Chapter 2 · Dvitīyo’dhyāyaḥ (Second Chapter)
Verse 64
कबन्धाश्छिन्नशिरसः खड्गशक्त्यृष्टिपाणयः। तिष्ठ तिष्ठेति भाषन्तो देवीमन्ये महासुराः ॥ ६४ ॥
kabandhāśchinnaśirasaḥ khaḍgaśaktyṛṣṭipāṇayaḥ | tiṣṭha tiṣṭhēti bhāṣantō dēvīmanyē mahāsurāḥ || 64 ||
Translation
'Other great demons—headless trunks with severed heads, holding swords, spears, and darts in their hands—shouted to the Goddess, "Stand! Stand!"'
Word by word
- kabandhāḥ
- headless trunks
- chinnāśirasaḥ
- with severed heads
- khaḍga
- swords
- śakti
- spears
- ṛṣṭi
- darts
- pāṇayaḥ
- in their hands
- tiṣṭha
- stand, wait
- iti
- thus
- bhāṣantaḥ
- saying, shouting
- devīm
- to the Goddess
- anye
- other
- mahāsurāḥ
- great demons
Meaning
The grotesque scene continues. The headless bodies, still wielding weapons, challenge the Goddess. The phrase 'tiṣṭha tiṣṭha' (stand, wait) is a defiant war cry, a challenge to fight. The fact that they speak without heads adds to the supernatural horror of the battle and symbolizes the stubborn, irrational persistence of evil even in the face of certain annihilation.