Jai Maa - Devi Mahatmya

Mahishasur's Attempts

As his army was thus being destroyed, Mahisasura terrified the troops of the Devi with his own buffalo form.

Some ( he laid low) by a blow of his muzzle, some by stamping with his hooves, some by the lashes of his tail, and others by the pokes of his horns.

Some he laid low on the face of the earth by his impetuous speed, some by his bellowing and wheeling movement, and others by the blast of his breath.

Having laid low her army, Mahisasura rushed to slay the lion of the Mahadevi. This enraged Ambika.

Mahisasura, great in valor, pounded the surface of the earth with his hooves in rage, tossed up the high mountains with his horns, and bellowed terribly.

Crushed by the velocity of his wheeling, the earth disintegrated, and lashed by his tail, the sea overflowed all around.

Pierced by his swaying horns, the clouds went into fragments. Cast up by the blast of his breath, mountains fell down from the sky in hundreds.

Seeing the great asura swollen with rage and advancing towards her, Chandika displayed her wrath in order to slay him.

She flung her noose over him and bound the great asura. Thus bound in the great battle, he quitted his buffalo form.

Then he became a lion suddenly. While Ambika cut off the head (of his lion form), he took the appearance of a man with a sword in hand.

Immediately then the Devi with her arrows chopped off the man together with his sword and shield. Then he became a big elephant.

The elephant) tugged at her great lion with his trunk and roared loudly, but as he was dragging, the Devi cut off his trunk with her sword.

The great asura then resumed his buffalo shape and shook the three worlds with their movable and immovable objects.

And the asura roared intoxicated with his strength and valour and hurled mountains against Chandika with his horns.

And she with showers of arrows pulverized ( those mountains) hurled at her and spoke to him