Durga Saptashati
Saptamodhyaya
CHAPTER 7
The slaying of Chanda and Munda
The Rishi said:
1-2. Then at his command the asuras, fully armed, and with Chanda and Munda at their head, marched in fourfold array.
3. They saw the Devi, smiling gently, seated upon the lion on a huge golden peak of the great mountain.
4. 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.
5. Thereupon Ambika became terribly angry with those foes, and in her anger her countenance then became dark as ink.
6. Out from the surface of her forehead, fierce with frown, issued suddenly Kali of terrible countenance, armed with a sword and noose.
7-9. Bearing the strange skull-topped staff, decorated with a garland of skull, 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.
10. Snatching the elephants with one hand she flung them into her mouth together with their rear men and drivers and their warrior-riders and bells.
11. Taking likewise into her mouth the cavalry with the horses, and chariot with its driver, she ground them most frightfully with her teeth.
12. She seized one by the hair and another by the neck; one she crushed by the weight of the foot, and another of her body.
13. And she caught with her mouth the weapons and the great arms shot by those asuras and crunched them up with her teeth in her fury.
14. She destroyed all that host of mighty and evil-natured asuras, devoured some and battered others.
15. Some were killed with her word, some were beaten with her skull-topped staff, and other asuras met their death being ground with the edge of her teeth.
16. On seeing all the hosts of asuras laid low in a moment, Chanda rushed against that Kali, who was exceedingly terrible.
17. The great asura (Chanda) with very terrible showers of arrows, and Munda with discuses hurled in thousands covered that terrible-eyed(Devi).
18. Those numerous discuses, disappearing into her mouth, looked like numerous solar orbs disappearing into the midst of a cloud.
19. Thereat Kali, who was roaring frightfully, whose fearful teeth were gleaming within her dreadful mouth, laughed terribly with exceeding fury.
20. Then the Devi, mounting upon her great lion, rushed at Chanda, and seizing him by his hair, severed his head with her sword.
21. Seeing Chanda laid low, Munda also rushed at her. She felled him also the ground, striking him with her sword in her fury.
22. Seeing the most valiant Chanda and Munda laid low, the remaining army there became panicky and fled in all directions.
23. And Kali, holding the heads of Chanda and Munda in her hands, approached Chandika and said, her words mingled with very loud laughter.
24. ‘Here have I brought you the heads of Chanda and Munda as two great animal offerings in this sacrifice of battle; Sumbha and Nisumbha, you shall yourself slay.’ The Rishi said:
25-27. 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.