Durga and the Buffalo Demon

Transcript

Evidence labels distinguish sourced context from the episode's fictional story.

1. Outside the window, the Canadian wind was whispering through the trees. Whoooo... whooo... Inside, Mira sat on the edge of her little brother's bed with a lamp glowing low. Kannan had the blanket pulled right up to his nose. Only his eyes peeked out, big and round. Something in the night had gone thump, and then creak, and then thump again. "It's only the old house settling," said Mira softly. "But I know what helps. A story. A mysterious one, about a sound that made a whole army of demons stop and wonder." Kannan's eyes grew even rounder. "Does it have a happy ending?" he whispered. "It has a brave and steady heart," said Mira. "Come, listen."

   Evidence:Fictional scene

2. "Long ago," Mira began, "in the old stories of the Devi, the goddess Durga, there lived a mighty buffalo demon named Mahisha. And the king of the gods, Indra, was worried." Kannan peeked out a little further. "Why was he worried?" "Let's find out," said Mira. "And Kannan, listen for the sounds. This story is full of them. Some are loud and some are very, very quiet. A good listener catches both." Kannan nodded firmly. "I'm a good listener. I noticed the thump before you did." Mira smiled. "You did. So keep those sharp ears ready."

   Evidence:Fictional scene

3. Indra, king of the Devas, did not sit and sigh. He stood up tall, and he made up his mind to prepare for war against Mahisha. Hear his words, in a firm, steady voice: kingdoms do not come without effort, he said. Happiness does not come without effort. Even fame does not come without effort! And the powerful, he said, never praise doing nothing at all. Then Indra reminded himself that he had faced hard times before. He had already defeated Vritra, and Namuchi, and Bala. So, with his thunderbolt in hand, Indra stood ready, because he would try again.

   Evidence:Supported

4. But Indra knew he should not face this alone. So Indra and the other Devas, with Brahma leading the way, travelled to the great mountain of Kailasa. And from there, they travelled on to Vaikuntha, the home of Lord Vishnu. Imagine that journey: clouds drifting beneath them, the air thin and bright and silent. At Vaikuntha, they told Vishnu their trouble. Mahisha, they said, had grown very haughty, very full of himself, because of a favour that had been given to him. And they were afraid. Vishnu listened, and then he said, "We will all go and fight him together."

   Evidence:Supported

5. Off they went, each god riding on his own mount. But they had not gone far when, ahead of them on the road, they saw dust rising. It was the army of Mahisha, marching to meet them! And a fierce fight began. We won't stay there long, little listener. Just hear it from far away, like thunder behind distant hills. Rumble, rumble, clang. Because our story is about something else: something that happened elsewhere, while the gods and the demons were busy. Something strange. Something nobody could explain.

   Evidence:Supported

6. Mira paused and looked at Kannan. "Kannan, what do you think the gods feel, going to meet a big army? Scared? Brave? Both?" Kannan thought hard, chewing his lip. "Both," he said. "Like me in the dark, but I get up and look anyway." Mira laughed softly. "That's exactly it. Maybe you could ask someone at home tomorrow: when did you feel a little afraid and still do something brave? And what helped you?"

   Evidence:Fictional scene

7. Now listen carefully. In his great hall, the demon Mahisha heard a sound. Not a sound he knew. A harsh sound, strange and echoing, from far away. It rolled across his lands, and it would not stop. Mahisha frowned. "What is that?" he said. Nobody could tell him. So he called for messengers. "Go," he said, "and find the cause of this sound. Bring me the answer." And off the messengers went, their footsteps growing quieter and quieter, toward the place where the sound began.

   Evidence:Supported

8. The messengers crept closer and closer, until at last they saw her. The Devi! Her body was very beautiful, and it shone. She had eighteen hands, eighteen! In them she held excellent divine weapons, and she wore many shining ornaments. The messengers stopped. They had never seen anything like it. And they were afraid. So they turned and ran, all the way back to Mahisha, to tell him about the sound and the shining goddess who stood where the sound had begun.

   Evidence:Supported

9. Kannan tugged at the blanket. "Mira, she sounds a bit scary. Eighteen hands!" "Think about it, though," said Mira gently. "The messengers were afraid. But look at what the Devi did. She didn't chase them. She didn't hurt them. She stood still and let them go home. She was there to protect, not to frighten. And remember, this story is a very old one, told with love in many homes. You are safe, right here, in your own bed, with me beside you." Kannan let out a long breath. "Okay," he said. "Keep going."

   Evidence:Fictional scene

10. Mahisha's general, Chikshura, marched out with his army to stand against the Devi. Their boots thudded. Their banners flapped. And then, the Devi made her sound. She blew her conch shell, a deep, round, rolling note. She drew her bowstring, and it twanged and hummed like a giant's harp. And she rang her great bell, which boomed and shivered through the whole sky. All three, together, made a sound like nothing the army had ever heard. It was so enormous that even the air seemed to hold still.

    Evidence:Supported

11. The Asuras, the demon soldiers, trembled. Their knees knocked. Their spears rattled. And they began to run! "What is it?" they whispered to one another. "What was that sound?" "I don't know! Do you know?" "No!" It was a hush full of questions. But Chikshura, their general, stood firm. "Stop!" he called. "Quit your fear! Stay steady, and hold your places!" And little by little, the soldiers stopped running and stood together, though their hearts were still going pitter-patter, pitter-patter.

