Durga Saptashati Chapter 7 – Slaying of Chanda and Munda

Durga Saptashati is a Hindu religious text describing the victory of the goddess Durga over the demon Mahishasura. Durga Saptashati is also known as the Devi Mahatmyam, Chandi Patha (चण्डीपाठः) and contains 700 verses, arranged into 13 chapters.

The seventh chapter of Durga Saptashati is based on “the slaying of Chanda and Munda”.

Durga Saptashati Chapter 7 –  Slaying Of Chanda and Munda

॥ध्यानम्॥

ॐ ध्यायेयं रत्नपीठे शुककलपठितं शृण्वतीं श्यामलाङ्गीं
न्यस्तैकाङ्घ्रिं सरोजे शशिशकलधरां वल्लकीं वादयन्तीम्।
कह्लाराबद्धमालां नियमितविलसच्चोलिकां रक्तवस्त्रां
मातङ्गीं शङ्खपात्रां मधुरमधुमदां चित्रकोद्भासिभालाम्॥

“ॐ” ऋषिरुवाच॥१॥

आज्ञप्तास्ते ततो दैत्याश्चण्डमुण्डपुरोगमाः।
चतुरङ्गबलोपेता ययुरभ्युद्यतायुधाः॥२॥

ददृशुस्ते ततो देवीमीषद्धासां व्यवस्थिताम्।
सिंहस्योपरि शैलेन्द्रशृङ्गे महति काञ्चने॥३॥

ते दृष्ट्वा तां समादातुमुद्यमं चक्रुरुद्यताः।
आकृष्टचापासिधरास्तथान्ये तत्समीपगाः॥४॥

ततः कोपं चकारोच्चैरम्बिका तानरीन् प्रति।
कोपेन चास्या वदनं मषी*वर्णमभूत्तदा॥५॥

भ्रुकुटीकुटिलात्तस्या ललाटफलकाद्द्रुतम्।
काली करालवदना विनिष्क्रान्तासिपाशिनी॥६॥

विचित्रखट्वाङ्गधरा नरमालाविभूषणा।
द्वीपिचर्मपरीधाना शुष्कमांसातिभैरवा॥७॥

अतिविस्तारवदना जिह्वाललनभीषणा।
निमग्नारक्तनयना नादापूरितदिङ्मुखा॥८॥

सा वेगेनाभिपतिता घातयन्ती महासुरान्।
सैन्ये तत्र सुरारीणामभक्षयत तद्बलम्॥९॥

पार्ष्णिग्राहाङ्कुशग्राहियोधघण्टासमन्वितान्।
समादायैकहस्तेन मुखे चिक्षेप वारणान्॥१०॥

तथैव योधं तुरगै रथं सारथिना सह।
निक्षिप्य वक्त्रे दशनैश्चर्वयन्त्य*तिभैरवम्॥११॥

एकं जग्राह केशेषु ग्रीवायामथ चापरम्।
पादेनाक्रम्य चैवान्यमुरसान्यमपोथयत्॥१२॥

तैर्मुक्तानि च शस्त्राणि महास्त्राणि तथासुरैः।
मुखेन जग्राह रुषा दशनैर्मथितान्यपि॥१३॥

बलिनां तद् बलं सर्वमसुराणां दुरात्मनाम्।
ममर्दाभक्षयच्चान्यानन्यांश्चाताडयत्तथा॥१४॥

असिना निहताः केचित्केचित्खट्वाङ्गताडिताः*।
जग्मुर्विनाशमसुरा दन्ताग्राभिहतास्तथा॥१५॥

क्षणेन तद् बलं सर्वमसुराणां निपातितम्।
दृष्ट्वा चण्डोऽभिदुद्राव तां कालीमतिभीषणाम्॥१६॥

शरवर्षैर्महाभीमैर्भीमाक्षीं तां महासुरः।
छादयामास चक्रैश्च मुण्डः क्षिप्तैः सहस्रशः॥१७॥

