Durga Saptashati --- And its Relevance Cont....

5th and 6th chapters (Dhumralochan vadh)

The pantheons of devtas are discontented yet again after another invasion of their kingdom by the demon duo of Shumbh and Nishumbh. Knowing of the powers of the Devi and Her promise of descending to them and mankind at large whenever She would be invoked, the devtas start the invocation. They bow before the powers of the Devi and praise her infinite virtues. Meanwhile Goddess Parvati who is ablating in the holy Ganges near the Himalayas comes to know of this plea of the devtas. From Ma Parvati's "kosha" or body originates the pure beauty "Kaushiki" (one who is spawned from the kosha). Chand and Mund, the servants of Shumbh-Nishumbh witness the grandeur of Ma Kushiki ( also called Ma Ambika) and are left spellbound.
Chand and Mund then narrate the infinite and indescribable beauty of Ambika to Shumbh. They also tell Shumbh that having accomplished the whole world through their clout, he and Nishumbh must accomplish and win over such a beautiful woman too since that’s the only feather missing in their prolific cap.
Shumbh then sends his messenger Sugreev to summon the ravishing Ma Kaushiki with the proposal of marrying him.
The messenger then conveys to the Devi that Shumbh and Nishumbh are the rulers of all the 3 worlds--- Sky, Earth and the Nether world. They have triumphed over everything. They have made one and all subservient to them. Shumbh and Nishumbh are indeed merchants and authority of gems. They also consider the Devi to be a gem which is not in their collection. Thus the messenger requested the Devi to select from either of Shumbh or Nishumbh to be Her spouse.
The Devi retorts to the messenger Sugreev that all that he said was true but She had set a pre condition for being a mate to anyone. The condition was that whoever beats Her in a fight is free to take Her along.
The messenger tells the Devi that it was her illusion and over ambition that She was keeping such imbecile and unthoughtful proposals and conditions. He also warns the Devi that Shumbh and Nishumbh are a force to reckon with and are invincible and that a poor, lonely woman as She won’t be able to tolerate and combat their moves. Despite Warning that She would have to face dire consequences like being dragged and pulled by Her hair if she refuses to budge from her intransigent stand, the Devi bids the messenger adieu by telling him that She had not thought of such a scenario before She had made Her pledge and that she would not move from her stand, pre conditions and caveats which were very much valid. She also tells the messenger that he should tell her viewpoint to Shumbh and let him take any action he so wishes.
Hearing of such obstinacy of the Devi, Shumbh orders Dhumralochan, the Commander in chief of his army to nab the Devi by her hair and bring Her to court. Resistance if offered by any protectors for her must be thwarted with unstoppable force.
Before attacking the Devi, Dhumralochan puts forth a peaceful proposal of surrender to Devi who spurns the order. Battle ensues between the 60,000 strong army of Dhumralochan and the duo of Devi and Her Lion. The Lion trounces and beats the army down-rightly. Dhumralochan too is killed in his duel with Devi.
Incensed by this, Shumbh sends the duo of Chand and Mund to assassin Devi and bring her dead or alive to his court.

Relevance to a Shiv Yogi

Baba ji says that Shumbh and Nishumbh are asuras which reside in us. They stand for the bad qualities and vices of greed and lust. Shumbh and Nishumbh taking over the 3 worlds imply greed and lust overpowering an individual.

 Greed gives way to avariciousness called "trushna" in Hindi
The first lesson from this chapter is that one must be satisfied with what he has. One must thank the Almighty for whatever has been bestowed upon by Him.
Despite having 99 good things in our lives, our focus invariably is on the 1 thing we do not possess. We complain. We don’t create. Baba ji thus wishes us to liberate ourselves from this vicious attitude.
A consciousness raised through sadhna will want more accomplishments but in those achievements it won’t get stuck. It will thank and succeed to win more. Such a consciousness will always live in the Guru's aura and constantly enjoy the blessings of Shiva.
The second worthy thing to be noted is that whenever we shall invoke the Devi with our soul and heart, She will come and with Her bring happiness, taking away all the sorrow, pain and suffering. Just for that the invocation has to be wholehearted and with pure intention.
The third teaching from this is that like Devi, all women must endeavor to develop their Inner beauty and love through sadhna since love and care are the embellishments of a woman, but at the same time be ready to combat any hurdle that may arrive in their life without getting bogged down by stereotypes of being subservient to the opposite sex. Like Shakti be "Ati saumya ati raudraye" but in different situations.
The fourth noteworthy lesson is that never underestimate the power of any individual, situation or circumstance. Dhumralochan did so and paid the price. Thus never be complacent. Believe in your powers and keep coming good. Never let the intensity of your sadhna wear out thinking that yesterday was a powerful sadhna and today it can be taken lightly. Never undervalue any situation, dealing or scenario. Karmas when not burnt through sadhna can cause devastation. Hence continue the sadhna with greater vigour every morning you get up.

7th chapter (Chanda Munda vadh)

As the news of decimation of Dhumralochan and his strong and sizeable army trickles down to Shumbh-Nishumbh, they order Chand-Mund to try their hand at apprehending Ambika Devi. Taking advantage after seeing Devi in a light mood, the troops of Chand and Mund try and accost Her, some try and grab her weapons, others surround her.
Noticing these developments, Devi is enraged. Her face turns red with rage, Her brows raised, overall complexion turns dark and another devi in the form of Maha Kali appears from Ambika. The Goddess Kali, wearing a garland of human heads, wielding a sword, wagging tongue, constricted red eyes appears in a mood to slaughter everything that comes Her way. Like a road roller She crushes and tramples over the devil army and quite brutally so.
On looking such mayhem, Chand and Mund pounce on Her. Mund hurls his chakras towards the mouth of Kali. Kali however opens Her mouth and with teeth, glistening like 10000 suns, crushes the chakras in a jiffy.
Next, she growls at the demons (hunkar) and leaps on Chand, beheading him thus. On seeing this Mund barges towards Ma Kali, only to be slashed to pieces on the floor.
Kali then offers the heads of Chand and Mund at the feet of Ambika Devi from whom Kali originated.  The latter also requests Ambika Devi that she Herself kills Shumbh Nishumbh. Elated at such a fine display of valour and perfection, Ambika Devi blesses Ma Kali with the name Chamunda since its Kali who is the One responsible for liberating the universe of these dangerous demons.

Relevance to a Shiv Yogi

The lesson from this is that never pester a Shakti (woman) as she wields infinite power to destroy too. It is the Shakti who has all the powers of creation but she can destroy the devil too.
Chand and Mund are negative traits which possess the power to cause widespread havoc. But Ma Kali has the powers to decimate them. And when we do Shree Vidya sadhna, we pray to Ma Kali too. So Shakti sadhna is omnipotent and must be done without a miss.
The "Hunkar" that Ma Kali does before exterminating Chand and Mund is analogous to the rising of Kundalini shakti through our Sushmana nadi. Before obliterating all karmas, Ma Kundalini rises with a "funkar" as if to warn the karmas that their end is nigh. This explains various kriyas which happen abruptly as Baba ji initiates sadhaks in shivirs.

 Also an important lesson is always accord supreme respect to women.