{"collection":"Hinduism","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/browse/hin/db/bk05ch29.htm","path":"hin/db/bk05ch29.htm","source_url":"https://sacred-texts.com/hin/db/bk05ch29.htm","text":"THE FIFTH BOOK\nChapter XXIX\nOn the killing of Raktab\u00eeja\n1-21. Vy\u00e2sa said :-- O King! Please hear attentively about the extraordinary boon that was given by Mah\u00e2deva, the God of gods, to the great warrior, Raktab\u00eeja. Whenever a drop of blood from the body of that great warrior will drop on the surface of the earth, immediately will arise innumerable D\u00e2navas, equal in form and power to him; thus the Deva Rudra granted the Demon the wonderful boon. Thus elated with the boon, he entered into the battlefield with great force in order to kill K\u00e2lik\u00e2 with Ambik\u00e2 Dev\u00ee. Seeing the Vaisnav\u00ee S\u2019akti, lotus-eyed, seated on the bird Garuda, the Demon struck Her with a violent weapon (named S\u2019akti). She then baffled the weapon by Her club and hurled Sudars\u2019ana disc on the great Asura Raktab\u00eeja. Thus struck by the disc, blood began to ooze out from his body as the red stream of soft red sandstone comes out of a mountain-top. Wherever on the surface of the earth drops of blood fell from his body, then and there sprang out thousands and thousands of demons like him. Indr\u00e2ni, the wife of Indra, became very angry and struck the terrible Raktab\u00eeja with his thunderbolt. Streams of blood then began to ooze out from his body. No sooner the drops of blood fell from the Demon\u2019s body, than were instantaneously born from the blood many powerful Asuras, of similar forms, having similar weapons and hard to be conquered in battle. Brahm\u00e2n\u00ee then becoming enraged\nstruck at him with the staff of Brahm\u00e2 with greater force. M\u00e2hes\u2019var\u00ee rent the D\u00e2nava asunder by striking him with Her trident. N\u00e2ra Simh\u00ee pierced the Asura with Her nails; V\u00e2r\u00e2h\u00ee struck at him with Her teeth. Then the D\u00e2nava becoming angry shot at them all with sharpened arrows and pierced them all. Thus when the M\u00e2trik\u00e2 Dev\u00ees were pierced by the club and other various weapons of that great Asura, they got very angry and pierced the D\u00e2navas in return with shots of arrows. Kaum\u00e2r\u00ee, too, struck at his breast with Her weapon, named S\u2019akti. The D\u00e2navas then got angry and hurled on them multitude of arrows and began to pierce them. O King! The Chandik\u00e2 Dev\u00ee, getting angry, cut off his weapons into pieces and shot violently at him other arrows. O King! Thus struck by severe blows, when blood began to flow in profuse quantities from his body, thousands and thousands of D\u00e2navas resembling Raktab\u00eeja sprang out instantly from it. So much so, that the heavens were all covered over with Raktab\u00eejas that sprang up from the blood. They all covered all over their bodies with coats of armour, began to fight terribly with weapons in their hands. Then the Devas, seeing that the innumerable Raktav\u00eejas were striking the Dev\u00ee, became very much frightened and were distressed with sorrow. They began to talk with each other with sorrowful countenances that thousands and thousands of huge bodied warriors were springing from the blood. These were all very powerful; so how could they be destroyed! In this battlefield there were now left only the M\u00e2trik\u00e2s, K\u00e2lik\u00e2, and Chandik\u00e2. It would be certainly extremely difficult for them to conquer all these D\u00e2navas. And if at that moment, S\u2019umbha and Nis\u2019umbha were to join them with his army, certainly a great catastrophe would occur.\n22-28. Vy\u00e2sa said :-- O King! When the Devas were thus extremely anxious, out of terror, Ambik\u00e2 Dev\u00ee said to the lotus-eyed K\u00e2l\u00ee :-- \u201cO Ch\u00e2mund\u00e2! Open out your mouth quickly, and no sooner I strike Raktab\u00eeja with weapons, you would drink off the blood as fast as it runs out of his body. Instantly I will kill those D\u00e2navas sprung from the blood with sharpened arrows, clubs, swords and Musalas; and you would then be able to devour them all at your will, and, then, roam in this field as you like. O Large-eyed One! You would drink off all the jets of blood in such a way that not a drop of it escapes and falls on the ground. And then when they will all be devoured, no more D\u00e2navas would be able to spring. Thus they will surely be extirpated; otherwise they will never be destroyed. Let me begin to strike blows after blows on Raktab\u00eeja and you better drink off quickly all the blood, being intent on destroying the forces. O Chamunde! Thus, the D\u00e2navas being all exterminated, we will hand over to the Indra, the lord of the Devas, his Heavens without\nany enemy; and, thus, we can go peacefully and happily to our own places.