Shloka 40

Adhyaya 83 — The Slaying of Mahishasura’s Armies and the Final Death of Mahishasura

Sanskrit

अर्धनिष्क्रान्त एवासौ युध्यमानो महासुरः ।

तया महासिना देव्याः शिरश्छित्त्वा निपातितः ॥

Transliteration

ardhaniṣkrānta evāsau yudhyamāno mahāsuraḥ / tayā mahāsinā devyāḥ śiraś chittvā nipātitaḥ

Translation

ໃນຂະນະທີ່ອະສຸຣະໃຫຍ່ນັ້ນ ຍັງປາກົດອອກມາໄດ້ແຕ່ເຄິ່ງ ແລະຍັງສູ້ຕໍ່ໄປ, ພຣະເທວີໄດ້ໃຊ້ດາບໃຫຍ່ຕັດສະຫຼັດສີສະ ໃຫ້ມັນລົ້ມລົງ។

Word by Word

• ardha-niṣkrāntaḥ: half-emerged (half come out)
• ardha-niṣkrāntaḥ: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ardha (प्रातिपदिक) + niṣ-√kram (धातु) → niṣkrānta (कृदन्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; कृदन्तः—क्त (past passive participle) ‘niṣkrānta’ with उपसर्ग ‘niṣ-’; ‘ardha’ as पूर्वपद qualifying (half-emerged)

• eva: indeed/just
• eva: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Emphasis)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निश्चयार्थक/एवकार (emphatic particle)

• asau: that one/he
• asau: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: adas (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; सर्वनाम (pronoun)

• yudhyamānaḥ: fighting
• yudhyamānaḥ: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: √yudh (धातु) → yudhyamāna (कृदन्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; वर्तमानकाले शतृ-प्रत्यय (present active participle/शतृ) in आत्मनेपद-रूप ‘-māna’ (fighting)

• mahā-asuraḥ: the great demon
• mahā-asuraḥ: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā (प्रातिपदिक) + asura (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्मधारयः—‘महान् असुरः’

• tayā: by her
• tayā: Karana (करण/Instrument)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• mahā-asinā: with a great sword
• mahā-asinā: Karana (करण/Instrument)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā (प्रातिपदिक) + asi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन; कर्मधारयः—‘महान् असिः’ (great sword)

• devyāḥ: of the Goddess
• devyāḥ: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Genitive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: devī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• śiraḥ: head
• śiraḥ: Karma (कर्म/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śiras (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• chittvā: having cut off
• chittvā: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण/पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √chid (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund) ‘having cut’; उपसर्ग-रहित

• nipātitaḥ: was struck down/felled
• nipātitaḥ: Karta (कर्ता/Subject in passive)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ni-√pat (धातु) → nipātita (कृदन्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कृदन्तः—क्त (past passive participle) with उपसर्ग ‘ni-’; कर्मणि प्रयोग (passive sense): ‘was felled’

Speakers

• Ṛṣi narrating (within Devi Mahatmyam frame)

Verse Rasa

{ "primaryRasa": "raudra", "secondaryRasa": "vira", "rasaIntensity": 0, "emotionalArcPosition": "", "moodDescriptors": [] }

Primary Deities

• Caṇḍikā (Devī)

Shakti Aspects

• Caṇḍikā

Key Themes

• Shaktism
• Victory of Devī
• Removal of delusion (head as ego)

FAQs

What is the philosophical or ethical takeaway?

The ‘head’ represents command and conceit; dharma’s victory is complete only when the root of arrogance is severed, not merely its outward aggression.

How does this fit the Pancalakshana (5 characteristics)?

Devī-māhātmya upākhyāna; a paradigmatic dharma-restoration episode rather than a cosmological enumeration.

What is the esoteric significance?

The sword symbolizes discriminative wisdom (viveka) that decisively ends the asuric tendency even mid-struggle—cutting off the ‘seat’ of identification.