    Evidence:Supported

12. "I'd have run too," said Kannan in a small voice. "A bell that big?" "Most of us would," said Mira. "Here's something I notice, though. The sound is a kind of message. It says: I am here, and I am not hiding. She doesn't sneak up on anyone. She announces herself, clearly, out loud." Kannan grinned. "So it's the opposite of a thump in the night. The thump is a mystery. The bell is an answer!" "Exactly," said Mira, proud. "Now listen to her words. She's about to say why she came."

    Evidence:Fictional scene

13. And then the Devi spoke, in a voice calm as a still lake. "I have no greed," she said, "and I have no enmity toward any creature. Not one. I roam through all the worlds, to protect virtue and religion, and to put down those who do harm. I have come because Mahisha is ready to destroy the Devas. That is why I am here." Not angry words. Not boastful words. Clear words, like a lamp being lit in a dark room. She was not there for gold, or for glory. She was there to keep things safe.

    Evidence:Supported

14. And then, listen, the Devi made Mahisha an offer. Two choices. "Come and fight me yourself," she said. "Or, give back everything you took, and go to Patala, the world below." Think of that! Even now, she was offering him a way to leave without any fight at all. A chance to set things right, to hand back what was not his, and go. The doors of peace were wide open. It was up to Mahisha to walk through.

    Evidence:Supported

15. Mira closed the book of her thoughts and smiled. "This is where our little story rests tonight, Kannan. The Devi stood clear and steady and kind, and she offered peace first. In many tellings, her promise is that she looks after those who need protecting." Kannan yawned a great big yawn. "So the sound wasn't a scary thing. It was a hello." "A very loud hello," said Mira. "And you know, the thumps outside are just the wind and the old house. Everything is safe and quiet."

    Evidence:Fictional scene

16. Before you drift off, here is a question to share with someone you love. The Devi said she had no hatred toward any creature, and still she offered Mahisha a chance to make things right. Why do you think she gave him a choice? And can you think of a time someone gave you a second chance, or you gave one to someone else?

    Evidence:Fictional scene

17. Kannan's eyelids were drooping now, heavy as little sandbags. "Goodnight, Mira," he mumbled. "Goodnight, Kannan," she whispered, turning the lamp down low. The wind outside was only wind. The house was only a house. And far away, in the story, a conch, a bowstring and a great bell rang once more, then softened, and softened, and went quiet. Sleep well, little listener. Goodnight.

    Evidence:Fictional scene

Source notes

These notes show what a source supports. They do not turn fictional dialogue or scenes into historical claims.

• Srimad Devi Bhagavatam (English translation, Internet Archive scan, Digital Library of India)

  Not stated on the page; the text names Vyasa as the narrator

  Evidence:Supported

  When Mahisha's general Chikshura marches against her, the Devi makes a great sound with her conchshell, bowstring and bell. The Asuras tremble and flee, asking each other what it is, until Chikshura tells them to stop being afraid and hold steady.

  Claims: c4 · Evidence: e134-conch-bell-and-bowstring-v1

  View the registered source

• Srimad Devi Bhagavatam (English translation, Internet Archive scan, Digital Library of India)

  Not stated on the page; the text names Vyasa as the narrator

  Evidence:Supported

  In this telling, Indra and the other Devas, led by Brahma, go to Kailasa and then Vaikuntha. They tell Vishnu that Mahisha has become very haughty because of a favour he was given. Vishnu says they will all fight him, but Mahisha's army meets them on the way and a fierce fight begins.

  Claims: c2 · Evidence: e134-devas-seek-help-and-fight-v1

  View the registered source

• Srimad Devi Bhagavatam (English translation, Internet Archive scan, Digital Library of India)

  Not stated on the page; the text names Vyasa as the narrator

  Evidence:Supported

  The Devi says she has no greed or enmity toward any creature. She roams the worlds to protect virtue and religion and to put down evildoers. She has come because Mahisha is ready to destroy the Devas. She invites him to fight her himself, or to give back what he took and go to Patala.

  Claims: c5 · Evidence: e134-devi-states-her-purpose-v1

  View the registered source

• Srimad Devi Bhagavatam (English translation, Internet Archive scan, Digital Library of India)

  Not stated on the page; the text names Vyasa as the narrator

  Evidence:Supported

  In the Srimad Devi Bhagavatam translation, Indra resolves to prepare for war against the demon Mahisha, saying kingdoms, happiness and fame do not come without effort, and that he defeated Vritra, Namuchi and Bala before.

  Claims: c1 · Evidence: e134-indra-prepares-against-mahisha-v1

  View the registered source

• Srimad Devi Bhagavatam (English translation, Internet Archive scan, Digital Library of India)

  Not stated on the page; the text names Vyasa as the narrator

  Evidence:Supported

  Mahisha hears a harsh sound and sends messengers to find its cause. They see the Devi with eighteen hands, many ornaments and divine weapons, become afraid, and run back to tell him.

  Claims: c3 · Evidence: e134-messengers-see-the-goddess-v1

  View the registered source