All that exists is sustained by you, O Goddess; you are the very force by which this world is created, protected, and, in the end, dissolved. In the act of creation, you manifest as the power of creation itself; in preservation, you are the essence of preservation; and when the time comes for dissolution, you become that very force, O embodiment of the universe. You are the great knowledge that illumines, the great illusion that veils, the supreme wisdom, and the vast memory. You are also the great delusion, the mighty goddess, the sovereign above all. As the primal nature, you express yourself through the three qualities—sattva, rajas, and tamas. You are the night of time, the great night, and the dreadful night of delusion. You are fortune and sovereignty, modesty and intelligence marked by understanding. You are the sense of shame, nourishment, contentment, peace, and forbearance. Fierce are you, wielding sword and spear, bearing the mace and discus; you carry the conch, the bow, arrows, a slingshot, and the iron club as your weapons. Yet, you are gentler than all the gentle ones, supremely beautiful, and stand as the highest among both the transcendent and the non-transcendent, O supreme goddess. Whatever exists—real or unreal—derives its power from you, O essence of all. What praise could ever be sufficient for you? Even the creator, sustainer, and destroyer of the worlds are overcome by sleep through your power; who, then, O goddess, is truly capable of praising you? Vishnu, who takes form, and the great lord Ishana, are both made to act by your will. Who, then, is fit to praise you? Therefore, O goddess, praised by your own magnificent powers, bewilder these two unassailable demons, Madhu and Kaitabha. Let Achyuta, the lord of the world, be swiftly awakened; let awareness return to him so that he may slay these two great demons. The sage then said: Thus, at that moment, praised by the creator himself, the dark goddess appeared for the purpose of awakening Vishnu, so that Madhu and Kaitabha might be slain. She emerged from the eyes, mouth, nose, arms, heart, and chest of Brahma, the one of unmanifest birth, and stood there visibly. Released by her, Janardana, the lord of the universe, rose from his serpent couch upon the single ocean and beheld the two demons. Madhu and Kaitabha, wicked and immensely powerful, eyes red with anger and intent on killing Brahma, were brimming with energy. Then the blessed Hari rose and engaged them in battle, fighting with his bare arms for five thousand years. The two demons, intoxicated by their own strength and deluded by the great illusion, said to Keshava, “Choose a boon from us.” The Blessed Lord replied, “You two are pleased with me—let both of you be slain by me today. What other boon is needed here? This alone is my wish.” The sage continued: Realizing they had been deceived, and seeing that the whole world was nothing but water, the two demons were addressed by the lotus-eyed Lord. They said, “Slay us where the earth is not submerged by water; let us fall in battle, for you are worthy of praise, and death is ours.” “So be it,” replied the Lord, the bearer of conch, discus, and mace. Then, with his discus, he severed their heads and hips. Thus did the goddess arise, praised by Brahma himself. Now, hear further of the power of this goddess, as I continue to tell you her story.