Devi Mahatmyam Durga Saptasati Chapter 3
Devi Mahatmyam Durga Saptasati Chapter 3
Devi Mahatmyam Durga Saptasati Chapter 3
devī māhātmyaṃ durgā saptaśati tṛtīyo'dhyāyaḥ
mahiṣāsuravadho nāma tṛtīyo'dhyāyaḥ ||
dhyānaṃ
oṃ udyadbhānusahasrakāntiṃ aruṇakṣaumāṃ śiromālikāṃ
raktālipta payodharāṃ japavaṭīṃ vidyāmabhītiṃ varam |
hastābjairdhadhatīṃ trinetravaktrāravindaśriyaṃ
devīṃ baddhahimāṃśuratnamakuṭāṃ vande'ravindasthitām ||
ṛṣiruvāca ||1||
nihanyamānaṃ tatsainyaṃ avalokya mahāsuraḥ|
senānīścikṣuraḥ kopād dhyayau yoddhumathāmbikām ||2||
sa devīṃ śaravarṣeṇa vavarṣa samare'suraḥ|
yathā merugireḥśṛṅgaṃ toyavarṣeṇa toyadaḥ ||3||
tasya chitvā tato devī līlayaiva śarotkarān|
jaghāna turagānbāṇairyantāraṃ caiva vājinām ||4||
ciccheda ca dhanuḥsadhyo dhvajaṃ cātisamucchṛtam|
vivyādha caiva gātreṣu cinnadhanvānamāśugaiḥ ||5||
sacchinnadhanvā viratho hatāśvo hatasārathiḥ|
abhyadhāvata tāṃ devīṃ khaḍgacarmadharo'suraḥ ||6||
siṃhamāhatya khaḍgena tīkṣṇadhāreṇa mūrdhani|
ājaghāna bhuje savye devīṃ avyativegavān ||6||
tasyāḥ khaḍgo bhujaṃ prāpya paphāla nṛpanandana|
tato jagrāha śūlaṃ sa kopād aruṇalocanaḥ ||8||
cikṣepa ca tatastattu bhadrakālyāṃ mahāsuraḥ|
jājvalyamānaṃ tejobhī ravibimbamivāmbarāt ||9||
dṛṣṭvā tadāpatacchūlaṃ devī śūlamamuñcata|
tacchūlaṃśatadhā tena nītaṃ śūlaṃ sa ca mahāsuraḥ ||10||
hate tasminmahāvīrye mahiṣasya camūpatau|
ājagāma gajārūḍaḥ ścāmarastridaśārdanaḥ ||11||
so'pi śaktimmumocātha devyāstāṃ ambikā drutam|
huṅkārābhihatāṃ bhūmau pātayāmāsaniṣprabhām ||12||
bhagnāṃ śaktiṃ nipatitāṃ dṛṣṭvā krodhasamanvitaḥ
cikṣepa cāmaraḥ śūlaṃ bāṇaistadapi sācchinat ||13||
tataḥ siṃhaḥsamutpatya gajakuntare mbhāntaresthitaḥ|
bāhuyuddhena yuyudhe tenoccaistridaśāriṇā ||14||
yudhyamāna'u tatasta'u tu tasmānnāgānmahīṃ gata'u
yuyudhāte'tisaṃrabdhau prahārai atidāruṇaiḥ ||15||
tato vegāt khamutpatya nipatya ca mṛgāriṇā|
karaprahāreṇa śiraścāmarasya pṛthak kṛtam ||16||
udagraśca raṇe devyā śilāvṛkṣādibhirhataḥ|
danta muṣṭitalaiścaiva karālaśca nipātitaḥ ||17||
devī kṛddhā gadāpātaiḥ ścūrṇayāmāsa coddhatam|
bhāṣkalaṃ bhindipālena bāṇaistāmraṃ tathāndhakam ||18||
ugrāsyamugravīryaṃ ca tathaiva ca mahāhanum
trinetrā ca triśūlena jaghāna parameśvarī ||19||
biḍālasyāsinā kāyāt pātayāmāsa vai śiraḥ|
durdharaṃ durmukhaṃ cobhau śarairninye yamakṣayam ||20||
evaṃ saṅkṣīyamāṇe tu svasainye mahiṣāsuraḥ|
māhiṣeṇa svarūpeṇa trāsayāmāsatān gaṇān ||21||
kāṃścittuṇḍaprahāreṇa khurakṣepaistathāparān|
lāṅgūlatāḍitāṃścānyān śṛṅgābhyāṃ ca vidāritā ||22||
vegena kāṃścidaparānnādena bhramaṇena ca|
niḥ śvāsapavanenānyān pātayāmāsa bhūtale||23||
nipātya pramathānīkamabhyadhāvata so'suraḥ
siṃhaṃ hantuṃ mahādevyāḥ kopaṃ cakre tato'mbhikā ||24||
so'pi kopānmahāvīryaḥ khurakṣuṇṇamahītalaḥ|
śṛṅgābhyāṃ parvatānuccāṃścikṣepa ca nanāda ca ||25||
vega bhramaṇa vikṣuṇṇā mahī tasya vyaśīryata|
lāṅgūlenāhataścābdhiḥ plāvayāmāsa sarvataḥ ||26||
dhutaśṛṅgvibhinnāśca khaṇḍaṃ khaṇḍaṃ yayurghanāḥ|
śvāsānilāstāḥ śataśo nipeturnabhaso'calāḥ ||27||
itikrodhasamādhmātamāpatantaṃ mahāsuram|
dṛṣṭvā sā caṇḍikā kopaṃ tadvadhāya tadā'karot ||28||
sā kṣitpvā tasya vaipāśaṃ taṃ babandha mahāsuram|
tatyājamāhiṣaṃ rūpaṃ so'pi baddho mahāmṛdhe ||29||
tataḥ siṃho'bhavatsadhyo yāvattasyāmbikā śiraḥ|
chinatti tāvat puruṣaḥ khaḍgapāṇi radṛśyata ||30||
tata evāśu puruṣaṃ devī ciccheda sāyakaiḥ|
taṃ khaḍgacarmaṇā sārdhaṃ tataḥ so' bhūnmahā gajaḥ ||31||
kareṇa ca mahāsiṃhaṃ taṃ cakarṣa jagarjaca |
karṣatastu karaṃ devī khaḍgena nirakṛntata ||32||
tato mahāsuro bhūyo māhiṣaṃ vapurāsthitaḥ|
tathaiva kṣobhayāmāsa trailokyaṃ sacarācaram ||33||
tataḥ kruddhā jaganmātā caṇḍikā pāna muttamam|
papau punaḥ punaścaiva jahāsāruṇalocanā ||34||
nanarda cāsuraḥ so'pi balavīryamadoddhataḥ|
