Adhyaya 83 — The Slaying of Mahishasura’s Armies and the Final Death of Mahishasura
चिच्छेद च धनुः सद्यो ध्वजं चातिसमुच्छ्रितम् ।
विव्याध चैव गात्रेषु छिन्नधन्वानमाशुगैः ॥
ciccheda ca dhanuḥ sadyo dhvajaṃ cātisamucchritam / vivyādha caiva gātreṣu cchinnadhanvānamāśugaiḥ
Ngài lập tức chém đứt cây cung của hắn, và cả lá cờ giương cao; rồi bằng những mũi tên mau lẹ, Ngài xuyên thủng các chi thể của kẻ đã bị chặt cung ấy.
Adharma is first stripped of its instruments and symbols (bow and banner), then corrected through consequence; the sequence models ‘justice’ as removal of capacity to harm and curbing of arrogance.
Anucarita within Manvantara narrative—didactic combat episode showing dharma’s enforcement through divine agency.
The bow represents will/agency used wrongly; the banner symbolizes self-display and pride. Śakti cuts both, then pierces the ‘limbs’—the functional supports of ego—rendering it powerless.