Skandapurana 3.2.18

Rudra said:

Listen, O Skanda of great wisdom, to the wonder that was performed by me!

In the Dharmāraṇya there was a very wicked daitya named Karṇāṭaka. (1)

Coming secretly, he caused obstruction to married couples.

Seeing him, out of fear of him, the people continuously fled. (2)

Abandoning their dwelling, all merchants, brahmins, and others departed.

Assuming the form of Mātaṅgī, by this Śrīmātā, O son, (3)

was slain that rākṣasa named Karṇāṭaka, the murderer of brahmins.

Then indeed all the brahmins were delighted by that deed. (4)

Devoted to her worship, the merchants praised and worshipped her.

Year after year, they perform the auspicious worship of Śrīmātā. (5)

At the beginning of all auspicious rites, one should worship her first;

he will experience no obstacle from that time onward, my son. (6)

Yudhiṣṭhira said:

Who was that wicked great daitya? In which lineage was he born?

What did he do, dear father? Tell everything, O you of noble vows! (7)

Vyāsa said:

Listen, O king, I shall narrate the exploits of Karṇāṭaka,

who was insufferable to gods and dānavas, arrogant with power, (8)

of wicked deeds, of evil conduct, of vast dominion, mighty-armed,

who conquered all the worlds and traversed freely throughout the three worlds. (9)

Wherever there were gods and seers, having gone there, that great asura,

either through deceit or by force, created obstruction, O king. (10)

There was no recitation of the Vedas in the world because of fear of him;

nor did the brahmins and gods perform their twilight prayers and other devotions. (11)

No Vedic sacrifice took place there, nor the worship of gods,

in country after country, everywhere, in village after village, and in city after city. (12)

At every sacred ford and everywhere, the asura caused obstruction.

However, he was not able to enter the Dharmāraṇya. (13)

Then, agitated with fear of the power of Śrīmātā, that dānava,

wondering, 'By what means can I go there?' (14)

'How indeed shall I cause obstruction to the high-souled brahmins,

who recite the Vedas and attend to sacrificial rites?' (15)

Hearing the sound arising from the recitation of the Vedas from afar, that dānava,

he was tormented, O king, like an elephant struck by a thunderbolt. (16)

He released heavy breaths out of rage, grinding teeth with teeth,

biting his lips, and wringing both his hands. (17)

He wandered here and there like a madman, O noble one,

just as a man becomes through the affliction of delirium. (18)

Even so that dreadful dānava, approaching the vicinity of the Dharmāraṇya,

wandered and burned [with fury] from afar, filled with fear. (19)

Assuming the form of a twice-born at the time of weddings of brahmins,

having arrived there, that unassailable one, having abducted an excellent married couple— (20)

That lowest of asuras flew up from the surface of the earth into the sky.

And that wicked one enjoyed himself, out of hatred, according to his demonic nature.

Thus, repeatedly seizing married couples from Dharmāraṇya,

he committed evil unbearable even to the gods.

That wicked one constantly caused obstacle to married couples on earth,

performing most dreadful deeds in that excellent city.

Distressed by that, all the brahmins fled in the ten directions.

All the brahmins departed, abandoning that delightful place.

Wherever there was a great sacred ford, there the brahmins went.

At that time, O best of kings, that city became desolate.

No Vedic study took place there, nor was any sacrifice performed.

Tormented by fear of Karṇāṭa, men did not stay there.

Then, O king, all the brahmins and the illustrious merchants

gathered together in one place to hold counsel as was fitting.

The foremost brahmins deliberated on the means of killing Karṇāṭa.

While they were deliberating, by divine destiny an incorporeal voice arose:

"Worship Śrīmātā, the remover of all sorrow,

the destroyer of all daityas, the destroyer of all afflictions."

Hearing that, all the brahmins, their eyes agitated with joy,

approached Śrīmātā, taking excellent offerings:

honey, milk, curd, ghee, and sugar in a fivefold stream,

incense, a lamp, as well as sandalwood and flowers.

Taking various kinds of fruits, O king, the brahmins [brought]

various grains, O king, boiled rice, and cakes soaked in ghee,

boiled pulse and vaṭaka-cakes, and milk-rice mixed with ghee,

sohālikā-pastries, and lamps, as well as vaṭakas soaked [in spices],

smeared with mustard and having nine holes,

and thin cakes resembling the disc of the moon were prepared there.

