Chapter 3 · Tṛtīyo’dhyāyaḥ (Third Chapter)
Verse 26
वेगभ्रमणविक्षुण्णा मही तस्य व्यशीर्यत। लाङ्गूलेनाहतश्चाब्धिः प्लावयामास सर्वतः ॥ २६ ॥
vēgabhramaṇavikṣuṇṇā mahī tasya vyaśīryata | lāṅgūlēnāhataścābdhiḥ plāvayāmāsa sarvataḥ || 26 ||
Translation
'The earth was shattered by the speed and agitation of his charging. And the ocean, struck by his tail, overflowed on all sides.'
Word by word
- vega
- by the speed
- bhramaṇa
- of his spinning/charging
- vikṣuṇṇā
- agitated, churned
- mahī
- the earth
- tasya
- his
- vyaśīryata
- was shattered
- lāṅgūlena
- by his tail
- āhataḥ
- struck
- ca
- and
- abdhiḥ
- the ocean
- plāvayāmāsa
- caused to overflow
- sarvataḥ
- on all sides
Meaning
This verse describes the cosmic scale of the battle. Mahishasura's violence is so extreme that it doesn't just affect the battlefield; it disrupts the entire planet. The earth itself cracks under his force. His thrashing tail strikes the ocean, causing it to overflow its boundaries and flood the land (plāvayāmāsa sarvataḥ). This portrays the demon as a force of cosmic chaos, threatening the stability of creation itself, which necessitates his destruction by the Divine Mother.