तानि चक्राण्यनेकानि विशमानानि तन्मुखम्।
बभुर्यथार्कबिम्बानि सुबहूनि घनोदरम्॥१८॥

ततो जहासातिरुषा भीमं भैरवनादिनी।
कालीकरालवक्त्रान्तर्दुर्दर्शदशनोज्ज्वला॥१९॥

उत्थाय च महासिं हं देवी चण्डमधावत।
गृहीत्वा चास्य केशेषु शिरस्तेनासिनाच्छिनत्*॥२०॥

अथ मुण्डोऽभ्यधावत्तां दृष्ट्वा चण्डं निपातितम्।
तमप्यपातयद्भूमौ सा खड्गाभिहतं रुषा॥२१॥

हतशेषं ततः सैन्यं दृष्ट्वा चण्डं निपातितम्।
मुण्डं च सुमहावीर्यं दिशो भेजे भयातुरम्॥२२॥

शिरश्चण्डस्य काली च गृहीत्वा मुण्डमेव च।
प्राह प्रचण्डाट्टहासमिश्रमभ्येत्य चण्डिकाम्॥२३॥

मया तवात्रोपहृतौ चण्डमुण्डौ महापशू।
युद्धयज्ञे स्वयं शुम्भं निशुम्भं च हनिष्यसि॥२४॥

ऋषिरुवाच॥२५॥

तावानीतौ ततो दृष्ट्वा चण्डमुण्डौ महासुरौ।
उवाच कालीं कल्याणी ललितं चण्डिका वचः॥२६॥

यस्माच्चण्डं च मुण्डं च गृहीत्वा त्वमुपागता।
चामुण्डेति ततो लोके ख्याता देवि भविष्यसि॥ॐ॥२७॥

इति श्रीमार्कण्डेयपुराणे सावर्णिके मन्वन्तरे देवीमाहात्म्ये
चण्डमुण्डवधो नाम सप्तमोऽध्यायः॥७॥

Meaning – Durga Saptashati Chapter 7

The Rishi said

Then at his command the asuras, fully armed, and with Chanda and Munda at their head, marched in fourfold array. They saw the Devi, smiling gently, seated upon the lion on a huge golden peak of the great mountain.

On seeing her, some of them excited themselves and made an effort to capture her, and others approached her, with their bows bent and swords drawn.

Thereupon Ambika became terribly angry with those foes, and in her anger her countenance then became dark as ink. Out from the surface of her forehead, fierce with frown, suddenly issued Kali of terrible countenance, armed with a sword and noose. Bearing the strange skull-topped staff, decorated with a garland of skulls, clad in a tiger’s skin, very appalling owing to her emaciated flesh, with gaping mouth, fearful with her tongue lolling out, having deep-sunk reddish eyes and filling the regions of the sky with her roars, and falling upon impetuously and slaughtering the great asuras in that army, she devoured those hosts of the foes of the devas.

Then the Devi, mounting upon her great lion, rushed at Chanda, and seizing him by his hair, severed his head with her sword. Seeing Chanda being slain, Munda also rushed at her. She felled him also to the ground, striking him with her sword in her fury.

Seeing the most valiant Chanda and Munda laid low, the remaining army there became panicky and fled in all directions. And Kali, holding the heads of Chanda and Munda in her hands, approached Chandika and said, ‘Here have I brought you the heads of Chanda and Munda as two great animal offerings in this sacrifice of battle; Shumbha and Nishumbha, you shall yourself slay.’

The Rishi said: Thereupon seeing those asuras, Chanda and Munda brought to her, the auspicious Chandika said to Kali these playful words: ‘Because you have brought me both Chanda and Munda, you O Devi, shall be famed in the world by the name Chamunda.

Here ends the seventh chapter called ‘The slaying of Chanda and Munda’ of Devi-Mahatmya in Markandeya Purana, during the period of Savarni, the Manu.