Having performed her ceremonial bath with the five nectars and fragrant water,

they propitiated the Goddess with incenses, lamps, and food offerings.

With waving lights accompanied by camphor, with flowers, lamps, and fine sandalwood,

Śrīmātā, the destroyer of all afflictions, was propitiated, O king.

Śrīmātā, the Mother of the Universe, Brāhmī, gentle, giver of boons,

assuming a threefold form, protects the three worlds.

In the form of the three Vedas, O righteous one, she protects the abode of truth.

Those excellent brahmins, having restrained their senses and conquered their minds, assembled;

by all of them the Mother was worshipped and pleased with sandalwood and the rest.

Then they began a hymn of praise through actions of speech, mind, and body,

standing with single-minded devotion before the Daughter of Brahmā.

The brahmins said:

Praise be to you, O Daughter of Brahmā! Praise be to you, O celibate Goddess!

Praise be to you, O Mother of the worlds! Praise be to you who are ever omnipresent!

You are hunger, sleep, and thirst; you are anger, lassitude, and the like.

You are peace, you are delight, you are Jayā and Vijayā.

You have been taken refuge in by Brahmā, Viṣṇu, Maheśa, and the others, O Sovereign of the gods!

You abide as Sāvitrī, Śrī, Umā, and as the Mother.

Brahmā, Viṣṇu, and the lords of the gods rest upon your foundation.

Praise to you, O Mother of the universe, whose nature is steadfastness and nourishment!

[You are] pleasure, wrath, the Great Māyā, shadow, whose form is light;

O Goddess who effect creation, preservation, and dissolution, ever bestowing cause and effect!

You are the earth, fire, wind, water, and space itself.

Praise be to you, O Great Knowledge, full of great wisdom, sinless one!

You utter the syllable Hrīṃ, having the form of gods; you utter the syllable Klīṃ, O highly resplendent one!

You are the beginning, the middle, and the end; save us from this great terror!

Indeed, this evil-minded daitya of great sin oppresses us now.

You alone are of the nature of protection, and our family deity.

Save us, save us, O Great Goddess! Protect, protect us, O Great Sovereign!

Slay, slay this wicked dānava, the tormentor of the twice-born!

Thus praised at that time by the twice-born, the Goddess Mahāmāyā,

for the slaughter of Karṇāṭa and for the welfare of the twice-born,

She became manifest before their eyes there, and indeed said: "Name a boon."

The glorious Mother said:

"By whom indeed have the brahmins been terrified? By whom have you been agitated again?

Enraged, O brahmins, I will bring him to Yama's abode.

Know that man whose life-span is depleted, by whom you have been afflicted.

I grant [a boon] to you twice-born; you ought to speak as you desire.

Because of your devotion, O brahmins, I shall surely do it; there is no doubt about this."

The twice-born said:

"A dānava named Karṇāṭa, exceedingly terrible and arrogant with pride,

constantly creates obstacles for the dwellers of Satyamandira.

Against the brahmins of truthful conduct who are devoted to Vedic study,

that hater always bears hatred out of malice, O intelligent one.

He hates the Vedas and is wicked; slay him, O goddess of great splendour!"

Vyāsa said:

Having said "So be it," that goddess, the family deity, laughed gently,

and considered the means of slaying him for the protection of her devotees.

Then, O best of kings, the glorious Mother was seized with anger.

Knitting her brow in wrath, with eyes reddened at their corners,

she was overcome by tremendous fury, emitting fire, as it were;

great flames came forth from her mouth, eyes, nose, and ears, O descendant of Bharata.

From her fiery splendour arose Mātaṅgī, who assumes forms at will,

Kālī of terrifying face, blazing with a terrible countenance,

wearing red garlands and red garments, her eyes rolling with intoxication.

Near the banyan tree, the glorious Mother took her stand at that time.

She had eighteen arms, the auspicious and exquisitely beautiful Mother,

a goddess holding bow and arrows, bearing a sword and a shield,

carrying an axe, a dagger, a trident, and a drinking vessel,

a mace, a serpent, an iron club, a bow, and a noose,

holding a rosary of seeds, O king, accompanied by wine-pots,

a spear, a formidable pestle, a pair of shears, a skull-cup,

and holding a thorny jujube branch, she of vast face.

