O King, listen to the story of the Great Goddess, whose presence fills the entire universe. She arises from the divine energies of Vishnu, Brahma, and Shiva, and with her immense power, she seizes the minds of all beings. It is she who restrains their minds, casting the veil of delusion for her own purposes. She is the creator of the universe and its constant sustainer. When the time of dissolution arrives, she withdraws everything into herself in the form of Shiva. This Great Goddess, the giver of desires, is the dark night of time—difficult to overcome. She is known as Kāli, the destroyer of the universe, and Kamalā, the abode of lotuses. All the world is born within her, and the universe is established in her. Ultimately, everything dissolves back into her, for she is the Supreme beyond the supreme. Only those who receive her grace can overcome delusion; there is no other way, O lord of the earth. Now, let me recount how the Goddess revealed her greatness in the slaying of Madhu and Kaitabha. The king, eager to know more, asked: “Who is this Goddess you speak of? Tell me, best knower of time. Who deludes beings, and what is the cause? From what does the Goddess arise? What is her form and nature? Kindly tell me everything, O lord of the earth.” The sage replied: “O king, I will describe to you the true nature of the Goddess. Listen carefully as I recount how she arose, and by whom, she who pervades the universe. When the great god Nārāyaṇa, the lord of yoga, had withdrawn the universe, he lay asleep upon the serpent Śeṣa, stretched out on the cosmic ocean. Overcome by deep sleep, Janārdana, the god of gods, rested. From the dirt of his ears arose the demons Madhu and Kaiṭabha, terrifying in form. These two set out to kill Brahmā, the lotus-born god. As the lord of the gods lay asleep and the fierce, unapproachable demons approached, Brahmā was seized by overwhelming anxiety. He pondered, ‘What shall I do? Where shall I go? How can I find safety?’ In his distress, a thought arose: he must seek refuge in the Goddess whose power held the Blessed Lord Hari in sleep. Brahmā prayed, ‘I take refuge in that Goddess, Sleep, the source of all creation. O Goddess, sustainer of the world, granter of devotees’ wishes, cosmic Māyā, great Māyā, auspicious one who lies upon the ocean, all are subject to your command, each fulfilling their own tasks. You are Kālarātri, Mahārātri, Moharātri, fierce with intoxication; all-pervading, sovereign, worthy of honor, the sole treasure of supreme bliss. Worthy of reverence, greatly worshipped Māyā, sweet as honey, earth herself; you are proclaimed the supreme among all that is higher and lower. Modesty, nourishment, forbearance, fame, beauty, compassion embodied; charming, worshipped by the world, you are the form of waking and the other states. Supreme mistress, devoted to supreme bliss; though one, you possess a single form and also a dual nature. You are the threefold Veda, the abode of the three aims of life, the essence of the fourth state, mistress of the five elements, ruler of the six, bestower of the seven sevens of blessings, Lady of the Vasus, sovereign of the nine planets, delightful with nine moods and arts, worshipped in the ten directions, pervading the ten quarters. Of elevenfold form, worshipped by the eleven Rudras, leader of the eleven hosts, twelfth with twelve arms, source of the twelve suns, goddess of thirteenfold form, beloved of the thirteen hosts, bestower of boons to Indra and the fourteen, mother of the fourteen Manus. The fifteenth day is yours, and you are the Sixteenth, composed of the sixteen digits of the moon. Your divine body is pervaded by the rays of the moon of sixteen parts. O Goddess of the gods, your form is beyond qualities, the source of tamas. By you, the Blessed Lord, God of gods, Lord of Lakshmi, was seized, and those two fierce and mighty demons, Madhu and Kaitabha. For their destruction, awaken the Lord of gods!’ Thus praised, the Goddess Tamasi, beloved of the Blessed Lord, departed from the God of gods and deluded the two demons. At that moment, the Blessed Vishnu, Supreme Self and Lord of the world, regained consciousness and saw the two foremost demons. Those two terrible demons, seeing Madhusudana, resolved on battle and approached Hari. The Blessed Madhusudana fought with them both. For five thousand years, the mighty one battled, using his arms as weapons. The demons, intoxicated by their excessive strength, were deluded by the world-illusion. Eventually, they said to the Supreme Lord, ‘Choose a boon.’ Hearing their words, the Blessed Primeval Person replied, ‘Let both of you be slain by me today.’ The demons, exceedingly strong, then said, ‘Slay us not where the earth is covered with water.’ The Blessed Lord, bearer of mace and conch, agreed, ‘So be it.’ Then, he struck with his discus and cut off their heads at their hips. Thus, the Goddess was manifested and praised by Brahma, O King. Mahakali, the sovereign of all yoginis, revealed her glory. Now, O ruler of the earth, hear also the origin of Mahalakshmi and the narration of Savarni Manu, together with the deeds of the Goddess.