STO-313 – Durga Kills the Buffalo Demon
Story 1 (short version)
In the ancient times, a demon called Mahishasura earned the favour of Lord Shiva after a long meditation. Shiva, pleased with the devotion of the demon, blessed him with a boon that no man or deity would be able to kill him. Empowered with the boon, Mahishasura began his reign of terror over the world. People were killed mercilessly and even the Gods were driven out of heaven. The Gods went to Shiva for help and informed him of the atrocities caused by the demon. Shiva, who is normally unaware of the happenings in the material world, became very angry after hearing all this. Shiva’s anger emanated as energy from his third eye and assumed the form of a woman. All the gods who were present rendered their support by offering her different weapons. Thus Durga, the eternal mother, was born. Riding a lion, she attacked Mahishasura. After a fierce battle, Durga transformed into Devi Chandika, the most ferocious form of the Goddess, and beheaded Mahishasura.
Story 2 (longer version)
The myth teaches us that people living in Heaven are believed to be Devas and the people living in hell (the world beneath, also called Patala) are Asuras. Devas are divine, inclined to God’s service, whereas the Asuras are demons, with a natural aptitude for selfishness and vice.
Ramba and Karamba were the sons of the Asura called Dhanu. Once, both Ramba and Karamba undertook severe penance. Karamba immersed himself neck-deep in water and Ramba remained in blazing fire to propitiate Agni (the fire deity). Through such austerities, the two brothers amassed considerable power. The king of the Devas, Indra became perturbed, foreseeing that his position on the throne was in danger. He therefore assumed the form of a crocodile and killed Karamba who was in deep meditation. Ramba, realizing that his brother was dead, became frightened and decided to commit suicide. Lord Agni saw that Ramba, his most devout disciple, was preparing to kill himself. Agni appeared before his distressed disciple, offering him a boon of anything he desired. Ramba asked for a son who could not be killed by Devas, Asuras or humans. Agni was pleased to grant this boon.
On his way home, Ramba met a beautiful female buffalo. (It is important to know that all Asuras were considered to have a head like that of a buffalo. The male buffalo-Asura is called Mahishan and the female buffalo-Asura is called Mahishi.) Ramba fell in love with this Mahishi at first sight and decided to take her home. During their journey home they rested for a night in a jungle, and at midnight they began to make love. However, without warning another wild male buffalo intervened and killed Ramba. The grief-stricken Mahishi also gave up her life by jumping into Ramba’s funeral pyre.
In mythology, every boon is absolute and once bestowed it must materialise. Thus, a baby boy was born from the funeral fire and later named ‘Mahishasura’. He was brought up by Ramba’s relatives, who trained him to be their king. Mahishasura, hungry for more power, worshipped Lord Brahma and performed severe penance. Brahma was pleased with Mahishasura and appearing before him granted him a boon that no man could kill him.
After receiving this boon, Mahishasura began expanding his kingdom. He eventually entered heaven and conquered Indra. Exiled from heaven, the Devas pleaded for help to the Trimurti: Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva. The three predominating deities decided to consult their wives – Saraswati, Lakshmi and Parvati respectively. Together, all six deities created a female Goddess called Durga who would possess the combined prowess of the Trimurti and the combined beauty of their consorts. The various deities bestowed upon her their very own weapons. Krishna gave her his disc, Varuna a conch and Agni a missile. Vayu, the wind god, gave her arrows, Indra, king of the gods gave her a thunder-bolt and his white-skinned elephant, Airavata, gave a bell. From Yama, god of death, Durga received a rod, and from the God of Waters she received a noose. Heaven’s architect, Vishvakarma, gave her a shining axe and magic armour. Durga also graciously received many other precious and magical gifts: jewels, new clothing, and a garland of never-decaying lotuses. Haimavat, god of the mountains, presented her with jewellery and a lion on which to ride into battle.
Durga provoked Mahishasura with her laughter and Mahishasura accepted the challenge, charging onto the battlefield. He ran wildly at Durga’s divine soldiers, goring many, biting others and all the while thrashing with his long, whip-like tail. Durga’s lion, angered by the demon-buffalo, attacked him, and Durga threw her noose around his neck. To escape, Mahisha assumed the form of a lion, which Durga prepared to behead. The demon escaped by transforming into a man, and Durga dispatched a flight of sharp arrows at him. However, the demon escaped again and this time assumed the formidable shape of a huge elephant, which battered Durga’s lion with its tusks. Durga responded by hacking the beast’s tusks until they were shattered. Weakened, the demon reverted once more to his original form as wild buffalo. He retreated to the mountains where he hurled boulders at Durga with his horns. Durga drank the divine nectar, a gift from Kuvera (the treasurer of the Devas). She then leaped at Mahisha pushing him to the ground with her left leg. She grasped his head in one hand, piercing him with her sharp spear held in her other hand. With another of her ten hands, she wielded her bright sword and with one swing lopped off the demon’s head. The scattered remains of his once invincible army fled in terror.
This battle that culminated in Mahishasura’s death is ritually performed in Kerala as ‘Mahishasura Vadham’ and can be seen even today.