Adhyaya 85 — The Gods’ Hymn to the Goddess and the Emergence of Kaushiki; Shumbha Sends His Envoy
सा त्वं गच्छ मयैवोक्ता पार्श्वं शुम्भनिशुम्भयोः ।
केशाकर्षणनिर्धूतगौरवा मा गमिष्यसि ॥
sā tvaṃ gaccha mayaivoktā pārśvaṃ śumbhaniśumbhayoḥ | keśākarṣaṇanirdhūtagauravā mā gamiṣyasi ||
Maka pergilah—demikian telah kukatakan kepadamu—ke sisi Śumbha dan Niśumbha. Jangan sampai engkau pergi dengan kehormatan tercabik, diseret dengan rambutmu.
The asuric mindset escalates from persuasion to coercion. The text condemns forced possession and foretells its reversal: violence aimed at the sacred rebounds upon the violent.
Narrative (ākhyāna) within manvantara; it functions as a moral exemplum about adharma’s methods and their downfall.
Hair-dragging symbolizes the attempt to control the ‘crown’ (śiras) of consciousness by force. Śakti cannot be compelled; attempts to dominate the inner power lead to psychic fragmentation for the aggressor.