मूर्च्छां सम्प्राप्य राजा च चेतनश्च बभूव ह । आरुरोह यानमन्यद्धनुर्जग्राह सत्वरः
The king, losing consciousness, then regained his senses, quickly mounted another chariot, and seized a bow.
चकार शरजालं च मायया मायिनां वरः । गुहं चच्छाद समरे शरजालेन नारद
The master of illusion created a dense shower of arrows by his magic, and, O Nārada, covered Guha on the battlefield with that net of arrows.
जग्राह शक्तिमव्यग्रां शतसूर्यसमप्रभाम् । प्रलयाग्निशिखारूपां विष्णोश्च तेजसाऽऽवृताम्
He seized an unwavering spear, radiant as a hundred suns, shaped like the flame of the fire of dissolution, and enveloped in the brilliance of Viṣṇu.
चिक्षेप तां च कोपेन महावेगेन कार्तिके । पपात शक्तिस्तद्गात्रे वह्निराशिरिवोज्ज्वला
With great fury and tremendous force, he hurled it at Kārtikeya; the spear struck his body, blazing like a mass of fire.
मूर्च्छां सम्प्राप शक्त्या च कार्तिकेयो महाबलः । काली गृहीत्वा तं क्रोडे निनाय शिवसनिधौ
Struck by the spear, the mighty Kārtikeya fell unconscious; Kālī took him into her lap and carried him to Shiva’s presence.
शिवस्तं चापि ज्ञानेन जीवयामास लीलया । ददौ बलमनन्तं च समुत्तस्थौ प्रतापवान्
By his knowledge, Shiva revived him effortlessly, granted him boundless strength, and the valiant one rose up again.
काली जगाम समरं रक्षितुं कार्तिकस्य या । वीरास्तामनुजग्मुश्च ते च नन्दीश्वरादयः
Kālī went to the battlefield to protect Kārtikeya, and the heroic attendants of Nandīśvara and others followed her.
सर्वे देवाश्च गन्धर्वा यक्षराक्षसकिन्नराः । वाद्यभाण्डाश्च बहुशः शतशो मधुवाहकाः
All the gods, Gandharvas, Yakṣas, Rākṣasas, Kinnaras, and countless musicians with their instruments, as well as hundreds of honey-drinkers, assembled.
सा च गत्वाथ संग्रामं सिंहनादं चकार च । देव्याश्च सिंहनादेन प्रापुर्मूर्च्छां च दानवाः
She entered the battle and let out a lion’s roar; at the sound of the goddess’s roar, the Daityas fell into a swoon.
अट्टाट्टहासमशिवं चकार च पुनः पुनः । दृष्ट्वा पपौ च माध्वीकं ननर्त रणमूर्धनि
Again and again she uttered a dreadful, terrifying laugh; seeing this, she drank mead and danced atop the battlefield.
उग्रदंष्ट्रा चोग्रदण्डा कोटवी च पपौ मधु । योगिनीडाकिनीनां च गणाः सुरगणादयः
With fierce fangs and a terrible staff, Koṭavī too drank wine, as did the hosts of Yoginīs, Ḍākinīs, and the groups of gods.
दृष्ट्वा कालीं शङ्खचूडः शीघ्रमाजौ समाययौ । दानवाश्च भयं प्रापू राजा तेभ्योऽभयं ददौ
Seeing Kālī, Śaṅkhacūḍa swiftly entered the battle; the Daityas were seized by fear, but the king granted them assurance.
काली चिक्षेप वह्निं च प्रलयाग्निशिखोपमम् । राजा निर्वापयामास पार्जन्येन च लीलया
Kālī hurled fire, like the flame of the fire of dissolution, but the king effortlessly extinguished it with rain.
चिक्षेप वारुणं सा च तीव्रं च महदद्भुतम् । गान्धर्वेण च चिच्छेद दानवेन्द्रश्च लीलया
She then unleashed a powerful and wondrous Varuṇa missile, but the lord of the Daityas easily cut it down with a Gāndharva weapon.
माहेश्वरं प्रचिक्षेप काली वह्निशिखोपमम् । राजा जघान तं शीघ्रं वैष्णवेन च लीलया
Kālī, blazing like a tongue of fire, hurled the Maheśvara missile; the king swiftly struck it down with the Vaiṣṇava weapon, effortlessly.
