In the 5th chapter of Devi Mahatmya, there is a story of two asuras Shumbha and Nishumbha, the children of Maharshi Kashyap and Danu.
Shumbha and Nishumbha had after a lot of penance been blessed by Brahma with the boon that they would not be killed by any male be it in a human, animal, reptile or insect form. Being exceedingly arrogant they were absolutely certain that a female would never be able to fight them let alone kill them.
Once empowered by Lord Brahma Shumbha and Nishumbha began their reign of terror. At first they went around disturbing the prayers and sacrifices of the saints. They tortured the pious sages and tried to force them into worshipping them instead of Lord Vishnu. They diverted to themselves the ‘havis’ or the uncooked offerings to Agni at Yagnas meant for Devas. Thereafter turning their attention to the Devas they began to perform all the tasks of Surya, Chandra, Kubera, Varuna, Vayu and the other Devatas. Finally they drove all the Devas out of Swargalok.
The Devas unable to fight Shumbha and Nishumbha wandered through the universe with no home of their own. It was when they were going through this miserable existence that they recalled the assurance that the Goddess had given them when they had celebrated Her victory over Mahishasura. She had said: ‘As and when you are faced with hardship, think of me and I will demolish your all difficulties immediately!”
The Devtas realising that there was no way they could defeat the asura brother or hope to get back Swargalok began to fervently besiege Goddess Parvati for help. They prayed in unison and with deep devotion. While they were still in prayer the Goddess passing by heard their plea and was moved to pity by their plight. From her own being she created a Goddess who came to be known as Kaushiki. Goddess Kaushiki who is also known as Ambika was exquisitely beautiful.
One day, as Chanda and Munda, devoted followers of the mighty asuras Shumbha and Nishumbha, were wandering through the heavens, their eyes fell upon a sight that left them spellbound. There standing before them was Goddess Ambika, her divine beauty radiant beyond mortal comprehension. Enraptured by her ethereal charm, they hurried back to their masters, eager to relay the vision that had captured their hearts.
The arrogant brothers, intoxicated by their own power, listened with growing desire. Convinced that such a divine beauty must belong to one of them, they decided that Goddess Ambika would make the perfect bride. Without a moment's hesitation, they dispatched a skilled emissary to deliver their proposal, certain that she would be overjoyed to accept their offer of marriage.
Ambika listened with a serene smile, her eyes gleaming with a quiet power. In a voice as calm as it was unyielding, she replied, “Please convey to your masters that though honoured to receive their proposal I have vowed that I will only marry a man who can defeat me in battle, be my equal or greater in Shakti. If Shumbha or Nishumbha truly seek my hand, let them come and test their strength against mine in the battlefield."
The Goddess knew that this would incite the two demons to fight her.
The emissary was astounded by the audacity of Goddess Ambika’s response. His astonishment quickly turned to fury and he shouted, “Neither Shumbha nor Nishumbha need to bother with defeating you. I myself can drag you by the hair and take you to my masters!”
His voice was dripping with contempt but the Goddess remained unshaken, her serene gaze unwavering, as she smiled and responded, “It would not be becoming of me to harm the emissary of your masters and hence I suggest that you hurry back and convey my message to Shumbha and Nishumbha.”
Though enraged by the Devi’s imperious response the emissary went back to pass on her message.
When Shumbha and Nishumbha heard Ambika’s response they roared with laughter and mockingly said, “This will be child’s play for us. As we have defeated the mighty devas and driven them out of Swarga, we can vanquish a mere woman with our hands tied behind our backs! But why should we even bother ourselves with such a paltry, simple task?”
Dismissively they underestimated the challenge that lay before them. Instead they summoned the General of their army Dhumralochan and instructed, “Bring this proud, audacious woman back to us. Use whatever means are necessary to bring her back captive and alive.”
Dhumralochan, was so confident of his success that he felt that no weapon would be required at all. He would create such a loud frightening sound that She would be terrified into surrender. To the dismay of his armed forces that stood at attention behind their General no sooner had he begun to create the noise than the Devi turned him into a pile of ash.
The huge army seeing their General disintegrate before their very eyes sprang into action. They shot a million arrows, dispatched horses, elephants and chariots. Faced with this onslaught Ambika’s vahana Kesari, the lion, got provoked and with an earth-shaking roar jumped out and shredded to bits the lakhs of armed soldiers.
Hearing of the assault and complete destruction of not only their invaluable General but also his army that comprised of the foremost soldiers Shumbha turned white with rage. Instantly he ordered the two asuras Chanda and Munda, “Take a huge army and march forward, tie up that woman and drag her by her long hair into our presence.”
Obeying their orders Chanda and Munda led a mammoth ‘Chaturanga Bala’ or the four divisional army, comprising of charioteers, elephants, horses and foot soldiers adept in offensive warfare and with excellent skills in military power and set forth toward the Devi.
As they approached their eyes were irresistibly drawn to the summit of a mountain, where a single, imposing figure stood - a woman of breath-taking beauty, her presence commanding and otherworldly. She gazed down at them with a mischievous smile playing on her lips and an amused twinkle in her lotus-shaped eyes.
