The ''Mahishasura Mardini Stotra'' (, ) is a

Hindu Hindus (; ; also known as Sanātanīs) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism, also known by its endonym Sanātana Dharma. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pp. 35–37 Historically, the term has also be ...

stotra ''Stotra'' (Sanskrit: स्तोत्र) is a Sanskrit word that means "ode, eulogy or a hymn of praise."Monier Williams, Monier Williams' Sanskrit-English Dictionary, Oxford University Press, Article on 'Stotra'' It is a literary genre of In ...

''. Comprising 21 verses, the work extols the goddess

Durga Durga (, ) 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 combating evils and demonic ...

, a principal aspect of the supreme goddess

Mahadevi Mahadevi (, , IPA: / mɐɦɑd̪eʋiː/), also referred to as Adi Parashakti, and Mahamaya, is the supreme goddess in Hinduism. According to the goddess-centric sect Shaktism, all Hindu gods and goddesses are considered to be manifestations of t ...

, and her act of slaying the

asura Asuras () are a class of beings in Indian religions, and later Persian and Turkic mythology. They are described as power-seeking beings related to the more benevolent Devas (also known as Suras) in Hinduism. In its Buddhist context, the wor ...

Mahishasura Mahishasura (, ) is a bovine asura in Hinduism. He is depicted in Hindu texts, Hindu literature as a deceitful demon who pursued his evil ways by shape-shifting. Mahishasura was the son of the asura Rambha (asura), Rambha and the brother of buf ...

Etymology

''Mahiṣāsuramardinī'' is an epithet of Durga, literally meaning, "the slayer of the demon Mahisha", and a ''stotra'' is a eulogistic work.

Description

The authorship of the ''Mahishasura Mardini Stotra'' is attributed to the theologian

Adi Shankara Adi Shankara (8th c. CE), also called Adi Shankaracharya (, ), was an Indian Vedanga, Vedic scholar, Hindu philosophy, philosopher and teacher (''acharya'') of Advaita Vedanta. Reliable information on Shankara's actual life is scant, and h ...

. This hymn is mentioned in the 53rd chapter of the 1st portion of the text '' Shivarahasya Purana''. The hymn is based on the text ''

Devi Mahatmya The ''Devi Mahatmya'' or ''Devi Mahatmyam'' () is a Hindu philosophical text describing the Goddess, known as Mahadevi, Adi Parashakti or Durga, as the supreme divine parabrahma, ultimate reality and creator of the universe. It is part of th ...

'', referencing a number of legends of the goddess Durga such as slaying Mahishasura, Raktabija, as well as

Chanda and Munda In Hinduism, in the Devi Mahatmya, Chanda and Munda are asuras (demons) in the service of demons Shumbha and Nishumbha. One day, they set their eyes upon Parvati and were overwhelmed by her beauty. They carried reports of this goddess to Shumbh ...

, as well as generally praising her attributes. According to the ''Devi Mahatmya'', in the legend called the ''Mahishasura Vadha'', furious about the asuras under Mahishasura expelling the devas and overrunning

Svarga Svarga (, ), also known as Swarga, Indraloka and Svargaloka, is the celestial abode of the devas in Hinduism. Svarga is one of the seven higher lokas ( esoteric planes) in Hindu cosmology. Svarga is often translated as heaven, though it is reg ...

, the

Trimurti The Trimurti ( /t̪ɾimʊɾt̪iː/) is the triple deity of supreme divinity in Hinduism, in which the cosmic functions of creation, preservation, and destruction are personified as a triad of deities. Typically, the designations are that ...

(supreme trinity) of the deities

Brahma Brahma (, ) is a Hindu god, referred to as "the Creator" within the Trimurti, the triple deity, trinity of Para Brahman, supreme divinity that includes Vishnu and Shiva.Jan Gonda (1969)The Hindu Trinity, Anthropos, Bd 63/64, H 1/2, pp. 212– ...

Vishnu Vishnu (; , , ), also known as Narayana and Hari, is one of the Hindu deities, principal deities of Hinduism. He is the supreme being within Vaishnavism, one of the major traditions within contemporary Hinduism, and the god of preservation ( ...

, and

Shiva Shiva (; , ), also known as Mahadeva (; , , Help:IPA/Sanskrit, ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐh and Hara, is one of the Hindu deities, principal deities of Hinduism. He is the God in Hinduism, Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions w ...

combined their energies, which assumed the form of a goddess called Durga. Armed with the weapons and attributes of the deities, Durga slew the shape-shifting Mahishashura, who assumed the forms of a lion, elephant, and a buffalo, and finally a man. She was glorified by the deities as the primordial being and the origin of the ''

Vedas FIle:Atharva-Veda samhita page 471 illustration.png, upright=1.2, The Vedas are ancient Sanskrit texts of Hinduism. Above: A page from the ''Atharvaveda''. The Vedas ( or ; ), sometimes collectively called the Veda, are a large body of relig ...

''. Pleased by their hymns, the goddess promised the deities salvation whenever they faced danger.

Hymn

The first hymn of the mantra describes the attributes of Durga: {{Blockquote, text=O auspicious daughter of the mountain, who delights all of creation, who rejoices with the universe, who is praised by Nandi
who resides on the peak of Vindhyas, who dwells on Vishnu, who is praised by Indra,
O goddess,
who is the consort of the blue-throated one, who has a universal family, who created abundance
Victory to you, victory to you, O slayer of Mahishasura, who has beautifully braided hair, who is the daughter of the mountain

References

Hindu mantras Shaktism Hindu devotional texts

Etymology

Description

Hymn

See also

References