नारायणास्त्रं सा देवी चिक्षेप मन्त्रपूर्वकम् । राजा ननाम तद् दृष्ट्वा चावरुह्य रथादसौ
Then the Goddess, with proper incantations, launched the Nārāyaṇa missile; seeing this, the king bowed and descended from his chariot.
ऊर्ध्वं जगाम तच्चास्त्रं प्रलयाग्निशिखोपमम् । पपात शङ्खचूडश्च भक्त्या तं दण्डवद्भुवि
That missile, resembling the flame of the fire of dissolution, rose upward; Śaṅkhacūḍa, out of devotion, prostrated himself flat on the ground.
ब्रह्मास्त्रं सा च चिक्षेप यत्नतो मन्त्रपूर्वकम् । ब्रह्मास्त्रेण महाराजो निर्वापं च चकार सः
The Goddess then carefully invoked the Brahmāstra with mantras; the great king extinguished it with his own Brahmāstra.
तदा चिक्षेप दिव्यास्त्रं सा देवी मन्त्रपूर्वकम् । राजा दिव्यास्त्रजालेन तन्निर्वाणं चकार च
At that time, the Goddess launched a divine weapon with mantras; the king, by means of a net of divine missiles, neutralized it.
तदा चिक्षेप शक्तिं च यत्नतो योजनायताम् । राजा दिव्यास्त्रजालेन शतखण्डां चकार ह
Then she hurled a spear, a hundred yojanas long, with great effort; the king shattered it into a hundred pieces with his net of divine missiles.
जग्राह मन्त्रपूतं च देवी पाशुपतं रुषा । निक्षेपणं निरोद्धुं च वाग्बभूवाशरीरिणी
The Goddess, in anger, took up the Pāśupata weapon, purified by mantras; as she was about to release it, a bodiless voice spoke to restrain her.
मृत्युः पाशुपते नास्ति नृपस्य च महात्मनः । यावदस्ति च मन्त्रस्य कवचं च हरेरिति
Death by the Pāśupata weapon cannot befall this great-souled king, as long as the power of the mantra and the protection of Hari remain.
यावत्सतीत्वमस्त्येव सत्याश्च नृपयोषितः । तावदस्य जरामृत्युर्नास्तीति ब्रह्मणो वचः
As long as his wife remains chaste and true, so long, according to Brahmā's word, old age and death cannot touch him.
इत्याकर्ण्य भद्रकाली न तच्चिक्षेप शस्त्रकम् । शतलक्षं दानवानां जग्रास लीलया क्षुधा
Hearing this, Bhadrakālī did not release that weapon; instead, playfully and out of hunger, she devoured a hundred thousand Dānavas.
ग्रस्तुं जगाम वेगेन शङ्खचूडं भयङ्करी । दिव्यास्त्रेण सुतीक्ष्णेन वारयामास दानवः
Then, moving swiftly, the fearsome Goddess advanced to devour Śaṅkhacūḍa; but the Dānava repelled her with a very sharp divine weapon.
खड्गं चिक्षेप सा देवी ग्रीष्मसूर्योपमं यथा । दिव्यास्त्रेण दानवेन्द्रः शतखण्डं चकार सः
The Goddess hurled a sword, blazing like the summer sun; the lord of the Dānavas shattered it into a hundred pieces with his divine weapon.
पुनर्ग्रस्तुं महादेवी वेगेन च जगाम तम् । सर्वसिद्धेश्वरः श्रीमान्ववृधे दानवेश्वरः
Again, the great Goddess rushed at him to devour him; but the illustrious lord of the Dānavas grew in power, master of all perfections.
वेगेन मुष्टिना काली कोपयुक्ता भयङ्करी । बभञ्ज च रथं तस्य जघान सारथिं सती
Kālī, filled with wrath and terrifying, struck his chariot with her fist at great speed and killed his charioteer.
सा च शूलं प्रचिक्षेप प्रलयाग्निशिखोपमम् । वामहस्तेन जग्राह शङ्खचूडः स्वलीलया
She then hurled her trident, blazing like the fire of dissolution; Śaṅkhacūḍa, with ease, caught it in his left hand.
मुष्ट्या जघान तं देवी महाकोपेन वेगतः । बभ्राम च तया दैत्यः क्षणं मूर्च्छामवाप च
The Goddess struck him with her fist, moving swiftly in great fury; the Daitya reeled from the blow and for a moment lost consciousness.