काल एवागतोऽस्त्यत्र दैत्यसंहारकारकः । वृथा त्वं कुरुषे यत्नं रक्षणायात्मसन्ततेः
In every age, hosts of gods have perished before me; now again, the bands of Daityas will meet their destruction.
कुरु युद्धं वीरधर्मरक्षायै त्वं महामते । मरणं भावि दुस्त्याज्यं यशो रक्ष्यं महात्मभिः
The time has come here for the destruction of the Daityas; your efforts to protect your own kin are in vain.
किं ते कार्यं निशुम्भेन शुम्भेन च दुरात्मना । वीरधर्मं परं प्राप्य गच्छ स्वर्गं सुरालयम्
Fight to uphold the duty of a warrior, O wise one; death, when destined, cannot be avoided, but the noble protect their honor.
शुम्भो निशुम्भश्चैवान्ये ये चात्र तव बान्धवाः । सर्वे तवानुगाः पश्चादागमिष्यन्ति साम्प्रतम्
What purpose do you have with Niśumbha and the wicked Śumbha? Having attained the highest warrior's duty, go to heaven, the abode of the gods.
क्रमशः सर्वदैत्यानां करिष्याम्यद्य संक्षयम् । विषादं त्यज मन्दात्मन् कुरु युद्धं विशांपते
Śumbha, Niśumbha, and all your other kinsmen here—all your followers—will soon follow after you.
त्वामहं निहनिष्यामि भ्रातरं तव साम्प्रतम् । ततः शुम्भं निशुम्भं च रक्तबीजं मदोत्कटम्
One by one, today, I will bring about the destruction of all the Daityas; abandon your despair, dull-minded one, and fight, O lord of men.
अन्यांश्च दानवान्सर्वान्हत्वाहं समराङ्गणे । गमिष्यामि यथास्थानं तिष्ठ वा गच्छ वा द्रुतम्
Now I will slay you and then your brother; after that, Śumbha, Niśumbha, and the fierce Raktabīja.
गृहाणास्त्रं वृथापुष्ट कुरु युद्धं मयाधुना । किं जल्पसि मृषा वाक्यं सर्वथा कातरप्रियम्
Having slain all the other Dānavas in the field of battle, I will return to my own place; stand your ground or flee swiftly as you wish.
व्यास उवाच तयेत्थं प्रेरितौ दैत्यौ चण्डमुण्डौ क्रुधान्वितौ । ज्याशब्दं तरसा घोरं चक्रतुर्बलदर्पितौ
Take up your weapon, though your strength is in vain, and fight with me now; why do you utter false words, always pleasing to the timid?
सापि शङ्खस्वनं चक्रे पूरयन्ती दिशो दश । सिंहोऽपि कुपितस्तावन्नादं समकरोद्बली
Vyāsa said: Thus provoked, the two Daityas, Caṇḍa and Muṇḍa, filled with anger and pride in their strength, swiftly made the dreadful twang of their bowstrings.
तेन नादेन शक्राद्या जहर्षुरमरास्तदा । मुनयो यक्षगन्धर्वाः सिद्धाः साध्याश्च किन्नराः
She too sounded her conch, filling the ten directions; and the mighty lion, enraged, let out a great roar at that moment.
युद्धं परस्परं तत्र जातं कातरभीतिदम् । चण्डिकाचण्डयोस्तीव्रं बाणखड्गगदादिभिः
There arose a fierce and terrifying battle between Chandika and Chandamunda, with arrows, swords, maces, and other weapons.
चण्डमुक्ताञ्छरान्देवी चिच्छेद निशितैः शरैः । मुमोच पुनरुग्रान्सा बाणांश्च पन्नगानिव
The goddess cut down the arrows released by Chanda with her own sharp arrows, and then she unleashed her own fierce shafts like serpents.
गगनं छादितं तत्र संग्रामे विशिखैस्तदा । शलभैरिव मेघान्ते कर्षकाणां भयप्रदैः
In that battle, the sky was covered with arrows, like swarms of locusts at the end of the monsoon, striking fear into farmers.
मुण्डोऽपि सैनिकैः सार्धं पपात तरसा रणे । मुमोच बाणवृष्टिं वै क्रुद्धः परमदारुणः
Munda too, along with his troops, rushed into the battle and, enraged and terribly fierce, released a shower of arrows.
