May my unity with the god always remain inseparable. With this sacred wish, the goddess stood before Gautama, her awareness awakened and her heart full of reverence. Her body was delicate, her eyes like blooming lotuses, and her upper garment was shaped by her full, high breasts. Through many disciplines, extraordinary austerities, and sacrifices, she attained wondrous states of yogic union. Despite engaging in various arduous practices, the slender goddess never experienced fatigue. As she continued her austerities, the distressed gods approached, bowing to Gaurī and seeking her refuge. Overcome by fear, they pleaded, “O goddess, grant us freedom from fear!” They revealed that their terror was caused by the lord of the demons, Mahisha. This powerful Daitya had dragged the elephants of the directions, led by Airavata, into his own palace for his amusement, surrounded by women. His splendid stables housed hundreds of thousands of horses. He had taken the buffalo of Yama and made it pull a cart, and he had summoned the entire host of Apsarases to serve him. Mahisha, angry and relentless, would not rest until he had taken back what was not given to him. Honoring his commands, the gods saw no other path. He was an unconquerable hero even among the mighty, and it was said that he had split the ocean with the blow of his horn. Arrogant, he lifted mountains with the tip of his horn, and his incomparable strength could not be withstood by anyone else. Now, the supreme power of Shiva was seen here in the form of a woman. The gods admitted, “O goddess, we do not know anything of Shiva’s actions.” Hearing their auspicious words, spoken in fear, Gaurī replied: “I, established in asceticism, protect those who seek refuge. By means of a strategy, I will draw in and slay the great Asura. Those who break dharma in the realm of dharma indeed become like moths.” Reassured, the gods departed as they had come, fearless and with joyful hearts. When the gods had gone, Gaurī, the lotus-eyed one, wandered across the directions and the four peaks of the reddish mountains. When the mountain maiden descended from the summit of Kailasa, she encountered Dundubhi, known as Satyavati, and another named Anavami. She instructed those mighty warriors stationed at the mountain boundary, “Release the weary guest, afflicted by hunger and thirst.” While Gaurī, slender-bodied, performed her austerities, no suffering whatsoever arose. Even hostile beings abandoned their former enmity. For a distance of two yojanas, those stationed on the mountain boundary felt no fear, nor was any sign of terror seen. All the accomplished sages praised the daughter of the mountain. Gaurī continued her severe austerity day and night. Meanwhile, Mahisha, of great might, set out to hunt. Accompanied by an army of demons, he pursued many herds of wild animals, his power and arrogance growing ever greater.