Shumbha : & his brother of Nishūmbha, performed great tapasyā & obtained boons of invincibility from Shiva. When they turned on the gods, Durga killed them.
... Herself: for instance, Mother Durga was Anu-ben, Maheshwari was Gauri Pinto, Mahalakshmi was Light Ganguly, Mahasaraswati was Jhumur and Mahakali was myself. In addition, there were three Asuras: Shumbha, Nishumbha and Raktabeej, played respectively by Mona, Vishweshwar and Niranjan, if I recall correctly. I don't quite recollect who had selected the actors for the Asuras, the Mother or Anu-ben. The... rolled on. I danced with a lot of power and enthusiasm. (The spectators told me the following day that the dance had been quite out of the ordinary.) Mahakali's role on stage was to slay the Asuras Shumbha and Nishumbha. Even before the goddess had slain them, they were covered in blood. One of them was hurt in the neck, the other one in the arm. I concluded it must have been caused by my broken sword ...
... Nazis in Germany. Stalin and his Bolsheviks appeared as their counterparts in Russia. Mussolini was their henchman, a "satellite" in modern parlance. Our Puranic scriptures tell of the ancient Shumbha and Nishumbha, Hiranyaksha and Hiranyakashipu, Shishupala and Raktadanta, dual power of Evil defying the Divine Power. Something similar seemed to be happening again. Here was precisely what ...
... नवकोटिमूर्तिसहिता मां पातु विश्वेश्वरी ॥ om śaktiḥ śumbhaniśumbhadaityadalanī yā siddhilakṣmīḥ svayam, sā devī navakoṭimūrtisahitā māṁ pātu viśveśvarī Om the Force, the Slayer of the demons Shumbha and Nishumbha who art Siddhilakshmi herself, O Devi, accompanied by nine crore companions deliver me. Sri Chandikadhyanam — Devi mahatmyam श्रीमीरायै नमः Śrīmīrāyai namaḥ Salutations ...
... conquer Time, annihilate Death and build on earth the life divine. There are none of the descriptions that one finds in the battles of Saptashati where the Mother destroys evil forces like Shumbha, Nishumbha, Raktabija and Mahishasura. And yet the battle is brought to us in the diction of Tantra. The uprising energy, the Power of Kundalini reaching the thousand-petalled lotus in the crown ...
... his Nazis in Germany. Stalin and his Bolsheviks appeared as their counterparts in Russia. Mussolini was their henchman, a "satellite" in modern parlance; Our Puranic scriptures tell of the ancient Shumbha and Nishumbha, Hiranyaksha and Hiranyakashipu, Shishupala and Raktadanta, dual power of Evil defying the Divine Power. Something similar seemed to be happening again. Here was precisely what lay ...
Share your feedback. Help us improve. Or ask a question.