viṣāṇābhyāṃ ca cikṣepa caṇḍikāṃ pratibhūdharān||35||
sā ca tā nprahitāṃ stena cūrṇayantī śarotkaraiḥ|
uvāca taṃ madoddhūtamukharāgākulākṣaram ||36||
devyuuvāca||
garja garja kṣaṇaṃ mūḍha madhu yāvatpibāmyaham|
mayātvayi hate'traiva garjiṣyantyāśu devatāḥ ||37||
ṛṣiruvāca||
evamuktvā samutpatya sārūḍhā taṃ mahāsuram|
pādenā kramya kaṇṭhe ca śūlenaina matāḍayat ||38||
tataḥ so'pi padākrāntastayā nijamukhāttataḥ|
ardha niṣkrānta evāsīddevyā vīryeṇa saṃvṛtaḥ ||40||
ardha niṣkrānta evāsau yudhyamāno mahāsuraḥ |
tayā mahāsinā devyā śiraśchittvā nipātitaḥ ||41||
tato hāhākṛtaṃ sarvaṃ daityasainyaṃ nanāśa tat|
praharṣaṃ ca paraṃ jagmuḥ sakalā devatāgaṇāḥ ||42||
tuṣṭu vustāṃ surā devīṃ sahadivyairmaharṣibhiḥ|
jagurgundharvapatayo nanṛtuścāpsarogaṇāḥ ||43||
|| iti śrī mārkaṇḍeya purāṇe sāvarnike manvantare devi mahatmye mahiṣāsuravadho nāma tṛtīyo'dhyāyaṃ samāptam ||
āhuti
hrīṃ jayantī sāṅgāyai sāyudhāyai saśaktikāyai saparivārāyai savāhanāyai śrī mahālakṣmyai lakṣmī bījādiṣṭāyai mahāhutiṃ samarpayāmi namaḥ svāhā ||
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About This Stotram
Overview
Durga Saptasati Chapter 3 (Mahishasura Vadha) is the third chapter of the Devi Mahatmyam in the Markandeya Purana, containing 42 verses. This chapter narrates the climax of the Mahishasura battle episode (Madhyama Charitra), culminating in the goddess's slaying of the demon Mahishasura. It is part of the full Chandipatha recitation cycle and belongs to the Shakta Puranic tradition.
What are the benefits of chanting Durga Saptasati Chapter 3?
- Recitation of this chapter invokes the goddess's power at the narrative moment of her ultimate victory over Mahishasura.
- Chanting is associated with victory over obstacles and enemies, and relief from fear.
- The chapter completes the Madhyama Charitra narrative arc and is recited to invoke the full power of the Mahishasura Mardini episode.
- It contributes to the complete merit of the full Chandipatha when recited in sequence during Navaratri.
- The goddess's emergence from the combined powers of all the gods in this narrative is understood as a statement of her supreme status.
When is the best time to recite this?
Navaratri is the primary occasion. Chapter 3 typically falls on the second or third day of the recitation cycle. Morning and evening recitations during Navaratri are standard. Individual chapters may also be recited at other times for specific purposes.
What is the historical and traditional background?
Chapter 3 concludes the Madhyama Charitra of the Devi Mahatmyam, which belongs to the Markandeya Purana (approximately 4th-6th centuries CE). The narrative of Mahishasura's defeat is the most widely known episode in Hindu goddess mythology and has been the subject of numerous artistic, literary, and liturgical elaborations. This chapter is directly related to the iconography of Durga (Mahishasura Mardini) seen in temples and artwork across India. The authorship follows the general attribution of the Markandeya Purana to the sage Markandeya.
Available scripts
This text is available in 14 scripts: devanagari, tamil, telugu, kannada, malayalam, gujarati, bengali, iast, gurmukhi, oriya, assamese, sinhala, itrans, hk. Use the script selector above to switch between them.
Related Texts
- Devi Mahatmyam Durga Saptasati Chapter 2 — the preceding chapter that narrates the battle with Mahishasura's armies leading up to the final confrontation in this chapter.
- Devi Mahatmyam Durga Saptasati Chapter 1 — the opening chapter of the full text.
- Mahishasura Mardini Stotram — a popular hymn celebrating the same event as this chapter, often recited independently from the full Saptasati cycle.