The Glory of the Goddess-Devi Mahatmyam

Then the Goddess hit him on the chest. Wounded by the blow of her palm, the king of asuras
fell on the ground. Rising up again without delay, the king of asuras, leapt up towards the
sky, seizing the Goddess. There too Chandika fought with him without any support. Then
much to the wonder of the siddhas and the sages Shumbha and Chandika fought as never
before, wrestling with each other in the sky.
After wrestling with him for a while, the Mother Goddess Ambika lifted him up, whirled him
around and flung him down to the earth. Thus thrown to the ground, the wicked asura rose
swiftly on reaching the ground, and rushed forward raising his fist, intending to kill
Chandika. Seeing the lord of all the asura-folks approaching, the Goddess chucked him down
to the earth piercing him on the chest with a spear. Pierced by the pointed spear of the
Goddess, he fell lifeless on the ground, shaking the entire earth with its oceans, islands and
mountains.
When that wicked one was slain, everything became clear and propitious, the universe
regained its original state of perfect peace, and the sky became clear. Flaming portent-clouds
that were in evidence earlier, vanished and the rivers kept within their courses after
Shumbha’s collapse. As he had been slain, the minds of all the hosts of gods were filled with
joy and the celestial musicians (gandharvas) sang sweetly. Others played their musical
instruments and the bevy of celestial nymphs (apsaras) danced. Likewise the winds blew
favourably and the sun became resplendent.
Chapter 11
When the great lord of asuras was slain there by the Goddess, Indra and other gods headed by
Agni, lauded Goddess Katyayani, illuminating the quarters with their moon-like faces,
cheerfully as their wishes had been fulfilled.
The Goddess said “O host of gods, I shall grant a boon. Choose whatever boon you desire in
your mind. I shall grant it for the welfare of the world”.
The gods said “O Sovereign of all, in this very manner, you should accomplish the
destruction of our foes and also the pacification of all the afflictions of three worlds”.
The Devi said “In the time of Vaivasvata Manu, when the twenty-eighth yuga has arrived two
other great asuras, Sumbha and Nisumbha will be born. Then born from the womb of Yasoda,
in the home of cowherd Nanda, taking abode in the Vindhya mountains, I shall destroy them
both. Again, I shall incarnate on earth in a very terrible form and shall slay the descendants
of asura Vipracitti. When I devour those fierce asuras, the descendants of Vipracitti, my teeth
shall become red like the flower of pomegranate. Therefore, when lauding me, the gods and
the mortals shall always speak of me as Raktadantika, the red-toothed.
And again when there is no water for a period of hundred years on account of failure of rains,
propitiated by the sages, I will be self-manifest on the drought-ridden earth, but not womb-
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