Markandeya Purana — Adhyaya 89, Shloka 25
Adhyaya 89 — The Wrath of Shumbha and Nishumbha and the Fall of Nishumbha
शुम्भमुक्ताञ्छरान्देवी शुम्भस्तत्प्रहिताञ्छरान् ।
चिच्छेद स्वशरैरुग्रैः शतशोऽथ सहस्रशः ॥
śumbhamuktāñcharāndevī śumbhastatprahitāñcharān / ciccheda svaśarairugraiḥ śataśo 'tha sahasraśaḥ
The Devī severed the arrows released by Śumbha, and Śumbha cut down the arrows she sent—each with their own fierce shafts, by the hundreds and then by the thousands.
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FAQs
Hostile actions can multiply, but they are not decisive when met by steadiness and skill. The Devī’s mastery shows that dharma is not passive; it is competent and responsive.
Akhyanic/didactic narrative episode demonstrating the restoration of cosmic order.
Arrows can represent thought-impulses and reactive patterns. Cutting them down ‘by hundreds and thousands’ indicates disciplined awareness interrupting proliferating negativity.