Ferocious and impossible to subdue, a dreadful being roamed ceaselessly, its terrifying appearance striking fear into all who beheld it. With massive jaws, a towering crown, a fierce, gaping mouth, and eyes blazing with menace, it was a vision of pure dread. The tumult caused by this monstrous presence reached the goddess, who was engaged in deep observance. Disturbed by this disruption, she ascended the lord of beasts in the crimson valley of the mountain. There, her voice thundered forth—a lion’s roar, as deafening and awe-inspiring as a sky filled with storm clouds. In response, the Mothers, filled with anger, summoned forth the circle of Yoginīs from their own bodies. Among them, some appeared with a reddish glow, carrying staffs, and riding upon graceful swans. Others, ablaze with wrath, emerged wielding flaming tridents. Some, accompanied by entire armies, set out mounted on radiant peacocks. Still others, even more furious, rode upon Garuḍa, the mighty celestial bird. There were those who, shining like blue lotuses, rode tigers into battle. Others, with wrathful forms—red in hue and adorned with a thousand eyes—mounted elephants with striking, mottled hides. Some gathered together on swift horses, their presence flashing like lightning. Outside the hermitage of the asuras, four crore sixty lakh Yoginīs assembled. Between this vast circle of Yoginīs and the demon host, battle was joined. The crowns of the demons were shattered by the arrows released by the Yoginīs, and rivers of blood began to flow, their banks lined with kaishika grass as if it were reeds. Ghouls, riding upon the beaks of vultures as if they were palatial chariots, drank from the skulls of demon warriors, filling them with the blood-liquor of evil asuras. Flocks of vultures seized upon entrails, mistaking them for ropes, while the powers of Siddhas and Vidyādharas imbued the air with the fragrance of Mandāra blossoms. The horses of the enemy were purified by the Yoginīs, their own bodies clinging to them as they moved. The Yoginīs attacked—some striking with staffs, others with sharp spears or pointed weapons. With swords, they destroyed the chiefs of the demons. Brāhmī herself entered the fray, organizing the battle and slaying her foes. Māheśvarī, after a prolonged struggle, struck down her enemy with her trident. Kaumārī split open a demon’s head with her spear. Vārāhī swiftly crushed Bāṣkala’s head with her mace, and from the insults of her enemies, the name for which she is famed arose. Among the asuras, two mighty warriors, Pracaṇḍa and Cāmara, with great crowns and fearsome jaws, followed the enraged Mahishāsura as he advanced into battle. The charioteers, armed with bows, fought on even as blood streamed from their heads. All directions reverberated with terrifying lion-roars, and the powerful warriors were locked in combat, unable to withstand the ferocity of the Yoginīs. The invincibility of the wicked one, born of illusion, was spoken of in the tumult. In the form of yoga-sleep, the goddess appeared in the lotus eyes of Viṣṇu. Even Madhuka and Kaitabha could not grasp her hand, O Mother. Had you, Kauśikī, not been born, death would never have come to Śumbha and Niśumbha. O Dweller on the Vindhya, not a single austerity of yours has ever been fruitless. Even the bed of a monkey was enjoyed and then presented as a gift to the Lord of Wealth. Thus, the divine forces, led by the goddess and her emanations, overwhelmed the demon host, their power and glory shining forth in every direction.