Adhyaya 83 — The Slaying of Mahishasura’s Armies and the Final Death of Mahishasura
ततः सिंहोऽभवत् सद्यो यावत्तस्याम्बिका शिरः ।
छिनत्ति तावत्पुरुषः खड्गपाणिरदृश्यत ॥
tataḥ siṃho 'bhavat sadyo yāvattasyāmbikā śiraḥ /
chinatti tāvatpuruṣaḥ khaḍgapāṇiradṛśyata
সি তৎক্ষণাৎ সিংহৰূপ ধাৰণ কৰিলে; আৰু অম্বিকা যেতিয়া তাৰ মস্তক ছেদন কৰিবলৈ উদ্যত, তেতিয়া খড়্গহস্ত এজন পুৰুষ প্ৰকট হ’ল।
As the moment of resolution nears, obstacles can re-manifest in new guises. The verse underscores steadiness (dhairya) at the threshold of victory.
Carita: narrative elaboration of the demon’s māyā and Devī’s unbroken agency.
The lion-form and then the sword-bearing man reflect successive ‘identities’ of the ego—pride, aggression, then calculated agency—each arising to avoid dissolution under Devī’s discriminating power.