South-Indian Images of Gods and Goddesses c10.s2.31

c10.s2.31

The following three goddesses, viz., Durgā, Chāmuṇḍā and Mahishāsuramardinī, though they partake mainly of the nature of Pārvatī,¹ are however seen holding the Vaishnavite symbols of the discus and the conch. The Purāṇas say that Durgā was born of Yasōdā, in order to save the life of Krishna who was just then born to Dēvakī. The children were exchanged under divine intervention. Kamsa, the cruel brother of Dēvakī, who had vowed to kill all the children of his sister, thought this female child was Dēvakī's and dashed it against a stone; but, then, the child flew into the air and assuming the form of Durgā mocked him and went away. On account of this incident she is known as the sister of Vāsudēva-Krishna. The Silpasāra mentions a Chandikā (Chāmuṇḍā) of eighteen arms to whom the god Siva presented the trident, Krishna (Vishnu), the conch and Agni, the weapon called sakti. According to the Mārkaṇḍeya-Purāṇa the goddess that killed the buffalo-demon (Mahiṣāsuramardinī) was made up of the fierce radiance of Siva, Vishnu and Brahmā while all the other gods contributed the powers peculiarly characteristic of them for the formation of her limbs and ornaments.