Let me tell you of the divine forms and wondrous manifestations of the gods and goddesses as revealed in the sacred verses. Brahmā, the creator, appears with four noble faces and four powerful arms, his belly broad and his hair tied in a hanging tuft. He rides gracefully upon a swan, the symbol of wisdom. In his right hand, he holds either a rosary or a ladle, and in his left, a water-pot. By his side stand the goddesses Sarasvatī and Sāvitrī, one to his left and the other to his right, radiating knowledge and inspiration. Viṣṇu, the preserver, is seen with eight arms, majestic upon Garuḍa, the mighty eagle. In his right hand, he wields a sword, while his left holds a mace, an arrow, the boon-giving gesture, a bow, and a shield—each weapon a symbol of his divine power. In his form as Narasiṃha, the man-lion, he has four arms, holding the discus and conch, sometimes exchanging them, having torn apart the great demon with his ferocious might. As Varāha, the boar incarnation, Viṣṇu is four-armed, holding the serpent Śeṣa in his palm. With one arm, he supports the earth itself, and in his left hand, he holds a lotus. The earth is placed reverently at his feet, and the goddess Lakṣmī is established there as well. His eight-armed form, riding Garuḍa, stands to the right, holding in his left hand the discus, sword, pestle, and goad. He is also adorned with the conch, bow, mace, noose, lotus, and lute. Lakṣmī and Sarasvatī are depicted with him, and his universal form is seen on the right, bearing a mallet, noose, spear, trident, and arrow. In his left hand, he holds the conch, bow, mace, noose, and javelin, along with a plough, axe, staff, knife, and shield for throwing. This form is twenty-armed and four-faced, standing on both right and left, with three eyes on the left side and also shown reclining upon the cosmic waters. One foot is supported by Śrī, while Vimalā and others sing his praises. Hari, with a lotus at his navel and four faces, embodies both Hari and Śaṅkara, uniting the powers of Viṣṇu and Śiva. On the right, he holds a spear and lance, and at his foot, a mace and discus. His appearance combines the matted hair of Rudra and the marks of Lakṣmī, and he is accompanied by Gaurī and Lakṣmī. In his Hayagrīva form, Hari holds the conch, discus, mace, and the Vedas, his head that of a horse. His left foot is supported by Śeṣa, the serpent, and his right by the back of a tortoise. Dattātreya is depicted with two arms, Śrī sitting in his left lap. Viṣvaksena, a member of Hari’s retinue, holds the discus, mace, plough, and conch, ever ready in service. Now, let us turn to the goddess Caṇḍī. The Blessed Lord describes her with twenty arms, each right hand grasping a trident, sword, spear, discus, noose, shield, weapon, or displaying the gesture of fearlessness. Her left hands hold a drum, dart, serpent-noose, shield, axe, goad, bow, bell, banner, and mace. Caṇḍī is also shown with ten arms, sometimes holding a mirror and a mallet. At her feet lies the buffalo demon, his head severed and fallen. From the demon’s neck emerges a furious man, weapon raised, holding a trident, blood streaming from his form, adorned with a garland, hair, and eyes all blood-red. The buffalo is being devoured by a lion, its neck tightly bound by a noose. The lion, in turn, is trampled by Yāmyā’s left foot, while the demon lies subdued. This Caṇḍikā, three-eyed and armed, destroyer of enemies, is worshipped in her own form at the heart of the nine-petaled lotus as Durgā. She is to be worshipped at the beginning, in the middle, and at the head of Indra and the other gods, in order, with the nine principles. With eighteen arms, she stands on the right, holding a severed head and a shield. In her left hands she bears a mirror, a threatening finger, a bow, a banner, a drum, a noose, a spear, a mallet, and a trident. The goddess is further furnished with a thunderbolt, sword, goad, arrows, discus, and a rod, and in her other forms, she is shown with sixteen arms. Setting aside the drum and the threatening finger, the nine forms—Rudra-Caṇḍā, Pracaṇḍā, Caṇḍogrā, Caṇḍanāyikā, Caṇḍā, Caṇḍavatī, Caṇḍarūpā, Aticaṇḍikā, and Ugracaṇḍā—are described, with Rocanā, Bhāruṇī, and Asitā in the middle. Nīlā, Śuklā, Dhūmrikā, Pītā, Śvetā, and the lion-riders are also present, while the buffalo and the armed man seize the demon’s hair and fist. The nine Durgās stand in the heroic ālīḍha posture, to be installed for the increase of sons and prosperity, along with Gaurī, Caṇḍikā, and others, holding a pot, a rosary, and fire. Lalitā, accomplished in the forest, appears without fire, her left hand resting on her shoulder and her second hand holding a mirror. In the south, Saubhāgyā stands with hands joined, holding fruit, and above her is Lakṣmī, her southern hand holding a lotus and her left hand fruit. Sarasvatī holds a book, a rosary, and a vīṇā, while Śvetā, shining white, holds a lotus and sits upon a makara as Jāhnavī. Yamunā, dark in hue, sits on a tortoise, holding a pot. Tumburu, fair, holds a vīṇā, and the trident-bearer stands before the Mother, mounted on a bull. Gaurī, as Brāhmī, is four-faced, holding a rosary and a demon. Kuṇḍakṣapātriṇī, white in color, rides a swan as Śāṅkarī. In her right hands she carries a bow and arrow of autumn hue, and in her left, a discus and a bull-shaped bow. Kumārī, adorned with peacock feathers and red in color, is two-armed and holds a spear. On the left, Lakṣmī holds a discus and conch, and a mace in her hand. Varāhī, standing on a buffalo, holds a staff, conch, sword, and mace. Aindrī, on the left, holds a thunderbolt and is thousand-eyed for accomplishment. Camuṇḍā appears with sunken eyes, fleshless, and three-eyed, her bones visible, hair standing upwards, and belly thin. On the left, she wears a tiger skin and holds a skull and a sword; in her right hand she holds a trident and a knife. She rides a corpse and is adorned with bones. Vināyaka, in human form, has a large belly and an elephant face. With a large trunk and wearing a sacred thread, her face measures seven digits wide, and the trunk is thirty-six fingers in both breadth and length. Twelve digits make a kala; the neck, with a vein and half a kala, is thirty-six fingers long; the secret part measures one and a half fingers. The navel and thighs are each twelve fingers, as are the shanks and right foot. In the right hand, she holds a tooth; in the left, an axe, a sweet ball, or a blue lotus. Thus, the sacred forms of the gods and goddesses are revealed, each radiant with their distinct weapons, symbols, and postures—each a manifestation of divine power, compassion, and cosmic order.