Devi Bhagwat Purana – Chapter 3: The End of Mahishasura

The End of Mahishasura

In the previous chapter, we saw how a fierce battle raged for nine days between Goddess Durga and Mahishasura. The Goddess annihilated the army of demons, but Mahishasura was still not ready to surrender. He continuously changed his form and attacked the Goddess, making the battle even more intense. Now, let's learn from the following narrative how Mahishasura met his end.

The Final Blow

On the tenth day of the battle, Mahishasura, in his fury, assumed a terrifying buffalo form. He uprooted mountains with his horns and created violent waves in the ocean with his tail. His roar caused chaos in all three worlds. The hearts of the gods trembled with fear. Darkness spread everywhere, as if doomsday had arrived. Mahishasura, with his immense speed, charged towards Goddess Durga. His eyes were red, and the flames of destruction blazed within them.

"Today, I will surely end this woman!" Mahishasura thought angrily. "No one can save the gods and sages now. This Durga has underestimated my strength. Today, I will show her how costly it is to incur the wrath of the king of demons."

Slaying by Goddess Durga

Goddess Durga was calm and steady. She adorned herself with her divine weapons and, mounted on her lion, looked at Mahishasura. Her eyes held a mixture of compassion and anger. As Mahishasura attacked, the Goddess struck his chest with her trident. The trident, like a thunderbolt, pierced through Mahishasura's heart and emerged. Mahishasura fell to the ground with a roar. Streams of blood flowed from his body.

Mahishasura was slain by the grace of Goddess Durga. This was not just the end of a demon, but the end of ego, injustice, and tyranny. The Goddess gave her devotees the message that righteousness always triumphs and unrighteousness is bound to be destroyed. She freed the gods and humans from fear and bestowed upon them peace and prosperity.

Praise by the Gods

As soon as Mahishasura was slain, the gods showered flowers from the sky. They began to chant hymns in praise of Goddess Durga. All directions echoed with cheers of victory. Joy filled heaven. Devraj Indra, Agni, Varuna, Kubera, and others prostrated themselves at the feet of the Goddess. They praised the Goddess's strength, courage, and compassion.

"O Goddess!" said Indra. "You have saved us gods from the terror of Mahishasura. We will never forget this favor of yours. Victory be to you! Victory be to you! Victory be to you!" All the gods were chanting victory for the Goddess in unison. Goddess Durga, pleased, blessed the gods and granted them assurance. However, the terror of the demons had not yet ended. Two more powerful demons named Shumbha and Nishumbha remained, who were about to become a new challenge for the gods. In the next chapter, we will learn how Goddess Durga slew Shumbha and Nishumbha.