Markandeya Purana — Adhyaya 90, Shloka 10
Adhyaya 90 — The Slaying of Shumbha and the Reabsorption of the Goddesses into Ambika
ततः शरशतैर्देवीमाच्छादयत सोऽसुरः ।
सा च तत्कुपिता देवी धनुश्चिच्छेद चेṣुभिः ॥
tataḥ śaraśatair devīm ācchādayata so 'suraḥ / sā ca tatkupitā devī dhanuś ciccheda ceṣubhiḥ
Rồi tên asura ấy dùng hàng trăm mũi tên che phủ Nữ Thần. Phẫn nộ vì điều đó, Nữ Thần dùng tên của mình chém nát cây cung của hắn thành từng mảnh.
FAQs
When overwhelmed by hostile forces, the dharmic response is not despair but decisive removal of the source of harm (the ‘bow’ that generates repeated injury).
Carita/narrative exemplum embedded in a Purana; it supports dharma by illustrating the Goddess as protector and restorer of cosmic order.
The ‘covering with arrows’ can symbolize sensory/mental assaults; cutting the bow suggests uprooting the generating mechanism of distraction rather than fighting each individual impulse.