स वज्राभिहतो भूमौ पपात दानवानुजः । भग्नं बलं तदा तस्य निशुम्भस्य महात्मनः ॥ ४३ ॥ भ्रातरं मूर्च्छितं श्रुत्वा शुम्भः परबलार्दनः । तत्रागत्य सुरान्मर्वांस्ताडयामास सायकैः ॥ ४४ ॥ कृतं युद्धं महत्तेन शुम्भेनाक्लिष्टकर्मणा । निर्जितास्तु सुराः सर्वे सेन्द्राः पालाश्च सर्वशः ॥ ४५ ॥ ऐन्द्रं पदं तदा तेन गृहीतं बलवत्तया । कल्पपादपसंयुक्तं कामधेनुसमन्वितम् ॥ ४६ ॥ त्रैलोक्यं यज्ञभागाश्च हृतास्तेन महात्मना । नन्दनं च वनं प्राप्य मुदितोऽभून्महासुरः ॥ ४७ ॥ सुधायाश्चैव पानेन सुखमाप महासुरः । कुबेरं स च निर्जित्य तस्य राज्यं चकार ह ॥ ४८ ॥ अधिकारं तथा भानोः शशिनश्च चकार ह । यमञ्चैव विनिर्जित्य जग्राह तत्पदं तथा ॥ ४९ ॥ वरुणस्य तथा राज्यं चकार वह्निकर्म च । वायोः कार्यं निशुम्भश्च चकार स्वबलान्वितः ॥ ५० ॥ ततो देवा विनिर्धूता हृतराज्या हृतश्रियः । सन्त्यज्य नन्दनं सर्वे निर्ययुर्गिरिगह्वरे ॥ ५१ ॥ हृताधिकारास्ते सर्वे बभ्रमुर्विजने वने । निरालम्बा निराधारा निस्तेजस्का निरायुधाः ॥ ५२ ॥ विचेरुरमराः सर्वे पर्वतानां गुहासु च । उद्यानेषु च शून्येषु नदीनां गह्वरेषु च ॥ ५३ ॥ न प्रापुस्ते सुखं वापि स्थानभ्रष्टा विचेतसः । लोकपाला महाराज दैवाधीनं सुखं किल ॥ ५४ ॥ बलवन्तो महाभागा बहुज्ञा धनसंयुताः । काले दुःखं तथा दैन्यमाप्नुवन्ति नराधिप ॥ ५५ ॥ चित्रमेतन्महाराज कालस्यैव विचेष्टितम् । यः करोति नरं तावद्राजानं भिक्षुकं ततः ॥ ५६ ॥ दातारं याचकं चैव बलवन्तं तथाबलम् । पण्डितं विकलं कामं शूरं चातीव कातरम् ॥ ५७ ॥ मखानाञ्च शतं कृत्वा प्राप्येन्द्रासनमुत्तमम् । पुनर्दुःखं परं प्राप्तं कालस्य गतिरीदृशी ॥ ५८ ॥ कालः करोति धर्मिष्ठं पुरुषं ज्ञानसंयुतम् । तमेवातीव पापिष्ठं ज्ञानलेशविवर्जितम् ॥ ५९ ॥ न विस्मयोऽत्र कर्तव्यः सर्वथा कालचेष्टिते । ब्रह्मविष्णुहरादीनामपीदृक्कष्टचेष्टितम् ॥ ६० ॥ विष्णुर्जननमाप्नोति सूकरादिषु योनिषु । हरः कपाली सञ्जातः कालेनैव बलीयसा ॥ ६१ ॥
vyāsa uvāca śṛṇu rājan pravakṣyāmi devyāścaritamuttamam | sukhadaṃ sarvajantūnāṃ sarvapāpapraṇāśanam || 1 || yathā śumbho niśumbhaśca bhrātarau balavattarau | babhūvaturmahāvīrau avadhyau puruṣaiḥ kila || 2 || bahusenāvṛtau śūrau devānāṃ duḥkhadau sadā durācārau madotsiktau bahudānavasaṃyutau || 3 || hatāvambikayā tau tu saṃgrāme'tīva dāruṇe | devānāñja hitārthāya sarvaiḥ paricaraiḥ saha || 4 || caṇḍamuṇḍau mahābāhū raktabījo'tidāruṇaḥ | dhūmralocananāmā ca nihatāste raṇāṅgaṇe || 5 || tānnihatya surāṇāṃ sā jahāra bhayamuttamam | stutā sampūjitā devairgirau hemācale śubhe || 6 || rājovāca kāvetāvasurāvādau kathaṃ tau balināṃ varau | kena saṃsthāpitau ceha strīvadhyatvaṃ kuto gatau || 7 || tapasā varadānena kasya jātau mahābalau | kathañca nihatau sarvaṃ kathayasva savistaram || 8 || vyāsa uvāca śṛṇu rājankathāṃ divyāṃ sarvapāpapraṇāśinīm | devyāścaritasaṃyuktāṃ sarvārthaphaladāṃ śubhām || 9 || purā śumbhaniśumbhau dvāvasurau bhūmimaṇḍale | pātālataśca samprāptau bhrātarau śubhadarśanau || 10 || tau prāptayauvanau caiva ceratustapa uttamam | annodakaṃ parityajya puṣkare lokapāvane || 11 || varṣāṇāmayutaṃ yāvadyogavidyāparāyaṇau | ekatraivāsanaṃ kṛtvā tepāte paramaṃ tapaḥ || 12 || tayostuṣṭo'bhavad brahmā sarvalokapitāmahaḥ | tatrāgataśca bhagavānāruhya varaṭāpatim || 13 || tāvubhau ca jagatsraṣṭā dṛṣṭvā dhyānaparau sthitau | uttiṣṭhata mahābhāgau tuṣṭo'haṃ tapasā kila || 14 || vāñchitaṃ vāṃ varaṃ kāmaṃ dadāmi bruvatāmiha | kāmado'haṃ samāyāto dṛṣṭvā vāṃ tapaso balam || 15 || vyāsa uvāca iti śrutvā vacastasya prabuddhau tau samāhitau | pradakṣiṇakriyāṃ kṛtvā praṇāmaṃ cakratustadā || 16 || daṇḍavatpraṇipātañca kṛtvā tau durbalākṛtī | ūcaturmadhurāṃ vācaṃ dīnau gadgadayā girā || 17 || devadeva dayāsindho bhaktānāmabhayaprada | amaratvañca nau brahmandehi tuṣṭo'si cedvibho || 18 || maraṇādaparaṃ kiñcidbhayaṃ nāsti dharātale | tasmādbhayācca santrastau yuṣmākaṃ śaraṇaṃ gatau || 19 || trāhi tvaṃ devadeveśa jagatkartaḥ kṣamānidhe | parisphoṭaya viśvātman sadyo maraṇajaṃ bhayam || 20 || brahmovāca kimidaṃ prārthanīyaṃ vo viparītaṃ tu sarvathā | adeyaṃ sarvathā sarvaiḥ sarvebhyo bhuvanatraye || 21 || jātasya hi dhruvo mṛtyurdhruvaṃ janma mṛtasya ca | maryādā vihitā loke pūrvaṃ viśvakṛtā kila || 22 || martavyaṃ sarvathā sarvaiḥ prāṇibhirnātra saṃśayaḥ | anyaṃ prārthayataṃ kāmaṃ dadāmi yacca vāñchitam || 23 || vyāsa uvāca tadākarṇya vacastasya suvimṛśya ca dānavau | ūcatuḥ praṇipatyātha brahmāṇaṃ purataḥ sthitam || 24 || puruṣairamarādyaiśca mānavairmṛgapakṣibhiḥ | avadhyatvaṃ kṛpāsindho dehi nau vāñchitaṃ varam || 25 || nārī balavatī kāsti yā nau nāśaṃ kariṣyati | na bibhīvaḥ striyaḥ kāmaṃ trailokye sacarācare || 26 || avadhyau bhrātarau syātāṃ narebhyaḥ paṅkajodbhava | bhayaṃ na strījanebhyaśca svabhāvādabalā hi sā || 27 || vyāsa uvāca iti śrutvā tayorvākyaṃ pradadau vāñchitaṃ varam | brahmā prasannamanasā jagāmātha svamālayam || 28 || gate'tha bhavane tasmindānavau svagṛhaṃ gatau | bhṛguṃ purohitaṃ kṛtvā cakratuḥ pūjanaṃ tadā || 29 || śubhe dine sunakṣatre jātarūpamayaṃ śubham | kṛtvā siṃhāsanaṃ divyaṃ rājyārthaṃ pradadau muniḥ || 30 || śumbhāya jyeṣṭhabhūtāya dadau rājyāsanaṃ śubham | sevanārthaṃ tadaivāśu samprāptā dānavottamāḥ || 31 || caṇḍamuṇḍau mahāvīrau bhrātarau baladarpitau | samprāptau sainyasaṃyuktau rathavājigajānvitau || 32 || dhūmralocananāmā ca tadrūpaścaṇḍavikramaḥ | śumbhañca bhūpatiṃ śrutvā tadāgādbalasaṃyutaḥ || 33 || raktabījastathā śūro varadānabalādhikaḥ | akṣauhiṇībhyāṃ saṃyuktastatraivāgatya saṅgataḥ || 34 || tasyaikaṃ kāraṇaṃ rājan saṃgrāme yudhyataḥ sadā | dehādrudhirasampātastasya śastrāhatasya ca || 35 || jāyate ca yadā bhūmāvutpadyante hyanekaśaḥ | tādṛśāḥ puruṣāḥ krūrā bahavaḥ śastrapāṇayaḥ || 36 || sambhavanti tadākārāstadrūpāstatparākramāḥ | yuddhaṃ punaste kurvanti puruṣā raktasambhavāḥ || 37 || ataḥ so'pi mahāvīryaḥ saṃgrāme'tīva durjayaḥ | avadhyaḥ sarvabhūtānāṃ raktabījo mahāsuraḥ || 38 || anye ca bahavaḥ śūrāścaturaṅgasamanvitāḥ | śumbhañca nṛpatiṃ matvā babhūvustasya sevakāḥ || 39 || asaṃkhyātā tadā jātā senā śumbhaniśumbhayoḥ | pṛthivyāḥ sakalaṃ rājyaṃ gṛhītaṃ balavattayā || 40 || senāyogaṃ tadā kṛtvā niśumbhaḥ paravīrahā | jagāma tarasā svarge śacīpatijayāya ca || 41 || cakārāsau mahāyuddhaṃ lokapālaiḥ samantataḥ | vṛtrahā vajrapātena tāḍayāmāsa vakṣasi || 42 || sa vajrābhihato bhūmau papāta dānavānujaḥ | bhagnaṃ balaṃ tadā tasya niśumbhasya mahātmanaḥ || 43 || bhrātaraṃ mūrcchitaṃ śrutvā śumbhaḥ parabalārdanaḥ | tatrāgatya surānmarvāṃstāḍayāmāsa sāyakaiḥ || 44 || kṛtaṃ yuddhaṃ mahattena śumbhenākliṣṭakarmaṇā | nirjitāstu surāḥ sarve sendrāḥ pālāśca sarvaśaḥ || 45 || aindraṃ padaṃ tadā tena gṛhītaṃ balavattayā | kalpapādapasaṃyuktaṃ kāmadhenusamanvitam || 46 || trailokyaṃ yajñabhāgāśca hṛtāstena mahātmanā | nandanaṃ ca vanaṃ prāpya mudito'bhūnmahāsuraḥ || 47 || sudhāyāścaiva pānena sukhamāpa mahāsuraḥ | kuberaṃ sa ca nirjitya tasya rājyaṃ cakāra ha || 48 || adhikāraṃ tathā bhānoḥ śaśinaśca cakāra ha | yamañcaiva vinirjitya jagrāha tatpadaṃ tathā || 49 || varuṇasya tathā rājyaṃ cakāra vahnikarma ca | vāyoḥ kāryaṃ niśumbhaśca cakāra svabalānvitaḥ || 50 || tato devā vinirdhūtā hṛtarājyā hṛtaśriyaḥ | santyajya nandanaṃ sarve niryayurgirigahvare || 51 || hṛtādhikārāste sarve babhramurvijane vane | nirālambā nirādhārā nistejaskā nirāyudhāḥ || 52 || viceruramarāḥ sarve parvatānāṃ guhāsu ca | udyāneṣu ca śūnyeṣu nadīnāṃ gahvareṣu ca || 53 || na prāpuste sukhaṃ vāpi sthānabhraṣṭā vicetasaḥ | lokapālā mahārāja daivādhīnaṃ sukhaṃ kila || 54 || balavanto mahābhāgā bahujñā dhanasaṃyutāḥ | kāle duḥkhaṃ tathā dainyamāpnuvanti narādhipa || 55 || citrametanmahārāja kālasyaiva viceṣṭitam | yaḥ karoti naraṃ tāvadrājānaṃ bhikṣukaṃ tataḥ || 56 || dātāraṃ yācakaṃ caiva balavantaṃ tathābalam | paṇḍitaṃ vikalaṃ kāmaṃ śūraṃ cātīva kātaram || 57 || makhānāñca śataṃ kṛtvā prāpyendrāsanamuttamam | punarduḥkhaṃ paraṃ prāptaṃ kālasya gatirīdṛśī || 58 || kālaḥ karoti dharmiṣṭhaṃ puruṣaṃ jñānasaṃyutam | tamevātīva pāpiṣṭhaṃ jñānaleśavivarjitam || 59 || na vismayo'tra kartavyaḥ sarvathā kālaceṣṭite | brahmaviṣṇuharādīnāmapīdṛkkaṣṭaceṣṭitam || 60 || viṣṇurjananamāpnoti sūkarādiṣu yoniṣu | haraḥ kapālī sañjātaḥ kālenaiva balīyasā || 61 ||
English translation
1-6. Vyasa said O King! I am describing to you that excellent pure life and doings of the Devi that destroy all the sins of all the beings and make them happy. In days of yore, there were two very powerful demons S’umbha and Nis’umbha; they were two brothers, strong heroes and invulnerable by the male persons. Those two wicked Asuras were surrounded with numerable Danavas; they tormented always the Devas. Then the Goddess Ambika, for the good of the Devas, killed S’umbha and Nis’umbha with all their attendants in a very dreadful battle. In the battlefield the Devi killed their main assistants Chanda Munda and the exceedingly terrible Rakta Vija and Dhumralochana. When the Devi destroyed those Danavas, the Devas became fearless; the Devas then went to the beautiful Sumeru mountain and praised Her and chanted hymns to Her.