\u201d\n29-47. Vy\u00e2sa said :-- O King! The Ch\u00e2mund\u00e2 Dev\u00ee, of furious strength, hearing thus the Dev\u00ee\u2019s words began to drink the jets of blood coming out of the body of Raktab\u00eeja. The Dev\u00ee Ambik\u00e2 began to cut the Demon\u2019s body into pieces and Ch\u00e2mund\u00e2, of thin belly, went on devouring them. Then Raktab\u00eeja, becoming angry, struck Ch\u00e2mund\u00e2 with his club. But though She was thus hurt severely, She drank off the blood and then devoured all the limbs thereof. O King! Thus K\u00e2lik\u00e2 Dev\u00ee drank off the blood of all other powerful wicked D\u00e2nava Raktab\u00eejas that sprang out of the blood. Ambik\u00e2 thus destroyed them. Thus, all the D\u00e2navas, created out of the blood were devoured; then, there was left, lastly, the real Raktab\u00eeja. Ambik\u00e2 Dev\u00ee then cut him asunder into pieces by Her axe and thus killed him. Thus, when the dreadful Raktab\u00eeja was slain in the battle, the D\u00e2navas fled away trembling with fear. Without any weapons, covered all over their bodies with blood, and void of consciousness they uttered, dumb confounded \u201cAlas! Alas! What has happened, what has happened.\u201d Thus crying, they told their King S\u2019umbha thus :-- \u201cO King of Kings! Ambik\u00e2 Dev\u00ee has killed Raktab\u00eeja and Ch\u00e2mund\u00e2 has drunk off all their blood. The carrier (V\u00e2hana) of Dev\u00ee, the powerful ferocious Lion killed other powerful warriors and Kali devoured the remaining soldiers. O Lord of the D\u00e2navas! We have fled and come to you to give the news of the battle and to describe the wonderful doings of that Chandik\u00e2 Dev\u00ee in the battlefield. O King! In our opinion, no one will be able to conquer that Lady, be he a Daitya, D\u00e2nava, Gandarbha, Asura, Yaksa, Pannaga, Ch\u00e2rana, R\u00e2ksasa, or an Uraga. O King of Kings! The other Goddesses, Indr\u00e2ni and others, have come to the battle, on their own carriers respectively and are fighting with various weapons. O Lord of the D\u00e2navas! The D\u00e2nava forces are all slain by them with the excellent weapons in their hands. Even Raktab\u00eeja has been slain in no time. That Lion, of indomitable prowess, killed the R\u00e2ksasas in the battle; The Dev\u00ee alone is hard to conquer; how much more would it be impossible to conquer Her, when She has been joined with other goddesses. So consult with the ministers and do what is reasonable. In our opinion it is better to make treaty with Her and quit your enmity. O King! Think over the fact that that Lady destroyed all the D\u00e2navas and at last drank off the blood of Raktab\u00eeja and at last killed him. What on earth can be more wonderful than this? O King! The Dev\u00ee Ambik\u00e2 killed all the other Daityas and Ch\u00e2mund\u00e2 devoured their blood, flesh, and all. Considering all this, it is now better for us to serve the Dev\u00ee Ambik\u00e2 or fly away to P\u00e2t\u00e2la. No more fighting is desirable. She is\nnot an ordinary woman; She is Mah\u00e2 M\u00e2y\u00e2, there is not the least doubt in this. Only to serve the cause of the Gods, She has manifested Herself and is now destroying the R\u00e2ksasas\u2019 race.\u201d\n48. Vy\u00e2sa said :-- Hearing thus, S\u2019umbha got confounded by K\u00e2la (Death), as his end was coming nigh, and said the following words, his lips quivering with anger.\n49-54. You are struck with fear; so you all take the refuge of Chandik\u00e2 or fly down to P\u00e2t\u00e2la; but I will kill Her with all my exertion and effort. I conquered all the hosts of Devas and I have enjoyed their kingdom; shall I now, out of the fear of one Lady, fly and enter into the P\u00e2t\u00e2la. All my attendants, Raktab\u00eeja and other heroes, are now slain in the battle and is it possible that I will now fly away out of the sake of preserving my life only. See! The death of all the beings is ordained by K\u00e2la and it is unavoidable. No sooner a being is born, he is liable to the fear of death. How can a man, then, out of fear of death, quit all his name and fame? O Nis\u2019umbha! I will now go immediately to the battle, mounting on my chariot and will return after slaying Her in battle. And if I cannot kill Her, I will not then return any more. O Best of warriors! Better stand on my side with all your forces and kill that Lady in no time, with sharp arrows.\n55-58. Nis\u2019umbha said :-- Today I will go to the battle and slaying that K\u00e2lik\u00e2, will shortly return here with Ambik\u00e2. O King! Do not think at all for that Lady; see my world-conquering strength and look at that weak woman; there is a vast difference. Cast aside your this great mental anxiety and trouble. Enjoy, O Brother, excellent things. I will bring that dignified Lady with all honours before you. O King! You ought not to go to the battle when I am alive. I will presently go to the fight and bring for you that Lady as a sign of our victory.\n59-60. Vy\u00e2sa said :-- O King! Thus saying, the younger brother, proud of his own strength, went hurriedly to the battlefield, mounting on his big chariot. He was protected all over his body by his coat of armour and he was well provided with various weapons and all other accoutrements of war. The bards began to sing hymns to him and various other propitious ceremonies were being performed.\nHere ends the Twenty-ninth Chapter of the Fifth Book on the killing of Raktab\u00eeja in S\u2019r\u00ee Mad Dev\u00ee Bh\u00e2gavatam, the Mah\u00e2 Pur\u00e2nam, of 18,000 verses by Maharsi Veda Vy\u00e2sa.","title":"The Devi Bhagavatam: The Fifth Book: Chapter 29","type":"page"}