Hear now of the wondrous and exalted goddess, whose many forms and names resound through the cosmos. She is Kaushiki, the mighty puller, the very embodiment of night, who brings an end to the suffering of the gods. For those devoted to her, she dispels every distress, showering auspiciousness and breaking the endless cycle of birth and becoming. Her fame is boundless; she is the very song of the Sama Veda, ever present within the sacred body of Bhava. She is supreme knowledge itself, transcending all else, the bestower of every accomplishment. Free from blemish and without reliance on anything, she is eternally perfected, untouched by any disease or decay. Without personal resolve or affliction, she is the very essence of humility and grants humility to all who seek her. This is the great goddess Durga, born from Vasudeva, the source of knowledge and its object, ageless and the very goal described in the Vedanta. She is the yogic illusion—Maya—known through her wondrous manifestations, the greatest and most exalted illusion. From the sprouting of the seed she arises, filled with immense power and profound wisdom. She is transformation itself, belonging to the world and thoroughly versed in all scripture. Hosts of beings and Gandharvas serve her with devotion. She is the great night, the delight of Shiva, Shaci herself, and the destroyer of evil dreams. As the secret Ambika, she is the origin of all qualities, the supreme seat, and the daughter of the Maruts. She is the womb and mother of the world, transcending birth, death, and old age. Endowed with immense power, she is established in deep meditation, three-eyed, and ever abiding in the heavens. Her knowledge carries souls across the vast ocean of the world, dissolving the minds of those absorbed in Brahman. Resplendent like gold, she is the great night who turns the wheel of worldly existence. She awakens all, endures everything, and witnesses all certainties. The purifier of being, she is purity itself and destroys the three impurities. Without support or sustenance, she arises from the forest that bears no shoots. She knows the ordering of the higher and lower realms and is the elder-born of the Great Person. Composed of pure knowledge, she is thousand-eyed, born from the thousand-faced one. She washes away all impurity, is made of essence, all-pervading, radiant, and she awakens the lotus. She is the fortune that dwells in the sky, rides a lion as her chariot, is supremely discerning, and shines with immeasurable radiance. Unstruck and coiled, she is the lotus itself, dwelling within the heart-lotus. She is the goddess of speech, a portion of Brahman, yet beyond all portions and the very source of them. She is the power of space, of action, of knowledge, and the supreme path. Both undivided and divided in form, she is the player of the flute and the one who takes it away. She is the sister and the wife of the Blessed Lord, complete in herself and the very doer of time. She is the process of becoming, the mother of yoga, the sacred Ganges, and the sovereign of the Lord of the universe. Virtuous and pure as a lotus-pond, she is the enjoyer, foremost among the city of Indra. She is the origin of the five Brahmas and the embodiment of the ultimate meaning. Enchanting, she is the protector of the mind, ascetic, and the living form of the Veda. She is mother, sovereign of the lords of yoga, the great power formed of mind. Celestial maiden, venerated by all, she is Surabhi and Nandini, beloved of Nandi. Endowed with all weapons, she is desirable and the supreme sovereign of desire. As Kushmandi, she is rich in wealth and jewels, fragrant, and the bestower of scents. Difficult to attain, she is the guardian of treasures, fortunate, with tawny eyes. Primordial, born from the lotus of the heart, she is esteemed among cows and delights in battle. She is Durga, Katyayani, the fierce Chandika, Carcika, and yet also assumes a peaceful form. Such is the great goddess—limitless in form, boundless in power, the supreme refuge of all worlds.