बाणजालं महद् दृष्ट्वा कुद्धा तत्राम्बिका भृशम् । कोपेन वदनं तस्या बभूव घनसन्निभम्
Seeing that great volley of arrows, Ambika became intensely angry, and her face grew dark as a thundercloud with wrath.
कदलीपुष्पनेत्रञ्च भृकुटीकुटिलं तदा । निष्क्रान्ता च तदा काली ललाटफलकाद्द्रुतम्
Her eyes became like plantain flowers, her brows furrowed deeply, and at that moment Kali swiftly emerged from her forehead.
व्याघ्रचर्माम्बरा क्रूरा गजचर्मोत्तरीयका । मुण्डमालाधरा घोरा शुष्कवापीसमोदरा
She was fierce, clad in a tiger-skin garment, with an upper cloth of elephant hide, adorned with a garland of skulls, and her belly was as sunken as a dried-up well.
खड्गपाशधरातीव भीषणा भयदायिनी । खट्वाङ्गधारिणी रौद्रा कालरात्रिरिवापरा
Terrifying, bearing sword and noose, wielding a club, dreadful as the night of dissolution, she inspired fear in all.
विस्तीर्णवदना जिह्वां चालयन्ती मुहुर्मुहुः । विस्तारजघना वेगाज्जघानासुरसैनिकान्
With her wide mouth, she repeatedly moved her tongue, and with her broad hips, she swiftly struck down the demon soldiers.
करे कृत्वा महावीरांस्तरसा सा रुषान्विता । मुखे चिक्षेप दैतेयान्पिपेष दशनैः शनैः
Seizing mighty warriors in her hand, she angrily threw them into her mouth and slowly crushed them with her teeth.
गजान्घण्टान्वितान्हस्ते गृहीत्वा निदधौ मुखे । सारोहान्भक्षयित्वाजौ साट्टहासं चकार ह
Grabbing those with elephant bells on their limbs, she placed them in her mouth; after devouring them on the battlefield, she laughed loudly.
तथैव तुरगानुष्ट्रांस्तथा सारथिभिः सह । निक्षिप्य वक्त्त्रे दशनैश्चर्वयत्यतिभैरवम्
In the same way, she seized horses and camels along with their charioteers, and with her teeth, she chewed them in a most terrifying manner.
हन्यमानं बलं प्रेक्ष्य चण्डमुण्डौ महासुरौ । छादयामासतुर्देवीं बाणासारैरनन्तरैः
Seeing their army being destroyed, the great demons Chanda and Munda covered the goddess with a continuous stream of arrows.
चण्डश्चण्डकरच्छायं चक्रं चक्रधरायुधम् । चिक्षेप तरसा देवीं ननाद च मुहुर्मुहुः
Chanda, with hands like thunderbolts, hurled a discus, radiant as the sun and sharp as that of Vishnu, at the goddess and roared again and again.
नदन्तं वीक्ष्य तं काली रथाङ्गञ्च रविप्रभम् । बाणेनैकेन चिच्छेद सुप्रभं तत्सुदर्शनम्
Seeing him roaring and the radiant discus, Kali cut that brilliant Sudarshana with a single arrow.
तं जघान शरैस्तीक्ष्णैश्चण्डं चण्डी शिलाशितैः । मूर्च्छितोऽसौ पपातोर्व्यां देवीबाणार्दितो भृशम्
Chandi struck Chanda with sharp, stone-tipped arrows; wounded by the goddess's arrows, he fell unconscious to the earth.
पतितं भ्रातरं वीक्ष्य मुण्डो दुःखार्दितस्तदा । चकार शरवृष्टिञ्च कालिकोपरि कोपतः
Seeing his brother fallen, Munda, overcome with grief, angrily rained down arrows upon Kali.
चण्डिका मुण्डनिर्मुक्तां शरवृष्टिं सुदारुणाम् । ईषिकास्त्रैर्बलान्मुक्तैश्चकार तिलशः क्षणात्
Chandika unleashed a terrible shower of arrows, freed from the heads of Munda, and with reeds transformed by force into missiles, she reduced them to atoms in an instant.
अर्धचन्द्रेण बाणेन ताडयामास तं पुनः । पतितोऽसौ महावीर्यो मेदिन्यां मदवर्जितः
Again, with a crescent-shaped arrow, she struck him; deprived of his arrogance, that mighty hero fell to the earth.