Adhyaya 87 — The Slaying of Dhumralochana and the Emergence of Kali; the Fall of Chanda and Munda (Chamunda Named)
उत्थाय च महासींहं देवी चण्डमधावत ।
गृहीत्वा चास्य केशेषु शिरस्तेनासिनाच्छिनत् ॥
utthāya ca mahāsiṃhaṃ devī caṇḍam adhāvata | gṛhītvā cāsya keśeṣu śiras tenāsinācchinat ||
Sich erhebend wie ein großer Löwe, stürmte die Göttin auf Caṇḍa zu. Sie packte ihn am Haar und schlug ihm mit ihrem Schwert den Kopf ab.
The ‘head’ stands for the seat of arrogant intention; cutting it off signifies ending the root-command of violence. Dharma is restored not by negotiation with entrenched cruelty but by removing its leadership.
Carita: exemplary divine action that maintains the moral-cosmic order (ṛta/dharma).
Seizing ‘by the hair’ suggests grasping the subtle thread of prāṇa/identity; the sword is viveka (discernment). The beheading is the dissolution of egoic sovereignty before the absolute.