📖 Markandeya Purana — Durga Saptashati
Verse 1
शुम्भ उवाच ।
बलदर्पितेऽनेकशक्तिभिर्युद्धे त्वं न जेष्यसि ।
अन्यासां च बलं गृह्य युध्यसे मां न शोभनम् ॥
Shumbha uvacha |
Baladarpite anekashaktibhiryuddhe tvam na jeshyasi |
Anyasam cha balam grhya yudhyase mam na shobhanam ||
बलदर्पित
arrogant with borrowed power
अनेकशक्तिभिः
with many powers
अन्यासां बलम् गृह्य
taking the strength of others
न शोभनम्
this is not honorable
Shumbha taunted the Devi: you fight by drawing on the powers of others. That is not real valor.
Verse 2
देव्युवाच ।
एकैवाहं जगत्यत्र द्वितीया का ममापरा ।
पश्यैता दुष्ट मय्येव विशन्त्यो मद्विभूतयः ॥
Devyuvacha |
Ekaivaham jagat yatra dvitiya ka mamapara |
Pashyeta dushta mayyeva vishantyo madvibhutayah ||
एकैव अहम्
I am the only one
द्वितीया का
who is a second
मय्येव विशन्त्यः
entering into me
मद्विभूतयः
my own powers and manifestations
The Devi replied: I am one and only. There is no second. Watch — all those forms you saw are my own manifestations, and now they return to me.
Verse 3
इत्युक्त्वा सा समस्तास्तु विविशुस्तत्र देवताः ।
एकैवाऽभूत् तदा देवी शुम्भं सामनसा तदा ॥
Ityuktva sa samastasту vivishustatra devatah |
Ekaivaabhut tada devi shumbham samanasa tada ||
समस्ताः देवताः
all the divine powers
एकैव अभूत्
she became one
शुम्भं सामनसा
standing before Shumbha
And it happened just as she said. All the divine powers merged back into her. One complete, undivided sovereign stood before Shumbha.
Verse 4
प्रजज्वाल तदा देवी तेजसा परमेण सा ।
शुम्भं जघान तीक्ष्णेन शूलेन परमेश्वरी ॥
Prajjvala tada devi tejasa paramena sa |
Shumbham jaghana tikshnena shulena parameshvari ||
परमेण तेजसा
with supreme radiance
तीक्ष्णेन शूलेन
with her sharp trident
परमेश्वरी
the supreme sovereign
The supreme sovereign blazed with a radiance beyond description. She raised her sharp trident — and Shumbha fell.
Verse 5
स पपात धरां तेन शुम्भो दैत्यपुंगवः ।
रसातलं गतो नष्टः पुनर्नोद्भूत संभवः ॥
Sa papata dharam tena shumbho daityapungavah |
Rasatalam gato nashtah punarnoda bhuta sambhavah ||
पपात धराम्
fell to the earth
दैत्यपुंगवः
foremost among the demons
रसातलं गतः
went to the nether regions
पुनः न उद्भूत
and did not arise again
Shumbha — the foremost among the demons — fell to the earth. He went to the nether regions and did not rise again. The Devi's victory was complete.
Verse 6
ततो देवाः सर्वे प्रमुदिताश्चुक्रुशुर्जयम् ।
दिव्यं पुष्पवर्षं ववर्ष नभो ऽम्बरम् ॥
Tato devah sarve pramuditashchukrushurjayam |
Divyam pushpavarham vavarsha nabho ambaram ||
चुक्रुशुः जयम्
shouted their victory cries
दिव्यं पुष्पवर्षम्
a divine rain of flowers
नभः अम्बरम्
from the sky above
All the devas cried out in victory. Divine flowers rained down from the sky. The three worlds rang with the joy of it.
Verse 7
इति तस्यास्तदा देव्याः स विजयः कथ्यते नृणाम् ।
श्रुणुयात् प्रयतो यस्तु सर्वसिद्धिमवाप्नुयात् ॥
Iti tasyastada devyah sa vijayah kathyate nrinam |
Shrunuyat prayato yastu sarvasiddhimavapnuyat ||
इति तस्याः देव्याः विजयः
this is the victory of the Devi
श्रुणुयात् प्रयतः
one who listens with devotion
सर्वसिद्धिम् अवाप्नुयात्
traditional description of this text's reception
This is the Devi's great victory. Tradition describes this story as one to be heard with full devotion and attention.
Verse 8
सर्वाबाधाविनिर्मुक्तो धनधान्यसमन्वितः ।
मानवः सुखमाप्नोति देव्याः प्रसादतो नृणाम् ॥
Sarvabadhavinirmukto dhanadhanyasamanvitah |
Manavah sukhamapnoti devyah prasadato nrinam ||
सर्वाबाधाविनिर्मुक्तः
freed from all obstacles
धनधान्यसमन्वितः
blessed with abundance
देव्याः प्रसादतः
by the Devi's grace
सुखम् आप्नोति
attains happiness — traditional description
The Purana describes: through the Devi's grace, a devotee finds freedom from obstacles and peace of mind. This is the traditional description of the story's reception.
References
According to the Markandeya Purana, the tenth chapter is the story of Shumbha's defeat. Shumbha taunted the Devi, saying she was fighting with borrowed powers. The Devi's reply is one of the most memorable in the entire text: all those forms were her own manifestations. As she spoke, they merged back into her — and she stood alone, undivided, blazing.
The Parameshvari struck Shumbha with her trident. He fell and did not rise again. This is the end of the Madhyama Charitra — the middle portion of the Durga Saptashati.
Durga Saptashati · 10 / 13