7-8. Hearing about the names of S’umbha and Nis’umbha, Janamejaya asked O best of Munis! Who were those two Asuras? How came they to be most powerful? Who put them here? Why were they vulnerable to women only? Under whose tapasya and under whose boon did they become so strong? And why did that great Devi kill them? Describe all these to me in detail.
9-20. Vyasa said O King, I am describing to you that beautiful anecdote where the Devi’s holy deeds are involved. Hear. This incident full of all that is good, destroys the hearer’s all sins and grants them all their desired ends. In days of yore, S’umbha and Nis’umbha, the two fair and good looking brothers came out of Patala to this earth. These two Asuras, when they grew to their manhood, performed severe asceticism in Puskara, the holy place of
pilgrimage, the most purifying place in this world and they refused to eat rice and water. They became so very skilled in their Yoga practices that they passed away in their one posture and seat one Ajuta (10,000) years. Thus they performed very difficult Tapasya. Then the God Brahma, the Grandsire of all, became pleased with their asceticism and appeared before them, riding on His vehicle, the Swan. The Creator, seeing them thus deeply merged in meditation, asked them to get up from that state and told them thus “I have become pleased with your asceticism. I fulfil the desires of all the Lokas; I have now come to you, pleased to see you so very strong in your ascetic practices; better ask your desired boons from me; I will grant them to you.” Vyasa said O King! Hearing thus the Grandsire’s wards, S’umbha and Nis’umbha got up from their meditation; concentrating their attention towards Him, circumambulated Him and bowed down to Him with their hearts full of reverence. The two Asuras were very weak, lean and thin by their hard tapasya and they looked very humble. They fell down before Him like a piece of wood and began to speak in a sweet voice, choked by intense feelings. O Brahman! O Deva of the Devas! O Thou, the Ocean of Mercy! O Destroyer of fear of the devotees! O Lord! If Thou art pleased then dost Thou grant us immortality. There is nothing in this world more fearful than death; we two have taken refuge unto Thee, being afraid of this death. O Thou, Ocean of mercy! O Creator of the world! O Lord of the Devas! O Universal Soul! Protect us from this fear due to the terrible Death.
21-23. Brahma said Is this the boon that you ask? This is in every way, against the Law of Nature; for no one, in these three Lokas, can grant this boon to anybody. When one becomes born, one must die; and when one dies, one must be born again. This Law is ordained in this world by the Supreme Creator of this Universe, from time immemorial. Therefore all the beings must die; there is no doubt in this. Better ask any other boon that you desire; I will grant that to you.
24-27. Vyasa said O King! Hearing thus the words of Brahma, the two Danavas pondered over the matter and bowed down to the Prajapati, the Lord of the Creation and said O Merciful One! Grant us then so that we shall be invulnerable to any of the male of the Immortal Devas down to human beings and birds and deers; this is the boon that we ask. Where exists the woman so powerful as to kill us? We never fear any woman in all the three Lokas. O Lotus-born! We, the two brothers, want not to be killed by any male; the females are naturally weak therefore we need not fear them.
