Mahishasura Mardini Mantra

O Daughter of the Mountain; source of Joy to the universe, praised by Nanda,
Dwelling on the crown of the Vindhyas, You are Lord Vishnu’s delight and Lord Indra’s devotion.
O Bhagavati, Shiva’s divine partner, the Mother of the Universe, the Creator of abundance,
Victory to You, O Slayer of Mahishasura; O Daughter of the Mountain with Beautiful Locks of Hair.

O Granter of boons to the gods; Restrainer of Demon Durdhara, Slayer of Demon Durmukha, O Ever-Blissful,
O Nourisher of three worlds, Source of Shiva’s joy, Remover of sin and all its ill-effects.
Who calms the Danavas, has wrath towards Daityas, kills the ego of demons, O Daughter of the King of the Oceans,
Victory to You, O Slayer of Mahishasura; O Daughter of the Mountain with Beautiful Locks of Hair.

O Mother of the Universe, Mother of all souls, dwelling joyfully amid forests of dense Kadamba trees,
You reside on the towering crown jewel of the Himalayan mountains.
Sweet as honey, You destroyed the egos of Demons Madhu and Kaitabha, immersed in delight,
Victory to You, O Slayer of Mahishasura; O Daughter of the Mountain with Beautiful Locks of Hair.

You have split into a thousand pieces, decapitated your enemies, torn off the trunk of their elephants,
You ripped apart the faces of their mightiest animals.
Defeater of Demons Chanda and Munda, Conqueror of their warriors,
Victory to You, O Slayer of Mahishasura; O Daughter of the Mountain with Beautiful Locks of Hair.

O Divine Goddess, emerging valiantly from the battlefield, possessing boundless, eternal power,
The Envoy of Lord Shiva, Ever-Wise, Shiva chose You as Leader of his Ganas.
You eliminate all sin, malice of your enemies, slay their messengers, Your Will is ultimate,
Victory to You, O Slayer of Mahishasura; O Daughter of the Mountain with Beautiful Locks of Hair.

O Divine Mother, who grants protection to those seeking refuge, even among the loved ones of enemies,
The pure trident on your forehead defeats rulers who oppose Your divine power.
Your roar is the sound of thunderous drums, loud and fierce as you attack enemies,
Victory to You, O Slayer of Mahishasura; O Daughter of the Mountain with Beautiful Locks of Hair.

O Divine Mother, who reduced Demon Dhumralochana to smoke with a mere roar,
You put an end to Demon Raktabeeja, and his clones that rose from fallen drops of his blood.
You liberated the Shumbha and Nishumbha’s souls in battle, saving them from becoming ghosts,
Victory to You, O Slayer of Mahishasura; O Daughter of the Mountain with Beautiful Locks of Hair.

Your bracelets shimmer as they dance to the movement of your bow and arrow in war,
With your golden arrows you attack with poise and strike enemies down.
You single-handedly fought four armies, Shakti radiating from you, weakening and defeating them,
Victory to You, O Slayer of Mahishasura; O Daughter of the Mountain with Beautiful Locks of Hair.

Divine Mother, you delight in the fierce rhythmic dance performances of celestial beauties,
And enjoy the divine singing and percussion performed by celestial musicians.
The deep sounds of drums accompany your triumph and the end of war,
Victory to You, O Slayer of Mahishasura; O Daughter of the Mountain with Beautiful Locks of Hair.

Divine Mother, devotees chant and cry your name, and are dazzled by your energy and dance,
The jingling of your anklets captivates Lord Shiva, the mystical Lord of beings.
You dance as Shiva’s half, one foot on the earth, the other towards heaven, surrounded by dancers in awe,
Victory to You, O Slayer of Mahishasura; O Daughter of the Mountain with Beautiful Locks of Hair.

O Divine Mother, whose beautiful mind is in harmony with your charming form,
Your radiant face outshines the moonlight with its brilliance.
Your eyes surpass the beauty of the bees with their captivating grace,
Victory to You, O Slayer of Mahishasura; O Daughter of the Mountain with Beautiful Locks of Hair.

O Divine Mother, you enjoy the sport of a battle against skilled enemies,
You love living among flowering wilderness, around the Tree of Wisdom.
You love walking among creepers and plants, blossoming their buds,
Victory to You, O Slayer of Mahishasura; O Daughter of the Mountain with Beautiful Locks of Hair.

Divine Mother, you intoxicate mighty elephants by triggering the flow of ‘Mada’ between their eyes,
You are the jewel of the three worlds, a treasure of arts, an ocean of beauty, the daughter of the king.
Like Manmatha, the god of love, you enchant and spark desire within the minds of people,
Victory to You, O Slayer of Mahishasura; O Daughter of the Mountain with Beautiful Locks of Hair.

O Divine Mother, whose forehead shines with the delicate beauty of a spotless lotus petal,
You inspire all forms of art, and your movement inspires the movement of swans.
Your braided hair carries the beauty and sweetness of water lilies and bakula flowers,
Victory to You, O Slayer of Mahishasura; O Daughter of the Mountain with Beautiful Locks of Hair.

O Divine Mother, whose voice surpasses the flute and shames the cuckoo in its sweetness,
You hum enchanting songs while walking among brightly colored mountain groves.
You play joyfully with the virtuous tribal women in your company,
Victory to You, O Slayer of Mahishasura; O Daughter of the Mountain with Beautiful Locks of Hair.

O Divine Mother, your hips are wrapped in silk garments of colors that outshine the moon,
Your radiant toenails reflect the sparkle coming from the crowns of the gods and asuras.
Your bosom glows like golden mountain peaks and the crown of a mighty elephant’s forehead,
Victory to You, O Slayer of Mahishasura; O Daughter of the Mountain with Beautiful Locks of Hair.

O Divine Mother, you defeat enemies with thousand hands, you eclipsed a thousand sun rays,
You created Kartikeya to rescue the devas and urged Him to fight Tarkasura.
You freed the devoted minds of King Suratha and Merchant Samadhi from all worldly pain,
Victory to You, O Slayer of Mahishasura; O Daughter of the Mountain with Beautiful Locks of Hair.

Blessed are those who worship at your compassionate lotus feet every day,
They serve the lotus-like Goddess of prosperity, how won’t they be blessed with prosperity themselves?
I seek refuge at your feet, the ultimate refuge, what more do I need?
Victory to You, O Slayer of Mahishasura; O Daughter of the Mountain with Beautiful Locks of Hair.

Divine Mother, anyone who offers you ocean water in a golden container and chants with devotion,
They will receive the blessings from your Golden Vessel - your wisdom and courage and joy.
I bow at Your eternal feet, O Mahasaraswati, the source of all auspiciousness,
Victory to You, O Slayer of Mahishasura; O Daughter of the Mountain with Beautiful Locks of Hair.

Divine Mother, how can anyone who is drawn to your moon-like pure face ever be drawn to another?
Your grace draws the mind away from worldly attractions, even the finest beauties of Indra's realm.
Without Your grace, how can one unlock the treasure of Shiva's name?
Victory to You, O Slayer of Mahishasura; O Daughter of the Mountain with Beautiful Locks of Hair.

O Divine Mother, compassionate to the distressed and the protector of all,
Birth Mother of the cosmos, the shower of your grace is just as powerful as the shower of your arrows.
O Mother, remove the sorrows and pain that have become unbearable,
Victory to You, O Slayer of Mahishasura; O Daughter of the Mountain with Beautiful Locks of Hair.