Durga fighting the rakshashas Shunga and Nishunga

In the Devi Mahatmya, Sumbha (शुम्भ) and Nisumbha (निशुम्भ), were two '' asuras'' that confronted, and were ultimately slain by

Kaushiki Kaushiki ( sa, कौशिकी, lit=woman of the cell, translit=Kauśikī,) is a Hindu goddess, a deity who emerged from the sheath of Parvati. She was created before Parvati's conflict with the asura brothers Sumbha and Nisumbha, and was also ...

; an avatar of Devi

Chandi Chandi ( sa, चण्डी, ) or Chandika () is a Hindu deity. Chandika is another form of Mahadevi, similar to Durga. Chandika is a powerful form of Mahadevi who manifested to destroy evil. She is also known as ''Kaushiki'', '' Katyayan ...

In the Devi Mahatmyam

The story of Sumbha and Nisumbha begins in the fifth chapter of the Devi Mahatmyam.

Parvati Parvati ( sa, पार्वती, ), Uma ( sa, उमा, ) or Gauri ( sa, गौरी, ) is the Hindu goddess of power, energy, nourishment, harmony, love, beauty, devotion, and motherhood. She is a physical representation of Mahadevi i ...

relates how two brothers of

Asura Asuras (Sanskrit: असुर) are a class of beings in Indic religions. They are described as power-seeking clans related to the more benevolent Devas (also known as Suras) in Hinduism. In its Buddhist context, the word is sometimes translated ...

stock sought to conquer the Three Worlds by subjecting themselves to severe penance and purification rituals so that no man or demon could destroy them. Sumbha and Nisumbha traveled to Pushkara, a sacred place, and remained there in prayer for ten thousand years. God

Brahma Brahma ( sa, ब्रह्मा, Brahmā) is a Hindu god, referred to as "the Creator" within the Trimurti, the trinity of supreme divinity that includes Vishnu, and Shiva.Jan Gonda (1969)The Hindu Trinity Anthropos, Bd 63/64, H 1/2, pp. 21 ...

saw the brothers' penance, and was pleased, granting them the boon they requested. It was at this time that

Chanda and Munda In Hinduism, in the Devi Mahatmya, Chanda and Munda are asuras (demons) in the service of Sumbha and Nishumbha. After the death of Dhumralochana, Sumbha sent them to fight Devi Kaushiki. After Chanda and Munda approached Devi Kaushiki, she tur ...

, two lesser Asuras in the service of Shumbha, encountered

, and were overwhelmed by her beauty. They carried reports of this goddess to Shumbha, who sought to possess

and her beauty. Shumbha sent the demon Sugriva (asura) to court

, but she rejected his advances. It was then decided by the demonic brothers that if

would not come willingly, they would have to abduct her. First the demon Dhumralochana and his army of sixty-thousand Asuras were sent to abduct

, but she took the form of

Durga Durga ( sa, दुर्गा, ) is a major Hindu goddess, worshipped as a principal aspect of the mother goddess Mahadevi. She is associated with protection, strength, motherhood, destruction, and wars. Durga's legend centres around c ...

and managed to slay the entire army. Next, Chanda and Munda were deployed, then

destroyed them.

got the epithet Chamunda from destroying Chanda and Munda. Finally

Raktabīja Raktabija () is an asura in Hinduism. According to the Puranas, he fought with Sumbha and Nisumbha against the goddesses Kali and Chandi, both forms of Durga. Raktabija had acquired a boon from Shiva that whenever a drop of his blood fell on t ...

was sent, but was slain by Goddess

Kali Kali (; sa, काली, ), also referred to as Mahakali, Bhadrakali, and Kalika ( sa, कालिका), is a Hindu goddess who is considered to be the goddess of ultimate power, time, destruction and change in Shaktism. In this tra ...

Death

After these encounters, Sumbha and Nisumbha had no choice but to meet

in direct combat. Although Brahma's boon had granted the brothers protection against men and demons, no such protection existed against goddesses. Nisumbha was the first to fall, after assaulting

's lion. Upon seeing the death of his brother, Shumbha went after

in a rage, but was ultimately cleaved in two by the Goddess'

trident A trident is a three- pronged spear. It is used for spear fishing and historically as a polearm. The trident is the weapon of Poseidon, or Neptune, the God of the Sea in classical mythology. The trident may occasionally be held by other mari ...

. With Sumbha and Nisumbha gone, the Three Worlds returned to their ordinary state of being, rid of a great evil.

In popular culture

Some, such as John Stratton Hawley and Donna Marie Wulff, see Shumbha and Nishumbha as symbols of arrogance and pride which is ultimately overcome by

's humility and wisdom. In Shashi Tharoor's satirical novel ''

The Great Indian Novel ''The Great Indian Novel'' is a satirical novel by Shashi Tharoor, first published by Viking Press in 1989. It is a fictional work that takes the story of the ''Mahabharata'', the Indian epic, and recasts and resets it in the context of the I ...

'', the story of Sumbha and Nisumbha is used both as a warning against the dangers of seduction, and as a metaphor for the collapse of the relationship between the five

Pandavas The Pandavas (Sanskrit: पाण्डव, IAST: Pāṇḍava) refers to the five legendary brothers— Yudhishthira, Bhima, Arjuna, Nakula and Sahadeva—who are the central characters of the Hindu epic ''Mahabharata''. They are acknowledge ...

.Tharoor, Shashi. ''The Great Indian Novel.'' Viking Press: 1989. There is also a Kannada Movie by the name of Shumba Nishumba and tell the story of Asuras and

References

External links

English translation of the Devi Mahatmyam
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sumbha And Nisumbha Danavas

In the Devi Mahatmyam

Death

In popular culture

See also

References

External links