Then in a flash the beatific smile vanished from Goddess Ambika’s face, and her form underwent a fearsome transformation. Her radiant skin darkened to an ominous black, her eyes blazed with fiery red fury, and her mouth contorted as sharp teeth protruded from her lips. An elongated tongue stretched out from her open mouth, dripping with menace. No longer the gentle deity, she had become the terrifying manifestation of destruction, her presence a living nightmare.
Seated upon her roaring lion, the Devi leapt down from the mountain with a thunderous force, and as she descended, countless forms identical to hers sprang into existence, filling the entire battlefield. The air vibrated with the echoes of her wrath as she unleashed chaos upon the asura forces. With terrifying ease, she smashed one elephant against another, turned horses against each other, and sent chariots crashing into one another, creating a whirlwind of devastation.
In mere moments, the battlefield was transformed into a horrifying ocean of blood. Mangled bodies, shattered carcasses, and broken skulls lay strewn across the ground, a gruesome testament to the carnage wrought by the fierce Goddess. The once arrogant asuras now faced the full wrath of the divine.
In a final, desperate bid to overpower the Goddess, Chanda and Munda charged at her with a frenzy born of fear. One unleashed a barrage of astras, hurling the supernatural weapons with deadly precision, while the other attacked with a blinding flurry of blades, each strike aimed to kill. But Goddess Ambika remained unshaken. With a mere thought, she cast an invisible mesh around the two asuras, ensnaring them in an unbreakable grip.
Trapped and helpless, the asuras could only watch in terror as the Goddess closed in. With a swift, powerful motion, she smashed their heads together, their skulls cracking like thunder. Grasping their hair, she held their lifeless bodies aloft and let out a terrifying, thunderous laugh. The sound reverberated through the cosmos, so powerful that the entire universe trembled violently, as if in awe of her unstoppable might.
Finally, Shumbha, seething with rage, decided to confront the Goddess himself. Leading an army of tens of thousands of asura soldiers, he marched into battle with fury in his heart. As the battle raged on in intensity seven more Goddesses, manifestations of Shakti, emerged from the bodies of seven Devtas to assist Goddess Ambika in this battle. It was then that Raktabija, the dreaded asura, entered the fray. Raktabija had been granted a boon by which wherever a drop of his blood fell, it would form a “bija”, a seed from which another Raktabija would emerge!
Realizing the dire need to stop this menace, the Goddesses called upon Kali, the most ferocious aspect of the Divine Mother. Goddess Kali licked every drop of Raktabija’s blood before it touched the ground preventing the boon from fructifying. Goddess Ambika, with a swift decisive stroke, beheaded Raktabija.
Meanwhile, the other Shaktis had unleashed their fury upon Nishumbha and his vast army, wiping them out with a relentless, divine force until only Shumbha remained. The battlefield, once filled with the din of clashing armies, now echoed with a tense silence as Shumbha stood alone, facing Goddess Ambika.
Confronted with this distressing situation, Shumbha resorted to a new tactic. His voice dripped with scorn as he taunted her, "So, this is the great Goddess Ambika—who needed an entire host of other Devis to fight for her. You couldn’t face me alone, could you? Without their help, you would have suffered a miserable defeat. You’re too afraid to stand against me on your own."
His words were sharp and mocking as he tried to provoke the Goddess.
Already burning with divine fury, Ambika’s anger now flared into a blazing inferno. Without hesitation, she summoned all the Shaktis back into herself, their immense power merging into her being. Now, she stood alone, radiant and formidable, her eyes fixed on Shumbha with an unyielding gaze. In a voice that resonated with unshakable strength, she challenged him, "Here I stand, alone. Do you have the courage to face me now?"
Her words were daring him to meet the full force of her unleashed power.
Shumbha charged forward with a roar, brandishing his legendary blade that gleamed with the brilliance of a thousand suns. Determined to strike down Goddess Ambika, he swung his sword with fierce intent. Ambika retaliated with a hail of arrows, shattering first his massive shield and then the sword that he held in his other hand. Undeterred Shumbha drew a large mace from his belt and swung it at her. She skilfully evaded the blow and, stepping forward, slammed her clenched fist into his chest. The impact was explosive, and he was sent crashing to the ground, gasping for breath. Though startled and winded Shumbha refused to accept defeat. Springing quickly to his feet he tried to grab the Goddess by the waist as he leapt into the air. As he ascended Ambika seized his leg with a grip of steel and flew up high into the skies spinning Shubha around and around several times. Finally she flung him down with a tremendous thud on to the ground below.
Surprisingly Shumbha remained unharmed his resilience seeming boundless. Once again he sprung to his feet with alacrity. With a surge of renewed vigor, he advanced menacingly with arms outstretched, intent on strangling the Goddess with his bare hands. Ambika swift and resolute grabbed a gleaming spear from the battlefield floor and hurled it at him. The spear pierced his chest, knocked him unconscious and pinned him down to the ground. This marked the end of the dreaded asura Shumbha.
The battle was over. The dreaded asura Shumbha, vanquished at last, lay dead, marking the end of his reign of terror. Goddess Ambika had rid the world of Shumbha, Nishumba and all their wicked asura followers.
LIFE LESSONS
1. All the powers we are gifted are not for us to harm or destroy others but to help and benefit those around us.
2. Never underestimate your opponents.
3. Evil will always be defeated and good will prevail.
4. When faced with evil forces we can always call upon the Goddess to help us.
5. No harm can come to anyone who has full faith in the power of the Absolute to destroy all evil.
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