28-58. Vyasa said O King! Hearing their words, the Grandsire Brahma gladly granted them their desired boon and returned to His own abode. On Brahma going away, the two Danavas, too, returned to their own places. They then appointed the Muni Bhrigu as their priest and began to worship him. Bhrigu, the best of the Munis, then, on an auspicious day and when the star was benign, got a beautiful golden throne built and gave it to the king. S’umbha, being the eldest, was then installed on the auspicious throne as the king; the other brave and excellent demons began to assemble there quickly for serving him. The two great warriors Chanda and Munda, proud on account of their great strength came there with their large armies, chariots, horses, and elephants. Similarly the valiant warriors Dhumralochana, hearing that S’umbha had become their King, came there with his own army. There came up also at that time the great warrior Rakta Vija, more powerful on account of his getting a boon, attended by his army of two Aksauhini soldiers. O King! Hear why this Rakta Vija became so very unconquerable; whenever this Asura was wounded by any weapon, if one drop of blood fell on the ground, at once would be created so many innumerable Asuras, resembling his wicked nature and with similar weapons in their hands. The Asuras born of this blood would have similar appearances and would be similar in strength and ready to fight at once when they were born. That great warrior, the great Demon Rakta Vija was
unconquerable in battle for this very reason and no being could now kill him. The other Asuras, when they heard that S’umbha had become their king, came up there with their armies consisting of four divisions of elephants, chariots, cavalry and infantry and began to serve him. The army of S’umbha and Nis’umbha thus became countless; and they forcibly conquered and got possession of all the kingdoms that existed then on the surface of the earth. Then Nis’umbha, the destroyer of enemies, collected his army and marched up to the Heavens without any delay to conquer Indra, the Lord of S’achi. He fought very hard with all the Lokapalas on all sides when Indra struck him on his breast with His thunderbolt. Nis’umbha fell unconscious on the ground with that blow when his soldiers, defeated in the battle, fled away on all sides. S’umbha, the destroyer of the enemies’ forces, hearing the unconscious state of the younger brother, came up at once on the field and shot at the Devas with multitudes of arrows. The untiring S’umbha fought so violently that Indra and the other Devas and Lokapalas were defeated. S’umbha then took away, perforce, the position of Indra and he occupied the Celestial Tree and Heavenly milching cow that yielded all desires and other excellent things over which Indra used to reign. In fact, that high-souled Asura got the dominion of the three Lokas and took away all those that were offered at the sacrifices. He became highly glad on getting the Nandana Garden and was extremely delighted when he drank the celestial nectar. He then defeated in battle Kuvera, the god of wealth and occupied his kingdom. He defeated the Moon, Sun, and Yama, the God of Death and occupied their positions. Surrounded by his army, Nis’umbha dispossessed Varuna, Fire, and Air of their kingdoms and began to reign in their stead. Thus deprived of their kingdoms, prosperity and wealth, the Devas left the Nandana Garden and fled, out of terror, to the caves of hills and mountains. Thus deprived of all their rights, the Devas without any weapons, without any lustre, without any home, and without anywhere to go, began to wander in lonely forests. O King! All the Immortals began to knock about in lonely gardens, mountain caves and rivers; and nowhere they found happiness; for happiness depends entirely unto the hands of Fate. O Lord of men!
Even those fortunate souls, who are powerful, and wealthy and wise, meet at times with distress and poverty. O King! How marvellous are the ways and manners of Time! It makes kings and donors beggars; it renders the powerful, weak; literates, illiterates; and it makes great warriors into terrible cowards. O King! Vasava performed one hundred horse-sacrifices and got the excellent Indra’s position; but again be fell into extreme difficulties; thus runs the wheel of Time.
59. It is Time that bestows the gem of knowledge to a person and it is Time again that deprives that very same man of his wisdom and makes him a great sinner.
60-61. The Bhagavan Visnu takes incarnations, under the control of Time, in several lower wombs as boar, etc., and Maha Deva carries on His body the human skulls, that are not even fit to be touched. When Brahma, Visnu, Mahes’a and others suffer such painful things, then one need not wonder at the workings of the Great inscrutable Time.
Here ends the Twenty-first Chapter of the Fifth Book on the conquest of the Heavens by S’umbha and Nis’umbha in S’ri Mad Devi Bhagavatam, the Maha Puranam of 18,000 verses by Maharsi Veda Vyasa.
Complete chapter-aligned witnesses. Sanskrit Wikisource page 24418, revision 74856 (2016-07-22T00:03:47Z). English is Swami Vijñanananda’s complete 1921–23 public-domain translation, controlled against the archival OCR and its chapter page at https://sacred-texts.com/hin/db/bk05ch21.htm. Historic spelling and transliteration are lightly normalized; no verse-by-verse alignment is asserted.