Hear now the sacred narrative from the Garuḍa Purāṇa, as it gently unfolds the profound procedures and mysteries of Sandhyā, Gayatrī, Durgā, and the worship of the gods. It is taught that even the heaviest of sins, those committed over ten births or repeated a hundred times in the past, can be cleansed. The Gāyatrī, when invoked, appears resplendent in red, while Sāvitrī shines in pure white. In the sacred practice, one places ‘Om Bhūḥ’ upon the heart, and ‘Om Bhuvaḥ’ upon the head, consecrating the body as a temple of the divine. The wise further place the second mantra as armor and upon both eyes, sanctifying sight and strength. At the hour of twilight, having thus prepared oneself, one should recite the Mother of the Vedas, the Gāyatrī. This Gāyatrī is threefold, embodying Brahmā, Viṣṇu, and Maheśvara. Through her recitation, all sins are washed away, and the devotee attains the world of Brahmā. Yet, those who neglect worship at twilight are undone by the very sun itself. For the meter is the goddess Gāyatrī, and the Supreme Self is her deity. Thus concludes the chapter on the Procedure of Sandhyā. Now, let it be known: Gāyatrī is the supreme goddess, bestower of both worldly enjoyment and ultimate liberation. The ritual of Gāyatrī, which grants these twin blessings, is revealed. One who recites the trisandhya a hundred times, belonging to the world of Brahmā, may partake of water with sanctity. With the mantra ‘bhūḥ bhuvaḥ svaḥ’ joined with twelve sacred names, one should offer salutations to Savitri and Sarasvati, to the Mother of the Vedas, to Sankriti, Brahmani, and Kaushiki, each in their proper order. Offerings are to be made into the fire, with the right intonation—fuel, clarified butter, and oblations—so that righteousness, desire, and other goals may be attained. As prescribed, the mantra is to be recited a hundred thousand times, using milk, roots, fruits, and arsha, in accordance with the sacred tradition. The goddess is born on the northern peak, dwelling upon earth or mountain, ever present to those who seek her. Thus ends the explanation of the Gayatrī practice. On the ninth day, one should worship the great goddess Durgā with the mantra ‘hrīṃ durge rakṣiṇī’, praying, “With this offering and gift, grant me all desires.” The goddess is invoked in her many forms: Mangala, Vijaya, Lakshmi, Shiva, and Narayani, each in their turn. She is envisioned with eighteen arms, bearing shield, bell, mirror, and forefinger; with shakti, club, spear, skull, arrow, and goad. The mantra and recitation for the glorious Bhagavatī are then declared. “Om, homage to the blessed Chamunda, dwelling in the cremation ground, holding a skull, mounted upon a great spirit, surrounded by mighty hosts, Kalaratri, with a great mouth and many arms, adorned with bells, drums, and anklets, laughing loudly, making shrill sounds, full of all manner of noises, covered in elephant hide, her body smeared with blood and flesh, tongue moving, fierce and terrifying, shining like lightning, with frowning face, seated on a Karabhadra throne, garlanded with skulls, crowned with matted hair and the moon, roaring in anger, destroyer of demons, moving in the sky, binding with the noose, and encompassing all with her power. She is the lover of blood, flesh, and wine, fierce and mighty, accompanied by the goddesses Brahmani, Maheshvari, Kaumari, Varahi, Aindri, Chamunda, Vaishnavi, and the mountain-dwelling and Kailasa-riding forms. The supreme mantra invokes her to cut, bind, blaze, burn, and protect, subduing all wicked spirits, binding the directions, and entering the sacred circle. By the truth of Brahma, Vishnu, the sages, and Rudra, she is called forth to complete the work, to protect and to accomplish all with her thunderbolt-like body.” This great mantra, a garland of one hundred and eight syllables, is recited with devotion. With offerings of great flesh and triple sweetness, each syllable is worshipped, and these offerings are suitable for all rituals. The goddess is visualized as having twenty-eight or eighteen arms, holding sword, shield, mace, staff, discus, bell, banner, spear, plough, pestle, and more. With one hand she gestures threateningly, with another she makes a tumultuous sound. All victory belongs to her, the Lord of beings, surrounded by all creatures. Thus ends the chapter on the worship, recitation, and offering to Durgā. Once more, a devotee asks, “Tell me again, O Janārdana, in brief, about the worship of the gods.” And Janārdana replies: “Listen, O Rudra, I shall explain the worship of Sūrya. With the mantra ‘Om, obeisance to Daṇḍin,’ the guardians at the doors are to be worshipped. In the southeast and other corners, Vimalā and the rest are to be honored with their respective mantras: ‘Om, obeisance to Prabhūta,’ ‘Om, obeisance to Vimalā,’ ‘Om, obeisance to Ādhāra,’ and so forth.” Thus, the sacred procedures and mantras are revealed, guiding the devotee on the path of worship, purification, and liberation, as spoken in the glorious Garuḍa Mahāpurāṇa.