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
她立刻斩断了他的弓,也斩落了高举的战旗;继而以迅疾之箭贯穿其肢体——那弓已被截断之敌。
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.