In the ancient times, two terrifying demons named Madhu and Kaitabha arose, their forms dreadful and their intent murderous. They set out to slay Brahmā, the lotus-born creator. As Madhu and Kaitabha approached, Brahmā, the lord and master of the gods, lay asleep, helpless before these fierce and unapproachable beings. Overwhelmed by anxiety, Brahmā wondered desperately, “What shall I do? Where shall I go? How can I find safety?” In his distress, a thought dawned upon Brahmā—a means to fulfill his purpose. He remembered the Goddess, Sleep, whose power held the Blessed Lord Hari in slumber. Brahmā took refuge in her, invoking her presence: “O Goddess, sustainer of the world, granter of devotees’ wishes! O 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 supreme among all that is higher and lower. Modesty, nourishment, forbearance, fame, beauty, compassion—all these are your forms. Charming, worshipped by the world, you embody waking and the other states. Supreme mistress devoted to supreme bliss, though one, you possess 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 sixth, bestower of the seven sevens of blessings, Lady of the Vasus, sovereign of the nine planets. Delightful with nine moods and arts, sovereign of the nine, worshipped in the ten directions, pervading the ten quarters, O Ramā. Of elevenfold form, worshipped by the eleven Rudras, pleased by the eleventh lunar day, leader of the eleven hosts. Twelfth, with twelve arms, source of the twelve suns; goddess of thirteenfold form, beloved of the thirteen hosts, known by thirteen names, chief goddess of all gods; bestower of boons to Indra and the fourteen, mother of the fourteen Manus. The fifteenth day is yours, and as the Sixteenth, you are 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 gods, beyond qualities, source of tamas. It is by you that the Blessed Lord, God of gods, Lord of Lakshmi, was held in sleep, and those two fierce demons, Madhu and Kaitabha, threatened. For their destruction, awaken the Lord of gods!” Thus Brahmā praised the Goddess Tamasi, beloved of the Blessed Lord. Moved by his praise, the Goddess left the God of gods and deluded the two demons. At that moment, the Blessed Vishnu, Supreme Self, Lord of the world, regained consciousness and saw the two foremost demons before him. Madhu and Kaitabha, seeing Madhusudana awake, resolved to battle and approached Hari. The Blessed Madhusudana engaged them both in fierce combat. For five thousand years, Vishnu fought with his arms as weapons, while Madhu and Kaitabha, intoxicated by their immense strength, remained deluded by the world-illusion. Eventually, they addressed the Supreme Lord: “Choose a boon.” Vishnu replied, “Let both of you be slain by me today.” The demons, still arrogant, declared, “Slay us not where the earth is covered with water.” Vishnu agreed, and with his discus, struck and cut off their heads at their hips, thus fulfilling the Goddess’s purpose. Brahmā praised the manifested Goddess, Mahakali, sovereign of all yoginis. Now, O great king, hear also the origin of Mahalakshmi. The narration of Savarni Manu unfolds, together with the deeds of the Goddess. After these events, all the defeated gods, cast out from heaven, went to the highest world, led by Brahmā. There, where the two supreme gods, Shankara and Achyuta, were present, they recounted the deeds of the wicked Mahishasura. Mahishasura, intoxicated by pride and strength, had violently seized the abodes of all the gods and now enjoyed them himself. The gods pleaded, “O Lords of the Immortals, let the means for his destruction be quickly considered, O destroyers of demons.” Hearing their distressed words, the Blessed Lord, along with the sons of Shankara and Padmaja, became greatly enraged. As Hari’s anger grew, a divine radiance, equal in brilliance to a thousand suns, emerged from his mouth. Then, in succession, the radiance of all heavenly beings emerged from their bodies, delighting the lords of the gods. From Shambhu’s radiance, her face was formed; her hair came from Yama’s energy; her arms arose from Vishnu’s power. Her breasts were shaped by Soma’s energy, her waist by Indra’s, her thighs and shanks by Varuna’s radiance. Her hips were made from the radiance of the earth, her feet from Brahmā’s energy; her toes from the Sun’s brilliance, and her fingers from Vasava’s power. Thus, the Goddess was born, a composite of divine energies, ready to confront Mahishasura and restore balance to the worlds.