According to Durga Saptashati also, Madhu and Kaitabh were killed by Vishnu., But Devi supported him in this work. In the ancient Vedic period, Madhu was the name of the first month of the year. Madhu and Madhav were the months of spring season. Therefore Madhu was the head of Samvatsara. In Brihadaranyakonishad, both Samvatsara and Yagya have been called Prajapati. Yagya and sacrificial horse have been equated in many places. The sacrificial horse was slaughtered.
During the Navratri period, the stories of the killing of two famous demons Madhu and Kaitabh, brothers related to the creation of the universe in the ancient times, remain imprinted on the minds of the people. According to the Puranas of the Asuras, the famous demon duo Madhukaithabha was born from the earwax of Vishnu while sleeping till Kalpanta, according to Mahabharata Shanti Parva 355/22 and Devi Bhagwat Purana 1/4. According to Vishnu Dharmottara Purana 1/15, it was born from the sweat of Vishnu. And according to Mahabharata Shanti Parva 355/22 and Padma Purana Srijan Khand 40, it was created from Rajogun and Tamogun. According to the description written in Durga Saptashati of Markandeya Purana, the goddess first originated when at the end of the Kalpa, the demons named Madhu and Kaitabh, born from the earwax of Lord Vishnu who was sleeping in Yoganidra, wanted to destroy Brahma i.e. Prajapati or Samvatsara. .
The words in which Brahma invoked the Goddess at that time are very similar to the self-proclaimed description of Vaak i.e. lightning or electricity recorded in the Rigveda. While invoking Devi in Devi Saptashati, Brahma says – Devi! You are Swaha, Swadha and Vashtakar. The sounds are also your form. Omkar is also you. Goddess! You are the one who holds this world and universe. She should be the one who wields a Khadag Dharini, Shool Dharini, Mace, Chakra, Conch and Bow. Arrow, Bhusundi and Paridha are also your weapons. The speech itself says – I roam in the form of Goddess Rudra, Basu, Aditya and Vishwadevs, I am the one who offers the string of Rudra’s bow to kill the haters of Brahma. It is written in Mahabharata that the one who killed Madhu is Lord Vishnu himself.
According to Durga Saptashati, it was Vishnu who killed Madhu and Kaitabh, but the goddess supported him in this act. In the ancient Vedic period, Madhu was the name of the first month of the year. Madhu and Madhav were the months of spring season. Therefore Madhu was the head of Samvatsara. In Brihadaranyakonishad, both Samvatsara and Yagya have been called Prajapati. Yagya and sacrificial horse have been equated in many places. The sacrificial horse was slaughtered. Usha has also been said to be the head of the sacrificial horse. Indra of Rigveda is about to destroy Usha’s chariot.
In Chandogya Upanishad 1/3, Aditya has been called Devmadhu, his rays as Bhramar and the directions as Madhunadi. The Sun gets covered by Indra’s cloud, and when the Sun disappears, in its place the light of the lightning i.e. Vaagdevi remains like the Sun. This is the killing of Madhu by the goddess. Kaitabh or Ketu is also the Moon or Sun, which transforms Aketu i.e. unconscious into Ketu i.e. conscious. The killing of Mahishasura is also a metaphor for the suppression of the sun’s destructive nature through rain, otherwise the killing of Mahishasura is the killing of the great enveloping Vritra. The killing of Madhu Kaitabh by Vishnu is the ritual killing of Sun and Moon by Samvatsara.
According to the popular legend, in ancient times, two mighty demons named Madhu and Kaitabh were born from the earwax of Lord Vishnu, who slept on the bed of Sheshnag till the end of the Kalpa in a state of all-round water. As soon as they were born they started thinking about the reason for their origin. Kaitabh said to Madhu – It is only Bhagwati Mahashakti who maintains our power in this water. They have immense strength. He created this burning object. That supreme worshipable power is the reason for our origin. Meanwhile, a beautiful song started resonating in the sky. Hearing the resonating sounds, both the demons thought that this was the great mantra of Bhagwati. And they started meditating and chanting the same mantra. He performed very difficult penance for a thousand years by renouncing food and water and remained fasting, then the Goddess Mahashakti became pleased with him. And asked Akashvani to ask for a boon from him. Madhu and Kaitabh asked him to grant them the boon of voluntary death.
The Goddess said to the demons – Death will be able to kill you only if you wish by my grace. No god or demon will be able to defeat you brothers. Madhu and Kaitabh became very proud after getting the goddess’s boon. They started playing with aquatic creatures in the sea. One day suddenly his vision fell on Prajapati Brahma. Brahma was sitting on a lotus seat. Those demons challenged Brahma to fight and said – fight with us, if you do not want to fight then leave from here this very moment, because if you do not have the strength within you, then you have no right to sit on this excellent seat. Is. Brahma became very worried after listening to Madhu and Kaitabh that they had spent all their time in penance. Fighting was against his nature. Frightened, he took refuge in Lord Vishnu.
At that time Lord Vishnu was immersed in Yoga Nidra. Despite Brahma’s efforts, his sleep did not break. In the end he praised Bhagwati Yoganidra and said – Bhagwati! Frightened by the fear of Madhu and Kaitabh, I have come to you for refuge. Lord Vishnu is unconscious due to your illusion. You are the mother of the entire world. It is your nature to fulfill everyone’s wishes. You have made me the creator of the world. If I am killed by the demons, you will be in great disgrace. Therefore, please wake up Lord Vishnu and protect me. Hearing Brahma’s prayer, Goddess Bhagwati emerged from Lord Vishnu’s eyes, mouth, nose, arms and heart and settled in the sky. And Lord Vishnu got up and sat down. Later he had a fierce war with Madhu and Kaitabh for five thousand years. Still they failed to defeat the Madhu Kaitabh brothers. Later he remembered that Goddess Bhagwati had given the boon of euthanasia to these two demons.
It is impossible to kill them without the grace of Goddess Bhagwati. It was during this time that he had the darshan of Bhagwati Yoganidra. God praised Bhagwati in mysterious words. Bhagwati became happy and said – You are the master of the gods. I will fascinate these demons with Maya, only then you will be able to kill them. Understanding the intention of Bhagwati, Vishnu told the demons that I am extremely happy with the war between you two. Therefore, ask me for a boon as per your wish. The demons were fascinated by the magic of Goddess Bhagwati. He said- We are not beggars, we are donors. Whatever you wish to ask, pray to us. We are ready to give. Vishnu said- If you want to give, then accept death from my hands. Charmed by the grace of Bhagwati, Madhu and Kaitabh were deceived by their own words. Lord Vishnu placed the heads of the demons on his thighs and cut them off with the Sudarshan Chakra. This is how Madhu and Kaitabh came to an end. According to the story, when they ran to kill Brahma, Vishnu killed them. Since then, Vishnu came to be known as Madhusudan i.e. the destroyer of the demon Madhu and Kaitabhbhajit i.e. the destroyer of the demon Kaitabh. According to Markandeya Purana, Uma had killed Kaitbha, due to which she came to be known as Kaitbha. Mahabharata and Harivansh Purana believe that the earth was named Medini because of the pile of flour of these demons.