There occurred a great battle, tumultuous and hair-raising,

of Mātaṅgī with the dānava Karṇāṭa, O best of kings.

Yudhiṣṭhira said:

"How did the battle take place, and how did it proceed?

By whom was victory won, O knower of righteousness? Tell that to me, revered sir."

Vyāsa said:

"Listen, O king of kings, to what once occurred in that clash with the daitya.

I shall swiftly tell you all of that, exactly as it happened long ago.

Those brahmins and merchants whose wives had perished, O descendant of Bharata,

when the month of Caitra had arrived in Dharmāraṇya, O best of kings—

those brahmins of firm vows married Gaurī,

knowing it to be their own most auspicious place, and an exalted king among sacred fords.

Performing weddings there, those excellent twice-born assembled together.

A multitude of ten million maidens was gathered in one place in that great festival

in Dharmāraṇya, O very wise one; truly, truly do I say this.

On the fourth [night], in the latter part of the night, they established the fire inside;

offering a seat to Brahmā and circumambulating the fire,

and having prepared the sthālīpāka offering, they then constructed auspicious altars

of four cubits, provided with water-pitchers and serpent-cords.

Then, with bright Vedic mantras, the twice-born recited sacred formulas,

distributing [offerings] as appropriate for the married couples as they went about.

Along with the Brahman priest there, those brahmins were exceedingly joyful;

they raised a loud roar of the Vedas, resounding with high-pitched voices.

With that great sound, the entire sky was filled.

Hearing that dreadful sound of the Vedas uttered by the twice-born,

the dānava sprang up swiftly from his seat along with his army, beside himself with fury.

To all his servants running about and to the others, he said:

"Listen! Where has this sound of the brahmins arisen?"

Hearing those words of his, the daityas set out in haste.

With their minds bewildered, they all ran here and there.

Some went to Dharmāraṇya, where they saw those brahmins,

reciting the Vedas at the time of the wedding, O king.

They reported everything to the evil-minded Karṇāṭa.

Hearing that, his eyes blood-red and copper-colored, filled with rage, that enemy of brahmins,

O fortunate one, ran towards the place where that married couple was, O king.

Then, rising into the sky and employing demonic illusion, that rākṣasa

carried off the married couple, O king, adorned with all their ornaments.

Then all those brahmins assembled before Bhuvaneśvarī,

raising an alarm of distress and crying, “Save us! Save us!”

Hearing that, Mātaṅgī, Bhuvaneśvarī, the mother of the universe,

letting out a lion’s roar, bearing an excellent trident,

thereupon began the battle between the Goddess and Karṇāṭa,

while the seers, merchants, and twice-born looked on there.

As they watched, a tumultuous battle took place that made the hair stand on end.

With her weapons Mātaṅgī cut down the enemy, who was overcome with frenzy.

Then that daitya, too, [struck] her in the chest with a single arrow.

He, too, struck by her trident, fell into a faint.

That asura struck the Goddess with his fists as well,

and he, too, was quickly bound by the Goddess with the serpent noose.

Then that daitya discharged the Garuḍa weapon;

she, in turn, aimed the Nārāyaṇa weapon that shot forth arrows.

Thus grappling with each other, fighting with the desire for victory,

the foremost among daityas then seized an iron club.

Enraged, that slayer of enemy heroes struck at Mātaṅgī.

The Goddess, furious, crushed the dānava with blows of her fists.

From that blow of her fist, he swooned and fell down.

Rising up suddenly, taking up a spear in his hand with joy,

the dānava hurled a centuple-killer missile upon her.

The Goddess Mātaṅgī, of beautiful countenance, cut through that spear;

the fair-browed [Goddess] laughed aloud at the centuple-killer resembling a thunderbolt.

Thus tormenting each other with hosts of weapons,

he was struck in the heart with her trident and fell down.

Casting off his faint and resorting to demonic illusion,

the great asura became invisible as they watched there.

Then the Goddess drank liquor and laughed, her eyes red:

“Wherever you go in the three worlds, with its moving and unmoving beings,