Raktabija defeated by the Goddess, anonymousMalwa paintingca1640
Exact Devi-Mahatmya Raktabija episode, ca1640Malwa. Mounted many-armed Goddess confronts repeated sword/shield demons; the museum identifies the scene as annihilation of blood-multiplying Raktabija and describes the tongue-catching action. Individual replicated figures are not assigned other demon names. Museum2018.128 explicitly CC0; Hanuman cameo curator-named but not separately localized/assigned here.
Overview
Raktabija enters the battle when the Mothers are driving the asuras back. He fights with a club, but wounds inflicted upon him worsen the danger: each blood drop reaching the ground produces another asura of his stature, courage and strength. Attacks by the gods’ embodied energies fill the world with these fighters.
Candika directs Kali, addressed as Camunda, to swallow the blood and devour its offspring. As Candika continues striking, Kali prevents the flow from replenishing the enemy host. Raktabija finally falls bloodless. The narrative’s problem is multiplication through spilled blood, and its solution combines containment with combat.
Origins & earliest records
South Asian Hindu sacred narrative
Records & interpretation
Full relevant hosted Pargiter passages directly read; Medhas’s narration within the Markandeya Purana.
Selected bibliography
Documented works and useful reading. This is not a list of every appearance.
- 01
The Mārkaṇḍeya Purāṇa
Canto 88; historical English edition date, not Sanskrit composition date.
Family & connections
A source-supported family tree or inspiration record has not yet been compiled for this profile. Related reading below indicates a connection in subject matter, not a proven lineage or creative influence.
Primary records and illustrations
The Mārkaṇḍeya Purāṇa, Pargiter translation
Devī-Māhātmya; hosted 1904 translation. Canto 88
Full relevant chapter narrative directly read on Wisdomlib; source-specific translation and narrator retained; no illustration claimed.
References
Sources supporting this profile. Linked pages have their own scope and editorial standards.
- Historical primary religious-text translationPargiter, Markandeya Purana — canto 88Research access: 2026-10-05
Image credits
Historical illustrationRaktabija defeated by the Goddess, anonymousMalwa paintingca1640
Exact Devi-Mahatmya Raktabija episode, ca1640Malwa. Mounted many-armed Goddess confronts repeated sword/shield demons; the museum identifies the scene as annihilation of blood-multiplying Raktabija and describes the tongue-catching action. Individual replicated figures are not assigned other demon names. Museum2018.128 explicitly CC0; Hanuman cameo curator-named but not separately localized/assigned here.
