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THE CANDĪŠATAKA OF BĀŅA
 
273
 
Through contact with her foot, (Mahişa), Foe of the Lord of
the Gods, although of utterly depraved mind,
 
Obtained a place in heaven, [for], when facing her [in battle], he
repeatedly caused her circular anklet,
 
With its tinkling jewels, to resound, striking it with the tip of
his horn, as if [he were striking] a lute with a quill.5
 
May Siva (Candi) bring you prosperity!
 
Notes. 1. In Süryaśataka, stanza 89, Sürya is called avikṛtiḥ, 'the
unchangeable.' 2. Or, 'is continually the source of all benefits.' 3.
Lit. 'in the suburbs of whose foot.' The commentary reads: 'He became
an inhabitant of heaven through an excess of merit engendered by contact
with her foot.' This contact occurred through his repeatedly striking her
anklet with the tip of his horn. 4. Mahişa, foe of Indra, who was the
leader of the gods in their struggle with Mahişa. 5. The commentary
says: 'What one, indeed, causes a lute to sound on the sole of the foot
of Devi (Candi), that one, when dead, reaches heaven.' The noise of
the anklet is referred to again in stanzas 13, 43 and 44.
 
V.L. (b) mahişasuraripur.
 
ryg
 
nisthyūto 'ngustṭhakoṭyā nakhaśikharahataḥ pārṣṇiniryātasāro
garbhe darbhāgrasūcīlaghur iva ganito nopasarpan samipam
nābhāu vaktram praviṣṭākṛtivikṛti yayā pādapātena kṛtvā
dāityādhiśo vināśam raṇabhuvi gamitaḥ sā 'stu devi śriye vaḥ
 
Spurned by the tip of [Candi's] great toe, struck by the point of
her toe-nail, robbed of his strength by her heel,
 
(Mahişa), Lord of the Daityas, who had been accounted as no
more worthy of notice than the prick of a tip of darbha grass
on one's foot,²
 
Came creeping [back] into her presence. [But then], after she
had doubled him up with a kick, so that his face,
 
Which had taken on an altered appearance, was against his navel,
she put him to death on the field of battle.
 
May that Devi (Caṇḍī) bring you prosperity!
 
Notes. 1. Literally the word nişthyata means 'spat out,' 'ejected.' I
have rendered as 'spurned.' 2. Lit. 'he, being as it were insignificant
as the needle of a tip of darbha grass on the interior [of her foot-
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