Adhyaya 90 — The Slaying of Shumbha and the Reabsorption of the Goddesses into Ambika
अश्वांश्च पातयामास रथं सारथिना सह ।
हताश्वः स तदा दैत्यश्छिन्नधान्वा विसारथिः ।
जग्राह मुद्गरं घोरमम्बिकानिधनodyataḥ ॥
aśvāṃś ca pātayāmāsa rathaṃ sārathinā saha / hatāśvaḥ sa tadā daityaś chinnadhānvā visārathiḥ / jagrāha mudgaraṃ ghoram ambikānidhanodyataḥ
Ia menumbangkan kuda-kudanya, kereta perangnya, beserta saisnya. Lalu sang daitya, dengan kuda terbunuh, busur patah, dan tanpa sais, meraih gada yang mengerikan, berniat membunuh Ambikā.
Adharma loses its ‘vehicles’—resources, momentum, and enabling allies—when confronted by truth; stripped of supports, it resorts to brute force.
Carita: a didactic mythic episode illustrating the collapse of asuric power structures.
Horses/chariot/charioteer can symbolize prāṇa, body, and directing intellect. Devī’s act signifies mastery over the psycho-physical apparatus that ego uses to ‘charge’ toward its aims.