Essence Of Devi Bhagavatha Purana

Mahishasura’s amorous proposals to Maha Devi

 With all the armoury and ornaments Maha Devi was comfortably mounted on the Lion and    laughed so deafeningly that the entire Universe trembled with fear as though a catastrophy occurred. Mahishasura too was shuddured at  the roar and his associates ran helter skelter to ascertain what was it about! One messenger reported to the Demon that he had an illusionary appearance of a huge sheet of  light and when seen intently looked like an outlined feminine figure, with a cool and smiling face of rare beauty, fully armoured and ornamented, seated on a lion with several Gods surrounded around Her.

Mahishasura, who never ever  realised that a female figure was mounted on a Lion with eighteen hands and was fully armoured as though ready to fight, felt that the Messenger must be crazy or the view was an Illusion created by the Devatas to frighten Danavas. Any way he sent his Prime Minister to take a personal Message to ‘that Woman’ to say that if really She were not an Illusion, She should meet and surrender to him and that he would assure Her to make her a life partner as the Reports received were that she was of  marriageable age without a husband. She roared in loud laughter  and asked him to convey the message to the stupid Demon to withdraw his fight  if he had any sense (which a Mahisha as an animal normally lacked),  apologise to Her and quietly to go down to the nether world Patala to save himself! The Prime Minister talked highly arrogantly and even desired to attack Her but for Her being a woman and Maha Devi said that She could have smothered him then and there but for His being a Messenger and Dharma Shastras or the discipline of War prevented Her to kill a Messenger. The Prime Minister left for Mahisha still asking for the Devi’s rethinking about the possibility of marrying his King and not to finally close the chapter of his King’s amorous offer to Her! The Messenger met the King and conveyed the proceedings that She was ready to fight. Mahisha called for a Conference and many opinions were expressed including a ridiculous explanation that the Devi indirectly meant that She could kill him by the corner looks of Her eyes, that She would lay him down and that She could take out his vitality in no time! The Resolution was that all the Four Methods viz. ‘Sama’ ( Counselling), ‘Dana’or  material temptation, ‘Bheda’  ( divide and rule) and finally ‘Danda’ or punishment. Thus Demon Tamra was sent to the battle field with the Brief that he should try all the Methods before punishing Her. Tamra did use the methods of good counselling, the temptation of marrying a hero like Mahisha and seeking to divide Her and the ‘timid’ Devas. Maha Devi laughed at the foolish alternatives proposed by Tamra and when he kept on arguing about the happiness that She could attain by Her union with Mahisha got terribly annoyed and roared thunderously when mountains shook and Tamra fled away back to Mahisha.