The Glory of the Goddess-Devi Mahatmyam

Mahishasura’s eightfold fury
Returning back to Mahishasura’s myth, seeing his armies destroyed by the Devi an enraged
Mahishasura starts terrifying the Devi’s hosts. And how does Mahishasura destroy the Devi’s
forces- in eight ways. These eight ways are the purely negative expression of rajas. Hitting
some by muzzle, trampling some by the hooves, lashing at some with his tail, tearing others
with his horns, by sheer speed, by bellowing, by wheeling, and by the blast of his breath,
Mahishasura destroyed the Devi’s forces. This eightfold unleashing of Mahishasura’s rajas is
comparable to eightfold maithuna or eightfold sexual union, which a Brahmachari is strictly
advised to avoid. Here a word on Brahmacharya is in order.
Brahmacharya means to move, learn and live in the ‘Way of Brahman or higher Awareness’.
‘Conducting oneself in higher awareness’ is not just about sexual continence, not just about
controlling sexual desire but about also about gaining mastery over all the indriyas. Among
other things it is also largely about bringing the indriyas (senses) under effortless control.
Thus one of the goals of Brahmacharya is reaching a state where one is not troubled by the
indriyas anymore. However this state of freedom from the indriyas comes effortlessly only
after intense practice or abhyasa. Till one achieves effortless mastery over the indriyas one
has to make intense efforts. Hence initially we are advised to avoid eightfold indulgence of
the indriyas. The eight ways of sensual indulgence: Smaranam (thinking of it), Kirtanam
(talking of it), Keli (playing around), Prekshanam (seeing), Guhya-bhashanam (talking in
secrecy), Sankalpa (wishing for), Adhyavasaya (determination towards), Kriyanishpatti
(actual accomplishment). These are the eight ways in which Rajas destroys the divine forces
before one can even gauge its destructive influence. That is why the unleashing of
Mahishasura’s rajas too has eightfold fury. After destroying the Devi’s forces by his eightfold
rajas, Mahishasura rushes forward to slay her lion. The Goddess Ambika becomes enraged at
this.
The lion as the sadhaka who has taken to the path of dharma
The lion is none other than the sadhaka who has taken to the path of dharma. It is none other
than the practitioner, the jiva, you and me. Since the devotee has already surrendered to the
Goddess and is on the path of dharma, the Mother will protect him as her own child. Now
starts the real fight between the Devi and the lord of the asuras. To meet the challenge the
Goddess heightens Her own rajas. However unlike Mahishasura’s destructive and egoistic
rage Her anger is divine or righteous anger that counters demoniac or unrighteous anger.
Initially the practitioner counters lower order material rajas through higher order spiritual
rajas. One has to remove a thorn with the help of another thorn, as the adage goes. We come
across instances of the lion’s fury too, in both the second and third episodes though more
elaborately in the third episode. This is the sadhaka’s spiritualized higher order rajas or
sattvic rajas which counters the destructive influence of material lower order rajas of the
asuras. The two faces of rajas is an interesting theme that the Devi Mahatmyam portrays time
and again through powerful metaphors.
Mahishasura changing his form many times before finally being beheaded
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