Chapter 39 - The annihilation of the army of Śaṅkhacūḍa

[Sanskrit text for this chapter is available]

Vyāsa said:—

1. O intelligent one, on hearing the narrative of Kālī what did Śiva say? What did he do? Please narrate to me. I am eager to know it.

Sanatkumāra said:—

2. On hearing the words of Kālī, lord Śiva, the actor of great divine sports, laughed. Śiva consoled her.

3. On hearing the celestial voice, Śiva, an expert in the knowledge of principles, went himself to the battle along with his Gaṇas.

4. He was seated on his great bull and surrounded by Vīrabhadra and others, the Bhairavas and the Kṣetrapālas all equal in valour to him.

5. Assuming a heroic form, lord Śiva entered the battle ground. There Śiva shone well as the embodied form of the annihilator.

6. On seeing Śiva, Śaṅkhacūḍa got down from the aerial chariot, bowed with great devotion and fell flat on the ground.

7. After bowing to him he immediately got into his chariot. He speedily prepared for the fight and seized the bow and the arrows.

8. The fight between Śiva and the Dānava went on for a hundred years and they showered arrows fiercely like clouds pouring down incessantly.

9. The heroic Śaṅkhacūḍa discharged terrible arrows playfully. Śiva split all of them by means of his arrows.

1 0. Mahārudra, the odd-eyed Śiva, the punisher of the wicked and the goal of the good, angrily hit his limbs with various weapons.

11. Taking up his sharp sword and the leather shield the Dānava rushed at the sacred bull of Śiva and hit it on its head.

12. When his bull was hit, Śiva sportively cut off the sword and the shining shield by means of his Kṣurapra.

13. When the shield was split, the Asura hurled his spear. Śiva split it into two with his arrow as it came before him.

14. The infuriated Dānava, Śaṅkhacūḍa hurled a discus. Immediately Śiva smashed it into pieces with his fist.

15. He hurled his club with force at Śiva. Rapidly split by Śiva, the club was reduced to ashes.

16. Then seizing an axe with his hand, the infuriated king of Dānavas, Śaṅkhacūḍa rushed at Śiva.

17. By the volley of his arrows Śiva sportively struck the Asura with axe in his hand.

18. The Dānava quickly regained consciousness and got into his excellent chariot. With divine weapons and arrows he encompassed the whole sky and shone.

19. On seeing him coming on, Śiva sounded his Ḍamaru enthusiastically and twanged the bowstring, the noise whereof was unbearable.

20. The lord filled all the quarters with the sound of his horn. Śiva himself roared then, frightening the Asuras.

21. The lordly bull then bellowed putting the haughty trumpeting elephants to shame. The deep roar filled the sky, the earth and the eight quarters.

22. With his hands the fierce lord Śiva clapped the earth and the sky. All the previous shouts and roars were surpassed by that sound.

23. The Kṣetrapāla produced a boisterous laughing sound boding ill to the Asuras. In that great battle Bhairava too roared.

24. There was a terrific tumult in the midst of that battle. All round amongst the Gaṇas, the shouts of heroes rose up.

25. The Dānavas were frightened by those harsh and terrible sounds. On hearing them the powerful king of Dānavas became very furious.

26. When Śiva shouted “O wicked one, stay by. Stay by”, the gods and the Gaṇas rapidly shouted “victory, Victory”.

27. Then coming again the valorous son of Dambha hurled at Rudra his spear terrible with shooting flames.

28. While it came on, blazing brilliantly like a great conflagration in the battleground, it was immediately suppressed by Kṣeṭrapāla by means of the meteor springing from his mouth.

29. Again the great battle between Śiva and the Dānava was resumed. The heaven and the earth including all mountains, oceans and rivers shook and trembled.

30. Śiva split up the arrows discharged by the son of Dambha by means of hundred and thousands of his fierce arrows. Similarly the arrows of Śiva were split up by the Dānava.

31. Then the infuriated Śiva hit him with his trident. Unable to bear that blow he fell unconscious on the ground.

32. The Asura regained consciousness rapidly. He seized his bow and hit Rudra and all others by means of his arrows.

33. The valorous Saṅkhacūḍa assumed ten thousand arms by means of magic and rapidly enveloped Śiva by means of ten thousand discuses.

34. Then Śiva, the infuriated consort of Durgā, the destroyer of all insurmountable distress split the discuses rapidly by means of his excellent arrows.

35. Then the Dānava seized his mace and accompanied by a huge army rushed at Śiva with the intention to kill him.

36. The infuriated Śiva, the destroyer of the pride of the wicked split the mace of the Dānava rushing headlong by means of a sharp-edged sword.

37. When the mace was split, the Dānava became very furious. The brilliant Dānava took up a spear that blazed unbearable to the enemies.

38. By means of his trident śiva hit the comely king of Dānavas rapidly in the chest even as he approached with the spear in his hand.

39. From the chest of Śaṅkhacūḍa pierced by the trident, a valorous huge being came out and said “Stand by, Stand by”.

40. Laughing noisily Śiva severed the terrible head of the being that was coming out, by means of a sword. He fell on the ground.

41. Then spreading her mouth wide open Kālī furiously devoured innumerable Asuras whose heads were crushed by her fierce fangs.

42. The excited and infuriated Kṣetrapāla devoured many other Daityas. Some were killed struck down by Bhairava’s missiles. Others were wounded.

43. Vīrabhadra furiously destroyed many other heroes. Nandīśvara killed many other demons.

44. Thus the other Gaṇas, readily prepared and furiously heroic, destroyed many Daityas, Asuras and suppressors of the gods.

45. Thus a major portion of his army was destroyed there. Many other soldiers, cowardly and terrified, fled.