Demons slayed by Parvati

We all know that Parvati has slayed many demons assuming the form of Chandika, Mahakali, Rudrani, etc. Today we are going to give a detailed account of the demons she has slayed. 

Madhu & Kaitabh 

Once two demons named Madhu & Kaitabh were formed from the dirt of Vishnu and were eager to kill Brahma. At that time Vishnu was asleep. Brahma was frightened as a result of which he prayed to Yogmaya, a form of Adishakti as Mahakali, to awaken Vishnu. Hearing his prayers she awakened Vishnu who fought the demons for 5000 years. Yogmaya decided to put the demons in delusions through her power as a result of which they became boastful and told Vishnu that they are impressed by his fighting skills so he should ask for a boon. Vishnu said that he wants a boon to kill them. The demons saw that the entire region was filled with water so they should kill him in a place where there is no water. Vishnu laid the demons in his thighs and killed the demons. Though Vishnu directly killed them, it was Yogmaya who indirectly killed them. Without her contribution, it was impossible to kill them.

Mahishasur

Once Mahishasur had captured heaven by defeating the Devas. The Devas along with Brahma went to Vishnu and Shiva and narrated the entire tale. All the Gods created a goddess from their powers named Mahalakshmi, a form of Durga/Amba, the warrior aspect of Parvati.

The battle began between her and the demons. Chakshur & Chamar were the general of the army of Mahishasur. Udagra accompanied with 60000 chariots, Mahahanu accompanied with 10000000 chariots, Asiloman with 15000000 chariots, Bidala with 5000000000 chariots, Baskala with 6000000 chariots, Privarita with 10000000 chariots and many horses and elephants fought in the battle. Mahishasur also hand many chariots in the battle. Other demons tried to attack her using maces, javelins, spears, clubs, swords, axes and halberds. But by showering her own weapons, she had cut those weapons into two halves. She killed hundreds of demons with her trident, club, showers of spears, swords and the like, and threw down others who were stupefied by the noise of her bell; and binding others with her noose, she dragged them on the ground. Some were split into two by the sharp slashes of her sword, and others, smashed by the blows of her mace, lay down on the ground; and some severely hammered by club vomited forth blood.

Pierced in the breast by her trident, some fell on the ground. Pierced all over by her arrows and resembling porcupines, some of the enemies of devas gave up their lives on that field of battle. Some had their arms cut off, some, their necks broken the heads of others rolled down; some others were torn asunder in the middle of their trunks, and some great demons fell on the ground with their legs severed. Some rendered one-armed, one-eyed, and one-legged were again clove in twain by Durga. And others, though rendered headless, fell and rose again. The profuse blood from the demons, elephants and horses flowed immediately like large rivers amidst that army of the demoms. As fire consumes a huge heap of straw and wood, so did Amba destroy that vast army of asuras in no time.

Seeing the destruction of the army, Chakshur advanced towards Durga and attacked her with arrows. His arrows were cut, chariot was broken, horses were killed and charioteer was slained.  He rushed towards her and tried to attack her and her lion with a sword but the sword was cut into pieces. When he tried to attack her with his pike, she used her pike and cut his pike into 1000 fragments and later killed him.

Udagra was killed in the battle with stones, trees, etc. Karala was stricken down by her teeth, fists and slaps. Uddhata was destroyed by the blows of her club. Basakala was destroyed with the help of a dart. Tamra and Andhaka were destroyed with the help of her arrows. Ugrasya, Ugravirya and Mahahanu were destroyed by her trident. Bidala was beheaded with the help of a sword. Durdhara and Durmudha were killed by her arrows.

Seeing the destruction of his army, Mahishasur came to fight Durga. A terrible battle occured between both as a result of which Mahishasur was killed. After his death the Devas praised Durga as a result of which she told them to ask for a boon. The Devas asked for the boon that whenever they remember her, may she be there for them.

Dhumralochan

Once demons named Shumbh & Nishumbh had captured heaven by defeating the Devas. The Devas were reminded of the boon granted to them by Durga/Amba and they prayed to her for help. On hearing their prayers, Parvati came to them. From her body emerged Mahasaraswati, another form of Durga/Amba. From her darker parts came Kali. 

The beauty of Durga was so extraordinary that on seeing her the friends of Shumbh and Nishumbh named Chand and Mund advised them to marry her. Shumbh told his messenger Sugriv to tell her to marry him as he is the king of the worlds while she is extraordinarily beautiful. When Sugriv tells her about his wish, she says that she has taken a vow to marry a man who can defeat her in the battlefield so Shumbh and Nishumbh must defeat her in order to marry her. Angered by the rejection, the demons ordered Dhumralochan either to tell her to accept them willingly or forcefully bring her to them.

Dhumralochan went to Durga with an army of 60000 demons and told her to accept Shumbh & Nishumbh willingly otherwise he would forcefully drag her. Durga said that she was ready to fight with him. With a blow she destroyed the demon.

Chand & Mund 

After the defeat of Dhumralochan, Shumbh & Nishumbh ordered Chand & Mund to attack Durga with their group of demons. They saw Amba, smiling gently, seated upon the lion on a huge golden peak of the great mountain. On seeing her, some of them excited themselves and made an effort to capture her, and others approached her, with their bows bent and swords drawn.

Thereupon Amba became terribly angry with those foes, and in her anger her countenance then became dark as ink. Out from the surface of her forehead, fierce with frown, suddenly issued Kali of terrible countenance, armed with a sword and noose. Bearing the strange skull-topped staff, decorated with a garland of skulls, clad in a tiger’s skin, very dangerous owing to her emaciated flesh, with gaping mouth, fearful with her tongue lolling out, having deep-sunk reddish eyes and filling the regions of the sky with her roars, and falling upon impetuously and slaughtering the great demons in that army, she devoured those hosts of the foes of the devas. Kali rushed towards Chand, and seizing him by his hair, severed his head with her sword. Seeing Chand killed, Mund also rushed towards her. She threw him on the ground, striking him with her sword in her fury. As she killed Chand & Mund, she got the name of Chamunda.

Raktibija

After the death of Chand & Mund, Shumbh & Nishumbh sent Raktibija to fight Durga. Raktibija had a boon that if a drop of his blood fell on the ground, from that drop a new form of him would appear. As a result when the fight was going on, the falling drops of blood created new forms of the demon. Thus Durga ordered Kali to drink the blood of the demon and ensure that the blood doesn't fall on the ground. Kali followed the instructions of Durga as a result of which Raktibija was killed. 

Shumbh & Nishumbh

Shumbh and Nishumbh were frustrated seeing their army destroyed. Nishumbh rushed forward with the chief forces of the demons. Shumbh also marched forward with his troops. Both were surrounded by demons from all sides. Amba shotaarrows at them and splittthe arrows shot by the demons and smote them on their limbs with a mass of weapons. After some time she killed both the demons and won the battle.

Arunasur

Once Arunasur had defeated the Devas as a result of which he could capture heaven. Seeing the wives of the Devas, his mind got filled with lust. To protect themselves, the wives of the Devas assumed the form of bees and prayed to Durga to protect them. Durga, mount on her tiger, started a war with the demon, killed him and protected the purity of the wives of the Devas.