Raktabīja

According to the Puranas, there was an asura king called Danu. His two sons, Rambha and Karambha, who had no children, did Tapas at Pañcanada for the blessing of having children. Rambha and Karambha meditated upon Mālavaṭa Yakṣa, the former seated at the centre of the five fires and the latter standing in the water of a lake. Indra found out about this, he decided to kill them, first in the guise of a crocodile dragged Karambha away by the feet and killed him by drowning him. Then Indra went after Rambha to kill him but was saved by Agni. Angry at the death of his brother, Rambha decided to cut off his head and offer it as a sacrifice. When he was about to do so, Agni appeared and told him that suicide was worse than killing others, denouncing it as a great sin, and promised to grant him whatever he desired. Accordingly, Rambha requested Agni for a son more effulgent than the latter, who would conquer the Three Worlds and would not be defeated even by the Deva and the Asuras. Rambha further wanted that son to be as powerful as Vāyu, exceptionally handsome and skilled in archery. Agni blessed Rambha that he would have, as desired, a son by the woman whom he coveted. On his way back home, he saw a beautiful she-buffalo, called Mahiṣī, which he married. He took the buffalo he impregnated to Patala to protect it from being attacked by other buffaloes. One day, another buffalo felt a passion for Rambha's wife, and in the fight, Rambha was impaled with the buffalo's horns, killing him. Later, the water buffalo was killed by Rambha's soldiers. Rambha's wife died in his funeral pyre after jumping into it. It was from the centre of the fire that the very powerful Mahishasura was born. Rambha also rose from the fire under the name Raktabīja along with his brother, Mahishasura. Raktabīja secured from Shiva a boon according to which if one drop of blood from his body fell on the battlefield, many Raktabījas would arise from the blood and fight the enemies. Each of these Raktabījas would also be like the others in the matter of strength, form, and weapons.^[2]

The eighth chapter of the Devi Mahatmya narrates Durga's battle with Raktabīja as a part of her battle against the asuras Shumbha and Nishumbha, who had disenfranchised the devas from Svarga. After the deaths of Dhumralochana, and Chanda and Munda, Shumbha sent Raktabīja to fight. Raktabīja was wounded, but his drops of blood falling on the ground created innumerable other Raktabījas, and hence Durga and the Matrikas struggled to defeat them. Durga issued the following instruction to Kali:^[3]

O Cāmuṇḍā! Open out your mouth quickly, and no sooner I strike Raktabīja with weapons, you would drink off the blood as fast as it runs out of his body. Instantly I will kill those Dānavas sprung from the blood with sharpened arrows, clubs, swords and Muṣalas; and you would then be able to devour them all at your will, and, then, roam in this field as you like. O Large-eyed One! You would drink off all the jets of blood in such a way that not a drop of it escapes and falls on the ground.

— Devi Bhagavata Purana, Book 5, Chapter 29

Ultimately, even as every drop of the blood that streamed from the asura was consumed by Kali, Raktabīja was beheaded by Durga and her axe.

According to popular folklore, after killing Raktabīja and most of his entire army, the goddess Kali went on to kill all creatures in a fury, but was timely intervened by Shiva who laid himself in her path. Striking his body, Kali was shaken and embarrassed, and took out her tongue. This act has been depicted in many Hindu paintings and portraits.

There are references of Kali not being created, but having sprung from Durga's forehead, as they were all the same goddess in different forms.

• Rambha (asura)
• Chanda and Munda
• Shumbha and Nishumbha
• Mahishasura
• Dhumralochana
• Sugriva (asura)

• On the description of the war of Raktabija
• On the killing of Raktabija
• Dictionary of Hindu Lore and Legend (ISBN 0-500-51088-1) by Anna Dhallapiccola
• Devi Mahatmya, Chapter 9000.