Shloka 76
Adhyaya 85 — The Gods’ Hymn to the Goddess and the Emergence of Kaushiki; Shumbha Sends His Envoy
इन्द्राद्याः सकला देवास्तस्थुर्येषां न संयुगे ।
शुम्भादीनां कथं तेषां स्त्री प्रयास्यसि सम्मुखम् ॥
indrādyāḥ sakalā devās tasthur yeṣāṃ na saṃyuge | śumbhādīnāṃ kathaṃ teṣāṃ strī prayāsyasi saṃmukham ||
«Индра и все боги не смогли устоять против них в битве; как же ты, женщина, пойдёшь навстречу Шумбхе и прочим?»
FAQs
The gods’ inability signals that cosmic order is restored not merely by institutional power (devas) but by the deeper ground—Śakti—invoked through devotion and righteousness.
Manvantara-ākhyāna with dharma-illustration: the episode shows the restoration of rule (vaṃśānucarita/rajakathā elements are secondary here).
Indra symbolizes egoic sovereignty; its defeat implies the collapse of ordinary control. The path forward is the awakening of the inner Devī who can face ‘Śumbha-ādi’ (the whole train of afflictions).