Adhyaya 83 — The Slaying of Mahishasura’s Armies and the Final Death of Mahishasura
तस्याः खड्गो भुजं प्राप्य पफाल नृपनन्दन ।
ततो जग्राह शूलं स कोपादरुणलोचनः ॥
tasyāḥ khaḍgo bhujaṃ prāpya paphāla nṛpanandana | tato jagrāha śūlaṃ sa kopād aruṇalocanaḥ ||
Oh deleite de los reyes, la espada de ella, al alcanzar su brazo, lo partió. Entonces él, con los ojos enrojecidos de ira, empuñó un tridente.
Rage escalates when ego is wounded; yet the text shows that adharma’s escalation is reactive, while Devi’s action is precise and effective—skill rooted in dharma outmatches fury.
This is a didactic heroic narrative embedded in the Purana; it supports dharma by exemplifying the cosmic function of the Goddess rather than presenting chronological manvantara or genealogical lists.
The severed/cleft arm symbolizes loss of ‘agency’ of the asuric tendency; the grabbing of the śūla indicates the mind’s attempt to replace lost capacity with sharper, more piercing aggression.