Shloka 23

Adhyaya 90 — The Slaying of Shumbha and the Reabsorption of the Goddesses into Ambika

Sanskrit

स गतासुः पपातोर्व्यां देवीशूलाग्रविक्षतः ।

चालयन् सकलां पृथ्वीं साब्धिद्वीपां स पर्वताम् ॥

Transliteration

sa gatāsuḥ papātorvyāṃ devī-śūlāgra-vikṣataḥ /

cālayan sakalāṃ pṛthvīṃ sābdhidvīpāṃ sa-parvatām

Translation

Blessé par la pointe de la lance de la Déesse, il tomba sans vie sur la terre, ébranlant le monde entier—ses océans, ses îles et ses montagnes.

Speakers

• Narrative voice within Devī Māhātmyam

Primary Deities

• Devī

Shakti Aspects

• Devī as world-shaking sovereign power (Caṇḍikā/Ambikā)

Key Themes

• Cosmic resonance of divine action
• End of oppression
• World-stabilization through removal of adharma

FAQs

What is the philosophical or ethical takeaway?

Great wrongdoing has world-scale consequences; likewise, its removal brings universal relief—depicted here by the physical trembling that marks a turning point for all beings.

How does this fit the Pancalakṣaṇa (5 characteristics)?

Not sarga/pratisarga but dharma-episode within manvantaric narration; it supports the Purāṇic function of illustrating cosmic governance across ages.

What is the esoteric significance?

The ‘shaking of earth’ mirrors the deep rearrangement of one’s inner world when a core affliction (āsuric tendency) is finally uprooted.